So do we HAVE to finish a bachelor's degree?

[idontcareanymor]

Hey all, so I go to a pretty tough overwhelming school and do best when I focus on a few classes at a time. I mean not minimum number of hours but not overtime but 'average' more or less. So I'll have almost all of my prereqs minus biochemistry (bio 501, need organic I/II beforehand, not sure if they're looking for this high of a course or if another cell biology & biochemistry 300 course would suffice but anyway) done by the end of this year and I plan to take DAT at about the end of next summer while sending in all my apps like May/June.

Anyway so there's a lot of bullcrap classes that I don't want to waste my time with when I want to focus on important stuff like organic and high level biology classes. The only thing is that since they go in a sequence, I have to incorporate them into my schedule now, I can't leave them until the last year. So if I really wanted to come out with a good GPA and a bachelor's, I'd have to spend a good 3 years working on the schedule which by then I'd be graduating with my 'peers' but I honestly see that as a waste of time and I want to get into dental school like right now.

So0o basically I'll have over 100 credits by the end of this year and all prereqs done with a bunch of other stuff (history, govt, psychology, sociology, english, math, etc) plus a few high biology classes which I think will give adcoms a clear message on how I can work and handle courseloads.

The thing is, I don't mind working on the bachelor's like during the year of apps but I don't want to stress myself to the breaking point of taking the maximum amt of credits those semesters in addition to interviews (hopefully) and keeping up with app stuff, so I'd rather take the higher level bio classes that I actually like and keep it at low key. So I would come out with a lot useful credits but not a bachelor's degree (which I think is honestly useless if you're going to grad school, not like anyone can do anything with a simple bio degree).

Are they going to check up if I finished the degree?

Also on a side thought, if I, for whatever reason, were rejected from all schools, at least that extra 2nd year applying could be spent taking the rest of the classes to finish instead of doing nothing, right?

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[SugarNaCl]

Wouldn't your problem come in when they ask you about your degree on the application and you lie about it? They do look at your transcripts you know and some if not all schools require confirmation of your degree when you graduate since you apply before senior year.

One thing that hit me if I understand correctly is that you like to take fewer classes and do well. That may not look good to ADCOMs from what I have heard. They want to see you can take a bunch of upper level science courses and STILL do well. Almost anyone can do well taking 2 upper levels in one semester. In dental school (VCU at least) one semester includes microbiology 4 hours/wk, physiology 5 hrs/wk, pathology 15 hrs/wk, histology 6-8hrs/wk, periodontology 2 hrs/wk,operative lab 16 hrs/wk and lecture, lit review and clinical skills It is difficult AND demands a TON of time! School don't want to know you can handle difficult classes. Schools want to know you can handle THAT kind of courseload with success!

Finally, if you decide you don't like dentistry you will have nothing to fall back on without a BS. Cant even get into an MS or PhD program to the best of my knowledge.

 

[idontcareanymor]

I know, not fewer classes per se, I mean still doing 'average', just not till breaking pt, example -

organic I lecture
organic I lab
microbiology
biology 300
biology 203

This would be 13 credits, and that's 5 full classes. Pushing myself would be trying to squeeze in another biology class to get 16 (17 credits is max for 1 semester)

I mean I thought that was reasonable and it's reasonable for me if I want to get a good GPA out of it. Is it worth taking that extra class and coming out with a C or a couple of Bs at the end of the semester and hating my life and setting myself up for more failure? Because perfectionists seem to operate that way, unfortunately. One bad go and it takes forever to get out of that kind of destructive depressive mind set.

I'm just worried about the 'lying' thing, I mean I technically am working toward my degree but I just wouldn't have 'finished' it, if you get my drift. So what happens is what I'm asking. Do they tell you that you can't enroll that fall unless the degree is done? Are you on probation? Are you put on the waitlist from an acceptance? Do they revoke the acceptance altogether? I guess I should just call them as an anonymous kind of person. But thanks for your input.

 

[crazy_sherm]

Depends on the school. Some will accept you without a bachelors, while others require it. Check up on all the schools you're applying to. In general, having the bachelors will make you more competitive however. If a school does accept you under the assumption that you were going to finish your degree since you stated in your application that you will, most would probably hold you to that. Now's not a good time to start getting lazy.

 

[DrReo]

For some reason if dentistry doesn't work out, you'll be lost in the woods with no degree.

I'll agree with you about biology degrees being useless since it isn't an applied degree as is nursing, engineering, etc. You state that the biology degree is "simple", but then you say you're overwhelmed by it....

I'm a man of finishing what I started, so personally, I'd finish the degree. Also, some schools will not consider you without one.

 

[CMistry]

There is a section to put when you plan to graduate and with what degree. If you leave that blank, schools will understand that you are not aiming for a degree (which is still fine, definitely more competetive, but possible). If you fill it out, the schools will hold you to it.

-Cyrus