Post-Bac

[ani007]

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Currently I am a junior at UCI and will finish my degree in psychology. I plan on attending Santa Monica College for post-bac but I seriously am lost on somethings....

So I'll just list a schedule and hopefully you guys can help me fill in these blanks:

Graduate w/ psych. degree (UCI - june 08)
(I'll have calculus and writing finished and hopefully physics before SMC)

Summer 08 (SMC)
Chem 1 w/lab
Chem 2 w/lab
Bio 1 w/lab
Bio 2 w/lab

First Semester 08 (SMC)
O-Chem w/lab

Second Semester 09 (SMC)
Inorganic chem w/lab

1) I know there are many gaps and I really need help with the correct order and classes I should be taking. I do plan on talking with a SM counselor but any thoughts or ideas anyone?

2) In this schedule when would I take the DAT and apply to dental school? I was reading a previous thread and I am concerned about this "Glide Year??"

3) I did take a g-chem class and two bio classes in undergrad. I chose Santa Monica because of the cost and good things I heard about the program. However, if choosing another program can help avoid this "glide year" I would like to hear about it. Or any other personal experience or info. with specific post-bac programs.

Honestly ANY info. or advice you guys can give me will be much appreciated. I'm trying to figure out my academic career after UCI and what the path entails to becoming a dentist.

P.S. What kind of stats do you need for formal programs like Creighton offers?

 

[starfishbear]

you probably should take your pre-req sciences courses through UCI or another university since everyone knows community college classes are way easier. The order looks good tho as it doesn't really matter when you take your classes, the thing that matters is if you finish them and do well.

 

[claugh]

I would stay away from community colleges. A lot of dental schools say on their website that community college course work will not be accepted. So you should definitely do it at a 4-year institution.

In terms of your schedule, I think you should take only chem in the summer and then bio and ochem together during the year. I just finished post-bac and this schedule works well both for time-management of your studies and for DAT studying. This way when you take the DAT you'll have bio and ochem fresh.

I dont think there is a way to avoid the glide-year, other than applying to pre-health post-bac programs at schools that do linkages. But these are usually filled for the coming fall by the summer. So at this point, just treat the glide year as a chance to take a break from studying and maybe work at a dental office.

 

[blooh]

only thing i would say is take inorganic chem before organic chem..

 

[jackbauer!]

only thing i would say is take inorganic chem before organic chem..

general chemistry should suffice... you don't need inorganic chemistry for dental school, so scratch that.

jb!🙂

 

[DDental]

Have you ever considered the post-bacc program at CSUF. I went there and just finished up and had an extremely great experience. I fulfilled all my requirements and took bio-chem, calculus and anatomy in 2 years.

I would strongly recommend it becasue it is a certificate granting program from a university and I could tell you all the teachers to take. I got a very good education and am well prepared for the DAT and the class aren't that big relative to a UC. Meeting with teachers was very helpful becasue I got 4 good letters from them.

 

[ani007]

Thanks for the advice guys.

So basically you can take 2 years to complete post-bac or 1 year with a glide year?

DDental, I thought Cal States got rid of post bac. programs?

 

[Sprgrover]

I would also add the second semester of organic chemistry without the lab. Most dental schools want a full year of it but only require one semester of lab to go along with it. Don't worry, the second semester is usually easier than the first and most people actually grow to like organic chemistry.

 

[doubleout]

I got a question for DDENTAL; I've heard about the post bacc at cal state fullerton but somehow I can't find anything about it; I've looked in the school's website and searched online but found zero links to such program! can you give me some kind of a web address so i can read more about it. BTW how long did it take you to finish? Thanks

 

[Meatwad]

I got a question for DDENTAL; I've heard about the post bacc at cal state fullerton but somehow I can't find anything about it; I've looked in the school's website and searched online but found zero links to such program! can you give me some kind of a web address so i can read more about it. BTW how long did it take you to finish? Thanks

Hmm, I looked and didn't see anything about CSUF other than an MS in biological sciences on their site, either.

 

[SanOnofre2002]

Ani007, why don't you just stay at UCI another year to finish your dental reqs.? Don't finish all your psych. stuff yet. Instead, delay your graduation and mix in the chem and bio classes w/ what you need to get your psych degree over the next two years. You'll still finish at the same time (as if you went SMC) and it will look much better to take that at UCI instead of SMC.

 

[Regmata]

Can you physically even take that many courses over the summer? From what I hear, summer courses are frowned on a bit too...I wouldnt take that many courses over the summer, just take the gen. chem. Forget inorganic chem too, it serves you no purpose

 

[ani007]

San, thanks for reviving this topic since I am once again pondering staying at UCI to finish my dental reqs. One thing that discourages me is my poor undergrad grades when I was a Bio major but what attracted me to post-bac was what I perceived as a second chance to show grad schools work undertaken at a new institution and a course load that somehow displayed competency to handle grad school. That coupled with a great score on the DAT might help overshadow my poor grades fresh. and soph. year.

However recently I realized that staying at UCI gives me more opportunites than say going to Santa Monica while allowing me to skip the glide year since I still have my senior year left. And post-bac would still be there as an option if I don't get in...I would just have to delay my psych. degree I guess if I stay at UCI.

Basically for me it boils down to my current standing is pretty poor and I want to know if I should stay at UCI or enroll in a Post-Bac program. (I'm leaning towards santa monica if I go this route mainly because of the $ factor.)

 

[evlyann]

Cal State LA has a great certificate post bac program for those wishing to strengthen their sciences. Here is the link, scroll down to where it says certificate program for pre-health professionals. http://catalog.calstatela.edu/NXT/g...eCertificateProgramforPre-HealthProfessionals

 

[doubleout]

Thanks alot pre-dental, that seems like a great program.

 

[lemoncurry]

technically, a post-bacc program is any sort of non-masters program that you would take after you've received your bachelors. In other words, it's as if you're pursuing a second bachelor's. I'm going to be a post-bacc at CSUSB this fall, where I just graduated from, and even though I declared a major of biochem, I'm pretty much only going to take BIO courses. the odds of me actually getting a second degree are very slim.

to the OP, I would seriously recommend enrolling at a CSU to take those classes. You'll save money (over UC) and won't have the "stigma" of a community college. Just declare a major (like biology) and take the courses you need. Don't worry about following some mythical post-bacc program that likely doesn't exist.

 

[uclawill]

Cal State LA has a great certificate post bac program for those wishing to strengthen their sciences. Here is the link, scroll down to where it says certificate program for pre-health professionals. http://catalog.calstatela.edu/NXT/g...eCertificateProgramforPre-HealthProfessionals

im in that right now, i think its the best way to go if you are almost there GPA wize and just want to bolster your already strong application

 

[ani007]

im in that right now, i think its the best way to go if you are almost there GPA wize and just want to bolster your already strong application

What if your not almost there GPA wise...lol...sorry guys I am just wondering what I should do after UCI. Stay here, take science classes at cc or cal state....

 

[evlyann]

Ani007, i for one know that Tufts for example does not accept any cc pre req course work. As for other schools, i know most prefer 4 year over cc. Just call the schools u r interested in and ask what THEY prefer.

 

[ani007]

i'm not worried about santa monica vs another institution for post-bac but confused if i should stay at UCI or complete my degree and then work towards my dental reqs??

 

[ani007]

Going to see my counselor today don't know how much they can help since its psych. I just don't know where to go for guidance. Currently my gpa is at a 2.5ish with A's and B's in all my psych classes but F's and D's in my sciences classes from freshman and soph. year when I was a bio major. Definetly an upward trend but not in the sciences.

Now I can potentially graduate on time with a psych degree and nothing done towards my dental reqs. or extend my degree and probably stay at UCI for an extra year while finishing up my sciences.

Initially I wanted to finish UCI and then do my reqs. so I would be more focused and it would be not entirely a fresh start but a change from irvine if i were to go somewhere else. But now I'm thinking about cc being worse, glide year, etc.

 

[jza70]

Unless you are good at chem I would stay away from inorganic chem. It's basically upper division chem major stuff. Take bio chem, cell bio, micro, etc.

I wonder if bio ecology classes count towards sGPA?

 

[ani007]

so my counselor told me I can possibly graduate on time it would just involve taking 5 classes each quarter (3 quarters) and 6 classes for one of those quarters.

I have two science classes to take for breadth but I guess my plan is to take easy classes for these and complete my psych. degree and graduate.

But its still confusing because most of the 65 units I have to complete aren't from psych. So if I complete the science reqs at UCI I might have to stay a little longer but at least instead of taking BS classes I would be working towards something. I don't know...