Getting into dental school from a community college

[Victoria Maduka]

I joined this network, because it has been useful and I thank everyone whose responded because it has helped a great deal.

I am now done with my requirements at a community college and I scored a 22 on the DAT . Being that I went to a community college and completed all my prerequisites. What are my chances of getting into a dental school and have a good amount of hours in volunteering and shadowing. Please help ease my frustration .

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[doc toothache]

Kind of like asking: "I am a blonde/brunette". What are my chances at being Miss USA?

 

[Victoria Maduka]

Are you saying that my chances are pretty fair? please I'm nervous

 

[free99]

lol how did you glean that from doc's response? Give us more info, like your GPA.

 

[Victoria Maduka]

lol I'm new to this so I was confused. My GPA is 3.75

 

[y3nd0]

Most schools require a bachelor's degree (some don't... I believe Marquette, USC, UNLV are among them). Not sure if you have a degree and you went back to comm college to get your pre-reqs done... I'm pretty sure all schools prefer that you take your pre-reqs at a 4 year institution. Some schools also have caps on how many credits you can have from a comm college.

I took these excerpts from the USC Dental school website, just to give you an idea of what most schools will probably say:

"Do I need a bachelor’s degree to attend the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC?
A bachelor’s degree is not a prerequisite for admission. However, due to the increasing competitiveness of the applicant pool, 100% of students accepted during the past nine years had earned at least a bachelor’s degree; many had earned advanced degrees."

"Can I take my prerequisites at a community college? If so, is there a limit on the number of units that can be taken at a community college?
USC does not require that all prerequisites be completed at a four-year institution. However, applicants who have taken the majority of their science coursework from a four-year institution are evaluated more favorably. We recommend that no more than 60 units be completed at a junior or community college."

You're just going to have to choose your schools carefully when you apply and hope for the best.

 

[sjv]

You'll need to check each school to see if and how many community college credits they will accept.

 

[tbond5]

I called USC asking about this. Just so you know they haven't accepted someone without a degree in 11 years and they said they actually prefer those with a masters.

 

[doc toothache]

I called USC asking about this. Just so you know they haven't accepted someone without a degree in 11 years and they said they actually prefer those with a masters.

All schools may prefer to have enrollees with an MS, JD, MD or PhD, however the numbers aren't there. For the class entering in 2013, USC barely made it in the top ten. The distinction goes to Midwestern AZ with 104 out of 140 with an MS/MS/etc. degree.

 

[tbond5]

All schools may prefer to have enrollees with an MS, JD, MD or PhD, however the numbers aren't there. For the class entering in 2013, USC barely made it in the top ten. The distinction goes to Midwestern AZ with 104 out of 140 with an MS/MS/etc. degree.

Very interesting. Just relaying what they tell me but numbers do not lie.