Stressed! Can you please help me get on the right path?

[Kelo]

I've posted a few threads lately and I appologize! Im just very stressed and Im not sure where to start (P.S. I was originally interested in the MED field, but decided Dental is right for me.)

I dont have my GED..I found a Community College that accepts people that do NOT have a GED or high school diploma..
So im going to apply to that CC!.

On one of my other posts, people have told me that i should NOT take my pre-reqs at a CC... And that I should get my Basic Education completed...

I didnt know you had to do basic ED in college before you can start the classes/courses you want to do/need to do.

So, sence im wanting to start school at the CC because I cant get into a University right now sence i dont have my GED, I want transfer to a University after I take some classes at the CC....What should I do? As in what classes should I take in CC?

Sence Biology and Chemistry are considered pre-regs, I shouldnt take them in Community College??
I thought it would be a good idea to take them in CC, but everyone says I shouldnt...

Im SO confused!! My minds going to explode!

Somebody please help me! ?

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[preOMFS]

I've posted a few threads lately and I appologize! Im just very stressed and Im not sure where to start (P.S. I was originally interested in the MED field, but decided Dental is right for me.)

I dont have my GED..I found a Community College that accepts people that do NOT have a GED or high school diploma..
So im going to apply to that CC!.

On one of my other posts, people have told me that i should NOT take my pre-reqs at a CC... And that I should get my Basic Education completed...

I didnt know you had to do basic ED in college before you can start the classes/courses you want to do/need to do.

So, sence im wanting to start school at the CC because I cant get into a University right now sence i dont have my GED, I want transfer to a University after I take some classes at the CC....What should I do? As in what classes should I take in CC?

Sence Biology and Chemistry are considered pre-regs, I shouldnt take them in Community College??
I thought it would be a good idea to take them in CC, but everyone says I shouldnt...

Im SO confused!! My minds going to explode!

Somebody please help me! ?

First of all, calm down. Problems don't get solved by stressing about them.

Second of all, it's since, not sence.

I agree that you should get your GED because I think most universities require it (not too sure about this though, may want to do some research). And I also agree that you shouldn't do all of your prereqs at CC. Some are OK I suppose, but not all.

Also, before you jump whole-heartedly into dentistry, I suggest that you shadow a dentist, and maybe a physician too, if you haven't already done so. Good Luck.

 

[ohohitsmagic08]

I've posted a few threads lately and I appologize! Im just very stressed and Im not sure where to start (P.S. I was originally interested in the MED field, but decided Dental is right for me.)

I dont have my GED..I found a Community College that accepts people that do NOT have a GED or high school diploma..
So im going to apply to that CC!.

On one of my other posts, people have told me that i should NOT take my pre-reqs at a CC... And that I should get my Basic Education completed...

I didnt know you had to do basic ED in college before you can start the classes/courses you want to do/need to do.

So, sence im wanting to start school at the CC because I cant get into a University right now sence i dont have my GED, I want transfer to a University after I take some classes at the CC....What should I do? As in what classes should I take in CC?

Sence Biology and Chemistry are considered pre-regs, I shouldnt take them in Community College??
I thought it would be a good idea to take them in CC, but everyone says I shouldnt...

Im SO confused!! My minds going to explode!

Somebody please help me! ?

My recommendations:
1. I dont know your situation, but if you just need a few credits or something.. go back and get it?

2. Talk to someone at the university that you hope to transfer to and ask for their general graduation requirements. Many schools demand that you take so many social science, humanities, etc. Your school may be lenient on these, but my school (UMich) has an assload of these. You should take classes that are not prerequisites to dental schools (ie, bio, orgo, chem, physics), but rather the classes you need simply for graduation, so that when you transfer, you pretty much only need to take your dental classes. Hope this helps..

 

[Kelo]

I dont understand..lol..

Okay, I have to have a 4 year Bachelors Degree before I can even apply to a Dental School.

What are the Basic Classes/Courses you HAVE to take to graduate not including the prereqs? Does it depend on what you major in??

So what I'll most likely do is complete the basic education (the classes required to graduate) whatever those might be... How do i figure out what those classes are???

 

[ToldYouSo]

I dont understand..lol..

Okay, I have to have a 4 year Bachelors Degree before I can even apply to a Dental School.

What are the Basic Classes/Courses you HAVE to take to graduate not including the prereqs? Does it depend on what you major in??

So what I'll most likely do is complete the basic education (the classes required to graduate) whatever those might be... How do i figure out what those classes are???

In order to graduate from a 4-year school with whatever major you will generally have to take a certain number of "general education classes" and then take the rest of your classes for w/e major you choose.

For d-school admission, you will need to take

1 year of bio, inorganic chem, organic chem, physics, english and math (not all schools require math)

 

[lphiewok]

good luck op

 

[AuFox]

i just read your other post.
it sounds like you don't even have a high school degree nor has GED completed but you're already talking about taking MCAT and using dental school as your back-up plan.

i'm going to say that you're not going to make it unless you make some serious changes in your life and way you are thinking.

people from very well respected university with 3.6 and 20 DAT still cannot get into dental school easily. dentistry is not a easy back up and where you are right now, your best bet is to land a dental assistant job as your career

I think if the OP just buckles down he/she could still accomplish his/her goal. The OP also has tons of time considering it sounds like this person needs to get a GED or take a few classes before even entering college. So if he/she just buckles down and starts piling up hours in community service, shadowing, clubs/societies, etc. then I think he/she has a chance. There is a lot to be done, but a lot of time to do it as well.

However, I will say that most people are extremely resilient to change, and especially self made lifestyle changes. If the OP can overcome this than he/she has a chance.

 

[Kelo]

What does Community Service have to with being a Dentist?

People who are on probation/parole have to do Community Service...

And same with Clubs...What kind of clubs..

What does this have to do with education?

I know that shaddowing is a good idea, but community service? lol expain

 

[sfrice80]

To be honest with you, it sounds like you're a little over your head at this point. There is absolutely nothing wrong with planning ahead and knowing what you want to do but I would focus on whats going on now. First you need to concentrate on either getting your diploma or GED, now if you do it at the community college level I would suggest taking some basic science courses in bio and chemistry to get yourself on par so when you enter the university, you'll be ready to go and you'll be set up to succeed in those classes at the university level. I agree that you should shadow a dentist to make sure this is what you want to do because its not an easy road and you better be sure before you start.

To answer you questions right above me, doing community service is just part of trying to be competitive as a dental school applicant. Its getting more and more competitive and of course schools like to see community service, plus it just makes you a more rounded individual. The key message with clubs and community service is to get involved at your school, both CC and at the university. I would suggest going to community college for a year and getting a solid base underneath you and then entering the university level. Take it step by step, you need to do more research into the field of dentistry and the admissions process before you start worrying about some of this stuff. Its seems like your getting too far ahead of yourself.

 

[AuFox]

What does Community Service have to with being a Dentist?

People who are on probation/parole have to do Community Service...

And same with Clubs...What kind of clubs..

What does this have to do with education?

I know that shaddowing is a good idea, but community service? lol expain

Sfrice answered the questions, but to reiterate it.

Community service and being involved in clubs show that you are a well rounded person. Dental schools are looking for you not just to have a good gpa and DAT. They want to know that you aren't just a bookworm, and the best way of showing that is with clubs/community service.

Research would be another way of showing well-roundedness I suppose. Performing undergrad research looks excellent on an application. Especially if the research is going to be published in a scientific journal.

 

[BiomajorPreDent]

The OP needs some help, he obviously has no guidance, dont beat up on him.

OP, you need to get your GED before you do anything.

After that, look into a university you want to transfer to and find out about their programs, majors. get in and talk to an advisor. Find out what major interests you and then general ed classes you need on top of that

Bachelors degree is 120 credits

Most majors count to about 56 or so approx

General ed is usually around 30 roughly

The rest of the classes you take to total to 120 are electives, whatever you want

Each class is 3 credits, labs count for 1 credit

So once you find out what major interests you, and your gen ed classes you need, if you cant get into that university, you will need to do it at CC. Also..you should take the SAT or ACT most likely..as I dont know how you can even transfer to a university without a ACT or SAT score. (I thought the ACT was easier..but thats just me)

Once you get in to the CC..take those gen ed classes and then transfer to the university and complete your degree. dont even worry about dental school now or the DAT. You need to focus on organizing your life and getting good grades

So in summary:

1. GED
2. SAT/ACT
3. Visit university and inquire about classes
4. Take classes at university or CC
5. Transfer to University if you did CC first
6. Complete degree and apply to dental school

Bonus: shadow dentists to make sure this is the career for you, and when you have some free time..getting involved with community service could help boost your app..BUT without a solid GPA (and eventually DAT scores) 5000 hours of community service wont save your application.

good luck!

and CALM DOWN!

Panic doesnt solve ANYTHING