I went to community college first. Question

[doctor123456789]

So i did gen chem, organic chem, bio, 1 sem of genetics, and 1 semester of biochem at community college so far. I talked with my community college adviser and i just don't know right now.

She said everyone else is going to have an advantage to get into dental school over me because i did all the pre-reqs at a community college, and my gpa here is a 3.45

She also said that dental schools are also going to look down upon me because i have done 78 semester units here.

She said i'm also at a disadvantage because when i transfer to a uc school, my gpa will be 0.

She also doesn't know if a community college gpa will be calculated into the dental school gpa. since it wasn't done at a university

At the beginning, she asked me if i wanted the truth straight, or if she wants me to sugar coat it so she can make me happy, i told her to just give it straight, but i didnt know i messed up so bad by not going to a university first

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[doctor123456789]

the reason i had to do all these science courses at my cc is because to transfer to a UC school in california, you have to do the pre reqs for that major, and for bio, i had to do bio, chem, org chem, physics, calc, biochem.... i mean i had no choice

 

[katwoman1688]

the reason i had to do all these science courses at my cc is because to transfer to a UC school in california, you have to do the pre reqs for that major, and for bio, i had to do bio, chem, org chem, physics, calc, biochem.... i mean i had no choice[/QUOTE

I'm a little confused a/b this part...but I know there is a number of schools that flat out won't take any cc courses as credits. Than there are others that do take some but require a 4 year university as a fundamental basis. I am not entirely sure if there are schools that would take all credits from cc - you'll have to double check that, but I do know that the courses you have taken at cc will be put into your aadsas gpa. sometimes schools discriminate against cc just b/c they believe that an accredited 4 yr university is harder/ that there may be grade inflation at cc (not that I am agreeing with this at all cuz i haven't had the experience of both). I think I would call the schools your interested in and get the ADEA hand book to double check, sorry my answer wasn't clear cut (I know schools like Tufts don't take any cc credit).

Good luck!

 

[youknowthedrill]

I can't speak for CA dental schools but it is possible to get into dental school if you took classes at a CC. When you do transfer to a university, make sure you keep your grades up (even higher than they are), especially in your upper level science classes. You also have to do well on the DAT. Your GPA will be a clean slate at the new school, but look at it as an advantage. Stay focused and get an even higher GPA that you currently have. Every class you have ever taken for college credit (even during high school) will count towards your overall GPA when you apply to dental school. Here are a couple of links that explain how your GPA will be calculated:
http://www.adea.org/dental_educatio...tructions/Documents/2011 GPA Calculations.pdf

http://www.adea.org/dental_educatio...ocuments/2011 ADEA AADSAS Course Subjects.pdf

 

[journeybegins]

I would not stress it

You can get in from CC. I know a few dentists and dental students that did. Just don't apply to the few dental schools that don't accept community college credits.

I went to a UC, too. But I took all my prerequisites at the UC, but I just ended up taking my Gchem lab at a community college. So, I just ended up applying to colleges that accept community college classes instead of those that don't.. I think BU, Temple, and Tufts don't? That was the only reason why I didn't apply to those schools.

Your CC classes do get calculated into when you apply for dental school for the OVERALL GPA, but you do get a separate GPA for each institution that you attend. So, don't do terrible at the UC.

If it helps you, the Californian schools accept community college classes. Some may have a cap for units, but some don't. You can search on their websites to find out


Don't worry about it!

 

[JLum]

So i did gen chem, organic chem, bio, 1 sem of genetics, and 1 semester of biochem at community college so far. I talked with my community college adviser and i just don't know right now.

She said everyone else is going to have an advantage to get into dental school over me because i did all the pre-reqs at a community college, and my gpa here is a 3.45

She also said that dental schools are also going to look down upon me because i have done 78 semester units here.

She said i'm also at a disadvantage because when i transfer to a uc school, my gpa will be 0.

She also doesn't know if a community college gpa will be calculated into the dental school gpa. since it wasn't done at a university

At the beginning, she asked me if i wanted the truth straight, or if she wants me to sugar coat it so she can make me happy, i told her to just give it straight, but i didnt know i messed up so bad by not going to a university first

I went to CC for a year and a half before entering my large university. I checked beforehand which courses would transfer and they did so without a hiccup; some of these were my dental prereq's. I was accepted early for D-school next year...
Do your homework and take what will transfer.

 

[dantemac]

As another person said, you *must* apply strategically. Do not apply to schools that don't take CC credits. Some schools don't take more than 50-60, etc. Do not apply there. And also, a 3.45 GPA is not terrible by any means. I am sure dental schools who accept CC credits will give you a look, granted you keep up your success at university.

Good luck!

 

[SLOBrule]

It is absolutely true that some dental schools do not accept CC work. Therefore, it would be very wise to do your research prior to applying to the schools you want to.

I had close to 100 units from the CCs that were all transferable, every single one was incorporated into all the GPAs calculated by AADSAS. In regards to which courses the schools look at, I believe it's all of them. The limit is set at some schools because they recommend that the required pre-requisites be completed at a 4 year institution if possible. However, in my case a majority of my pre-requisites were completed at a CC and my B.A. Biology was completed at a 4 year university.

It may be true that you will be at a disadvantage since your pre-requisites were done at a CC, but that does not mean you can't improve upon your dental school application. I would suggest getting involved with EC activities, like volunteering at a dental clinic or doing relevant research in dentistry. Also, be sure to build a good relationship/rapport with your instructors. My LORs were commended during several of my interviews because they displayed my character rather than my academic performance. There is no need to really discuss your academic performance in LORs because it is stated in your GPA and coursework on AADSAS. Remember, it is about being a well rounded and mature candidate, rather than just where you completed your course work.


If you have any questions feel free to PM me anytime. I am always here to help if I can. Good Luck to you!

 

[oldbboy]

So i did gen chem, organic chem, bio, 1 sem of genetics, and 1 semester of biochem at community college so far. I talked with my community college adviser and i just don't know right now.

She said everyone else is going to have an advantage to get into dental school over me because i did all the pre-reqs at a community college, and my gpa here is a 3.45

She also said that dental schools are also going to look down upon me because i have done 78 semester units here.

She said i'm also at a disadvantage because when i transfer to a uc school, my gpa will be 0.

She also doesn't know if a community college gpa will be calculated into the dental school gpa. since it wasn't done at a university

At the beginning, she asked me if i wanted the truth straight, or if she wants me to sugar coat it so she can make me happy, i told her to just give it straight, but i didnt know i messed up so bad by not going to a university first

Pre-Req Courses at CC is bad but ok in some schools. My friend got into Case Western with most of Pre-Reqs done at a CC. BUT he had 4.0 at CC and almost 3.8-9 taking upper bio classes at a 4-year school for 2 years.

Also CC credits do get counted towards your GPA when you apply through AADSAS!

 

[full]

I would take some pre-reqs over at the university. For example, O-CHEM and maybe a few of the BIO courses. This should resolve any doubts that you can handle university level science courses, provided you get As. You'll also be at an advantage since you have taken the material before.

I don't know how true what the adviser says is. I have found in my experience that advisers contradict each other and just make somewhat educated guesses. They don't want to say "I don't know" too much. Even if they research the topic, they probably won't do so as much as you because they don't have that burning fuel for the information that you do...so it's better to just research yourself.

This information is deducible from reading forum posts where people post their stats and CC experience.

If you're really crazy about this, message people on predents who got into the school and ask if they went to a CC and how many prereqs they took there.

Also, start a thread title "Results for people who took all their prereqs at a CC." Many of those people might not look at this thread since the title is not specific.

 

[confidence1985]

I do not know if this holds true for dental schools but I know most med schools in california do not look down for cc. I organize workshops at community college workshops about applying to medical school for the last two years and it is sponsored by the UC school of medicine. The stat that they always tell me is that 15-20 percent earn an associate degree at a community college before applying to medical school and 70-80 percent of medical students there have taken courses at the community college. I know most schools do not care when it comes to pre-reqs but a few schools do care when it comes to organic chemistry and upper divisions. Besides that I would not worry about it but if you are, just contact the schools. Also if you get a letter of recommendation from your community college teacher it will not be looked as a lesser letter in any way. Schools don't care what school the letter comes from just what it says about you unless maybe the letter is from super famous amazing etc. good luck and I hoped I helped.

 

[wizi]

Your advisor is right ONLY if you have 3.5 at a CC and 2.5 at a 4-year UC.

As long as get 3.5+ at your UC, you will be fine. I did most of my pre-reps at my CC. Still got in...
you didnt do anything wrong. Dont worry. Just get 3.5+ at your UC and kill the dat, you are good to go.

 

[yankeefan86]

Ok yea its definitely harder to get into SOME dental schools with a community college background especially in some of the core sciences. However it is possible to get into dental school with CC credits. Basically just ace the DAT, get alot of shadowing hours, get good letters of recommendations, and make sure you have a stellar GPA once you transfer to your four year university.

 

[MrSummerlin]

Here is the link your looking for.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=611636

 

[MultiSportD]

I took the majority of my pre-reqs at cc. You may have already done this, but one thing that I did do was to make sure that the courses I took transferred to a 4 year/dental school. I used www.assist.org to ensure the classes transfered. For instance, if I went to saddleback college and I wanted to apply to UCSF, I checked their transfer agreement. I specifically chose UCSF dental and saw which courses transfers from Saddleback to UCSF dental. It's quite nice and gave me reassurance that the courses I took would transfer. I also used it as a guideline for which courses to enroll in. FYI, some schools require biochem be taken at a 4 year.

As the others have highlighted, there are limitations on cc credits. And the post by MrSummerlin will be most helpful when applying. It will for me.

Best of luck.

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335