I am graduating in 3 years and I was wondering if anyone thinks that dental will look down on that? I don't know if they will necessarily look down on it, but maybe consider it and give preference to someone who is a non-traditional student, etc.
Getting Bachelors in 3 years..
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I really doubt they will look down on it but I can see it possibly playing to a disadvantage somewhat. The one thing I would warn you on is make sure you get everything packed into that time, like shadowing hours, volunteering, diverse class selection, some science above and beyond just the pre-reqs. If you can do all of that in 3 years, I think you will be fine. I'm just thinking you will have even less time on your hands getting done in 3 years. Don't rush so much that you leave out some critical aspects that separate you from everyone else.
That's exactly what I was wary of.. I am completing the honors program at my university, majoring in psych, have already done a year of research, only have one more pre-req for dental school, and have been active at my school. Many things have fallen into place and that is why I have been able to do it this way. I am just going to have to really step it up getting more shadow hours in before I apply. I guess on the other end if I don't get in, I still have a year that isn't completely a waste because I'll get to enjoy it with my friends. Above all though, I want it and I really want to get in for next fall.
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Im in the same boat as you; I'm applying this june after 2 years in college..Its been tough to get the ECs to make a resume/app look good. If you spend a few weeks at the end of your term seriously going into offices and shadowing, the hours will stack up pretty fast..
I did that last December and ended up with a good amount of time.
And the way I see it, I think it shows great maturity to be able to finish in three years. I mean it's showing determination and a strong will to succeed, reaching a level faster than others.
But that's just my spin on it 😛
I did that last December and ended up with a good amount of time.
And the way I see it, I think it shows great maturity to be able to finish in three years. I mean it's showing determination and a strong will to succeed, reaching a level faster than others.
But that's just my spin on it 😛
I completely agree with your point of view. I had so many things fall in the right place in order for me to do this in 3 years. A professor actually asked me to do research, I started volunteering every week and I took organic all last summer. I didn't realize I could even graduate until last fall when I was planning my schedule. To be honest, I hope they see graduating in 3 years as an honor. Maybe it will set us apart. The only thing I am worried about is that I only have a couple shadow hours because I could not shadow my dentist over Christmas break because he had knee surgery.. As soon as I get out of school I will be in his office every day possible.
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I graduated with my bachelor's degree in 3 years. The ADCOMs were impressed by that. It shows drive, motivation, and desire to work hard and get the degree finished.
The only problem that you might run into is that the adcoms are more likely to ask you questions about maturity to make sure you're able to handle d school.
However, it did take me two cycles to get accepted. Mostly, the first cycle I didn't have any research experience, so for my second application I got a job in research. That experience really helped in my application. Also, with that time off in between applications I worked p/t at a dental office for more dental experience.
Therefore, it's really beneficial to graduate in 3 years. If you don't get in after the first application, then you have a little bit of time to make your application better and still get into dental school in that 4-5 year span that it would have normally taken.
Personally, I took two years off to work and relax before dental school. Now, I head to school excited to start because of the break I had and with $10K in my pocket from working...
Personally, I did my first B.S in 3 years. Basic pre dent (major human bio minor in chem). I sacrificed my gpa taking 20 credits a semester. I am also applying for the second time. Im finishing up a second B.S in med chem with a 4.0 which is probably why I got it.
Anyways, as long as you keep a good GPA and do well on the DAT you should be fine.
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I was done 2 yrs post-high school. No issues. A few of my classmates took 3 yrs to complete BS/BA.
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graduated in 3 yrs with a BS in business
and honestly none of my interviewers even asked me, i don't even know if they realized
but i believe if you have everything going for you then its impressive
just make sure to get everything in within the short amt of time--ECs, shadowing. . . .
and honestly none of my interviewers even asked me, i don't even know if they realized
but i believe if you have everything going for you then its impressive
just make sure to get everything in within the short amt of time--ECs, shadowing. . . .
I'm in the same situation. I'm applying this cycle, too. How many shadowing hours did you guys have before applying? I have been shadowing a dentist since January every Monday for about 4 hours. That probably adds up to about only 80 hours before I apply. Is that too little?
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It shouldn't be an issue as long as you meet your requirements and do well. I have a classmate who started first year at 19... she graduated high school at 16 and finished college in 3 years. Amazing girl. We also have 3 or 4 people who finished undergrad in 3 years and started dental school at 20 years of age.
