Making the switch - Need some advice

[heathp123]

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Hey all,

I'm planning on making the switch into dentistry after spending a couple of years in accounting and realizing how much I dislike it. I am 23 and my parents are deceased, so I'm on a very limited budget when it comes to taking the pre-reqs I need. Thus, I have decided to take some at a community college. The problem is that I've already taken 54 hours at the same CC and am worried that these extra 8-10 classes will push it to about 95-100 credit hours (labs are 5 credit hours at this CC).

Overall, I've attended 3 undergrad institutions and 1 graduate (currently in right now)

1st Undergrad - T50 state university - I had 30 semester hours when I left and a 2.6 GPA
2nd Undergrad - CC - Took 54 credits with a 4.0 GPA
3rd Undergrad - Local university - 89 credits with a 3.7 GPA

I finished with 183 semester hours (Had to retake a lot of classes plus a major change didn't help) and a 3.5 GPA. So I've taken essentially 120 credits at a 4-year and 60 at a CC. Can I still take my pre-reqs at a CC and apply to some of these schools that have limits?

Forgive me if this has been answered before. I looked, but I did not find a case similar to mine.

 

[R3DEUCE]

...

 

[LifeDevoted]

Hey all,

I'm planning on making the switch into dentistry after spending a couple of years in accounting and realizing how much I dislike it. I am 23 and my parents are deceased, so I'm on a very limited budget when it comes to taking the pre-reqs I need. Thus, I have decided to take some at a community college. The problem is that I've already taken 54 hours at the same CC and am worried that these extra 8-10 classes will push it to about 95-100 credit hours (labs are 5 credit hours at this CC).

Overall, I've attended 3 undergrad institutions and 1 graduate (currently in right now)

1st Undergrad - T50 state university - I had 30 semester hours when I left and a 2.6 GPA
2nd Undergrad - CC - Took 54 credits with a 4.0 GPA
3rd Undergrad - Local university - 89 credits with a 3.7 GPA

I finished with 183 semester hours (Had to retake a lot of classes plus a major change didn't help) and a 3.5 GPA. So I've taken essentially 120 credits at a 4-year and 60 at a CC. Can I still take my pre-reqs at a CC and apply to some of these schools that have limits?

Forgive me if this has been answered before. I looked, but I did not find a case similar to mine.

Do you have an undergrad degree?

I agree with R3DEUCE...call, call, call...research, research, research. Especially when it comes to non-traditional circumstances.

I would add to not let the money stop you from doing this. I am 31, married and have a little boy. I'm quitting a 90K job, selling my house and moving to another state to work on pre-reqs and science degree. With that many undergrad hours you have to have all your core classes. Take 2 years and work on your pre-reqs and come out with a science degree from a state college. Take the steps in the beginning to make your application shine when you apply. Also, there are always student loans.

You can do it if you stay focused. Good luck!

 

[heathp123]

Thanks for the responses. I do have an undergraduate degree. I'm currently in a masters program studying economics. I will be dropping out this upcoming semester and attending community college for a few of the pre-reqs - this I know. There's simply not enough time to apply and get financial aid for the school I'd want to go to. All of the credits from the CC transfer to the big state school (OSU), so I could finish up some upper level courses there. I think I'd only have a year's worth of courses, which isn't too bad. I just don't see the point of getting another degree in my scenario. I say that because it would interfere with my application process and cause me to miss another round of applications to finish the degree.

I've dug up some more information and found that people have applied with over 100 CC credits and have done just fine. My GPA is fine and I'm certain I won't get below an A in any of these pre-reqs at the CC. Not that I should admit this, but it's like a glorified high school compared to university courses. I think it's more of me calling around (as suggested) and finding a good group of schools to apply to.

I'd really like to go to OSU or Case for dental school, but neither seem to be fond of CC credits. Never hurts to apply though.

 

[predent12]

Where do you live? Would you consider moving to finish your pre-reqs?

Harvard Extension has a great program that allows anyone from the community to take classes. I took all of my requirements there because the classes are cheap. (About $1000 a semester per class. I think my total tuition for the semester was $3500 and I took Orgo, Bio and Physics.) Anyway, it's not a community college, but it's cheap and anyone can take courses there. It's not the best teaching in the world, but if you work hard you can definitely be successful. The classes are in the evening so you can work during the day if necessary. (Though if you are working full time I don't recommend taking more than 1 class... maybe 2. I took all 3 and that was a full-time load for me, though I do have to study more than the average person.)

Anyway, something to think about. I'm really grateful for the program as it helped me to save money and I got my requirements done quickly.