Only 100 Credits and No Degree

[informatique]

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I have accumulated 100 credits of coursework, but I still have about 24 more to go because I had switched majors. I'm thinking about taking time off to move back home and work full-time for a year instead of finishing those 24 before I go on to dentistry school. Even if I don't get my degree if I get accepted, will this be counted against me?

 

[small]

I think you need pretty stellar stats to get into dental school without a four-year degree, and I imagine most of the people who do go straight from undergrad to dental school. Taking a year off to work might be financially prudent, but I bet dental schools would say "No degree but X hasn't been enrolled in school for the past semester (or more)? WTF?" I'd recommend you finish your degree; >100 credits isn't unusual for many people, even without changes to their major.

 

[airsimon]

Wait... doesn't everyone need 120 credits just to graduate?

 

[alanan84]

I was thinking the same thing

 

[informatique]

Yeah, but I switched majors, so I have a few upper-level chem courses that doesn't count towards a bio degree. I have 108 credits as of right now to be exact, but have 24 to go in order to get a bio degree since i switched midway.

 

[SanOnofre2002]

What's your question? If you do get accepted, will not getting a degree be counted against you? What does that mean?

 

[informatique]

What's your question? If you do get accepted, will not getting a degree be counted against you? What does that mean?

Don't they require that you send in your final transcript stating that you've graduated before matriculating?

 

[SanOnofre2002]

Some schools require you to get a diploma and some don't. To get into the ones that don't you'll have to have excellent stats, as someone else said. If your plan is to drop out just so you can work for a year, I think it will hurt your application severly. If you don't want to finish your undergrad, why don't you just apply now? Trying to get into dental school a year early is viewed as having motivation, taking a year off without finishing your undergrad gives more of an appearance of skipping out on your commitments.

 

[dentalstd2008]

I am b/w junior and senior and got accepted this year w/out a diploma. 😉 However, I don't recommend taking a year-off while not finishing your diploma yet.