Skipping Associates Degree?

[Nemitode]

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I am a freshmen at a community college, and I was aiming for an AS, but now I can't do it because the class was full, and I couldn't do summer classes. I don't want to get an AA degree because it requires classes that I am not interested in taking. So I was wondering, can I just skip the AS degree, and schedule my classes to meet the requirements for a BS in Biology when I transfer to a university? Would that take away from being a competitive applicant for dental school?

Thank you so much!

 

[knewstance]

Having or not having an Associate's degree does not matter at all in terms of a competitive dental school applicant.

Where the Associate's comes in handy is in the process of transferring to a University. If you have the Associate's degree already, you will have lots of the required basic classes waived even if you do not have an exact class to meet that requirement. If you transfer without AA or AS, the university will be able to pick and choose among the classes that you've taken to decide if they meet their requirements or not.

Not required, but the ideal situation in transferring to a University from CC is to do so with AA or AS. Can you skip it? Sure.

I would not suggest starting classes to meet requirements for the BS in biology. Just wait to take those classes at the university. Get a job for a while, shadow, and volunteer until University starts (or finish your AS).

 

[setdoc7]

Finish the AS. It may be the only degree you ever receive. Life is funny and unpredictable.

 

[Nemitode]

Finish the AS. It may be the only degree you ever receive. Life is funny and unpredictable.

Wait, then, follow up question, sorry: Do we need a Bachelor's to get into dental school? I've always wondered about this.

 

[artist2022]

Wait, then, follow up question, sorry: Do we need a Bachelor's to get into dental school? I've always wondered about this.

I think some schools require one, but some schools don't necessarily require one and thus they accept people who don't have a bachelors. You'd have to research about it- I don't think there's a list anywhere here on SDN regarding that.

 

[setdoc7]

No. Only the pre reqs. One of the program directors I know does not have a bachelors. That’s why we didn’t go to law school together. Need one for law school.

 

[doc toothache]

It is unlikely that anyone has been denied consideration for admission because of failure to obtain an AA/AS/AAA, AAS degree.
2014 The MS Advantage-Predental Education of Enrollees