Concern over community college courses

[orthogrl]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Hi everyone! After a long history of "surfing" the forum, I am making my first post. I want to know what you think my chances are of actually getting into dental school, as I have some concerns about taking my pre-requisites at a community college. I have a somewhat "non-traditional" background:

I have a BA in English Literature from the University of Central FL, and I graduated Summa Cum Laude (only received one "B" in 4 years). I then moved home and got a job in a completely unrelated field, orthodontics. I have been a treatment coordinator for a highly respected orthodontist for the past 4 years, and have recently made a tentative decision to apply to dental school once I have satisfied my science pre-requisites. I have thus far taken Microbiology and Chem I and received "As" in both, so I am not anticipating GPA to be a big concern. I have not yet taken the DAT, but I am already studying and have always been a good test-taker.

Over the past four years, I have developed a passion for the dental field and feel that I would be honored to be a part of this wonderful profession. I have aspirations towards the orthodontic specialty, but I know it is highly competitive, and I would be quite happy being a general practitioner. I also have some very good friends who are dentists, so I have some personal connections to the field as well.

The reason why I give you such a history is this- I plan to continue working full time as I work towards completing my pre-requisites, thus I have been taking them at the local community college. Given my professional background, how bad do you think this may hurt my chances of getting into dental school? I know that certain schools frown upon CC classes and this has me considerably worried. I am not so concerned about the English background as I know that certain schools appreciate a "well-rounded" candidate. Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[jay228]

most "Second-career'ers" I've encountered took post-bacc classes for their sciences, so you're on the right track.... i personally think you should look at post-bacc science programs rather than CC, as CC is a joke to everyone, esp. adcoms...

best of luck!

 

[etan4]

I don't think it's a good idea to take all of the prereqs at a Community College. On the scale of difficulty, I believe C.C. courses are closer to high school classes than they are to 4-year university courses. Basically, getting a 4.0 in C.C. courses doesn't really say much, and it definitely doesn't imply that the same course, if taken at a 4-year university instead, would have resulted in the same grade.

 

[Hassan_OSU2009]

Based on my experience, I would like to disagree with the above posts. My academic background is similar to yours. I am a non-trad. student who was attracted to the dental field after 6 years of working as a computer programmer. I took all my pre-requisites from a CC. My original major was Business (with a concentration on accounting and information systems.) I believe that the DAT serves as the real "validator" of your academic performance in the pre-requisite science classes and that most schools do not place any significance whatsoever on where you took your classes as long as you could prove, through your DAT scores, that you have what it takes academically. I can say the above with confidence since I applied to about 26 schools, was offered interviews by most of them, and was eventually accepted from quite a few of them (examples Buffalo, OSU, Louisville, Temple, Marquette, Maryland, Arizona, Kansas, Florida, NJ, etc). In all my iterviews, I was never asked about why I took all my pre-requisites at a CC. As for the quality of education at a CC, I guess this really depends on the CC you attend, and as I said, you can prove the validity of a 4.0 CC GPA through a high score in your DAT, which I am confident you will achieve, since you sound like a gunner to me 🙂 .

I am not saying that some schools do not frown upon CC courses (example UofM), but most schools, based on my experience last year, do not really care, as long as you have a competitive score in your DAT.

So to sum it up, you're on the right track and I wish you the best of luck.

 

[posse stew]

here is exactly what you should do: if at all possible you need to get yourself into a 4 year university to take your classes. this will increase your chances of getting in because any school will look on university more favorably than community college. this is about giving yourself the best possible chance you can to get accepted, not about doing the minimum. just because some community college kids tell you that they got in does not mean everybody does.
i am not saying that you dont have a chance if all you can really do is go to a community college. i am just saying that IF you can, you should arrange to go to a university because that WILL look better. it does sound like you are a good candidate even if you continue at the community college. if you do that though, then do your best to ROCK the DAT. i didn't think it was that bad really. just study, take practice exams and you'll be set.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[etan4]

I am afraid you will experience a huge shock when you experience the intensity of the science courses in dental school because you were used to the generally slow pace characteristic of C.C. courses. At least science courses at a 4-year university resemble more closely the rigorous nature of the dental curriculum.

 

[jr8047]

I went to a cc for my first 2 years and then transferred to a university. I can tell you this-there is little to no difference between the two. The level of difficulty depends much more on the professors than the colleges. Next, I would suggest you keep in mind that many of the replies you have received are from students that went straight from highschool to college. In their case, yes it is best to get their degrees at universities, but for non-traditional students who have families to support, I would presume that the d-schools understand that it is much more practical to take the prereq's at the cc. Just do well-3.5-4.0, 20+ on DAT and you are in.

 

[orthogrl]

Thank you so much for your responses and encouragement- you guys are great! I will certainly take all of this into consideration. It will be a little bit of a challenge for me to take post-bac courses as I have moved since graduating college, and the closest university is about an hour away, but I suppose it could be done. Perhaps I will try it for a semester and see how it works out. If it comes down to interview time and the adcom asks me about it, I will just have to be honest and explain the above challenge. All you can ever do is your best, given your individual circumstances, and I definitely plan on doing just that! I had a wonderful dream last night about getting into dental school, and I was so happy in my dream that I was crying, so the drive is definitely there!

Amber

 

[colt]

I agree with jr; the teacher makes all the difference. You use the same book many times and have the same amount of time to cover it.

 

[jav316]

because your undergrad grades were very good, i think taking the courses at a cc would be fine. the important point is to do well on the DAT

 

[chordata]

I'm a non-trad student too. I went to state university for my first degree in business. During that time I also took several science classes. After being in the work force for 5 years I decided I wanted a career change and took all of my pre-reqs (again) at a CC. The content covered was pretty much the same. (The major difference was the quality of the class. At CC you had more of an opportunity to ask questions--due to smaller class size. I also got the impression that the professor at the CC cared more about my performance, whereas the professors I had at the university could care less. The basically just regurgitated whatever their slides said.)

This is just my opinion and it could vary depending upon the quality of the CC but I think that a CC does a pretty good job of simulating a similar class experience as a univiersity.

(Also, I've spoken with a few advisors at the schools I'm applying to and they said that it doesn't really matter where I picked up my minimum requirements as long as I perform well on the DATs.)

 

[megawatt]

Re: CC quality of education in general, I think it's pretty good, or at least it can be pretty good. I've taken classes at California community colleges, UCs, and CSUs, and in all honesty, the quality of teaching tends to be in reverse of the prestige of each respective institution. However, the grading tends to be easier at CCs (in my experience), and in any case I really don't think quality of education matters all that much when you're applying to professional schools. I think reputation is much more important, sadly, and in that regard CCs are at the bottom of the list. This is personal opinion and speculation, but at the very least you will be as well-off taking classes at any 4-year; most likely, you will be seen as a better applicant.

 

[Pelotari]

most "Second-career'ers" I've encountered took post-bacc classes for their sciences, so you're on the right track.... i personally think you should look at post-bacc science programs rather than CC, as CC is a joke to everyone, esp. adcoms...

best of luck!

I am in the same position as orthogirl. I already have a career, work full-time plus take care of a family, and am trying to get into Dental School. Some background: I have two M.Sc. degrees: one in Comp. Sci. and one in Math so I think I am qualified to clearly distinguish between difficult courses and "joke" courses.

I respectfully disagree with the comment in quotes above. I think that Community Colleges have an important role in education and that they exist for a reason. For some of us who are trying to change careers, Community Colleges are a God-sent. If it were not for Community Colleges, how in the world are we to go to school in the morning at a "big" school when we have to be at work? It is just not practical and folks like us would be condemned to never fulfill our dreams and aspirations of getting into Dental School / Med. School / Pharmacy / etc / etc.

Here is something that nobody has been able to explain to me: how can folks say that the level of a Community College is under par when thousands of kids all over the US take their two first years at a community college and then transfer to a "big" school? What, do they flunk out after they transfer to a 4-year school because they can't keep up with the "rigors" of the University? Do they hide under their bed sucking their thumb calling for mommy because they are so intimidated, waiting to die a slow, painful, academic death? I seriously doubt it. And if adcoms have any sense at all, they would see right through this as well.

And as an illustration of the nonsensical argument quoted above (i.e. joke schools and adcoms): my ex-room mate in grad school came from a "joke" Community College. Today he has a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics and is involved in academics and industry consulting for TI and other semiconductor companies. Not too shabby for a guy who spent his first two years in a Community College in Liberty County near Houston. This guy aced the rest of his undergrad and jumped right into the Ph.D. program (no M.Sc. required). To my knowledge he never got anything under an A (and this school has an A-, A, and A+ type of grading, not just A, B, C...).

My strategy and my advice for orthogirl: stay on course - you are doing great. Try to get in as many courses as you can in a four-year school because that is what Dental Schools like to see. But, if schedules do not align for you, don't sweat it. Go to a Community College and keep going. Just make sure you have good DAT scores so that you can "justify" your Community College experience (if asked).

Good luck, and sorry for the rant.

 

[wimmcs]

Everyone has given you some pretty good advice. Here's my story:
I'm currently in d-school (1st year) and my background is very similar to some of you who have posted. Have 2 degrees from a 4 yr. University and worked for a couple of big companies in their HR dept. (my degree is in Business w/an HR emphasis) for over 7 years. Decided to go back to school and took ALL my pre-reqs from a local CC (BTW, excellent quality of education). Did well enough on my DAT to have been interviewed and accepted at 4 schools. My GPA wasn't as high as yours, but I truly believe that schools looked more closely at applicants who were overall well-rounded. Like someone posted earlier, no one ever questioned my CC classes.
I'm also a mother of 3 sons... so it's a challenge, but I'm making it so far... 😱
Good luck!!

 

[joonkimdds]

I go to CC and taking BIO, CHEM, Physics, Calc1 Honor, Calc2 honor....-_-;

 

[smed]

Great thread everyone. Orthogirl, I have the same concerns. I've got an BS in Psych and an MBA, but after several years in the corp world, I want to go into dentistry. I'm planning on taking some courses a community college and possible some courses at UC Irvine through their "Access UCI" program. (It seems most anyone can just register and take up to two classes with instructor approval). I'll definitely be interested to hear about your experience once you start applying and getting interviews. Good luck!

 

[dentwannabe]

Thank you so much for your responses and encouragement- you guys are great! I will certainly take all of this into consideration. It will be a little bit of a challenge for me to take post-bac courses as I have moved since graduating college, and the closest university is about an hour away, but I suppose it could be done. Perhaps I will try it for a semester and see how it works out. If it comes down to interview time and the adcom asks me about it, I will just have to be honest and explain the above challenge. All you can ever do is your best, given your individual circumstances, and I definitely plan on doing just that! I had a wonderful dream last night about getting into dental school, and I was so happy in my dream that I was crying, so the drive is definitely there!

Amber

oh god, dreaming of dentistry and crying.... yea, you got the passion i'd say.

good luck.

 

[teefRcool]

I don't think it's a good idea to take all of the prereqs at a Community College. On the scale of difficulty, I believe C.C. courses are closer to high school classes than they are to 4-year university courses. Basically, getting a 4.0 in C.C. courses doesn't really say much, and it definitely doesn't imply that the same course, if taken at a 4-year university instead, would have resulted in the same grade.

Are u kidding me, at the JC i went to the teachers were from top notch universities when i transfered out my classes were joke to those JC courses.

You ever try taking sci courses at JC, are u kidding me i got owned especially ochem and bio. I transferd to ucla its a joke.
If your talking about BS courses like art, and stuff yea i see what your talking about bu the sciences.

Since when did u guys get the idea JC is sooooooooo easy. My experience is actually the other way around.

 

[booboo]

i agree..some top JC's are really hard. It all depends on the JC that you are trying to attend. I think i went to one of the top JC's and it have to agree science courses are alot harder compared to a uni. Yeah i have heard stories at my school where people failed o-chem and got A when they took the same class at a different JC, so it depends on the school you are attending. After I transferred, I found all my classes to be alot easier. soo it all dependssssssss on the school..

 

[SMC2UCLA2_]

i agree..some top JC's are really hard. It all depends on the JC that you are trying to attend. I think i went to one of the top JC's and it have to agree science courses are alot harder compared to a uni. Yeah i have heard stories at my school where people failed o-chem and got A when they took the same class at a different JC, so it depends on the school you are attending. After I transferred, I found all my classes to be alot easier. soo it all dependssssssss on the school..

I went to santa monica community college for 2 years after highschool and got a 3.89. I was really impressed with the faculty and the great individual attention received at santa monica college. I transfered to UCLA as a Neuroscience major and my GPA at UCLA is 3.92 (2nd and 3rd quarter O Chem and Neuroscience Upper division core classes).

I don't think CC is a joke. Several of my professors at SMC originally taught at UCLA but switched because research wasnt a compelling force in their lives.

Since you are a working professional, I think CC would work best for your situation. Prove yourself on the DATs and combine that with your work experience.

GL

 

[oldboy]

Take as many of your sciences at a four year college, not a CC. It will be looked upon more favorably.

 

[coolslugs]

Take as many of your sciences at a four year college, not a CC. It will be looked upon more favorably.

There is no evidence that it will be looked upon favorably. It's all about the grades you get in them.

 

[smed]

There IS evidence that it will be looked upon more favorable at some schools. I emailed UCLA adcom and they said:

The admissions committee suggests that you complete the majority of the
required courses at a four year university instead of a community college.
Keep in mind that doing so makes you a stronger candidate.

There is a recent post from joonkimdds on "PPL who go to CC or Party School" where he says he email adcoms at 45 schools and 30 said they cared and 15 said they didn't care..

 

[orthogrl]

Wow, I am glad to see my thread lives! I think there are just so many variables as far as this subject is concerned. I love how everyone has a story and we all come from such unique backgrounds. I suppose it goes to show you that there really is no "ideal" candidate- we all have very special gifts and experiences to bring to the profession.

I am glad I have found such a supportive group- thanks for all the feedback! 😍 I FEEL the love!

 

[AUG2UAG]

There IS evidence that it will be looked upon more favorable at some schools. I emailed UCLA adcom and they said:

The admissions committee suggests that you complete the majority of the
required courses at a four year university instead of a community college.
Keep in mind that doing so makes you a stronger candidate.

There is a recent post from joonkimdds on "PPL who go to CC or Party School" where he says he email adcoms at 45 schools and 30 said they cared and 15 said they didn't care..

gr8 thread
i learned something new
i was a stickler for the cc's
knowing this info from you guys'll help me better assist others with pro-health aspirations (what to do and not to do)

 

[smed]

From what I've been able to gather from reading other posts/threads, some give weight to univ courses whereas others don't. I don't think that it means you can't get accepted with CC courses, you may need other things on your profile that help you to stand out. From what I've seen on this forum, there seem to be people that have been accepted either way to both pub and priv schools.

Good luck everyone!