Hello, I recently joined this forum and am impressed with the amount of knowledge and advice that is shared here. I've spent the past two days reading posts and researching online. I'm hoping I can receive some advice/guidance on what I should do.
My ultimate goal is to get accepted into dental school without too much delay (within 1-2 years). Here's a little bit about my background:
I just recently graduated from Dartmouth majoring in Economics but now I want to passionately pursue a career in dentistry. In my freshman year, I considered being premed and took some bio and chem classes and did not do spectacularly. I decided to drop the premed idea and just focus on economics. In the middle of my senior year, I realized I don't like economics as much as I thought I would and decided to switch gears back onto a premed track. For the last two quarters of my undergrad career, I tried to fill my remaining classes with as many premed requirements as possible. Here're my stats:
Freshman year:
Intro Bio (no lab) : A
Gen Chem 1 (w/lab) : B
Cell Bio (w/lab) : B-
Calculus : A
I had a difficult time with cell bio and gen-chem, mostly because I was still young, adjusting to college, and not yet passionate about pursuing a career in health. However, when I shifted my focus in the middle of my senior year, I was much more focused and driven to do well. These are the courses I managed to fit in my schedule while finishing courses required for my major.
Physiology (w/lab): B+
Gen Physics 2 (w/lab): A- (I could only catch the second half of the sequence because phys 1 was offered only in the fall)
Gen Chem 2 (w/lab): A
my overall GPA: 3.37
my BPCM GPA: 3.52
As you can see, I still need Gen Physics 1 and a year of orgo. Most schools also require other bio courses like microbio, anatomy, biochem, etc, so I would like to take those courses too to further improve my application.
My question is, should I do a post-bacc? What kind of post-bacc? I've taken more science prereqs than probably the average applicant for one of those career-changer-with-little-to-no-science-background programs, but I'm also not very qualified for the SBM programs that require all prereqs as well as MCAT scores.
Another option I've considered is registering for the courses I need informally, but that prospect is a little unnerving. I like the idea of having a structured program with support and advising. I'm looking to get a comprehensive committee letter of recommendation out of it. So, SDN-gurus, what would be the best course of action for me in my current situation?
My ultimate goal is to get accepted into dental school without too much delay (within 1-2 years). Here's a little bit about my background:
I just recently graduated from Dartmouth majoring in Economics but now I want to passionately pursue a career in dentistry. In my freshman year, I considered being premed and took some bio and chem classes and did not do spectacularly. I decided to drop the premed idea and just focus on economics. In the middle of my senior year, I realized I don't like economics as much as I thought I would and decided to switch gears back onto a premed track. For the last two quarters of my undergrad career, I tried to fill my remaining classes with as many premed requirements as possible. Here're my stats:
Freshman year:
Intro Bio (no lab) : A
Gen Chem 1 (w/lab) : B
Cell Bio (w/lab) : B-
Calculus : A
I had a difficult time with cell bio and gen-chem, mostly because I was still young, adjusting to college, and not yet passionate about pursuing a career in health. However, when I shifted my focus in the middle of my senior year, I was much more focused and driven to do well. These are the courses I managed to fit in my schedule while finishing courses required for my major.
Physiology (w/lab): B+
Gen Physics 2 (w/lab): A- (I could only catch the second half of the sequence because phys 1 was offered only in the fall)
Gen Chem 2 (w/lab): A
my overall GPA: 3.37
my BPCM GPA: 3.52
As you can see, I still need Gen Physics 1 and a year of orgo. Most schools also require other bio courses like microbio, anatomy, biochem, etc, so I would like to take those courses too to further improve my application.
My question is, should I do a post-bacc? What kind of post-bacc? I've taken more science prereqs than probably the average applicant for one of those career-changer-with-little-to-no-science-background programs, but I'm also not very qualified for the SBM programs that require all prereqs as well as MCAT scores.
Another option I've considered is registering for the courses I need informally, but that prospect is a little unnerving. I like the idea of having a structured program with support and advising. I'm looking to get a comprehensive committee letter of recommendation out of it. So, SDN-gurus, what would be the best course of action for me in my current situation?
