Pre reqs at a CC after undergrad

[joseclar]

Hello,

I have searched the forums and while there have been a number of threads on cc, I havent seen any that exactly matched my question.

I have a bachelors from a 4 year school with courses in physics, calc 1 and 2 and english as far as pre reqs go. I am working currently and due to time and money restrictions I am planning to take my science pre reqs at a local cc, with a good transfer reputation.

My question is has anyone done anything similar and gotten into dental school? If not do you think it will be a problem, provided I do well in the courses and on the dat? Thank you.

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[Vicviper]

I really don't see that you have any other option than taking them at a CC, and that is how many non-traditional students who graduated with a degree in a non-science field do it, so I'm sure you'll be fine.

Especially because of your situation, I don't think Adcoms will care one bit, other than some of the schools that may have extremely strict restrictions on this - though many of the schools that say they don't take CC pre-reqs are willing to bend that. So don't stress, and good luck!

 

[whateveryoulike]

adcoms (my prehealth advisor used to be one and this was his view) generally only frown upon CC credits when youre doing it for an easier A. like if you took chem1 at a university and got a C and then took chem2 at the local CC and got an A or B. stuff like that. be prepared to answer the question of why theyre from a CC but since you have a very reasonable explanation I wouldnt expect it to be anymore than an inquiry to verify youre not one of the people trying to cheat the system. in all reality though, i took some of the prereq classes at a CC since i took them before transferring to a university, and they were actually harder at the CC than what ive seen so far at the university. its an entirely unsubstantiated stereotype to assume CC classes are easier than University ones and it dissapoints me that schools would even be narrow minded enough to acknowledge the validity of the claim.

 

[bjhath]

My question is has anyone done anything similar and gotten into dental school? If not do you think it will be a problem, provided I do well in the courses and on the dat? Thank you.

I was in a similar situation to you, did most of my prereqs at a cc, and will be starting dental school in July.

I got my BS and MS in mechanical engineering, then decided to become a dentist. I took many of my prereqs at a cc with a great transfer reputation: physics and chem (back in the day), along with bio, o-chem, and physiology. I took some bio classes (anatomy, microbio, and biochem) at a state school through a postbac program.

Depending on what schools you apply to, you may need to take some of your 'recommended' courses at a university (i.e. upper level courses: biochem and histology). Additionally, dental schools have different rules on what and how much cc credit they accept. See Doc Toothache's thread for more information.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335

Overall, I think your plan will work, but first check with the admissions offices at the schools to which you want to apply.

Good luck!

 

[Vicviper]

adcoms (my prehealth advisor used to be one and this was his view) generally only frown upon CC credits when youre doing it for an easier A. like if you took chem1 at a university and got a C and then took chem2 at the local CC and got an A or B. stuff like that. be prepared to answer the question of why theyre from a CC but since you have a very reasonable explanation I wouldnt expect it to be anymore than an inquiry to verify youre not one of the people trying to cheat the system. in all reality though, i took some of the prereq classes at a CC since i took them before transferring to a university, and they were actually harder at the CC than what ive seen so far at the university. its an entirely unsubstantiated stereotype to assume CC classes are easier than University ones and it dissapoints me that schools would even be narrow minded enough to acknowledge the validity of the claim.

This is incredibly true, and I ran into the exact situations. My chemistry classes at the CC were much more difficult to get A's in than my upper devs at my university (but still very doable if you put the work in). I felt that my CC professors were better teachers on the whole than my University professors as well, especially since I go to a research university.

 

[DentalOneDAy]

I am in the same situation. I work full time and because of time/monetary issues it is more feasible for me to go to a CC. Luckily I have great CC around me. It would cost me over 10k just to do the pre-reqs at a university near me. This worries me for SIU as they state on their' website, and through conversations I've had with them, that they HIGHLY prefer 4 yr pre-reqs.

In general, I think the difficulty depends more on the professor and not the school. Interesting enough, my 4 yr was more difficult overall, but the hardest prof. i've ever had was at a CC.

 

[whateveryoulike]

This is incredibly true, and I ran into the exact situations. My chemistry classes at the CC were much more difficult to get A's in than my upper devs at my university (but still very doable if you put the work in). I felt that my CC professors were better teachers on the whole than my University professors as well, especially since I go to a research university.

i have the same opinion when comparing my CC teachers to my university's teachers. it seems like they pick them for research and the profs have a "im here to do research but unfortunately im being forced to teach as well" type attitude. i have a few profs i like a lot, but most it seems like they dont really care about the teaching aspect.

 

[sunshine222]

I took a year of prerequisites after undergrad too, but I took most of them as a non-matriculated student at my state university. I'd look into that if I were you - you pay by the class so it's actually cheaper than taking a class at the CC. The only downside was that I had to get signatures from the professor of each class before registering, but it was definitely worth the extra hassle to take the classes at a good 4-year school.

In my interview, I definitely got the impression that taking a lot of prerequisites at a CC isn't ideal.

 

[Vicviper]

It depends where you are trying to take the classes, I know that the UC's and the CSU's in California make it difficult for non-students to take classes there unless it's the summer session (where anyone can take classes). And in CA it's definitely cheaper at the CC, it's 20 bucks a unit flat fee.

I agree that dental schools might not look as highly on the other pre-reqs taken at the CC, but in your case I don't think they'd look down on it as much and I'd say go with whatever fits your schedule better, and is easier to get into.

 

[enfuego]

This is incredibly true, and I ran into the exact situations. My chemistry classes at the CC were much more difficult to get A's in than my upper devs at my university (but still very doable if you put the work in). I felt that my CC professors were better teachers on the whole than my University professors as well, especially since I go to a research university.

i have the same opinion when comparing my CC teachers to my university's teachers. it seems like they pick them for research and the profs have a "im here to do research but unfortunately im being forced to teach as well" type attitude. i have a few profs i like a lot, but most it seems like they dont really care about the teaching aspect.

Exactly. I'm reading a book by a Stanford professor, and he spends time talking about the university system and how the universities care far and away more about the research the professors produce than about how well they can teach. Thus, professors who are good teachers usually don't last very long because they usually put more effort into creating a great class than in doing research, and universities don't have any interest in that. The professors that do a lot of good research are the ones who get tenure and stick around for a long time and end up teaching the classes. Probably a reason why a lot of the professors I've had are completely terrible and make class a miserable experience. I'm not at all surprised that professors at CC (where research isn't a big factor) are better teachers.

OP - I'm sure you'll be fine since you have a good reason, but I would just check the schools you're interested in to see if they have any sort of limit on how many CC credits you can have, just in case. I know Tufts doesn't like any pre-reqs to be taken at CC.