Which path is faster?

[AudryeMc]

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Hi everyone!
I am currently a freshman at a community college and I am thinking of either becoming a dentist or a physician. I am working on my associate's degree in natural science and I have a 3.91 GPA (I got one B and it was in Music Appreciation ). I think I am capable of managing the course load for pre-med and pre-dentistry but would the fact that I am at a community college count against me on my applications to the graduate schools?
Also, I heard that a student does not have to complete the four years of undergraduate study in order to be accepted into a dental school; is this true? Would I be able to go from community college straight to dental school? My goal is to begin my career taking the fastest and most cost-efficient way possible.
Thank you! 🙂

 

[Krisko]

First, some dental schools say they will allow students after three years of college but you need like a 4.0 and really high DAT scores so in general it isn't very likely. Also I am sorry to say that taking science classes at community college is likely to hurt your chances when applying to medical/dental school. Personally I think your best bet would be to take gen-ed courses if you will be at community college next year and then transfer to a different school to do all of your science classes.

 

[RU1992]

It's not necessarily going to "hurt your chances". But you definitely can't do the route that you're saying, because they want to see that you can pull off those same stellar grades at a real university and not a community college. So you definitely need to go to a regular 4 year university and get the same type of grades, especially in the sciences, that you were getting at your community college. You just need to prove to them that it wasn't the community college but you are actually able to handle the tough science curriculum. So I'm sorry to say, but you definitely need to get into a 4 year college and most likely get your bachelors (those cases are very rare without the bachelors degree). Dentistry would obviously be a faster degree, back to your original question, just because you can practice right out of dental school and aren't forced into a residency like medicine.

 

[yellowishbluish]

i've never heard of anyone get in with only cc

if you do find someone i wouldn't follow in his/her footsteps since it'd be extremely rare

schools tolerate some cc if you supplement it with substantial university credentials

most suggest you transfer out asap

i do remember hearing about this one guy who got in with 3 years of cc and 1 year of university

but i think his dats were mid 20s and he was an urm

 

[MuskieMan33]

When they say that you don't have to complete a 4 year degree it usually means 3-3.5 years. That's what a practicing dentist I know did, was accepted his senior year and withdrew from his spring semester classes because he had all the pre reqs done and an acceptance letter. Some schools require you to finish a 4 year degree and some have early admissions. For the early admissions, you would apply I think after sophomore year and would be granted a seat in the dental school. But you have to be careful about this because many early admissions require students to complete a 4 year degree and keep a certain gpa.

Also, if you apply the summer after completing 2 years at a CC and don't continue to take classes and don't get accepted you just wasted a semester that you could have been taking classes. Something else to be weary of is that many dental schools don't like to see every pre req completed at a community college. They want to know that you can handle the university atmosphere and still do well. Some schools won't even accept any CC courses. Although some schools don't mind that a student spent 2 years at a CC then transferred to a 4 year school to complete a 4 year degree.

But relying on an associates degree in hopes of getting into dental school is a bad decision in my opinion. Two years at a CC, then a year at a university, apply, and finish out your senior year at the university. If you don't get in after applying the first time, I'd continue to take upper division science classes, even a masters program, and reapply. You have a little time to figure everything out before it comes to taking the DAT and applying. Figure out what road would give you the best chance at getting accepted to dental school.

 

[TheDentist16]

I agree with everyone on this thread. From what I know, most dental schools require some education (minimum 1 year) at a university. Others require all 4 years at a university. With that being said, I think they would like applicants to possess or be working towards a Bachelor's degree, not just an Associate's degree. And as MuskieMan33 stated above, dental schools prefer pre-req science classes to be taken at the university level, not at a community college. Dental schools feel that the academic rigor of a university-level science class prepares future dental school students for the rigorous workload of dental school. I know a friend of mine that is applying to medical schools come this fall and many med schools are telling him to take his biology requirements at a university. He took two semesters of biology at a community college last summer. So, while you're not at a significant disadvantage, I can't say that going only through community college is the fastest or easiest way into dental school. I would definitely say that education at a university will definitely increase your chances of getting into dental school.

 

[ScarletKnight24]

Hi everyone!
I am currently a freshman at a community college and I am thinking of either becoming a dentist or a physician. I am working on my associate's degree in natural science and I have a 3.91 GPA (I got one B and it was in Music Appreciation ). I think I am capable of managing the course load for pre-med and pre-dentistry but would the fact that I am at a community college count against me on my applications to the graduate schools?
Also, I heard that a student does not have to complete the four years of undergraduate study in order to be accepted into a dental school; is this true? Would I be able to go from community college straight to dental school? My goal is to begin my career taking the fastest and most cost-efficient way possible.
Thank you! 🙂

It is possible. However, NOT likely.

I also started at community college and finished ALL of my prerequisites there and received an Associate degree in chemistry with a 4.0 and just now finished my first semester at a 4 year university. In my opinion, if you started at a CC, you should continue at a 4 year university to take upper level science classes to prove that you can handle 4 year university courses. Some schools even require that 30 of the 90 prerequisites credits to be taken at a 4 year university. Believe me, life at 4 year university is much different as well as the difficulty of the classes.

Also, 95% of dental applicants are coming in with a BA and I believe 90% of the schools even require Bachelor's degree so why not make yourself more competitive?

Not trying to discourage you but you probably need a 4.0 with 22+ DAT scores if you are applying just with CC credits.

good luck and let me know any further questions.