Non-Tradition Student: What do I need to supplement?

[Judajudo]

Hey Folks,

I'm sure I am not a unique situation, but I couldn't find any other non-traditional threads with similar backgrounds. I am planning on applying to get matriculated in fall 2019 which sounds far off, but reading some of the other threads as well as Doc Toothaches's guide has got me concerned that I might not even make that target.

Quick stats:

• Graduated in 2011 with Math degree, dual majored with biology but did not finish. School wouldn't allow me to take 3 senior seminars;/esearch capstone classes, 1 math, 1 bio, and 1 for honors college. I couldn't afford to take another semester after 4 years of loans.
• Overall GPA: 3.45~ (Can't remember exactly)
• Science GPA: 3.6-3.7
• Math GPA:3.8-3.9
• DAT: Not taken yet. Taking it end of september. Lets assume get a 20-21 to say I am competitive at many schools.
• Working in Healthcare IT since graduation.
• Residency: Illinois
• Pre-Reqs: All completed except Anatomy and Physiology
• Shadowing & Volunteering: Lots of volunteering hours, working on shadowing.

I guess the parts that most concern me are the following:

1. Recommendation Letters - Some professors that I studied under have passed away, some basically disappeared. The ones that are around would be happy to write a recommendation letter, but its been almost 10 years since I have taken classes under them, I doubt they remember enough about me to write a non-generic letter. I know recommendation letters aren't the biggest factor for AdComs, but they can sink an otherwise competitive candidate.
2. Pre Reqs/time since I took them - Like in the above items, some classes I took back in 2007 (like Gen Chem I). I saw in the guide some schools do not accept pre-reqs older than 5 years, much less almost 12 years by the time I would apply.

Am I worried about nothing? Can these two items be basically a non-factor, as long as I apply to the right schools? Anything else I should be worried about that I didn't mention?

I am also planning on taking Anatomy and Physiology, but my options are basically only limited to online classes, because my job requires me to travel every week. Is that not even worth the trouble since it would be online?

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[FeralisExtremum]

1. Get the ones who are still around to update their letters. For the ones you can't replace, you may simply have to reach out to professors you previously took classes with for new LOR's. It's a pain, but as long as you stay on top of it I've found professors are understanding enough to work with you on this.

2. My pre-reqs were also older than 5 years when I applied, but I did well on the DAT and it never came up as an issue despite some schools having that time limit. If you can score well on the science sections, you'll have some leeway here.

I considered taking A&P online but ultimately didn't bother. I would sort out taking it when and if you choose to attend a school that requires it prior to matriculation.

 

[Judajudo]

1. Get the ones who are still around to update their letters. For the ones you can't replace, you may simply have to reach out to professors you previously took classes with for new LOR's. It's a pain, but as long as you stay on top of it I've found professors are understanding enough to work with you on this.

2. My pre-reqs were also older than 5 years when I applied, but I did well on the DAT and it never came up as an issue despite some schools having that time limit. If you can score well on the science sections, you'll have some leeway here.

I considered taking A&P online but ultimately didn't bother. I would sort out taking it when and if you choose to attend a school that requires it prior to matriculation.

That is reassuring to hear. Do you think your experience on item 2 would be the similar for people who didn't get bunch of 30's? I recall that you pretty much had all 30s for the sciences. That is what I want to shoot for but chances are that it would be lower.

 

[FeralisExtremum]

That is reassuring to hear. Do you think your experience on item 2 would be the similar for people who didn't get bunch of 30's? I recall that you pretty much had all 30s for the sciences. That is what I want to shoot for but chances are that it would be lower.

I think scoring 23+ in each science section would be enough to establish you know your pre-req material really well.

 

[Judajudo]

I think scoring 23+ in each science section would be enough to establish you know your pre-req material really well.

I think that is reasonable. Thanks Feralis!

 

[careerchanger09]

• Recommendation Letters - Some professors that I studied under have passed away, some basically disappeared. The ones that are around would be happy to write a recommendation letter, but its been almost 10 years since I have taken classes under them, I doubt they remember enough about me to write a non-generic letter. I know recommendation letters aren't the biggest factor for AdComs, but they can sink an otherwise competitive candidate.

• Pre Reqs/time since I took them - Like in the above items, some classes I took back in 2007 (like Gen Chem I). I saw in the guide some schools do not accept pre-reqs older than 5 years, much less almost 12 years by the time I would apply.

Hi @Judajudo,

I was in the same position as you were about 1 year ago (graduated college in '09 and am a career changer) and I spoke with several people in admissions from UOP, UCSF, UCLA, etc. and they strongly recommended taking some of the SUGGESTED courses for dental school so that I had updated LOR and demonstrated my current academic ability. Most dental schools I asked have told me that the pre-reqs don't necessarily expire but they do like to see more recent coursework on your transcripts. I took this past year to study for the DAT and took the following classes at a local state school: anatomy, microbiology, developmental biology, physiology, and histology. These classes helped me prepare for the biology DAT and reassured me that I was mentally ready to be back in school for dentistry.

I did well on the DAT (24 AA) and I think (fingers crossed) I'm in a good position now as an applicant this cycle. I realize that taking more classes is a major undertaking but think of it as a trial run for dental school to test your commitment (that's how I thought about this past year). Good luck on this journey. You can absolutely make it work! Feel free to message me if you have any more specific questions.

 

[Judajudo]

Hi @Judajudo,

I was in the same position as you were about 1 year ago (graduated college in '09 and am a career changer) and I spoke with several people in admissions from UOP, UCSF, UCLA, etc. and they strongly recommended taking some of the SUGGESTED courses for dental school so that I had updated LOR and demonstrated my current academic ability. Most dental schools I asked have told me that the pre-reqs don't necessarily expire but they do like to see more recent coursework on your transcripts. I took this past year to study for the DAT and took the following classes at a local state school: anatomy, microbiology, developmental biology, physiology, and histology. These classes helped me prepare for the biology DAT and reassured me that I was mentally ready to be back in school for dentistry.

I did well on the DAT (24 AA) and I think (fingers crossed) I'm in a good position now as an applicant this cycle. I realize that taking more classes is a major undertaking but think of it as a trial run for dental school to test your commitment (that's how I thought about this past year). Good luck on this journey. You can absolutely make it work! Feel free to message me if you have any more specific questions.

Thanks for the response. I think the major takeaway between you and Feralis is to call the schools that I am looking to apply in the future and figure out what they want and what they would consider to be valid (Community college/Online courses/How many courses I should take to refresh)