non tradional applicants

[recyrb]

I was wondering if any of the non-traditional applicants had trouble getting in to dental school?? Anyone out there? I talked to one of the advisers and they were trying to scare me by saying my science class were 5 years old and they aren't confident that my anatomy and physiology background will be strong enough. I just wanted some insight about what type of interview questions I should expect and if anyone else had any trouble with their classes being outdated.

From Advisers--- Question whether or not you still know how to study. Can handle the load

I am a full time Nuclear Med Tech so my sciences are still sharp, and I have great experience. I studied for the DAT and still maintained good standing at work.. What do you guys think???

22/22/22

thanks

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[wired202808]

I was wondering if any of the non-traditional applicants had trouble getting in to dental school?? Anyone out there? I talked to one of the advisers and they were trying to scare me by saying my science class were 5 years old and they aren't confident that my anatomy and physiology background will be strong enough. I just wanted some insight about what type of interview questions I should expect and if anyone else had any trouble with their classes being outdated.

From Advisers--- Question whether or not you still know how to study. Can handle the load

I am a full time Nuclear Med Tech so my sciences are still sharp, and I have great experience. I studied for the DAT and still maintained good standing at work.. What do you guys think???

22/22/22

thanks

a 22 represents the fact that you scored about 90+% more than the general public on the DAT, should reflect both your dedication and intelligence. I think its enough for schools. Im a non-trad but I did take my pre-reqs recently and have high grades in them. Either way I doubt you would get rejected unless your GPA is in the dumps i.e. below 3, that might be a cause for concerns.

All the other stuff your adviser says may or may not be true, just like you may or may not win the lotto. so take his/her advice with a grain of salt.

 

[recyrb]

thanks i appreciate that.. it was the adviser for umkc admissions... But i do agree, I already feel as this is a "hazing" process so I am not to worried about it. Thanks for the encouraging words!

 

[LetsGo2DSchool]

You may not want to hear this but I am going to shed some truth. Here's what I heard direct from a few Directors of Admissions. Schools love non-traditional students as they are mature, focused and have real world experience.

However, they don't love all non-traditional students. There's a concerning issue of a student who has been away from school for a good number of years of whether or not they can handle an academic setting after so many years. Thus, many schools will require that your science requirements have been completed within the past few years and why they will require an applicant to repeat those courses if it's been a good number of years. Now for post-bac students, this is not an issue since these students just recently completed an academic program. Same goes for applicants who attend a Masters program.

It has nothing to do with one's intelligence as evidenced by current high DAT scores or not. It also has nothing to do with one's desire and dedication to pursue dentistry. It's about whether an applicant will have the capacity to immerse oneself in a rigorous academic program (dental school) at a later stage in life.

 

[wired202808]

You may not want to hear this but I am going to shed some truth. Here's what I heard direct from a few Directors of Admissions. Schools love non-traditional students as they are mature, focused and have real world experience.

However, they don't love all non-traditional students. There's a concerning issue of a student who has been away from school for a good number of years of whether or not they can handle an academic setting after so many years. Thus, many schools will require that your science requirements have been completed within the past few years and why they will require an applicant to repeat those courses if it's been a good number of years. Now for post-bac students, this is not an issue since these students just recently completed an academic program. Same goes for applicants who attend a Masters program.

It has nothing to do with one's intelligence as evidenced by current high DAT scores or not. It also has nothing to do with one's desire and dedication to pursue dentistry. It's about whether an applicant will have the capacity to immerse oneself in a rigorous academic program (dental school) at a later stage in life.

well said!

 

[Golfguy]

You may not want to hear this but I am going to shed some truth. Here's what I heard direct from a few Directors of Admissions. Schools love non-traditional students as they are mature, focused and have real world experience.

However, they don't love all non-traditional students. There's a concerning issue of a student who has been away from school for a good number of years of whether or not they can handle an academic setting after so many years. Thus, many schools will require that your science requirements have been completed within the past few years and why they will require an applicant to repeat those courses if it's been a good number of years. Now for post-bac students, this is not an issue since these students just recently completed an academic program. Same goes for applicants who attend a Masters program.

It has nothing to do with one's intelligence as evidenced by current high DAT scores or not. It also has nothing to do with one's desire and dedication to pursue dentistry. It's about whether an applicant will have the capacity to immerse oneself in a rigorous academic program (dental school) at a later stage in life.

+1

I was told if I didn't want to re-take a few pre-reqs that upper level courses in that discipline would suffice, but new coursework was required since I had been out of school for so long. My last semester was 20 hours. What Letsgo said is absolutely the truth for many schools. I'm sure some schools could care less though.

 

[recyrb]

so since only being out 3 years puts me in a the category of a loveable non-traditional kinda guy? -- since everything is recent and my healthcare experience keeps the sciences pretty fresh

 

[LetsGo2DSchool]

You should be ok at 3 years as you are right on the fringe, and as in golf, you can still putt from the fringe and make your birdie.

 

[rocky90]

Do they factor in the age as well?

 

[youknowthedrill]

Just because you work in the field of science doesn't mean your study skills are still sharp. It wouldn't hurt to take a couple of science classes this semester and also work. It will show adcoms that you're serious.