Post-Bacc.

[ani007]

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Hey all,

Currently I am a fourth year finishing my degree in psych. and minor in econ and I will have my degree soon. I have completed general biology but other than that I have a long way to go for dental . After I receive my degree though how does post-bacc. studies work? Is it a special program at specific universities or can courses be finished even at a community college? Length of the program? And finally will post-bacc. work be averaged in with undergrad classes?

Any info. on post-bacc. programs in general would be great. I tried to search it but honestly I still need some more info. Thanks in advance!

 

[DentalKitty]

Post bac programs are specific programs you have to be admitted to that offer courses in Calc, Physics, Chem, Bio, among others. Most dental schools do not want you fulfilling prereqs at a community college, so I wouldn't recommend that. Because you are a non-sci major, I think a post-bac program would be perfect for you. All your undergrad/post-bac grades will be combined for overall GPA if I'm not mistaken. However, a school can still see what your performance in the post-bac program specifically was. The length of the program is 1-2 yrs I think depending on what requirements you have already fulfilled. The good thing about a post-bac for you would be the structure to help you complete necessary requirements vice trying to compose a program of study on your own. You will also be able to get a committee recommendation from the post-bac program which is nice. Hope this helps!

*added* try looking at Boston University for an example of a Post-Bac program, I know they have one.

 

[Nasem]

the word "post-bac" means many things...

the typical meaning is a program that is specialised to prepare you for med / dental school. Alot of them offer you a seat in thier med / dental school if you satisfy the post-bac program (I think creighton offers one so long as you obtain a 3.5 GPA in the program and a minimum of 17 on DAT, they'll offer you a spot in their dental school)

Another meaning is a person who finished his / her bachelors in some degree and after a while, decided to go back to school (hence "post-bac") to finish his / her pre-med/dental requirements (such as my self). People who take this route aren't really trying to obtain another B.S or a Masters, instead, theyr just trying to fulfill the requirements.

 

[ani007]

Thanks for the clarification. Is there a list anywhere of the post-bac programs offered for dentistry? Also, how strict is the admissions procedure for these programs?

 

[ani007]

Wait confused big time on this...Do you have to take the DAT before applying to a post- bac.? Also, it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to get into this program as my gpa for psych. is much higher than the requirements but I still am confused on several points.

1) Instead of going to a specialized program you can do post-bac. work independently as well right? (It seems more beneficial to enter into a post-bac. program though)

2) Does it matter which post-bac. program you enroll in?

 

[DentalKitty]

I don't know of a specific list of post-bac programs, you may just have to locate universities near you (or where you want to be) and look at their websites/ask questions. I think it is a fairly common program for places to have. You should also contact your current school's pre-med advising department for more helpful guidance on how to proceed.
You can certainly take non-degree courses after you graduate and not be in an actual post-bac program. This is what I am doing because I was a chem undergrad, so I had all the math, physics, and chem requirements, but I just needed bio classes. I could not get accepted into a post-bac program (nor would I want to) because there are minimum classes you need to participate in, and I had already taken most of them.
I am essentially a part-time student in a non-degree program. However, since you were a non-sci major and need quite a few more prereqs to apply to dental school, I think an official post-bac program is what you want. I definitely think you should see a pre-med advisor as soon as possible to find out what you need to do. Good luck!

 

[marscole]

I would not recommend you to enrol for Post-Bac in local college. For example, A takes Anatomy in university and B takes Anatomy in college. For sure A will weighs more.

I would suggest you take Immunology, Histology, Embryology, Toxicology, and etc to proof that you are able to handle those upper division science classes and also in the future while you're able to 'survive' in dental school. 😉

 

[ani007]

Also curious as to when you apply for "official" post-bac programs?

And I read that as far as cc's go santa monica college might not be a bad choice. I know it does not have an official program and it is a cc but $$ might be a factor after graduation. Not sure of anything yet but I don't want to continue at UCI for post-bac work or go to USC and I'm pretty sure I want to stay in California. Anyone know of good "official" programs specifically for dental?

For right now I'm just going to stay focus on graduating at UCI as strong as I can. I was really uneducated on post-bac work and was planning on staying at UCI for an extra 2 years with a degree which now doesn't make any sense.

Thanks for your input guys.

 

[uesider]

For my "post-bacc", I simply enrolled in the courses I needed for admission to MOST schools at a university nearby. I did not use a formal post-bacc program, and the pre-med committee is willing to write my recommendation even though I am a part-time student.

I've taken Bio I, II, Chem I, II, Orgo I, Physics I, and plan to take Orgo II and Physics II before matriculation.

If you're pressed for time/location like me (I have a stable full-time job that I need to attend also), it might be worthwhile to check the pre-med department listing of courses as a university nearby.

 

[Nasem]

here is a REALLY sweet threat about post-bac programs in the US of A

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=378028

 

[bionerd]

I've a friend who's also jumped onto this dental bandwagon. She's out of college for a while now and currently takes pre-reqs at a community college because it's cheap and she can't afford university-level prices. I was encouraging her with her plans, but now after reading this I'm kinda freaking out. Is it really that bad to take all the pre-reqs at a CC even if you ace everything and get high scores on the DAT (I'm assuming this cuz my friend is one of those really smart chicks)? I dun wanna seem like I'm encouraging her on a fruitless path...

 

[Nasem]

not trying to freak you out bionerd, but most medical and dental schools don't fully "respect" CC courses.... think about it, lets say she gets 4.0s in her GPA and obtains a 22+ on the DAT, she sits in an interview and bam, the adcoms ask "why did you take CC courses instead of a 4-year college class".... whats her answer gonna be "because It was cheaper and I can't afford the 4 year institutes" .... if she says that theyr right away gonna say "do you have any idea how expensive dentistry school is???"

If I was you, I would simply explain to her that the route to dentistry is VERY expensive and if she wants it bad, she HAS to go to a 4 year institude and finish her pre-reqs

 

[diane07]

There are people who will swear up and down that cc courses didn't hurt them and they got accepted.

There are a few select schools that won't accept cc courses, while other schools say that they highly prefer pre-requisites be done at a four year college or university.

Community colleges offer the basics, but they may not have the upper level division sciences if they're only a two year institution.

It's easier to get better grades if the cc courses are easier than pre-requisites done elsewhere. But Admissions know that - they're not stupid and that's why they don't give as much weight to cc courses. And for those who've taken cc courses, don't bite my head off and wax on about how great your cc courses were. I'm sure that the quality of cc courses varies from place to place. I'm just trying to give the reason why Admissions don't view cc courses as highly.

It really depends on the school and their Admissions Committee. But to increase your friend's chances, encourage her to research schools so she knows what their expectations are.

But if you're friend chooses the cc route, then fine. Tell her to do her best, and see what happens.

 

[Nasem]

another suggestion I can give you is.... at leave have her take "some" of the courses at CC just as long as she doesn't take ALL of them at CC.

example, have her take Gen Chem I, and Biolo I in CC but the heavy hitters like Orgo I and Orgo II (in my opinion) MUST be taken at a 4-year institude.

 

[Ex_EE]

Wait confused big time on this...Do you have to take the DAT before applying to a post- bac.? Also, it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to get into this program as my gpa for psych. is much higher than the requirements but I still am confused on several points.

1) Instead of going to a specialized program you can do post-bac. work independently as well right? (It seems more beneficial to enter into a post-bac. program though)

2) Does it matter which post-bac. program you enroll in?

You can take the classes on your own. You can also take them at both university and community college. Just get As at both schools. It worked fine for me. You do not need a formal program.