My New Plan: How Does It Sound?

[ChrisM07]

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Hello all,

I am making a few changes to my academia and want to hear your input to see what you think and if you think any of these changes will affect me later on when I apply to D school.

Currently I am taking Organic Chem II (with lab), Biology I (with lab), and Calculus I. I just took my only midterm in organic and didn't do well at all. It will be really difficult to pass in my opinion (and after seeing my teacher) so I think I have decided to withdrawal from that so I can focus on my other two classes hardcore.

I am also switching majors from Biology to Environmental Science (anyone out there have this as a major. How do you like it?). ES doesn't require Organic II so there is another reason for me to drop it. I know dental schools and the DAT require organic so I plan to take that at a CC later on.

My questions are:
1) how will this organic withdrawal look on my transcript?
2) will questions be raised that I took organic at a CC?
3) and, are major changes looked down upon?

I decided this over the past week or so and just want to know, if after all this happens, can I still be a good candidate for D school (provided I have a sound GPA, DAT, etc.?)

Thanks a lot for your input, I really appreciate it.

Chris

 

[dantheman2007]

Hello all,

I am making a few changes to my academia and want to hear your input to see what you think and if you think any of these changes will affect me later on when I apply to D school.

Currently I am taking Organic Chem II (with lab), Biology I (with lab), and Calculus I. I just took my only midterm in organic and didn't do well at all. It will be really difficult to pass in my opinion (and after seeing my teacher) so I think I have decided to withdrawal from that so I can focus on my other two classes hardcore.

I am also switching majors from Biology to Environmental Science (anyone out there have this as a major. How do you like it?). ES doesn't require Organic II so there is another reason for me to drop it. I know dental schools and the DAT require organic so I plan to take that at a CC later on.

My questions are:
1) how will this organic withdrawal look on my transcript?
2) will questions be raised that I took organic at a CC?
3) and, are major changes looked down upon?

I decided this over the past week or so and just want to know, if after all this happens, can I still be a good candidate for D school (provided I have a sound GPA, DAT, etc.?)

Thanks a lot for your input, I really appreciate it.

Chris

Taking Orgo at a CC will definately raise a red flag. Opt for a 4 year university.
Changing majors is fine
and if Orgo is your only withdrawal I wuldnt worry about it
If everything else is clean (a sound cum. and science GPA and good DAT score) i wouldnt worry about those changes except for orgo at a CC
i dont recommend doing that.
best,
dan

 

[jonxjizza]

I have to be honest with you - if the admissions committee sees a W in your Univ. OChem II class, and then sees that you retook it at a community college, that will leave a poor impression. Retake the organic chem class next semester, get a tutor, do whatever it takes to kick butt. You'll have similar challenges in dental school, better to learn how to take them head-on sooner than later.

 

[ummjoey]

@op

i agree with jonxjizza. take ochem again next quarter.

are you sure there is no way you can get a good grade? talk with the professor and see what he says.

no offence, but after reading your post, it seems like you are looking for the "easy" way out. it also seems like you are lazy. i know everyone is lazy. i am lazy. it is fine to be lazy, but you got to make sure you do well in your classes.

you just have to study hard like jonxjizza said. get tutors and also go to professor's office hours.

a few Ws on your transcript wont really hurt if you have a good reason. do you have some sort of family emergency this quarter? if you do, i am sorry to have called you lazy earlier.

getting Ws without a good reason............i dont think thats a good idea.

i would suggest you stick with biology. i personally really liked being a bio major because i can take classes to fullfill dental pre-reqs and these classes also count towards my degree. i also like how i can take upper division classes that dental schools recommend and they also count towards my degree.

if you become and environmental science major. you will have to finish that degree while taking pre-reqs and recommended classes for dental school. you might have a harder time because you have to take more classes than a bio major.

 

[alanan84]

I've taken a number of prereqs at CC mainly because it's closer and cheaper. I've done very well in those classes but I was worried about how it would look to Dental Schools. Just this past week I emailed Baylor asking about it and they said that it DOES raise a little bit of a red flag. I had planned to major in Exercise Science because I find it a whole lot more interesting then Biology but they said it would be better for me to major in Biology to prove that I can handle university science courses which is what I'm now doing.

So, to answer your question based on what I've learned I would say to stick with the Biology major especially if your dead set on taking O chem at a CC. That will prove that you can at least handle the upper level Bio classes. Does the O chem at a CC raise a red flag or leave a bad impression? Yeah it probably does. Is it something that you can make up for with a sweet O chem DAT score and solid ECs. I certainly think so.

Of course there are alot of other factors involved like what schools you will be applying to. I live in Texas and there are 3 public Dental schools in the state. That helps me out a little. If you're applying to a bunch of private or out of state schools, it might be a little tougher. Bottom line, it might be a good idea to email the schools you are looking to apply to and ask them. Hope that helps and good luck!

 

[ChrisM07]

I was thinking about the major change because I want something more interesting for me to fall back on god forbid the dental route doesn't work after three applications or so. I feel like environmental issues are definitely a hot topic right now and wont go away anytime soon. Plus I couldn't really see myself working in a lab forever.

I don't believe I am lazy. I work very hard in my classes. Just, for some reason, I didn't do well on the midterm and while my teacher said it is possible to pass, I don't know if it is realistic for me at this point. I didn't have any family emergencies but I feel that withdrawing might be the right choice because I don't know for certain that I will pass. I can try but am still not sure for certain (and I don't want it to effect my GPA should I stay and don't pass).

What is good though is that all the classes I have taken so far for biology are the same prerequisites that are needed for environmental. I kind of also figured going into college that you have to be a biology or chem major to go into the health fields and it wasn't until looking into it this year that I realized that you don't need to be. English and poly-sci people do it (I have a few of them in a post-bacc in my lab who are going to Med school).

 

[alanan84]

Well I definitely understand. Like I said, I'm much more interested in Exercise Science then Biology, but I'm even MORE interested in Dental School and they told me that a Biology major is more competitive. Having said that, you could certainly get in with another major, plenty of people do it.

 

[ummjoey]

I was thinking about the major change because I want something more interesting for me to fall back on god forbid the dental route doesn't work after three applications or so. I feel like environmental issues are definitely a hot topic right now and wont go away anytime soon. Plus I couldn't really see myself working in a lab forever.

I don't believe I am lazy. I work very hard in my classes. Just, for some reason, I didn't do well on the midterm and while my teacher said it is possible to pass, I don't know if it is realistic for me at this point. I didn't have any family emergencies but I feel that withdrawing might be the right choice because I don't know for certain that I will pass. I can try but am still not sure for certain (and I don't want it to effect my GPA should I stay and don't pass).

What is good though is that all the classes I have taken so far for biology are the same prerequisites that are needed for environmental. I kind of also figured going into college that you have to be a biology or chem major to go into the health fields and it wasn't until looking into it this year that I realized that you don't need to be. English and poly-sci people do it (I have a few of them in a post-bacc in my lab who are going to Med school).

sorry to have called you lazy. i was probably in a pissy mood when i was reading your post.

 

[ChrisM07]

Haha, it's cool.

 

[stdmufin27]

Well I definitely understand. Like I said, I'm much more interested in Exercise Science then Biology, but I'm even MORE interested in Dental School and they told me that a Biology major is more competitive. Having said that, you could certainly get in with another major, plenty of people do it.

I agree w/ these words OP. True, alot of applicants get in with the off-the-wall majors but not many. I would stick w/ Bio/Chem/Bio-Chem at this point if you're really interested in Dentistry. Also, you've taken far to many steps in the 4-year arena to go back to the community college level. Take that O-Chem II at your school (or another 4-year if you don't like those professors) and pass it. Matter of fact, it would help you to take it again at your school to show D-schools that you're able to overcome your problem subjects/classes.

 

[ChrisM07]

I never thought that a major change was a big deal. Couldn't I take upper level science courses if it turns out that's what they want to see later on down the line?

 

[alanan84]

I'm sure you could, I'm just passing on the info I received recently and it actually makes sense. I mean Dental schools receive thousands of applicants each year that are all fighting for 90, 100, 200, or however many spots there are in the school. If they've got a Bio major and an Exercise Science major (for example) with totally equal stats and just one spot I think they pick the Bio major.

 

[gsrthomas]

Take Ochem at a 4 year university. I searched for a school that was not crazy difficult because UOP is CRAZY hard.

I took it at Cal State and I got an B+, and A. I was happy. 😀

 

[SanOnofre2002]

I think your plan will reduce your chance for getting into dental school. Instead of fleeing to a CC to get a better Ochem grade, why not face the music and retake it at your 4yr? Delaying it until later isn't going to make it any easier and the material will still be hard at a CC. I understand your desire to change your major to something that better suits you b/c I've done something similar. In my situation though I changed from engineering to biology, something that's pretty easy to justify to dental adcoms. Yours is basicly the opposite. Also, if you're concerned about your job options w/ a BS in Biology, won't a BS in Environmental Science get you something fairly similar? I'd think you'd need to go to grad school to do anything outside of rote lab work, and you should be able to get into any environmental grad program with a biology degree.
If dentistry is your goal, you have to overcome your problem with Ochem. It's mostly just memorization so it could be as easy as increasing the amount of time you spend studying it.

 

[youngmc27]

Take it a t a four year univerisity. You will want to take somewhere that challanges you so that you will be that much more prepared for the DAT. A good grade in O.Chem 2 from a CC and a low O. Chem DAT score would not llok good at all. Take it in the summer if you need to take it when you have a lighter load.

 

[ChrisM07]

Thanks for the responses.

I withdrew from my organic II class because it was too much of a gamble for me to stick with it and "maybe" pass. I have Biology I and Calculus I left so I will focus everything on those two.

I had no idea that taking a class at a CC was looked down upon (I didn't think it mattered really). I will just retake organic at my university somewhere along the line then.

 

[SanOnofre2002]

Well a W is better than a D or F. Better luck with your next attempt. Kick some butt in it and you won't have to do any explaining. Many applicants have some ups and downs on their transcripts, so you're not alone. Just try to figure out what you didn't do right so you can correct your mistakes.

 

[blankguy]

Well a W is better than a D or F. Better luck with your next attempt. Kick some butt in it and you won't have to do any explaining. Many applicants have some ups and downs on their transcripts, so you're not alone. Just try to figure out what you didn't do right so you can correct your mistakes.

True, don't want to end up in probation and have to explain that in the AADSAS application. 👍

 

[ChrisM07]

True, don't want to end up in probation and have to explain that in the AADSAS application. 👍

Well...I am kind of on academic warning now (before probation) 🙄. Part of the reason I dropped it was because I want to pull myself out of that.

The first time it happened was freshman year fall semester (the whole college transition thing was hard for me. So there's that excuse).

The second time was this past fall because of my F in Calculus I (I don't have an excuse for that unfortunately 🙁).

I hope all these blemishes (plus the W) aren't an automatic disqualification. I know there are people worse off than I who eventually made it. I guess that helps me keep my head up. I just want to prove to ADCOMS that I am not a dummy, ya know?