Where should I start?

[Tamala]

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A little info about me:
I graduated from Umich in Dec. 2002,with a degree in Anthropology, and I haven't seen any math or science since high school. I went to college with the intention/purpose of going to Law school, and so I did all the " law school clubs, and related things......fast forward to Senior year, I work in a law office and for a professor doing research, and decide that law is not for me. I had a friend who was a 3rd year in Dental school, so I start shadowing her, and I absolutley love it. After gradaution I worked to pay off some outstanding balances.

I am now ready to start taking my pre-reqs, but I don't know where to start. I want/hope to enter for the class of 2006. How many classes should I take per semester so that I can make this happen? Is it better to do the classes on my own, or should I look into a post bac? I feel old, and am anxious to be done wth the pre-reqs ASAP.

Thanks so much in advance,
Tamala

 

[UBTom]

Well, you are looking at:

1 year of Bio with lab
1 year of Chem with lab
1 year of Physics with lab
1 year of Orgo with lab
1 year of Calculus

(I'm not including English because you must have already taken it.)

That's anywhere between 31 to 42 credit-hours of work, depending on the particular school where you take it (lab courses can count from no credit to 3 credits depending on the school).

Assuming you want to work full-time while doing these pre-reqs part-time, you can probably do it in 4 to 5 semesters if you take the maximum load for part-time students (9 credits per semester). You can probably do it in just 1 year as a full-time postbac though.

HTH.

 

[init4damoney]

I don't think this has much to do with this thread, but it reminded me of something. My friend was telling me the other day that at his school they only require college algebra as a prereq for physics. At my school you have to take calculus. On top of that, there are 2 calculus classes to choose from. One you only need college algebra as a prereq, the other requires trig and a precalculus class. I don't understand how one school can require just college algebra, and another requires calculus. Anyways, for some reason at my school the calculus class that has more prereqs is the one most often taken. The calculus class I'll be taking has only one class offered. I guess there are some people who desperately want to take math classes!!

 

[ShawnOne]

I was a Business Major (2000) and did the prereqs recently so I could shed some light here. Prior to starting any prereqs, I consulted with a few d-schools and decided to attend my community college. First I recommend you call the school your interested in (your state school?) and ask them if that would be a good idea. You'll save a ton of money at a CC!

Generally the prereq classes the Tom listed are true for all schools, except I dont beleive Calculus is required everywhere. Again, check with the school your interested in attending.

Timewise, since you have 1 year of G-Chem and 1 year of O-Chem let me just say its really not going to be possible to finish in 1 year. Each one of these classes is a prereq for the next, meaning they must be taken consecutively, not concurrently. So your looking at 4-5 semsters of chemistry. (I say maybe 5 because many colleges, like mine, make you take an 'introductory chemistry' class before chem 1.) If you do it VERY quickly, your looking at 1 1/2 years. Chem is the bottleneck here, so you can sprinkle the chem classes with biology and other classes like sculpting (<--a lot of fun). Maybe you should consider some business classes. I highly recommend them 🙂.

Now here is the biggest issue I see. Since you mentioned that you have not seen math since HS, you might have problems getting into physics. To get into physics, you need to have trigonometry. In order to get into trigonometry, you need to have geometry and college algebra. Again, each of these classes is a prerequsite for the next. Look into taking the proficiency exams!!

Also, you should consider the DAT exam. Start budgeting some time for planning and preparing for this exam. It can really make you or break you.

My honest opinion is that you CAN'T work full-time and do this (well). I worked part-time and did it in 2 years pulling a 4.0 (including anatomy/physio). But there is NO way i could have done it with full time work. I think you should work part-time and make school your full-time gig. If your serious about dental school, make these classes your 'job' and make sure you get those A's.

I remember in January 2002 when I was in your shoes. It went by sooo fast. Just have fun with it, ace those classes, and frequent SDN for a little motivation.

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by Tamala
A little info about me:
I graduated from Umich in Dec. 2002,with a degree in Anthropology, and I haven't seen any math or science since high school. I went to college with the intention/purpose of going to Law school, and so I did all the " law school clubs, and related things......fast forward to Senior year, I work in a law office and for a professor doing research, and decide that law is not for me. I had a friend who was a 3rd year in Dental school, so I start shadowing her, and I absolutley love it. After gradaution I worked to pay off some outstanding balances.

I am now ready to start taking my pre-reqs, but I don't know where to start. I want/hope to enter for the class of 2006. How many classes should I take per semester so that I can make this happen? Is it better to do the classes on my own, or should I look into a post bac? I feel old, and am anxious to be done wth the pre-reqs ASAP.

Thanks so much in advance,
Tamala

Tamala:

Much like you, I was set on pursuing a law degree, but quickly found out that it wasn't my niche. My plan is just to finish up my English B.A., which I will be done with in a year, then take the prereqs and apply to dental school.

Where will I take the prereqs? My local community college. From what I've learned through SDN, you can save lots of money doing the classes on your own rather than attending a Post Bac program.

Good luck to you on your journey to dental school. If you need any help, just PM me and I will try my hardest to give you a hand... or atleast point you to someone who can.

pce,

Bus.

 

[zimaad]

Here is another point that you may not know, but is still an important one. To begin dental school in the entering class of 06(which generally starts in the summer), you have to apply in summer of 05..that's a full year ahead. You will not have had time to finish half of the classes you need to get in before then. It's ok to finish up a class or two so long as you do before you start dental school. That doesn't even mention that you are required to have the DAT which covers Bio, Chem, and Ochem and should take that the summer of 05 also.

Here is an idea for you. Make an appointment with your closest dental school dean of admissions. Tell them on the phone you would like to lay out a pre-dental track of classes and see what you need to bring (transcripts, etc). They can help you lay out on paper what you need to take and put things in perspective for you. My guess is, worst scenario is you start in 2007 if you do well. If your worried about age, I'm guessing since you graduated in 02 ... your probably about 24-25 years old. I'm 27 now and am starting in July and will then be 28 almost. Don't worry about age if it's what you want to do....I have friends starting with me who are 33 and 37.

Best of luck to you!!

 

[Tamala]

I just discovered this forum, and I absolutley love it! I cannot believe all the priceless information you guys have given me.

About the community college thing, I was told not to take classes there, because Dental schools want you to take them at 4 year school. I was thinking of doing my pre-reqs at a small HBCU, but even that is kinda expensive. I will definitley look into the CC thing again. I would love the take my math and physics there.
I will most likely apply to UMD, so I will contact them about the CC thing.
Zimaad, thanks for putting things in perspective, although I want to finsih quick, I also want to do well and that should be top priority.

 

[Tamala]

Shawnone,thank you so much for the insight, you mentioned that I should look into Business classes, are we talking accounting and finance, or marketing and public relations? I definitely plan to take sculpting, marketing , and acouting.

busupshot83,goodluck with finishing your degree

 

[kpdanek]

I was in exactly the same situation about 2 yrs. ago! I had graduated from UMich in April 2002 w/my degree in History of Art & then decided to pursue Dentistry. I wanted to apply to both UofM & UofD, and they both want pre-reqs done at 4 yr. colleges/universities, so here's how I did it (all while working 24-32 hrs per week):
Fall 2002 - Gen Bio & Gen Chem I
Winter 2003 - Zoology, Gen Chem II, Orgo I, Physics I
Spring/Summer 2003 - Orgo II, Physics II.
It's definitely do-able in 3 semesters - but it's insanely stressful!!!
I took the DAT in August & had my app in to AADSAS by Oct. 20th.
Hope this helps!

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by Tamala


About the community college thing, I was told not to take classes there, because Dental schools want you to take them at 4 year school.

Tam,

you should definitely look into those statements, because they are not entirely true. How can all dental schools, in general, "want you to take them at a four year school?" While I'm sure that some schools will look at a four year institution as being "better," many of the dental SDNers have taken prereqs at a community college and were successful at gaining admissions.

Ask yourself this question: "do you really want to attend a dental school that discrimintates against community college classes?" I personally wouldn't. Many people simply do not have the resources to continue attending a four year university when completing the required sciences.

Go to each school's Web site, that you are interested in, and see if their something like "up to 60 hours can be from a community college" is posted. Then again, it's entirely up to you. Best of luck.

Bus.

 

[DaktarSaheb]

Originally posted by Tamala
I just discovered this forum, and I absolutley love it! I cannot believe all the priceless information you guys have given me.

About the community college thing, I was told not to take classes there, because Dental schools want you to take them at 4 year school. I was thinking of doing my pre-reqs at a small HBCU, but even that is kinda expensive. I will definitley look into the CC thing again. I would love the take my math and physics there.
I will most likely apply to UMD, so I will contact them about the CC thing.
Zimaad, thanks for putting things in perspective, although I want to finsih quick, I also want to do well and that should be top priority.

Tamala,
Looks like you live in washngton DC or maryland area. I lived in Rockville, MD for one and half year when I first migrated to United States before moving to Michigan and I went to the Community College there called "MONTGOMERY COLLEGE" is one of the best school I attended after high school. They have 3 campuses and they are around in such a way that i even had people in my class from Virginia, Maryland, and DC. You should definitely go to community college to save money and get more exposed to material in small classes then going to those lectures and taking standardized exam with the curve of B blabla bla!!. Personally I am at university of Michigan and I think that Montgomery College is lot better that Michigan. Reasons why??
1. At CC I had to study more to get an A bec 90% was A but here in one of my class A with 71% because of those students didn't do well helped out and I got an easy A in two classes with less work than CC.
2. I learned really well Gen Chem and biology at community college because we had so much extra time and my teacher worked so hard to make sure everyone understood not that average of class would be curved at B- and I not against curve because it is helping me out but grades and where you went don't always tell you the story.

It was just my opinion. If you need any informatuion on comm. college in DC area PM me because I checked few comm. college before attending them. And this is just my opinion and personal experience and keep that in mind because some time one teacher could change your entire semester.

 

[abina81]

If you are still in Michigan dont go to C.C.; Go to Oakland Unviversity. Its crazy easy and not too much harder then a CC. You'll give the image of going to a university but feel like you are at a CC.

abina81

 

[Tamala]

I have absolutley no problem with CC, especially since I am paying for the classes myself out of pocket.
I e-mailed U of MD dental school, among several others, and they replied that they accept 30 credits from CC and 60 from 4 year, so I am happy about that.
busupshot, good points.
Daktar Saheb, check your PM
Kpdanek, I sent you something.

 

[busupshot83]

Tam,

as I promised in my PM:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=84041&highlight=community+colleges

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=86017&highlight=community+colleges

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71893&highlight=community+colleges

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=63256&highlight=community+colleges

The above links are some of the best "Community College" discussions I could find.

pce,

Bus.

 

[Comet208]

Tam,

Try finding a post-bac program.

advantages:

- you have immediate access to their health advisory committee
- favored by dental schools rather than CC's
- yoy get a certificate at the end (if you care)
- Dental schools look at the GPA for this program separately.
- some schools (i.e: Tufts) have programs that after the post bac, you can get into their dental school.

wish you the best,

Comet

 

[busupshot83]

Originally posted by Comet208
Tam,

Try finding a post-bac program.

advantages:

- you have immediate access to their health advisory committee
- favored by dental schools rather than CC's
- yoy get a certificate at the end (if you care)
- Dental schools look at the GPA for this program separately.
- some schools (i.e: Tufts) have programs that after the post bac, you can get into their dental school.

wish you the best,

Comet

Comet,

you forgot to post the disadvantages so I'll start for you:

- More expensive tuition than community colleges (in general).
- If you attend an out of state program, than room and board is an issue.
- Not all post-bac programs offer small, personalized atmospheres. Facilitation of learning is usually greater when classes are smaller, a feature that CCs provide.
- The linkages (mentioned in the above post) that some post-bac programs have are limted to usually only one or two schools. There are a total of 54 (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) dental schools in the United States. Do you really want to limit your next four years to one or two schools?

Obviously, there is no right answer here. Only you can decide what you must do. If you are having trouble deciding, take a look at what others have said (use the links above) to guide your decision. Best of luck.

Bus.