Hi all! I recently decided that I want to pursue dentistry, however I just completed my junior year of college at USC. Because I'm behind in my required prerequisites I will have a gap year and I'm not sure how many recommended courses I can get in. The classes I've taken so far are: Gen chem 1/2 with lab, Ochem 1/2 with lab, general biology 1/2 with lab and my math requirements. I will be taking both of my physics and biochemistry my senior year. Should I be trying to take some recommended courses in my gap year or should I just focus on shadowing and doing well on the DAT? I currently have a 3.8 gpa and I'm hoping to keep it up there when I graduate. I'm just very paranoid that I won't be accepted because I haven't taken any recommended courses! I feel so behind and I really want to avoid having two gap years as I already feel behind. Has anyone ever been in this situation? Thank you and I'd really appreciate the advice and what I should be focusing on when applying!
Are Recommended Courses Very Important to be Admitted?
- Thread starter jrosey
- Start date
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2015
- Messages
- 2,644
- Reaction score
- 2,480
What do you mean by recommended courses?
You will have to complete all the pre requisites
You will have to complete all the pre requisites
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2006
- Messages
- 8,521
- Reaction score
- 2,797
For some schools, anatomy, biochem, cell bio, histo, immuno, micro, and zoology rounds the list of either required or recommended for admission. This information is readily available from ADEA or school website. Don't let your 3.8 get to your head. Given similar, if not identical metrics, guess which candidate is more likely to be accepted; the one with some recommended courses under his/her belt or the one who chose to ignore the recommendations?
PurpleSails
Full Member
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2022
- Messages
- 67
- Reaction score
- 51
I think the main point of "recommended courses" is to show that you have been academically challenging yourself throughout your college career. Taking a 3000 or 4000 level courses in biology is of course worth more than your regular intro bio class in terms of “hardness” of the class. It’s one of those cases where not having it isn’t grounds for not admitting you, but say you and another student with same GPA, shadowing, extracurriculars, etc., are in being compared, and if they happen to have been taking very challenging STEM courses through college and keeping a great GPA, and only classes you have been taking were intro-evel prerequisites, then of course they would be seen as more competitive applicant.
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2011
- Messages
- 27,328
- Reaction score
- 19,864
Recommended courses are definitely viewed favorably as it gives you a little head start on the vocabulary and terminology once you get those classes in dental school. Anatomy and biochemistry in medical/dental/professional school are difficult enough; when you don't even know the basic terminology, the climb becomes much steeper. The way we teach science and medicine/dentistry is sequential like building a house; if your foundation is poor, your house is going to collapse without serious correction. The pace of education means you have to build a skyscraper in 4 days, so anything to get you more comfortable is going to help you.
