applying a year before??!

[dr1989]

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im graduating spring of 2012 and goal is to start d-school in the fall

however im starting ochem in the spring of next year and wont finish the series until next fall. my counselor says ideally i should be applying to d-schools next june. does that make sense for me though? because if i do apply in june, this is what i will have:

completed:
anatomy/physio
microbio
physics series
calc II series

in process:
ochem series.

and i would have to take my DATs in july. so im concerned that i will have barely started my ochem course and that will leave me with little to prep for the DATs. what if i do bad in the Dats because of my lack in ochem?

i do have 2 LOR from an ER physician, a dentist and am part of 3 clubs and am trying to start volunteering at the UCLA dental clinic (my goal is UCLA after undergrad for d-school)

what do you think? i cant take ochem till spring because the ochem classes in my university are all full and i looked at the local community colleges but they are full as well. i can only wait to take it in the spring unfortunatley. 🙁

 

[dentalbuzz]

Can you get on a waitlist for the class? Also, many people start dropping and switching classes the first day because of various reasons....I have gotten into a few classes by hovering around the computer on those days looking for openings, then pouncing. See what you can do about taking those classes earlier, because taking the DAT without any OChem is pretty much not a good idea.

 

[khangreen]

You could always get the textbook early and teach yourself. Or study with someone who's in the class. Or audit the class. You can even use an old textbook if you want. I borrowed a pretty old textbook from my high school teacher and taught myself ochem and took the DAT during spring break of freshman year. I did alright. If you're motivated enough, you'll end up fine.

 

[Blarelli]

Hop on a waitlist for O chem, and start showing up at the beginning of the semester. At my school, I'd say 10% drop within the first 3 weeks.

 

[doc toothache]

im graduating spring of 2012 and goal is to start d-school in the fall however im starting ochem in the spring of next year and wont finish the series until next fall. my counselor says ideally i should be applying to d-schools next june. does that make sense for me though? because if i do apply in june, this is what i will have:

and i would have to take my DATs in july. so im concerned that i will have barely started my ochem course and that will leave me with little to prep for the DATs. what if i do bad in the Dats because of my lack in ochem?

i do have 2 LOR from an ER physician, a dentist and am part of 3 clubs and am trying to start volunteering at the UCLA dental clinic (my goal is UCLA after undergrad for d-school)

You may have your goal of when you wish to start ds, but it is not like it is strictly up to you. What's the hurry? While your lors from the ER physician may put a feather in your hat, unfortunately they may not be exactly what ds are looking for.

 

[FreeFallin]

Yep, what Doc said. A lot of the dental schools I'm applying to have specific LOR requirements, such as 3 letters from professors and 1 letter from a dentist. You might could use the ER doctor LOR as a personal reference only if the specific dental school requires, for example, 2 professor LORs and a LOR of your preference.

As far as Organic....study hard. DAT....study hard.

 

[dr1989]

hmm..i didnt know that the letter from the ER doc would hurt me. but i guess i could use it as a personal reference (his own daughter goes to d-school and so he has given a lot of advice over the past year and has been very helpful)

the one thing im concerned about and it just hit me this weekend..is that i will be APPLYING to dental schools next summer! i feel like this may be too much of a rush even though they dont review apps till november. but with no ochem to put into my app and hoping for decent dat scores is like gambling. and i am not a betting person at all. the waitlists are all closed because each comunity college only offers 1 or 2 ochem courses. and of course they filled abruptly.

also. i really have no immediate e.c to offer to the app cycle. i recently realized i want to do dentistry and discovered motivation. im HOPING to start the dental clinic volunteering (which wont start till september provided i get in) and yes im in my school predental club, but thats pretty generic. and reading the posts so far i guess i need to scrap up 2 more LOR from dentists/prof BEFORE june AND manage to do well in my next two semesters (which i should also mention-this is my first year at my undergrad uni post transfer from a cc. and im not gonna lie-my transfer gpa was mediocre. like 2.6 gpa. its embarassing. SO i feel like i wont be able to enjoy life at a uni and jumping around like a maniac to do well and study for the Dats in my downtime. thank god i wont be working!

BUT if this means that i may have a chance at getting into a dental school by the time i graduate in spring of 2012 then darn it i will try! 😀 Thats my motivation right there and that IS my goal. Just dont know if that school will be any Cali school! (Because my dream school is UCLA/UCSF/USC)

who thinks im being unrealistic/in too much of a rush? because thats what the other half of my brain is telling me.

 

[doc toothache]

Time to listen to your other half.

 

[FreeFallin]

hmm..i didnt know that the letter from the ER doc would hurt me. but i guess i could use it as a personal reference (his own daughter goes to d-school and so he has given a lot of advice over the past year and has been very helpful)

the one thing im concerned about and it just hit me this weekend..is that i will be APPLYING to dental schools next summer! i feel like this may be too much of a rush even though they dont review apps till november. but with no ochem to put into my app and hoping for decent dat scores is like gambling. and i am not a betting person at all. the waitlists are all closed because each comunity college only offers 1 or 2 ochem courses. and of course they filled abruptly.

also. i really have no immediate e.c to offer to the app cycle. i recently realized i want to do dentistry and discovered motivation. im HOPING to start the dental clinic volunteering (which wont start till september provided i get in) and yes im in my school predental club, but thats pretty generic. and reading the posts so far i guess i need to scrap up 2 more LOR from dentists/prof BEFORE june AND manage to do well in my next two semesters (which i should also mention-this is my first year at my undergrad uni post transfer from a cc. and im not gonna lie-my transfer gpa was mediocre. like 2.6 gpa. its embarassing. SO i feel like i wont be able to enjoy life at a uni and jumping around like a maniac to do well and study for the Dats in my downtime. thank god i wont be working!

BUT if this means that i may have a chance at getting into a dental school by the time i graduate in spring of 2012 then darn it i will try! 😀 Thats my motivation right there and that IS my goal. Just dont know if that school will be any Cali school! (Because my dream school is UCLA/UCSF/USC)

who thinks im being unrealistic/in too much of a rush? because thats what the other half of my brain is telling me.

Yep, sounds like a rush. Applying to DS is a HUGE step. I'm applying now because I've had a lot of serious time to think about it and am comfortably NOT rushing into it. I've been an RDH for 3 years, have my prereqs, and DAT is done. So, this is a good pace for me. It's all on an individual level.

You really outta have Ochem done for DAT and for applying. It's a big course that most all dental schools have on their list of prereqs. Also, how much of your coursework is from a CC? Keep in mind that there are a few dental schools that won't accept CC credit and require you retake at a 4-year university.

Also, you don't want to have to "scrap" up LORs. They should be of quality. Give yourself time to get to know professors and dentists who could potentially write letters for you.

Good luck in your decision!

 

[dentalbuzz]

Also, a 2.6 gpa is not going to be remedied by a mere two semesters. To get that up past 3.0 will take a lot of courses and a lot of As. You don't have much chance for acceptance until you really raise that GPA, or get a Masters degree if your post bacc classes aren't going to make much difference by the time you apply. Each cycle is getting more competitive. Sub 3.0 gpas generally don't cut it anymore.

 

[dr1989]

this is all very true. i just need to take every class and go semester by semester rather than jump into it all at once. I know this may sound silly but Ive had this notion in my head that whatever I would want to do in life I would be in grad school by the time i would be 22 or done with everything by 26. but if this means i have a better chance at acceptance to one of my preferred schools than i will go that route!

 

[iluvdentistry]

Seriously, just take your time! Dental school isn't going anywhere and you're young. Applying is not a walk in the park, it takes time and energy and if you're going to try to speed through classes you may burn yourself out by adding on the entire application process as well. Look at it this way, at least you're not 5-10 years out of undergrad and now realizing you want to go to d school (seems like this has happened to quite a few people on SDN). Relax 🙂

 

[dr1989]

y'all are right. im just gonna take a break and focus on my current load for the upcoming fall. and mind you its heavy with physics, a/p and calculus on top of ethics. so i think im just gonna focus on my four classes and try to just be involved in my community etc. and hopefully around september i can apply to the ucla dental clinic. anyone have any experiece with their volunteer clinic there? im already nervous looking at the app!