@BenKlesc that Student Doctor Network thread is from 2018
I would strongly suggest you find more current information than 5 year old info. Things change…and actually admissions have become MORE competitive…not less so.
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https://www.adea.org/officialguide/
Spend $35 and get current info from the official source
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I should add, I remember wanting to go to the physical campus at SNHU. SNHU for environmental science was only offering an online degree at the time.
I looked into SNHU’s Health Sciences, and they state “This program requires an associate degree in allied health for admission. An associate degree in allied health can include dental hygiene, medical assistance, respiratory therapy, sonography and more.” *Which I don’t have, which means they would not accept my credits.
My ultimate goal is for a college to accept the credits from my associates degree.
If SNHU won’t accept my credits, I’m weary to find out what UML is going to say if I want to transfer into their allied health program.
@BenKlesc It appears SNHU also offers env sci on the physical campus. That would be your quickest route to completing a bachelors. I suggest meeting with an SNHU advisor to discuss your options at the physical campus that take advantage of the credits you’ve already earned.
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I thought your ultimate goal was for some dental or medical school to accept your online courses…and that IS an issue.
Scroll up a couple of courses. Spend $35 or so to get the book recommended by @WayOutWestMom .
In case you don’t want to scroll up…here it is again. It’s for dental schools.
Here is what you should be doing, in my opinion.
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Go speak to the SNHU folks about completing your degree in environmental sciences.
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While you are there, set up an appointment with career services or someone in the environmental sciences department. The purpose? find out what career OPTIONS you have with a degree in environmental sciences. Start there. As pointed out up stream by a few…you very well could have satisfying job options with that degree.
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Read this thread again. You have gotten excellent advice about possible dental school and it doesn’t sound like you have done ANY of that….like shadowing a dentist, sitting down and discussing a career in dentistry with a dentist, getting the above referenced guide.
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Consider getting your bachelors and then getting a JOB. You might find that job very much to your liking…can gain valuable job experience. Etc.
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Oh… that is quite interesting. SNHU also has a physical degree in biology, which contains most of the prereqs that dental school would require.
UMASS Lowell is many times closer to me. SNHU’s campus is an hour away from where I live. If I was to start taking physical courses, I would definitely commute to UMASS.
I will be shadowing a dentist this Summer during my break from college. I also did speak with advisors and career services, who recommended that environmental science would be a good fit for me. That’s why I chose the major. I’m not really enjoying it.
EDIT: I looked over forestry, geology, wetlands. However I have a good idea. TBA.
I understand…but please realize that your college major doesn’t necessarily define the career and job options you might have. THAT is what you need to be finding out about.
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Alright… back with an important update.
So I had a meeting with admissions at UMASS Lowell. Told them my plans, my wishes, my goals etc. This is what I found out.
Currently have a GPA of 2.1 from Middlesex. A GPA of 2.4 from Nashua Community College. GPA of 4.0 from SNHU. UMASS requires a GPA of 3.0 to be accepted.
I lucked out going to SNHU. Admissions told me that they only look at my GPA from the most recent college I attended as a transfer student. They said I have a qualifying GPA. Had I never gone to SNHU, there is no way I would have ever made it into UMASS (not taking college seriously). Everything happens for a reason I guess?
Now I came up with an updated plan. They told me that most pre dental students major in biology or health sciences, and that biology would not be a good fit for me because I have not taken any of the required math courses. They recommended to me health sciences with a public health option, which has most of the perquisites that a dental school would want with no math requirements for me. Public health also ties in with environmental science, because I originally wanted to be an industrial hygienist.
Secondly, I am not going to drop out of SNHU. I’m going to apply to UMASS Lowell after I complete this semester at SNHU. After I find out what credits transfer, and what my options would be for finishing my bachelors in a timely manner, then I can make a decision. So I’m dropping courses indefinitely, and if UMASS Lowell does not work out I can pick back up with the environmental science major at SNHU.
This Summer I am going to shadow my family dentist and am going to see what the career is actually like.
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Could you clarify this paragraph? At the beginning you say you are not going to drop out of SNHU.
At the end you say you are dropping courses indefinitely…and if Lowell doesn’t work out, you can pick up at SNHU.
So…which is it?
Many dental schools require Calculus and Statistics. However, I think that a Public Health major undergrad would more likely lead to a job, if for some reason dental school doesn’t work out. You could probably get a secure job working for a town, regional, or state Public Health department, with that degree.
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What public health degree would not require statistics? (public health is at its core a data-science approach to healthcare… whether studying populations, systems, outcomes, disease management- it’s all about data…)
I’m repeating this question….because it was never answered.
What public health degree would not require statistics? (public health is at its core a data-science approach to healthcare… whether studying populations, systems, outcomes, disease management- it’s all about data…
Good point. I already took stats so no more math during undergrad. Also that is true, the one math course I would need to buckle down to complete, would be calc. Big struggle in the past.
I’m repeating this question….because it was never answered.
If UMASS Lowell doesn’t work out, I can go back to SNHU and pick up where I left off.
So you are planning to enroll at UMass Lowell…so you WILL be leaving SNHU after this semester….right?
I hope this all works out for you.
I’d say max 2 years including your application year. My sister graduated from a top notch liberal arts school with Poly Sci degree and then worked in finance for 3 years. After 3 years, she realized she couldn’t stand Wall Street and returned to the family roots (parents are both docs) and studied night school classes for prerequisites and MCAT. She graduated from an excellent medical school and then did a great residency program also. One of my high school classmates graduated with an Architecture degree and then to an Ivy League med school also doing the same course pattern segueway. No problem I’d say in terms of timing. Your passion, interest and discipline will either come through in the process or you’ll realize that medicine isn’t for you.
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Now… I was thinking about staying at SNHU, completing my current degree, and taking extra classes outside of my degree to count towards med school.
That way if I end up not liking it, I still graduate with environmental science degree. The extra science courses I need I can pay out of pocket for.
I’m not sure if various dental schools count non degree credits. The only science course I need to complete my ES degree at SNHU is bio, which I can take at SNHU’s physical campus in Manchester. I can switch to in person classes for the science classes without switching my major.
Environmental science is short of the many biology classes I would need. There are many students I have spoken with who are taking classes at more than one college. I would graduate with an online degree, but my science classes will have been taken in person. At this point, I think that is the most logical route.
UMASS Lowell offers Health Sciences (public health) and Biology majors, but I would be close to starting over as they won’t take nearly as much credits as SNHU did. Unless schools like Tufts and BU only want to accept credits within a degree.
I really don’t think that med or dental schools will look kindly upon an online undergrad degree. Is there a way that you can complete your degree in person at SNHU, with all your classes taken in person from now on? You can do at Lowell any additional required prereqs that you haven’t managed to take in person at SNHU before you graduate. That way, you come out with the ES degree, and in-person degree, and can get the add’l prereqs done cheaply afterwards, if you continue on that path.
And you have been given this advice numerous times.
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