Just starting college. Need guidance! help

[Kelo]

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Im starting in a few months. (In January) .

I got accepted to Community College. (Community College Of Denver)

I plan on starting off at a CC. I contacted the University I would like to attend after CC and they say I will need to have atleast an average "C" in all classes and about 30 credits.

Anyways, So sence im starting off at a Community College, and need to have quite a few credits before I can transfer to a University ( this is because i do NOT have a GED..They said after I get a certain amount of credits from a community college, and maintain a decent gpa they will accept me )

SO my question is...

What should I study and what classes should I take while attending the Community College?

I want to be a Dentist, so should I take the general education requirments the university demands for graduation?

Please explain and be specific..

Thanks so much.

P.S. Is it common for pre-dents to start off at a Community College?

 

[mx41]

Things you can start taking:
Gen Eds
English
Physics
Math

I'd hold off on the chemistry and biology until you transfer to a university, but it's fine to take introductory or gen chem.

 

[Ryltar]

Keep in mind that dental schools prefer too see dental school prereqs taken at a university-level college. I would take all of the non-science/math classes that you still need for a biology degree at the community college (e.g. English Comp, history, foreign language, visual basic programming, alg I, alg II, Trig, Calc etc.). Then, I would transfer to a university and take all of the science prereqs. Of course confirm classes that your university will accept transfer credits. This is important because some community college credits will not transfer over to university.

Most pre dents do not start off at a community college because in a biology degree almost every class is a prereq to the next prereq (e.g. Gen Chem 1=>Gen Chem 2=>O Chem 1=>O Chem 2=>Biochem 1=>Biochem 2=>Microbiology, Molecular Biology, and Developmental Biology=>Immunology, not req) Then again, you're not required to major in biology for dentisry, but it is preferred.

I would recommend taking Anatomy and Physiology at the CC, because it's not a prereq although it is highly recommended for pre-dental.

 

[Pampam]

Like Ryltar said try to take most of your non science classes at CC and then transfer. You will need to take a lot of science classes to fulfill the prereqs later on, so you might as well get done with your math and social science classes while you are in CC. Two of the schools that I know (tufts and bostonU) don't like prereqs taken at CC, so you should probably try to leave some english classes for your 4year university as well since that is a prerequisuite. As far as major, you can study whatever you want. No major is preferred over the other one as long as you get good grades and finish all of the prereqs. Two of my friends that are applying this cycle with me are psychology and political science majors, and I sometimes feel like they might have a better chance of getting in because they have taken a broader range of classes than me(I studied bio as well). Goood luck!🙂

 

[americanpierg]

What should I study and what classes should I take while attending the Community College?

I want to be a Dentist, so should I take the general education requirments the university demands for graduation?

Please explain and be specific..

P.S. Is it common for pre-dents to start off at a Community College?

No it is not common to start off at a community college.

BUT.

First off, do NOT take your prereqs at the community college. Take electives that will fullfill your electives classes at the university. Take some humanities and business classes. Most dental schools will not take CC credit on prereqs. MAKE USE of your CC classes, get 4.0s, you can't afford not to get a 4.0 at a CC.

NOW LISTEN CLOSELY

The following advice will be the greatest advice you will get in your academic career...... (assuming your ultimate goal is to enter dental school)

Whatever you do, DO NOT transfer into a difficult University like Columbia, Princeton, or even the high ranking Private schools like Berkeley or Michigan. Undergrad means absolutely NOTHING. The education you receive is the same EVERYWHERE, the only difference is you will be competing against SMARTER kids at larger, more prestigious schools, and you don't want that. Undergrad means absolutely NOTHING. Why work your butt off at a harder school, its not worth it unless you want to work right out of college.


Transfer into a small college near your hometown. These small colleges will be much, MUCH easier to get a good GPA from, and dental schools are ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS. The kids you compete against at smaller schools in the middle of nowhere are no where near the quality of kids you will be competing with at those large, nationally ranked universities. All the research and community service in the world will not help you when you have a 2.5 GPA. Having NO community service or extra curriculars hardly matters when you have a 3.9, you will be guaranteed SOMEWHERE. It all starts with the numbers.

Take non-prereq electives at the CC, transfer to a SMALL accredited university in the middle of nowhere to complete your BS. Choose a university that doesn't have competitive highschool admission stats. You don't want to go to a college where the average person admitted had a 3.9 GPA in highschool and a 31 ACT. You want to go to a college where kids are getting in with 2.5s and 15s. An accredited 4 year university is an accredited 4 year university. Most of your classes will be graded on a curve, and if you go to a school that's less competitive, its much, MUCH easier to land on the high end of that curve.

I went to a huge highly nationally ranked university and worked my butt off to get a 3.7, half the time dealing with insane curves in many of my junior and senior year classes where it took a 94%+ to get a 4.0. At these large, highly ranked schools, it takes a lot of hard work to break into the top 10% or so needed for a 4.0, especially in upper level courses like neuroanatomy and molecular bio where many of the kids are as smart, if not smarter, than you . If I had to do anything over again, I would have gone to my backup-backup school out of highschool and cruised to a 4.3 AADSAS GPA.

Just look at it this way. Say top 10% of the class gets a 4.0. It's a lot easier to break into that top 10% if your peers are 2.0 GPA 20 ACT highschool graduates than if they were 3.8 GPA 30 ACT highschool graduates. Save yourself the extra money and work, that is for dental school. Undergrad is just there as a 4 year roadblock in which you just pad your numbers. It's a lot easier to pad your numbers when dealing with lesser competition.

 

[angelnyc89]

No it is not common to start off at a community college.

BUT.

First off, do NOT take your prereqs at the community college. Take electives that will fullfill your electives classes at the university. Take some humanities and business classes. Most dental schools will not take CC credit on prereqs. MAKE USE of your CC classes, get 4.0s, you can't afford not to get a 4.0 at a CC.

NOW LISTEN CLOSELY

The following advice will be the greatest advice you will get in your academic career...... (assuming your ultimate goal is to enter dental school)

Whatever you do, DO NOT transfer into a difficult University like Columbia, Princeton, or even the high ranking Private schools like Berkeley or Michigan. Undergrad means absolutely NOTHING. The education you receive is the same EVERYWHERE, the only difference is you will be competing against SMARTER kids at larger, more prestigious schools, and you don't want that. Undergrad means absolutely NOTHING. Why work your butt off at a harder school, its not worth it unless you want to work right out of college.


Transfer into a small college near your hometown. These small colleges will be much, MUCH easier to get a good GPA from, and dental schools are ALL ABOUT THE NUMBERS. The kids you compete against at smaller schools in the middle of nowhere are no where near the quality of kids you will be competing with at those large, nationally ranked universities. All the research and community service in the world will not help you when you have a 2.5 GPA. Having NO community service or extra curriculars hardly matters when you have a 3.9, you will be guaranteed SOMEWHERE. It all starts with the numbers.

Take non-prereq electives at the CC, transfer to a SMALL accredited university in the middle of nowhere to complete your BS. Choose a university that doesn't have competitive highschool admission stats. You don't want to go to a college where the average person admitted had a 3.9 GPA in highschool and a 31 ACT. You want to go to a college where kids are getting in with 2.5s and 15s. An accredited 4 year university is an accredited 4 year university. Most of your classes will be graded on a curve, and if you go to a school that's less competitive, its much, MUCH easier to land on the high end of that curve.

I went to a huge highly nationally ranked university and worked my butt off to get a 3.7, half the time dealing with insane curves in many of my junior and senior year classes where it took a 94%+ to get a 4.0. At these large, highly ranked schools, it takes a lot of hard work to break into the top 10% or so needed for a 4.0, especially in upper level courses like neuroanatomy and molecular bio where many of the kids are as smart, if not smarter, than you . If I had to do anything over again, I would have gone to my backup-backup school out of highschool and cruised to a 4.3 AADSAS GPA.

Just look at it this way. Say top 10% of the class gets a 4.0. It's a lot easier to break into that top 10% if your peers are 2.0 GPA 20 ACT highschool graduates than if they were 3.8 GPA 30 ACT highschool graduates. Save yourself the extra money and work, that is for dental school. Undergrad is just there as a 4 year roadblock in which you just pad your numbers. It's a lot easier to pad your numbers when dealing with lesser competition.

👍Take this advice! You put it in great words! I wish I had this advise sooner! 🙁