I'm currently a high school senior and I am trying to apply to universities. My problem is that I kind of missed the deadline for scholarships and financial aid for my state universities ( I reside in Nevada). Tuition for in-state students would be approximately $15,000 to $20,000. I don't really have the money to pay four years of universities without getting a job. I was thinking of going into community college and receiving an Associates Degree in something dental related and getting a job while I transfer for a Bachelor's Degree. After receiving a BS I would apply to a dental school.
My Questions:
1) What should I get a degree on while at community college?
2) Will having a job while working on a BS be manageable?
3) Should I take my Prereqs. in community college? (I heard dental schools will reject applicants who completed their prerequisites in community college)
4) How many and what classes should I take?
5) Any advice?
Thanks.
1) You don't need to get a degree at a community college before you can transfer to a 4-yr university. I know most community colleges have a transfer relationship with the state college/university, so check with the community college to see what classes you need to finish and whether the credits will transfer before you actually transfer. Most of the time, they're the general classes (ie, biology, english, chem, algebra, etc), so when you do transfer you won't have to take them at the university and can move on to higher-level classes.
2) Working while going to school is definitely manageable. Don't work more than 20 hours or else you won't have time to study for your classes and do extracurricular activities. Working and going to school shows grad/professional schools that you know how to manage your time.
3) You can definitely take your prereqs at community colleges. Most dental schools accept community college credits (some private ones don't) up to a certain number. Start thinking about which dental schools you might like to apply and check them to see how many community college credits they will accept. I know that my state dental school accepts up to 64 cc credits.
4) You don't need to major in biology or chemistry to apply to dental school. Most students major in bio or chem because they just end up taking a lot of classes in those two majors. Make sure to take all the prereq classes as well as some of the recommended courses. Two science classes and two non-science classes per semester should be a good balance. Taking four science classes during any given semester may not be a good idea since they're a lot of work and you might jeopardize your grades if you fall behind.
5) Work hard and keep going. You may hit some obstacles along the way, but you just have to pick yourself up and keep going if you really do want to be a dentist.