Applying with just pre-requisites

[Kurk]

---

Members do not see this ad.

How difficult is it to get in with just the pre-reqs with a good gpa?

Many of the dental school sites say they "highly recommend" having completed coursework in upper level bio/biochem classes which I'm really not looking forward to. Really, I'm not looking forward to completing a degree at all.

Will it hurt my chances if I only apply with the pre-reqs? What if I transfer to a community college (I'd like to drop out of university and train in a trade as a backup plan) to finish my pre-reqs there?

This is all assuming I do very well on the DAT.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

Go back to Student Lawyer network

 

[sobertiger]

How difficult is it to get in with just the pre-reqs with a good gpa?

Many of the dental school sites say they "highly recommend" having completed coursework in upper level bio/biochem classes which I'm really not looking forward to. Really, I'm not looking forward to completing a degree at all.

Will it hurt my chances if I only apply with the pre-reqs? What if I transfer to a community college (I'd like to drop out of university and train in a trade as a backup plan) to finish my pre-reqs there?

This is all assuming I do very well on the DAT.

48 dental schools require Biochem now. That narrows your choice down quite a bit, and applying without a degree is a long shot to begin with.

 

[Kurk]

48 dental schools require Biochem now. That narrows your choice down quite a bit, and applying without a degree is a long shot to begin with.

Did that happen over the last few years? I only thought 20-some schools would require biochem.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

I can't really say what your chances would be, but avoiding upper level science coursework if you plan on going to dental school is really not a good idea. You want to make sure the sciences at the undergrad level are something you're comfortable handling, because you'll be getting a much more difficult version of them during dental school.

 

[futuredds3]

How difficult is it to get in with just the pre-reqs with a good gpa?

Many of the dental school sites say they "highly recommend" having completed coursework in upper level bio/biochem classes which I'm really not looking forward to. Really, I'm not looking forward to completing a degree at all.

Will it hurt my chances if I only apply with the pre-reqs? What if I transfer to a community college (I'd like to drop out of university and train in a trade as a backup plan) to finish my pre-reqs there?

This is all assuming I do very well on the DAT.

I am applying this cycle without a bachelors degree. I only applied to couple schools and will apply more broadly next year if I have to. I recommend it and I do not think it hurts to apply and see what happens. It is much more challenging to get in without a bachelors degree. It will hurt your chances at some schools, while other schools will consider you. I recommend looking in a dental school guide at the number of three year applicants a school accepts. If it is one or two, you have a very minimal chance. I think there are like 5-10 schools that will accept about 15 three year applicants out of a class size over 100. The percentage of acceptance (~4%) is much lower, meaning you will really need to challenge yourself. All pre-reqs should be taken at a four year university if you are not getting a bachelors degree. Many dental schools are against pre-reqs at a community college. In addition, you need a high GPA and DAT score to be considered. With a bachelors degree, you can have a lower GPA and higher DAT or vice versa but that is not the case if you are applying if pre-reqs only. Also, you need to show that you really explored the dental field in three years instead of the traditional four by dental assisting or lots of shadowing. Lastly, if you choose to not obtain a bachelors degree in the future it might prevent you from being able to specialize or apply to some programs like ortho.