Tons of questions..please help especially ppl from Texas!

[rashidr2]

Well I moved to the states in 2003 to Houston, TX. Went to a community college(HCC) for a year and transferred to University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Fall of 2005) in the Dental hygiene department. I did really well but after a semester realised that I wanted to be a dentist and not a hygienist for the rest of my life. I ended up graduating with a liberal arts degree in 2006. I took a year and a half off to have a baby and now am getting back into school to complete my pre-reqs. I have a few questions however.
1. I have some classes from overseas that were accepted by UM-Ann Arbor and included in my degree and diploma, one of them being english. Would I have to re-do this class for the pre-reqs because it was taken at an overseas institution?
2. I want to apply to Texas dental schools but was told they give preference to Texas residents. I was a texas resident till I moved to MI and got married. I can regain residency in Texas however, would they not give me preference since my degree and pre-req work would be completed in Michigan?
3.I heard Texas schools accept work from community colleges. Michigan 4 yr insititutions are terribly expensive. I was lucky enough to receive grants and scholarships while I completed my bachelors however my post bacc work would have to be paid by me. Would it matter if I took my pre-reqs at a community college here or should I just go back to UM-Ann Arbor for them?
4.Finally, Texas schools ask for 2 years of biology as pre-reqs. While I was in the hygiene program at Ann Arbor, I took an anatomy class (got a B) and a Histology class(got an A) at the school. Would these count as my second year of bi classes or would I have to take some more?

I would love to hear what you guys think. My overall GPA was 3.72 at Michigan. So far my science GPA's (the very few classes I have taken) is close to a 4.0. I am a non-trad student I guess, will be 26 in August. I dont know how schools look at non-trads. would love to hear some stuff on that as well.
What do ya'll thi nk?

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[bustedgrill]

Hey! Finally someone who is older than me! I'm not the best in the advice department. However there are a lot of great people on this board who will be able to help you out! Where there is a will there is a way. Best of luck.

 

[mamelons]

Well I moved to the states in 2003 to Houston, TX. Went to a community college(HCC) for a year and transferred to University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (Fall of 2005) in the Dental hygiene department. I did really well but after a semester realised that I wanted to be a dentist and not a hygienist for the rest of my life. I ended up graduating with a liberal arts degree in 2006. I took a year and a half off to have a baby and now am getting back into school to complete my pre-reqs. I have a few questions however.
1. I have some classes from overseas that were accepted by UM-Ann Arbor and included in my degree and diploma, one of them being english. Would I have to re-do this class for the pre-reqs because it was taken at an overseas institution?
2. I want to apply to Texas dental schools but was told they give preference to Texas residents. I was a texas resident till I moved to MI and got married. I can regain residency in Texas however, would they not give me preference since my degree and pre-req work would be completed in Michigan?
3.I heard Texas schools accept work from community colleges. Michigan 4 yr insititutions are terribly expensive. I was lucky enough to receive grants and scholarships while I completed my bachelors however my post bacc work would have to be paid by me. Would it matter if I took my pre-reqs at a community college here or should I just go back to UM-Ann Arbor for them?
4.Finally, Texas schools ask for 2 years of biology as pre-reqs. While I was in the hygiene program at Ann Arbor, I took an anatomy class (got a B) and a Histology class(got an A) at the school. Would these count as my second year of bi classes or would I have to take some more?

I would love to hear what you guys think. My overall GPA was 3.72 at Michigan. So far my science GPA's (the very few classes I have taken) is close to a 4.0. I am a non-trad student I guess, will be 26 in August. I dont know how schools look at non-trads. would love to hear some stuff on that as well.
What do ya'll thi nk?

As far as your English course is concerned, you will need to contact the dental schools directly to find out.

As far as residency, you need to be a Texas resident to have a really good shot at gaining acceptance to a Texas school. To my knowledge, you have to be a resident for 12 months before being considered a resident for educational purposes (i.e. dental school admission and state tuition). So, from what I know, I don't think you would have any preference until you have been a resident for at least a year.

If possible, I would take your pre-reqs at a 4-year university rather than a community college. Although people get in all the time with coursework from CC, you will be a stronger applicant if you take your classes at a 4-year university. I know it is expensive, but your grades have been great thus far. So I would continue your courses at UM.

Again, with the biology courses, you will need to contact the schools directly to find out. I am not sure how schools determine what courses (if any) are valid from other professional programs (i.e. dental hygiene). I would imagine some schools have done similar things, so I don't see why they wouldn't, but it is best to just call and ask. It might be done on a case-by-case basis. Worst-case scenario, you have to spend a little bit more money, but you will more than likely perform very well in these courses should you have to take them again.

Another thing to consider, and you should check on this with the schools you plan on applying to as well, is if pre-reqs expire after a certain period of time. You said you were 26, so I don't think there would be any issue with it, but some schools do not accept pre-reqs after a certain period of time. After this time has passed, some schools want you to retake these courses.

I hope this helps. Any other questions PM me.

 

[mantraman1010]

Definitely repeat all upper division sciences and pre-reqs at a 4-year institution. You could probably get by on the English credit, I don't think it matters too much, but make sure you do good on the RC of the DAT. RC is looked at very much by Texas schools. As for residency, you should contact the schools, but I'm pretty sure it's one year before you establish it. If you are not a resident, I wouldn't waste my time unless you get near perfect on the DATs.

 

[jay47]

Definitely repeat all upper division sciences and pre-reqs at a 4-year institution. You could probably get by on the English credit, I don't think it matters too much, but make sure you do good on the RC of the DAT. RC is looked at very much by Texas schools. As for residency, you should contact the schools, but I'm pretty sure it's one year before you establish it. If you are not a resident, I wouldn't waste my time unless you get near perfect on the DATs.

I don't know if I agree with your first sentence. Sure it looks better, but getting good grades at a CC shows something, just be sure to have the DAT score to back it up. They probably wouldn't hesitate to accept you (assuming everything else is in order) if you get a good DAT score that shows you really know what you're talking about.

And as far as your Upper levels, they would probably be good, but call the schools to find out this stuff for sure.

Residency would be determined by time lived in the state WHILE applying. Where you took classes won't matter, but where you live now will matter.

 

[rashidr2]

Thanks! I will contact the schools about the bio classes. I intend to re-establish residency in Texas and yes it is 12 months. That's not too bad I think. In Michigan it was 3 years.I have a bio 1 class and a chemistry class at HCC (houston community) but I intend to retake chem anyway.I did figure some schools said that pre-reqs expire so I will make sure to ask that as well.
Thanks folks! This really helps

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335

 

[meowx3]

Dr. Miller (head of admissions at Baylor) told me it would be better to take classes at UTD (state school, 4 year institution) rather than Quad C (community college). it was sort of like, "well, if you have to take them at a community college, that's better than nothing".

you said you're married, so i don't know how likely it would be that you could do this, but what about moving back to texas to take the classes you need? that way you would probably be able to establish residency or whatever (i'm native texan, lived here all my life, so i don't know how that works) while taking your classes. a bonus of this plan would be that the schools in texas seem to have a rapport (sp?) with the dental schools. so if you really impress the pre-health office at a texas school, you could get them to write a really good letter of rec and it might mean a little more than letters of rec from michigan, where the texas admissions committees might not have an established relationship with them. that was just my initial thought upon reading your post. if you consider that route, i'd highly recommend looking into University of Texas at Dallas for your pre-reqs; they have a decent relationship with Baylor, and they have a lot of "older"/"nontraditional" students fulfilling pre-health requirements, so you may feel less out of place or whatever.

just my two cents!