hello / degree vs. no degree?

[deitygirl]

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Hey everyone, this is my first time posting 🙂 I've been [silently] reading posts for a while and I've actually learned a few interesting things that I don't think I would have learned anywhere else!

I did have a quick question though. I've read about applying with your degree or without your degree on SDN and the significant advantage the former presents. All in all, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should apply for the upcoming cycle, even though I'll only have completed 3 years of undergrad.

The reason this is such an important issue for me is because my dad, bless his heart, is encouraging me to apply even though he knows the disadvantage I would face against students who have their degree or have gone onto attaining their masters. He's willing to pay for the process, but I'd rather see that money spent on my little sister or brother if this is really going to be a futile endeavor and apply the following year because, even though he earns a pretty decent salary, he's really not left with much after paying tuition for myself, my brother, and my sister.

Does anyone have advice or has anyone been accepted before receiving their degree? I know it's a matter of personal opinion and other factors are considered, but I'd really love to hear what everyone has to say because I have been COMPLETELY stressed out with worries about dental school and just about everything else in life 😕

P.S. Sorry if this has been brought up before...just needed to vent and know that someone understands.

 

[organichemistry]

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting 🙂 I've been [silently] reading posts for a while and I've actually learned a few interesting things that I don't think I would have learned anywhere else!

I did have a quick question though. I've read about applying with your degree or without your degree on SDN and the significant advantage the former presents. All in all, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should apply for the upcoming cycle, even though I'll only have completed 3 years of undergrad.

The reason this is such an important issue for me is because my dad, bless his heart, is encouraging me to apply even though he knows the disadvantage I would face against students who have their degree or have gone onto attaining their masters. He's willing to pay for the process, but I'd rather see that money spent on my little sister or brother if this is really going to be a futile endeavor and apply the following year because, even though he earns a pretty decent salary, he's really not left with much after paying tuition for myself, my brother, and my sister.

Does anyone have advice or has anyone been accepted before receiving their degree? I know it's a matter of personal opinion and other factors are considered, but I'd really love to hear what everyone has to say because I have been COMPLETELY stressed out with worries about dental school and just about everything else in life 😕

P.S. Sorry if this has been brought up before...just needed to vent and know that someone understands.

i'm going through the same sort of deal. it really depends on your individual situation. what schools are you thinking of? some are friendlier to non-degrees than others. have you taken the DAT? what is your GPA? both of those need to be well above average (i'd say 3.6+ and 20+) for serious consideration without a degree. will you be applying as an in-state resident at your state school, or will you be applying to private schools? don't waste your time applying as an out of state resident to state schools.

keep giving us more information and we can probably help you out 👍

 

[dWiz]

is a risk, $2000 = worth taking? depends on your stats, what u have to offer? If you think you got a chance go for it....make sure you select the schools you apply to wisely (some schools want bachelors etc.).

personally, if I were on an admissions committee, I would always favor a bachelors over non, unless you were a really good candidate(high stats all around)......good luck, and don stress

 

[tavloolove]

is a risk, $2000 = worth taking? depends on your stats, what u have to offer? If you think you got a chance go for it....make sure you select the schools you apply to wisely (some schools want bachelors etc.).

personally, if I were on an admissions committee, I would always favor a bachelors over non, unless you were a really good candidate(high stats all around)......good luck, and don stress

Just to tag onto what DWIZ was saying about choosing schools wisely...online some schools say they will accept applicants who meet the minimum requirement (and don't have their bachelor degree), sometimes this can be deceiving. I applied to a school that said this online, but when I called their admissions office they said they hadn't accepted an applicant without a bachelors in five years. Moral of the story, make sure you do your research! GOOD LUCK and don't lose hope. It is definately attainable.

 

[paolorossifan]

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting 🙂 I've been [silently] reading posts for a while and I've actually learned a few interesting things that I don't think I would have learned anywhere else!

I did have a quick question though. I've read about applying with your degree or without your degree on SDN and the significant advantage the former presents. All in all, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should apply for the upcoming cycle, even though I'll only have completed 3 years of undergrad.

The reason this is such an important issue for me is because my dad, bless his heart, is encouraging me to apply even though he knows the disadvantage I would face against students who have their degree or have gone onto attaining their masters. He's willing to pay for the process, but I'd rather see that money spent on my little sister or brother if this is really going to be a futile endeavor and apply the following year because, even though he earns a pretty decent salary, he's really not left with much after paying tuition for myself, my brother, and my sister.

Does anyone have advice or has anyone been accepted before receiving their degree? I know it's a matter of personal opinion and other factors are considered, but I'd really love to hear what everyone has to say because I have been COMPLETELY stressed out with worries about dental school and just about everything else in life 😕

P.S. Sorry if this has been brought up before...just needed to vent and know that someone understands.

I was accepted without a B.Sc. Which I am now getting in June. But no school, including Columbia was aware that I was planning on graduating this June. If your DATS/GPA/credits are>90 than you should apply and not waste time.

 

[DrOwen]

i have a 4.0 gpa and didnt have the guts to apply simply because i will be accepted somewhere but maybe not where i want to go ? state school vs. private...100K extra?? maybe getting a b.s is better...but immana be inschool for 1 more year..so im paying an expensive price

 

[DIRTIE]

I know for a fact that it is not as difficult as all of the people on the forum make it out to be. There are a handful of schools that really just don't care if you have a degree or not. Yes this is true, what does a degree do for you anyway in the end, great so you took a few more mammology and ecology classes to graduate yepee. If you have taken a few upper divion biology courses then that will satisfy them that you can make it through dental school, at no disadvantage to other students. Now this is different at every school I know. I would say that if you have a 19 DAT and a 3.5 you will get in somewhere, but probably not your first choice as acceptance to dental school is getting more difficult every year. To me those would be pretty competitive numbers.
I would apply to schools like...Case, Marquette, UNLV, Arizona, Indiana, Nova, Temple and so on to name a few
Good luck, apply this month for best results!

 

[TaliaTN]

I got in without a BS. I have over 4 years of college and an AAS in dental hygiene. Dats were average, GPA was good. I also applied very early to my state school, which is where I was accepted. I applied also to UNC and MUSC in November, but the only correspandance I got from them was a rejection letter! Definitely a waste for me to apply there!

It can be done, but I really feel my dental experience is what got me in. Good luck!

Talia

 

[organichemistry]

I got in without a BS. I have over 4 years of college and an AAS in dental hygiene. Dats were average, GPA was good. I also applied very early to my state school, which is where I was accepted. I applied also to UNC and MUSC in November, but the only correspandance I got from them was a rejection letter! Definitely a waste for me to apply there!

It can be done, but I really feel my dental experience is what got me in. Good luck!

Talia

good to hear, talia. i suppose i will be in a similar situation as you... applying without a bachelor's. when you interviewed, did they bring it up? if so, how did you answer? obviously your dental background is a huge plus.

i have a similar gpa to you and i hope to do a little better than you on the DAT (20-21 AA, 17 PAT). what do you think are my chances of getting in without a bachelor's are if i apply to my state school (Alabama)?

 

[TaliaTN]

good to hear, talia. i suppose i will be in a similar situation as you... applying without a bachelor's. when you interviewed, did they bring it up? if so, how did you answer? obviously your dental background is a huge plus.

i have a similar gpa to you and i hope to do a little better than you on the DAT (20-21 AA, 17 PAT). what do you think are my chances of getting in without a bachelor's are if i apply to my state school (Alabama)?

How many years do you have in college? I think that would be important as far as showing your maturity level. I have no idea about how things in Alabama operate, but UT Memphis definitely emphasizes maturity. In my interview it really did not come up because theirs are closed file... they didn't know my stats until they'd already "graded" my interview.

I used my personal statement as a way to show my maturity also. I owned a house and worked as a hygienist the whole time I completed my pre-reqs. I commuted; I still acted in my homeowners association and performed well at work. I tried to show how I was able to balance a busy/stressful life and still do what I needed to do. I also am a "non-traditional" student in a sense and I think that was an advantage as well.

I think people underestimate what tons of hours of observation in many different settings will do for you... It shows committment! I had over 3,000 hours documented in a dental office.

I'm not so sure that any of this will help you... my situation was unique. If you have 4 years of college and no degree because you changed midstream... I think that looks better than just wanting to hurry through undergrad. Call you dean at the school and ask him what he thinks. He should be able to give you some advice.

 

[xiaoxiao]

Hey everyone, this is my first time posting 🙂 I've been [silently] reading posts for a while and I've actually learned a few interesting things that I don't think I would have learned anywhere else!

I did have a quick question though. I've read about applying with your degree or without your degree on SDN and the significant advantage the former presents. All in all, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should apply for the upcoming cycle, even though I'll only have completed 3 years of undergrad.

The reason this is such an important issue for me is because my dad, bless his heart, is encouraging me to apply even though he knows the disadvantage I would face against students who have their degree or have gone onto attaining their masters. He's willing to pay for the process, but I'd rather see that money spent on my little sister or brother if this is really going to be a futile endeavor and apply the following year because, even though he earns a pretty decent salary, he's really not left with much after paying tuition for myself, my brother, and my sister.

Does anyone have advice or has anyone been accepted before receiving their degree? I know it's a matter of personal opinion and other factors are considered, but I'd really love to hear what everyone has to say because I have been COMPLETELY stressed out with worries about dental school and just about everything else in life 😕

P.S. Sorry if this has been brought up before...just needed to vent and know that someone understands.

I had the same situation as yours when I applied. By that time I only had 2 years of study and going into 3rd year. I will complete my 3rd year soon. I got accepted to Nova and temple. when i went to Nova's interview, they said they did not care if i will get my BS as long as i had 90 units. But u have to apply for that sch early. For temple, it's getting harder and they did weigh this against me. but if u have really good stats, they don't care too much, esp DAT. actually alotta people applied after their 3rd year of undergrad. (that's what i heard from that sch that I called). Good luck 🙂

 

[hokiedds]

xiaoxiao, just out of curiousity, what kind of stats did you have that got you in a year early? did you also get accepted to nova? im also considering applying early, but dont want to waste all that time and money if i dont have a chance.

 

[xiaoxiao]

xiaoxiao, just out of curiousity, what kind of stats did you have that got you in a year early? did you also get accepted to nova? im also considering applying early, but dont want to waste all that time and money if i dont have a chance.

yes i got accepted to Nova. I got 3.38 Gpa and 24/24/21 on DAT. I guess DAT saved me..
there are a few sch I did call and said they care more abt BS and also GPA:
UMich, Meharry, Howard, Loma Linda
If u do have 3 yearrs and good DAT, UOP is the best choice. they said they don't require BS..i did not get in because i applied late (in aug)

 

[spc213]

The reason this is such an important issue for me is because my dad, bless his heart, is encouraging me to apply even though he knows the disadvantage I would face against students who have their degree or have gone onto attaining their masters. He's willing to pay for the process, but I'd rather see that money spent on my little sister or brother if this is really going to be a futile endeavor and apply the following year because, even though he earns a pretty decent salary, he's really not left with much after paying tuition for myself, my brother, and my sister.

Deitygirl,

If you have good stats, go for it! You have some great advice in this thread from two people who have "done it" during this cycle (congrats xiaoxiao and Talia!).

If your Dad is willing to foot the bill, don't feel guilty about it. Trust that he's old enough to know what he's doing and is doing his best to provide opportunities for both you and your siblings. Think of it this way, if you do get in this cycle, you have saved your Dad a whole year of tuition at your current institution that he can use for your bro/sis. That's probably way more than the $4000 you'll spend on the application process (don't forget travel $$ for interviews, supplemental fees, etc., that are in addition to AADSAS and DAT costs).

If you don't get in, all you are out is the cost of the app. process and you will be ready to go for the next cycle as well, not to mention that you'll get that BA/BS after all.

Good luck!

 

[jaredtf9]

I got into Detroit and Pitt this year, and i am only a junior.

 

[deitygirl]

Thanks for all of your input, you've been so helpful 🙂

The reason it is such a big deal is because I feel like my grades aren't up to par. My cummulative gpa is hovering around a 3.2 and my sciences is about the same. If I do apply by the 2006 application cycle I won't have completed any upper level (like 300-400) sciences (I transferred and in the process I had to retake science courses that my current school didn't accept). I know my gpa, lack of a degree by the time I apply, and lack of upper level courses doesn't make me a very competitive applicant, but providing I do really well on the DAT's, is it even worth it to apply? Keep in mind I also have 3 more semesters --- summer, fall, and spring --- to bring my grades up.

I'm a very realistic person and I value brutally honest opinions, so don't hold back.

Ohh and I was just wondering...for those of you who chose to apply to dental schools your senior year, what did you end up during the gap between applying and starting dental school?

Thanks again for your help guys!!!