non-trad/career changer enrolled in an online post-bacc program, finally taking steps towards the dream

[CGtoDentistry]

Hey all!

Been awhile since I posted here, but wanted to say that I'm finally taking steps towards becoming dental student w/the ultimate goal of being a dentist. Wanted to thank everyone I've talked to so far on this forum. I'll also post updates and happy to discuss with any fellow veterans on their journey.

About me: Non-Traditional/Career Changer. 29 years old. Studied Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at one of the U.S. Service Academies. Left the military after my 5 year committment last summer in 2019. Been considering dental school for a loooong time but felt uneasy about going back to school full time as an adult and having to support myself while I was living in a high cost of living city. Those of you who have gone down this path as a working adult understand I'm sure (making rent, health insurance, etc.).

Due to the pandemic, my partner and I relocated from NYC to a major city in a state with no income tax. After getting out of the military, I landed a role as a traveling consultant for a Silicon Valley cybersecurity company. My current job is 80% travel/remote, which meant I was fortunate with the pandemic and can work from anywhere with an airport. Currently typing this from a hotel where I'm living for the next 50 days lol

Between moving to a state with no income tax/way cheaper cost of living, living pretty much free when I'm on the road due to expensing everything, and dental schools now accepting online coursework due to COVID-19, I've decided that now is the perfect time for me to start this journey.

Motivations: I like traveling for fun, but work travel can be intense. Once I'm in a financially good place as a dentist, I'd love to do some travel or charitable work, but that would be on my own schedule and not at the whims of a large company. I like that dentistry has a perfect blend of healthcare, business, and engineering mindset. Plus the fact that once you finish a task (filling, surgery, extraction, etc.), the task is complete. Plus my partner and I are approaching our 30s...she and I have discussed kids. Traveling a ton for work won't be ideal for us at that point in our lives when/if they come along. I'd like to make a great wage while doing something I enjoy while having time to spend with them at that stage.

Post-bacc Program: I'm doing UNE Online. With the way I travel for work, there's no way that I could attend a class on a consistent schedule. It's not uncommon for me to jump 3 different time zones in the space of two weeks. Even though UNE Online is pricey $$$, it's self-paced format suits my needs. There's also the fact that I currently live in a state with no income tax and have no debt to speak of (not even a car payment). I feel fortunate that I can afford this program and it won't affect my financial well being

Other Factors: As a veteran, I have 100% access and entitlement to the Post 9/11 GI Bill. At a public school this will cover 100% of the tuition and fees. or signifcantly reduce the financial burdens at a private school. For those who are older they understand. My opportunity cost for going to dental school will be over half a million if I'm fortunate enough to be accepted. However, that's worth it for a job I'm passionate about especially with less of a financial burden. My partner is supporitve of my goals and would support me if I get into a school. Thanks to my work travel, I have tons of points/miles and mid-level or elite status at all major hotel chains and airlines. I'm hoping to use and take advantage of these once I start interviewing

I think that about sums it up. I'll be occasionally coming back to this post to provide updates or answer any questions. Thanks for reading if you made it this far, and reach out if you have any other interests

-CG2D

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[doc toothache]

In the Age of Covid, there may be some change in how ds view on line courses. The main disadvantage on dragging out the timeline for completing pre reqs is that it is a bit difficult to assess how well you would adapt to a full time schedule.

 

[CGtoDentistry]

In the Age of Covid, there may be some change in how ds view on line courses. The main disadvantage on dragging out the timeline for completing pre reqs is that it is a bit difficult to assess how well you would adapt to a full time schedule.

Thanks for commenting. That's a really valid point. The dental school workload is definitely no joke. If you wouldn't mind critquing...My steps for mitiigating that disadvantage are the following:

1. In undergraduate I was regularly taking 18-20 credit hours per semester in an engineering program where I had athletic and military obligations in addition to my academics
2. As a civilian I've balanced a technical, demanding job that has lots of hours while completing my prerequsite courses. Completing coursework while working 50+ hours a week and managing a constantly training travel schedule demonstrate grit, flexibility, and a willingness to put in the time to get things done

By and large, it'll be quite interesting to see how Covid changes the educational sector. One of my former roommates from NYC deferred her admission to HBS for a year and went to work at a London PE firm due to an MBA's value being about the in-person experience. Dental school, and to a certain extent medical school, need that in person/patient experience

I'm hoping if all goes well that by the time I enter D school we're back in the saddle and out of the woods of Covid. What's your take with all this from a preparation standpoint?

 

[MLC45]

I have to agree with doc toothache.

Not all schools are the same but I was a nontraditional student who had been on the honor roll every semester in college. I decided to go to dental school several years later and at an interview I was told (from a member of the admissions board) that even though I had been an honor student, worked as a dental assistant for several years, was raising a family, taking care of my elderly parents, and going to school part time, that only meant I used to be a good student in the past and I know how to handle stress and manage my time well, but it did not prove I could be a good student now. I went through 2 cycles before I decided to quit my job, go to school full time taking, all science classes (and getting A’s) so on the 3rd cycle I was able to show them the proof that I could still be a good student.

Grit, flexibility and willingness to put in time doesn’t tell them that you’re able to comprehend the material you have to know. Those are all qualities that will help you get into school and used during years 3 and 4, but you have to get through years 1 and 2 first. And the only way to do that is be an actually full time student.

Good luck

 

[CGtoDentistry]

I have to agree with doc toothache.

Not all schools are the same but I was a nontraditional student who had been on the honor roll every semester in college. I decided to go to dental school several years later and at an interview I was told (from a member of the admissions board) that even though I had been an honor student, worked as a dental assistant for several years, was raising a family, taking care of my elderly parents, and going to school part time, that only meant I used to be a good student in the past and I know how to handle stress and manage my time well, but it did not prove I could be a good student now. I went through 2 cycles before I decided to quit my job, go to school full time taking, all science classes (and getting A’s) so on the 3rd cycle I was able to show them the proof that I could still be a good student.

Grit, flexibility and willingness to put in time doesn’t tell them that you’re able to comprehend the material you have to know. Those are all qualities that will help you get into school and used during years 3 and 4, but you have to get through years 1 and 2 first. And the only way to do that is be an actually full time student.

Good luck

Thanks so much!

That's a valid view point. The metric is "can you handle an academic courseload, not a work balance load"? At the very least, I'll need to the prereqs that I need for undergraduate...if not I can always do I science masters I suppose.

As a nontrad yourself, what were the things that stuck out to you most between working and transitioning back to a full-time student? As we all know, being a student is different than being in the workforce. Important to do well in both

 

[aubreyjokes]

Yeah I'll just echo and maybe add that you should mentally prepare for a long haul, because your prereqs build on each other so you end up having to drag them out (i.e you need biochem but can't enroll till you've taken ochem 2, cant take that till you've had ochem 1, cant take that till you've had gen chem 2, etc). Then add to that a pretty good assumption that you'll not get in first time or second or third. you're looking at another 4-8 years potentially before you even start dental school.
It's good you have military help maybe but there is a huge direct and indirect cost to be aware of that goes beyond tuition for prereqs. Odds are if you are taking them piecemeal you'll be below 12hrs so no normal fin aid which means you have to pay out of pocket. A typical 4 credit science w lab at the state school for me was ~$900.
Now if you're paying for those classes you'll need to work but then you'll also have to take off of work to attend the class (obvi covid changes this) which means lost wages. Lose some more wages while you're off volunteering or taking some $12hr job in a dental office for "experience".
Then comes all your application fees, general then per school then secondary fees. So when you see people with "I applied to 22 schools" thats like $4k out the gate just for the opportunity for a school to see your app.
DAT fees are high too of course. But that's just on the surface because you'll learn quickly to be competitive you'd really like that $2000 kaplan course and maybe $500 worth of online study materials etc.

It took me 3 application cycles and 4 years to get in. I was 37 the year I matriculated. I had a higher GPA in d school than undergrad/prereqs, won awards, and generally found dental school to be a breeze. Not to be a debbie downer at all just a word to the wise after having lived it how hard getting in can be as a non traditional student. I tried to add up all the direct and indirect $ I spent to get in and it was upwards of $40k and you're competing with kids still in undergrad on their parents payroll who have no responsibilities other than studying and being high on adderall.

It's totally do able but like someone said, it definitely takes a level of grit.

 

[CGtoDentistry]

Yeah I'll just echo and maybe add that you should mentally prepare for a long haul, because your prereqs build on each other so you end up having to drag them out (i.e you need biochem but can't enroll till you've taken ochem 2, cant take that till you've had ochem 1, cant take that till you've had gen chem 2, etc). Then add to that a pretty good assumption that you'll not get in first time or second or third. you're looking at another 4-8 years potentially before you even start dental school.
It's good you have military help maybe but there is a huge direct and indirect cost to be aware of that goes beyond tuition for prereqs. Odds are if you are taking them piecemeal you'll be below 12hrs so no normal fin aid which means you have to pay out of pocket. A typical 4 credit science w lab at the state school for me was ~$900.
Now if you're paying for those classes you'll need to work but then you'll also have to take off of work to attend the class (obvi covid changes this) which means lost wages. Lose some more wages while you're off volunteering or taking some $12hr job in a dental office for "experience".
Then comes all your application fees, general then per school then secondary fees. So when you see people with "I applied to 22 schools" thats like $4k out the gate just for the opportunity for a school to see your app.
DAT fees are high too of course. But that's just on the surface because you'll learn quickly to be competitive you'd really like that $2000 kaplan course and maybe $500 worth of online study materials etc.

It took me 3 application cycles and 4 years to get in. I was 37 the year I matriculated. I had a higher GPA in d school than undergrad/prereqs, won awards, and generally found dental school to be a breeze. Not to be a debbie downer at all just a word to the wise after having lived it how hard getting in can be as a non traditional student. I tried to add up all the direct and indirect $ I spent to get in and it was upwards of $40k and you're competing with kids still in undergrad on their parents payroll who have no responsibilities other than studying and being high on adderall.

It's totally do able but like someone said, it definitely takes a level of grit.

Thanks for the perspective. It's a lot different as an adult than as someone coming fresh from undergrad, right?

I definitely have my work cut out for me for a path forward. Luckily I've already taking both Phys 1/2 and Gen Chem 1/2 in undergrad. The schools on my short list said that the grades there are fine, but I might want to refersh Gen Chem if I feel overstretched in Ochem 1/2.

I feel fortunate that I'm in the circumstances I'm in, as I think I have certain advantages that other nontrad applications may not have. The advantages I consider I have are as follows:

1. Post-Bacc program: UNE Online affords a lot of flexibility since it's completely self-paced, but course material needs to be completed w/in the 16 week timeframe.
2. Debt Free: No undergraduate debt, and the Post 9/11 GI Bill to cover dental school tuition. Since I'm on the road so much for my job, or working remotely from an income tax-free state, my expenses are minimal. I don't own a car or pay car insurance since most of the time I live in hotels.
3. Current Job Perks: These UNE Online classes are a bit pricey, but I'm fortunate that I can afford them since I have no debt. When I'm on a job site I expense everything (lodging, food, gas, car rental, etc). I'm quite reasonably competent as a technology consultant so the job isn't as challenging once you've seen a few things, which gives me the most important thing here: time. I'm also in the six-figure income range and have over $10K worth of credit card/hotel/airline points thanks to my work travel. Those points will be useful when it comes to traveling for any interviews.
4. No children. I think undertaking this transition would be much more challenging with children

Potential Roadblocks/hinderances:

1. I haven't been a student in quite awhile. That may reflect negatively in interviews, as part of the job I'll be interviewing for isn't a dental apprentice - it's a dental student. And that comes with the academic rigor and time balance adjustment that all students feel.
2. Shadowing. Shadowing as a traveling consultant can be quite tricky. Luckily, this number has been reduced for now. But I'll need to get that time that I can squeeze in. Actually, this one could be quite advantageous. If I can get shadowing hours on weekends in different states that might lend itself to seeing how dentists practice in different urban/suburban/rural areas and diversity of communities

It's definitely gonna be a journey moving forward!

 

[MLC45]

Thanks so much!

That's a valid view point. The metric is "can you handle an academic courseload, not a work balance load"? At the very least, I'll need to the prereqs that I need for undergraduate...if not I can always do I science masters I suppose.

As a nontrad yourself, what were the things that stuck out to you most between working and transitioning back to a full-time student? As we all know, being a student is different than being in the workforce. Important to do well in both

The biggest issue I found is the older you are the harder it is to study and have the material stick with you. People in their early to mid 20's can read something once or twice and have it down well enough to take a test. The 30's takes more study hours, and the 40's is studying non-stop.

 

[CGtoDentistry]

Update: Finally finished my first prerequisite - UNE Biology 1 - with a B+. Obviously I would have preferred an A, but I'll take this grade considering I had a very busy time and was playing catch up. Review is below:

Started out this course when I was on a long business trip out of my home state. I lived in a hotel room for about halfway through the course, so didn't have access to a kitchen/lab environment. This put me quite behind; in order to proceed to the next Unit with a UNE course you have to complete all the assignments in the previous course (quizzes, homework assignments, labs, quizes.

Course Organization and Units: UNE courses are 16-weeks long, and completely self-paced. So if someone wanted to finish early, they could. Which is fantastic and works with my work schedule. How this course worked is that you needed to complete all items in a unit prior to moving onto the next unit. The course is broken down into 4 units. In order to move onto Unit 3 you have to take the midterm.

Homework Assignments: Do these, as they are 10% of the lecture grade and you get 100% for completion. Don't bother buying a text book off amazon, as the homework integrates with the e-textbook. The homework has an algorithm that shows your progression and will test you on answers you keep missing. It also links to the e-textbook for helpful sections. When I was behind in the labs, doing the homework ahead of schedule really helped. This is the only portion that I could work ahead on when considering the way the units are structured. Honestly just skim through the reading and then proceed to do the assignments. I found early on I was wasting a ton of time reading the assigned reading too long when I could have just done the questions.

Lectures: Lectures were great and informative. I really enjoyed how each week's lecture is broken up into 4-6 8-15 minute videos. Makes the concepts extremely digestible and avoids that feeling of "oh crap I need to sit through an hour of this all at once". Lectures come with PDF slides. If I had an ipad I would take notes on those and save them as a file

Quizzes: I will say, really pay attention to the lecture videos. Quizzes are open-book and open-note, but I found that in order to succeed well on the quizzes one needs to watch the videos and actually pay attention to them. At first I struggled with these, but steadily was getting 100% on them as I learned the flow of the course.

Discussions: There were a total of 2 unit discussions. These are like mini-research posts in a forum where you have to cite AMA style and respond to students. Grading is participation based, so do these to boost your grade.

Labs: This is where I struggled time-wise the most due to living away from my home for 2 months. When I got home I was behind about 8-10 weeks and it was due to the labs. Doing the labs does require time, but following the instructions was fairly simple. Longest lab is the first one, the rest only took three hours at most for a single lab. There is a lab report as part of the course, and that's required to be turned in prior to scheduling the final.

Mid-Term/Final: I won't discuss these obviously, just know that in order to unlock these you need to complete all the assignments beforehand. You'll also need to schedule these because they are proctored. Be mindful of course time. I didn't do so well on the midterm because of how much I was rushing to play catch-up. Luckily my other aspects of the course were solid so I ended up with an ok grade.

So in short, as a working adult these courses are definitely about time management. Luckily I won't be traveling for work anytime soon, and am on a remote project. I anticipate going into the other prerequisite courses with UNE that I'll score much higher across the board now that I know how the courses are organized and won't have to rush through labs/lectures/etc.

Any further questions lmk and I'll answer as long as it's not specific questions about course content or exam questions

 

[NPete21]

I was just in a very similar situation to you and was accepted to SIU (in state) on my first go around.

I'm 32 and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Material Science Engineering. My grades were bad after my freshman year so I gave up on dental school after year two. I spent more time at the bar than studying and figured dentistry was never going to happen. In the fall of 2019 I decided to seriously pursue dental school and toured UIC (I live in Chicago) and committed to the process. I only needed 23 credit hours of mostly bio and ochem2 to meet all of the pre-reqs and registered for them at my local CC. I took 7 hours in the spring, 8 in the summer, and 8 in the fall. In hindsight, a proper post-bacc at a 4-year would have looked better, but, like you, I travel about 50% of the time for work and the CC was about half the price. I took Ochem2 and Ochem2 lab through UNE since no schools near me were offering it on weekends or at night. I can definitely relate to completing labs in hotel bathrooms instead of a kitchen! The difficulty with UNE is building a strong enough relationship with your profs to get good letters of recommendation. If you can find a way to get at least two of your science pre-reqs in person, that will really help your letters.

I was able to get 75 hours of shadowing in this summer and did online tutoring to get my volunteer hours up. It's incredibly difficult finding opportunities in cities right now and I drove from Chicago to Cleveland to shadow a friend's brother in law. Doing whatever it takes to get hours will show your commitment to and passion for dentistry. I had a lot of trouble finding shadowing hours due to Covid and probably also being non-traditional. I was either ghosted or told no right away and I think not being able to say "I'm so and so from the local university's pre-dental club" made it harder. I have no problem cold-calling, cold-emailing, or just walking in to an office and asking but even my own dentist said they weren't currently allowing shadowing. You might not be able to just pop in anywhere without some kind of in. I really had to stretch my personal network to find someone (5 hours away) to shadow and write me a letter of recommendation.

I did DAT Bootcamp and had to extend my membership by 2 months when my test got postponed but it helped me score a 26AA/24TS/21PAT/23RC/23Bio/25OC/27GC/30QR. Since you studied engineering you need to maximize your QR score. There is nothing past simple trig so you should be able to score really high on that section. A really high DAT score is the best way to show that you can hack it after being away for so long. My current cumulative GPA is a 2.63 (2.43 undergrad, 4.0 post-bacc) so my DAT shows that I am a better student now than I was a decade ago. How many pre-reqs do you still need to take? I'd recommend taking A&P 1&2, Microbio, and BioChem at a minimum above any requirements. I took BioChem at my CC which limited which schools I could apply to. I would also make sure that the schools you are planning to apply to accept credits from UNE before committing 100% of your efforts there.

I applied to 13 schools and would recommend focusing on in state and out of state private schools. If you have lived in other states, those public schools may also be a good idea as you have a connection. Your story is unique and you need to find a way effectively share it in your personal statement and interviews. Get your applications in the day they open. I waited until after I took the DAT in August in case I didn't do well and it likely cost me interview opportunities. I interviewed with SIU in January and was accepted last Friday so it can be done on your first try but you need to be able to show that you can handle the rigors of dental school and that you are doing this because it is what you truly want to do. Your life experiences can set you apart and interviews should not be intimidating as you have done them throughout your professional career.

When are you thinking of applying? I wish I gave myself more time by starting in the fall of 19 instead of spring of 20 but I'm happy with how it turned out! There's a balance to strike between given yourself enough time to do well on everything and taking enough courses at once to prove you can handle a course load again.

It can feel overwhelming, but can be done if you are organized and motivated!

 

[CGtoDentistry]

Started Med Bio 2 and Organic Chemistry 1 Lecture/Lab last Wednesday.

Thoughts so far: Med Bio 2 is laid out much like Med Bio 1, so having familiarity with the course layout is a huge advantage. Organic Chemistry 1 seems to have been completely revamped from previous content I've read here on SDN. There was even a video mentioning it.

Med Bio 2: Very similar to Med Bio 1 through UNE. I've already knocked out Week 1 readings, lectures, homework assignment, quiz, and lab. Waiting on my lab kit to arrive to start on Week 2 lab (Might be delayed due to weather we've experienced in Texas). I'm going to fill out the review sheet for the midterm after finishing each weeks module. Uses the same textbook as Med Bio 1 so it's nice I don't have to pay for that.

O Chem 1 Lecture: It seems like the textbook is free. The homework content is actually linked to another website that UNE partners with, so it's another login/payment. This course is laid out very differently compared to Med Bio 1/2, with a different syllabus and homework quiz system. Have a printer readily available, as there are worksheets that need to be printed out and filled out (completion grade). I've finished all of the Week 1 activities (3 homework assignments, an activity, discussion posts, and worksheets) so am tracking well on this one.

O Chem 1 Lab: It seems these labs are all virtual. I still need to complete the Week 1 quiz, but have watched all of the videos. The Lab isn't connected to the lecture so it has it's own grading scale (some schools may not require lab I suppose)

Overall Thoughts: I'm managing okay so far, but I've realized I've put myself under a heavy course load whilst working a fulltime job. The trade-off is that after this I'll be able to roll into O Chem 2 and Bio Chem, and advance my timeline. Grateful that I have an understanding signficant other, am working remotely for now, and have every other Friday off.

Stay tuned for more updates

 

[NPete21]

Started Med Bio 2 and Organic Chemistry 1 Lecture/Lab last Wednesday.

Thoughts so far: Med Bio 2 is laid out much like Med Bio 1, so having familiarity with the course layout is a huge advantage. Organic Chemistry 1 seems to have been completely revamped from previous content I've read here on SDN. There was even a video mentioning it.

Med Bio 2: Very similar to Med Bio 1 through UNE. I've already knocked out Week 1 readings, lectures, homework assignment, quiz, and lab. Waiting on my lab kit to arrive to start on Week 2 lab (Might be delayed due to weather we've experienced in Texas). I'm going to fill out the review sheet for the midterm after finishing each weeks module. Uses the same textbook as Med Bio 1 so it's nice I don't have to pay for that.

O Chem 1 Lecture: It seems like the textbook is free. The homework content is actually linked to another website that UNE partners with, so it's another login/payment. This course is laid out very differently compared to Med Bio 1/2, with a different syllabus and homework quiz system. Have a printer readily available, as there are worksheets that need to be printed out and filled out (completion grade). I've finished all of the Week 1 activities (3 homework assignments, an activity, discussion posts, and worksheets) so am tracking well on this one.

O Chem 1 Lab: It seems these labs are all virtual. I still need to complete the Week 1 quiz, but have watched all of the videos. The Lab isn't connected to the lecture so it has it's own grading scale (some schools may not require lab I suppose)

Overall Thoughts: I'm managing okay so far, but I've realized I've put myself under a heavy course load whilst working a fulltime job. The trade-off is that after this I'll be able to roll into O Chem 2 and Bio Chem, and advance my timeline. Grateful that I have an understanding signficant other, am working remotely for now, and have every other Friday off.

Stay tuned for more updates

UNE's O Chem2 is very focused on biological molecules. Starts with FTIR, NMR, Mass Spec and UV VIS, then jumps in to proteins, lipids, carbs, and amino acids. Some of the labs take 5-6 hours and the fermentation lab requires a few days to complete. Half are virtual and half via an at home lab kit. Pairing it up with biochem will make studying easier as they will be on the same topics and build together. The quiz questions for ochem 2, o chem 2 lab, and ochem 1 lab had a lot of gotcha type questions. The midterms/finals had questions that were similar to the quizzes and sometimes repeated the same question which made for easy points if you knew it.

 

[CGtoDentistry]

UNE's O Chem2 is very focused on biological molecules. Starts with FTIR, NMR, Mass Spec and UV VIS, then jumps in to proteins, lipids, carbs, and amino acids. Some of the labs take 5-6 hours and the fermentation lab requires a few days to complete. Half are virtual and half via an at home lab kit. Pairing it up with biochem will make studying easier as they will be on the same topics and build together. The quiz questions for ochem 2, o chem 2 lab, and ochem 1 lab had a lot of gotcha type questions. The midterms/finals had questions that were similar to the quizzes and sometimes repeated the same question which made for easy points if you knew it.

Thanks for the response! I thought I replied to your earlier post as well but it must not have saved.

That's some good intel on O Chem 2 and the quizzes...sounds like I made the right decision to try and pair that with one with biochem after this sequence.

Yeah I definitely think the labs will be the biggest time sink here. Hoping I can nail A's in both classes. I'm tracking well so far but it's always a concern for time, right?

It's exciting you're heading off to Dental School! It's early but do you know what type of dentistry you'd like to practice? Since I'm in Texas I am going to aim for all of the Texas dental schools, as well as UPenn, UPitt, UNLV, and IU. Might add a few more schools to that list but I have connections in PA, Vegas, and Indianapolis that would be useful as support for the 4 years over dental school if I am accepted.

 

[NPete21]

Thanks for the response! I thought I replied to your earlier post as well but it must not have saved.

That's some good intel on O Chem 2 and the quizzes...sounds like I made the right decision to try and pair that with one with biochem after this sequence.

Yeah I definitely think the labs will be the biggest time sink here. Hoping I can nail A's in both classes. I'm tracking well so far but it's always a concern for time, right?

It's exciting you're heading off to Dental School! It's early but do you know what type of dentistry you'd like to practice? Since I'm in Texas I am going to aim for all of the Texas dental schools, as well as UPenn, UPitt, UNLV, and IU. Might add a few more schools to that list but I have connections in PA, Vegas, and Indianapolis that would be useful as support for the 4 years over dental school if I am accepted.

I would love to specialize (ortho, endo, not sure if prosthodontics is a specialization) but am perfectly fine with general. Being older makes the additional 2 years more daunting, especially since my wife and I are planning on starting a family at some point, but SIU is significantly cheaper than the out of state schools I applied to so may still be an option financially.

 

[rafacena]

I was just in a very similar situation to you and was accepted to SIU (in state) on my first go around.

I'm 32 and graduated in 2012 with a degree in Material Science Engineering. My grades were bad after my freshman year so I gave up on dental school after year two. I spent more time at the bar than studying and figured dentistry was never going to happen. In the fall of 2019 I decided to seriously pursue dental school and toured UIC (I live in Chicago) and committed to the process. I only needed 23 credit hours of mostly bio and ochem2 to meet all of the pre-reqs and registered for them at my local CC. I took 7 hours in the spring, 8 in the summer, and 8 in the fall. In hindsight, a proper post-bacc at a 4-year would have looked better, but, like you, I travel about 50% of the time for work and the CC was about half the price. I took Ochem2 and Ochem2 lab through UNE since no schools near me were offering it on weekends or at night. I can definitely relate to completing labs in hotel bathrooms instead of a kitchen! The difficulty with UNE is building a strong enough relationship with your profs to get good letters of recommendation. If you can find a way to get at least two of your science pre-reqs in person, that will really help your letters.

I was able to get 75 hours of shadowing in this summer and did online tutoring to get my volunteer hours up. It's incredibly difficult finding opportunities in cities right now and I drove from Chicago to Cleveland to shadow a friend's brother in law. Doing whatever it takes to get hours will show your commitment to and passion for dentistry. I had a lot of trouble finding shadowing hours due to Covid and probably also being non-traditional. I was either ghosted or told no right away and I think not being able to say "I'm so and so from the local university's pre-dental club" made it harder. I have no problem cold-calling, cold-emailing, or just walking in to an office and asking but even my own dentist said they weren't currently allowing shadowing. You might not be able to just pop in anywhere without some kind of in. I really had to stretch my personal network to find someone (5 hours away) to shadow and write me a letter of recommendation.

I did DAT Bootcamp and had to extend my membership by 2 months when my test got postponed but it helped me score a 26AA/24TS/21PAT/23RC/23Bio/25OC/27GC/30QR. Since you studied engineering you need to maximize your QR score. There is nothing past simple trig so you should be able to score really high on that section. A really high DAT score is the best way to show that you can hack it after being away for so long. My current cumulative GPA is a 2.63 (2.43 undergrad, 4.0 post-bacc) so my DAT shows that I am a better student now than I was a decade ago. How many pre-reqs do you still need to take? I'd recommend taking A&P 1&2, Microbio, and BioChem at a minimum above any requirements. I took BioChem at my CC which limited which schools I could apply to. I would also make sure that the schools you are planning to apply to accept credits from UNE before committing 100% of your efforts there.

I applied to 13 schools and would recommend focusing on in state and out of state private schools. If you have lived in other states, those public schools may also be a good idea as you have a connection. Your story is unique and you need to find a way effectively share it in your personal statement and interviews. Get your applications in the day they open. I waited until after I took the DAT in August in case I didn't do well and it likely cost me interview opportunities. I interviewed with SIU in January and was accepted last Friday so it can be done on your first try but you need to be able to show that you can handle the rigors of dental school and that you are doing this because it is what you truly want to do. Your life experiences can set you apart and interviews should not be intimidating as you have done them throughout your professional career.

When are you thinking of applying? I wish I gave myself more time by starting in the fall of 19 instead of spring of 20 but I'm happy with how it turned out! There's a balance to strike between given yourself enough time to do well on everything and taking enough courses at once to prove you can handle a course load again.

It can feel overwhelming, but can be done if you are organized and motivated!

Hey, I was thinking of applying to SIU Dental but would be out of state. Do you know if they accept OSS?

 

[JoelLastofUs2]

Congratulations on the big decision to undergo this challenge. Best of luck! Keep us posted.

I won't lie, I wish sometimes I can WFH as a dentist. LOL.