Do I have a chance?

[lifelongstud3nt]

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I have my B.A. in English, gpa was then 3.5, and have been going back to school for a post-bacc in speech-pathology when I became interested in dentistry. GPA is now around 3.6. I have several bad grades in math and science from my undergrad: my first quarter in college I got a F in pre-calc, and D in Chem. I retook precalc and got an A, retook general chemistry and got a C+. When I took the second general chemistry, I got a C. If I calculated correctly, my math and science gpa would fall around 2.61 with 35 quarter hours. The F and C's were at least five years ago.

I am now registered to retake general chemistry at a cc, along with starting a biology sequence and a physics class. In your opinion, are schools likely to be lenient with my science gpa since it has been 5 years? I am starting from ground zero to do the 13 pre-reqs at least, considering additional classes if I have to bump up my gpa (if its feasible). I'm prepared to slave over getting my A's now, I feel that I have matured greatly as a student since my undergrad; my post-bacc grades have been all A's, though I do expect it to be a lot harder to get them in the sciences..does anyone have a similar experience/success story? Basically I am feeling discouraged but if it is a situation where I just have to apply and see what happens, I will sacrifice for that.

Thanks!

 

[mdb6476]

Doing pre-reqs at a University would probably be much better.

 

[nondescriptive]

Take all your pre req at a CC. Its better to have good grades than not. A 4.0 at a CC is better than a 3.0 at a university.

 

[lifelongstud3nt]

I'm seeing both sides about cc courses in other threads. anyone want to give me more opinions either way given my background? I am limited by money, so I'm going to try to get a university job for the tuition reimbursement.. If I have to continue at a cc, is that going to break me?

 

[Member902507]

It won't break you, but ADCOMs view univ students to be "stronger". Schools like Tufts won't even consider you if you've taken any pre-reqs at a CC. Schools like UCLA/UCSF don't want courses like Psychology taken at a CC, and kept saying they advise against doing it.

If you can afford it, try going for the univ level courses (look into extension), just so it backs you up more when you apply, especially because you had initially done your pre-reqs at the univ level if I'm not mistaken.

And though I'm not the success story you're looking for, there are plenty of people who had a change of heart in their careers and switched into dentistry. When I visited a dental school, one D3 was as old as my mom (46)...so, don't get discouraged. If you feel dentistry is the right job for you, it will never be too late to start working towards it!

And as one of my friends keeps telling me this proverb...a thousand step journey is always started with the first step (I prob butchered it, but you get what I mean!)

You got this! Don't be discouraged by anything. If CC is all you can afford, then it's definitely better than nothing, so just keep at it, and you'll reap your rewards soon!

Side note: gotta nail that DAT too! Good luck 🙂

 

[Member902507]

Double message.

 

[lifelongstud3nt]

If you can afford it, try going for the univ level courses (look into extension), just so it backs you up more when you apply, especially because you had initially done your pre-reqs at the univ level if I'm not mistaken.

What do you mean by "look into extension?"

Thanks for the help so far, its helping draw a clearer picture for me! I am really considering going back to university level, even though I would probably only be able to take 2 classes at a time, unless I can land some tuition reimbursement.. I know its nitpicky, but would that make me look like a weaker applicant when compared to full time students? I have heard people say that I need to take a full course load to be competitive.

 

[jnines]

I have my B.A. in English, gpa was then 3.5, and have been going back to school for a post-bacc in speech-pathology when I became interested in dentistry. GPA is now around 3.6. I have several bad grades in math and science from my undergrad: my first quarter in college I got a F in pre-calc, and D in Chem. I retook precalc and got an A, retook general chemistry and got a C+. When I took the second general chemistry, I got a C. If I calculated correctly, my math and science gpa would fall around 2.61 with 35 quarter hours. The F and C's were at least five years ago.

I am now registered to retake general chemistry at a cc, along with starting a biology sequence and a physics class. In your opinion, are schools likely to be lenient with my science gpa since it has been 5 years? I am starting from ground zero to do the 13 pre-reqs at least, considering additional classes if I have to bump up my gpa (if its feasible). I'm prepared to slave over getting my A's now, I feel that I have matured greatly as a student since my undergrad; my post-bacc grades have been all A's, though I do expect it to be a lot harder to get them in the sciences..does anyone have a similar experience/success story? Basically I am feeling discouraged but if it is a situation where I just have to apply and see what happens, I will sacrifice for that.

Thanks!

this is my 2 cents, my only biggest concern is taking these pre-req courses at a cc. first, some schools don't accept cc credits so that could run into some trouble; second, since u didn't score too well the first time, and retaking a course at a cc could hurt you or benefit you as long as you get an A in the course. but lets say you end up getting a B in course at a cc, that could be a big problem...
all the classes you take, at the end, are cumulative so those low grades you received will still be incorporated into the final GPA...
so i guess all i have to say is: try to take it at a university and score that A but its ok to take those courses at a cc (for some schools).
lets say you take the course at a CC, my biggest advice to you is score HIGH on the DAT to make up for that loss.
hope this helps

 

[MultiSportD]

I think you said it best, "if it is a situation where I just have to apply and see what happens, I will sacrifice for that." Going down this road is a sacrifice. And it really seems you are ready to make the commitment. Those low grades were many years ago, "at least 5 years", and people change.

I think if you take your courses and do well in them, B or higher, and do well on your DAT, and have a great overall application, then go for it. Even if you get that occasional C, still continue. Once your ready to apply, apply to many schools and broadly.

As for where to take the pre-reqs, I believe community college is fine. If you have the opportunity and resources, then university preferable. Some pre-reqs (e.g. biochemistry) doesn't transfer to a university; therefore, you are required to take them at a university. It may be true that some dental schools limit the cc units or don't even take them, but that shouldn't deter you from going down this path. I am a non-traditional, career changer, whatever have you and took the majority of my pre-reqs at cc. Did fine this application cycle.

 

[Member902507]

What do you mean by "look into extension?"

Thanks for the help so far, its helping draw a clearer picture for me! I am really considering going back to university level, even though I would probably only be able to take 2 classes at a time, unless I can land some tuition reimbursement.. I know its nitpicky, but would that make me look like a weaker applicant when compared to full time students? I have heard people say that I need to take a full course load to be competitive.

Extension is something that some universities offer in which you aren't an enrolled student in the university, but are taking the university level classes. Generally, you pay per unit over here. The one that comes to mind is UC Berkeley Extension, and I believe the other UC's have them, too. Pretty much, it's much cheaper but is at the university level. However, it's not as cheap as CC. A CC class is $170 or something, whereas extension will be at least $500 per class. Not sure the prices that are around your area though, each university is different.

Also, I don't think you need to take a full load in order to be competitive. Though ADCOMs prefer it, I don't think it's a requirement, because ultimately, they want to see good grades. Slowly if you feel you can ramp it up and start taking more classes, that'll help you. One ADCOM member told me that they like to see improvement in grades. For example, you have student A who maintained a consistent 3.5; then there's student B who started with a 2.8 but then eventually worked up to a 4.0 and ended up with an average of a 3.5. They said they're prefer student B because student B knew how to adapt in different settings. So first things first, make sure your grades are GREAT, wherever they are, and it's okay if you can only handle a couple of classes at a time. (I had an interviewer who grilled me on my courseload being too light, but I think she just wanted to see how I reacted, because eventually I got into that school). So try to take a few classes occasionally just to demonstrate that you can handle it, but only do that when you're ready. Good luck 🙂