To Post-Bacc or Not to Post-Bacc?

So you've just decided that you want to become a dentist? That's great! But, whoever you are you're going to have to get into dental school first. This however is no mean feat. Many students plan their road to dental school throughout their entire undergraduate careers. But maybe that's not you? Maybe you're a latecomer, like me, or maybe you spent a few too many years involved in undergrad shenanigans.

After the profound realization of your future career in dentistry you sit down to work out just how you're going to get into dental school. You could be lucky and already have taken prerequisite courses required by most dental schools. If this is you, that's great! Just a year of studying for the DAT, applying to schools, and some volunteering and you could be well on your way. Unfortunately, for many of us it isn't that simple. Fortunately, if you haven't completed all (or any) of the prerequisites, or if you're GPA is less than stellar, there's still a way: more schooling.

The Inescapable Reality: A Lot More School!

  

You might be lucky and have a year or so left in your undergrad studies. If this is the case, great! Take this opportunity to take the classes you need while you're still there. But, if you've already graduated you're going to need some sort of a post-bacc. Postbaccalaureate studies (or post-bac for short), are the studies you will have to undertake after you've graduated with an undergrad degree to get into professional school. Whether you need to take the prerequisite classes, or improve your GPA, there are two different ways to do a post-bacc, formally and informally.

If you've only got a few classes you need to take, or your GPA only needs a little boost, an informal post-bacc might be for you. Informal post-bacc studies are taken outside of any official program, usually at either community colleges or state schools. The best way to do this is to sign up with a university as an open university of extended learning student (Link to my school's Open U page). However, I should mention that a lot of academic advisers from dental schools advise applicants not to attend community colleges. These programs are also a good option if money is tight.

On the other hand, if you need to take a lot of classes or your GPA needs a real boost, a formal post-bacc program (link to my school's formal program) is probably the way to go. According to the American Association of Medical Colleges, formal post-bacc programs are generally the best way to go: They've even compiled a database of all the post-bac programs in the country: 192 of them at last count. The advantages of a formal program are: highly structured, small class sizes and guaranteed class enrollment, individual advising and program support (my program even has a therapist), and committee letters. Not to mention you'll also be able to make friends with the people in your program group. These are all really good reasons that make a formal program an excellent choice, however, there are a few disadvantages. Expect to pay more for tuition, I pay almost twice the amount of a normal student per unit. You can also expect that classes are only offered during certain semesters with the intent that you follow the program from start to finish, usually two years. Other than that, I think that a formal program is the way to go.

Thanks for reading my first post, if you've got any questions or comments please feel free to leave them in the section below and I'll reply as soon as I can. Also, if you're interested be sure to check out the links I've included in the post and most importantly, good luck and stay tuned for future posts!

Photos courtesy of:
1) credit.com 
2) LA College of Music