Introduction and courseload question

[daddds]

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Hi all, been a reader of the SDN forums since November and decided it was finally time to sign up and join the party 🙂

A little bit about me:
Over the past three years I've worked as a full time Packaging Engineer. For several reasons I have decided to follow in my dad's footsteps and pursue a career in dentistry, a decision which took me nearly a year to make once I started seriously considering it. Dentistry's actually been in the back of my mind as far back as I can remember, looking back I can remember occasionally accompanying my dad on emergency visits to the office to drain a patient's abscessed tooth or cement a temporary crown. The SDN forums have been a great help in making my ultimate decision though, and along with some shadowing, dental school tours, a lot of reading old dental textbooks and "becoming a doctor" medical narratives (can't seem to find any dental narratives like these), I think I'm headed down the right track.

I have a BS in Info Tech and an MS in Packaging Science, but unfortunately the courses taken in those programs did not include many of the prerequisites I'll need for dental school. So, I set my plan to be a non-trad pre-dent (Biology) major at a local university. It will take me two years of prereq work (depending on summer classes offered) before I'll be eligible, and will be starting classes in a couple weeks. Excited to hit the books again 🙂


My question is similar to one asked many times regarding course loads but thought I'd see if my unique situation would affect the answer.

Here goes:
I plan to take Bio 1 w/ lab, Chem 1 w/ lab, and Physics 1 w/ lab and a pre-health professions 1 credit course being offered. Second semester I'd take the second course in those sequences.

My question is about the 4th class I'm considering for both semesters: Calc. I have taken Calc 1 at a community college (grade: B) as a prereq to my MS program about 5 years ago but never had to take Calc 2 because of my taking a Discrete Math sequence for my IT degree. I've always regretted not having taken the full Calc sequence and also thought adcoms would like to see me go beyond the 12 credit minimum required for full time status. Then again, it's three sciences with labs and an elective and that may be a heck of a lot as it is.

I do realize the DAT does not require Calc, but have also read that the QR section can be easier if you've been through the Calc sequence.

Do you think one could handle Bio1, Chem1, Phys1, Calc1 at once and the 2nd course in those respective sequences spring semester?

Thanks for reading my spiel 😀

 

[daddds]

Bueller...

 

[Valigator00]

I have taken calc, and QR has nothing to do with it.

 

[youknowthedrill]

It sounds like you've been out of school for a few years. (I just returned last year after a 15 year break). I'd just stick with the three classes this semester while you rebuild your study skills. They all have labs and are going to take up quite a bit of your time. Get A's in everything and then you can add a class next semester if you'd like.

 

[Sisero68]

youknow, hit it on the head.

from one nontrad to another
GPA should be your highest priority, with the goal of some upper level science courses planned before you apply. as you find your limits feel free to add more courses in future semesters (though i do recommend at least going full time 12 credits a semester) i took both prereq Bio's (117 and 118 at my school), Calc I, and a 2 credit art class my first semester. I was very happy with this course load. chemistry tends to require a lot more problem solving time similar to Calc where you have to do a few problems every night to stay up to speed with the class.

also note some schools have a 10 year cut off for pre reqs, so if it has been more then 10 years before you apply contact the schools to see if you have to retake those prereqs

good luck

 

[shahinc]

It sounds like you've been out of school for a few years. (I just returned last year after a 15 year break). I'd just stick with the three classes this semester while you rebuild your study skills. They all have labs and are going to take up quite a bit of your time. Get A's in everything and then you can add a class next semester if you'd like.

This is a good point. I am not sure what the norm is for US dental schools, but in Canada, if you do not have a full load ( 5 course each semester) then, they do not count it toward your GPA.

So I hope other friends here can give you some information regarding it. From what I see from ADDSAS application, it really does not care about your work load and ... Which is surprising to me since I think there is big difference in getting a 3.9 GPA with 5 course than 3.9 GPA with only 2 or 3 🙂

Best of luck to you

 

[PhoebeAZ]

Are you not at 12 units (full time) with those three lecture/labs and the other course? Your GPA is really important, so I wouldn't take Calc too this semester. But if you want to be full time, find a class that looks easy and fun, I don't know about your school but intro psych and sociology are pretty enjoyable and also fairly easy. Plus they look good to admissions committees.

 

[UndergradGuy7]

how is bio chem and physics with labs not full time? thats like 15 credit hours. then you have a 1 credit hour class

 

[Cofo]

oops, i didn't mean to hijack your thread, mate. my bad

 

[pinhi]

youknow, hit it on the head.

from one nontrad to another
GPA should be your highest priority, with the goal of some upper level science courses planned before you apply. as you find your limits feel free to add more courses in future semesters (though i do recommend at least going full time 12 credits a semester) i took both prereq Bio's (117 and 118 at my school), Calc I, and a 2 credit art class my first semester. I was very happy with this course load. chemistry tends to require a lot more problem solving time similar to Calc where you have to do a few problems every night to stay up to speed with the class.

also note some schools have a 10 year cut off for pre reqs, so if it has been more then 10 years before you apply contact the schools to see if you have to retake those prereqs

good luck

I'm loving this non traditional student thread!!....fantastic to see all of these people returning to academics!!

 

[daddds]

Thanks all for your responses! This helps a lot. I subscribed to the thread and I thought for sure I'd receive emails when people responded but apparently not. Didn't get to read them until today, been pretty busy with classes starting and all

To that end, I ended up sticking with the bio/chem/physics with labs, and am auditing calc to get me back into the 'math groove'. Going well so far, and plan to take some upper level bio's next year once I've got these prereq's out of the way. Thanks again and I'll be seeing you in the forums!