Go Back   Student Doctor Network Forums > Dental Forums [ DDS / DMD ] > Pre-Dental

Pre-Dental Predental student discussion forum RSS: Feed Icon


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 05-12-2012, 12:32 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 121

Default Really lost and confused. engineer wants to go to d school


SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)
From what i've gathered. I thought all i had to take was:
1 yr chem
1 yr bio
1 yr org chem
Calc and physics i did aswell.

Now i see some schools need physiology, some schools need biochem, etc etc, just this and that. I'm just so confused, because im an engineer major, and it takes 5 years to become a engineer, and because i wanted to go to dental school it added another year because of the bio class i had to fit in, so 6 years. and now there are all these other classes schools want....

I honestly thought it was just chem, bio, org. Now all these other classes. Can anyone help me on what i do im just so lost.
doctor123456789 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2012, 01:04 PM   #2
1K Member
 
jeffity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,763
SDN 2+ Year Member
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by doctor123456789 View Post
From what i've gathered. I thought all i had to take was:
1 yr chem
1 yr bio
1 yr org chem
Calc and physics i did aswell.

Now i see some schools need physiology, some schools need biochem, etc etc, just this and that. I'm just so confused, because im an engineer major, and it takes 5 years to become a engineer, and because i wanted to go to dental school it added another year because of the bio class i had to fit in, so 6 years. and now there are all these other classes schools want....

I honestly thought it was just chem, bio, org. Now all these other classes. Can anyone help me on what i do im just so lost.
Not all. In fact, not that many want the additional pre-reqs. Best thing to do is check the school's websites for pre-reqs. The ADEA Guidebook is good for that too, but to be certain it's accurate, just check the websites.

You are correct, the core 4 for almost every school out there (I can only think of 1 that doesn't follow this off the top of my head):
1 yr chem
1 yr bio
1 yr org chem
1 yr physics
(1 year English? I don't know how many want the year, but this is usually something you just have when you do a degree anyway.)

Some might want just biochem or just micro or just anatomy or just physiology or any combination of those...including a few who want all of those. A few schools have some other requirements which can usually be fulfilled by just taking regular classes (not really degree-specific) that fit under most degrees. But just check schools you might be interested in. Seriously, it's not a lot of schools that want an abundance of extra classes. So don't fret.
__________________

jeffity is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2012, 08:26 PM   #3
New Member
 
Status: Dentist
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,507
SDN 7+ Year Member
Default

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=791511
__________________
2012 Ranking of DS Based on GPA/DAT/Other http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=992010
2011 Range of GPA/DAT http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=901073
Ranking of DAT/Other Selection Criteria by US DS http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=657139
Personal Statement-Need Help? http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=398535
"Affirmative Action"- The Myth http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=563953
2012 A Mini Guide to US DShttp://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=942453
doc toothache is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-12-2012, 09:39 PM   #4
Tooth Guy
 
Tooth's Avatar
 
Status: Dentist
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 450
SDN 7+ Year Member
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by doctor123456789 View Post
From what i've gathered. I thought all i had to take was:
1 yr chem
1 yr bio
1 yr org chem
Calc and physics i did aswell.

Now i see some schools need physiology, some schools need biochem, etc etc, just this and that. I'm just so confused, because im an engineer major, and it takes 5 years to become a engineer, and because i wanted to go to dental school it added another year because of the bio class i had to fit in, so 6 years. and now there are all these other classes schools want....

I honestly thought it was just chem, bio, org. Now all these other classes. Can anyone help me on what i do im just so lost.
I too was once in an engineering program (EE). Once I realized that programming computers just wasn't my forte, I switched back to my childhood dream of being a dentist. I was amazed at how easily the prerequisites for EE jived with the Biology major. I was also told that some schools required anatomy, biochem, etc. I took anatomy but never got around to biochem. I only applied to 7 schools, and none of them even required either course. You really need to look at each school's requirements and decide which classes you'll need from there. If it means adding another year just to get those courses, it's not worth applying to those schools. By the way, it was a great decision to drop EE. The quality of life is sooo much better. Biology is a cake walk compared to all that programming. My respects to the EE's.
__________________
Tooth
Tooth is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2012, 06:08 AM   #5
Nights Watchmen
 
dentalWorks's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Sterling Hts, Mi
Posts: 5,445
SDN 2+ Year Member
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by doctor123456789 View Post
From what i've gathered. I thought all i had to take was:
1 yr chem
1 yr bio
1 yr org chem
Calc and physics i did aswell.

Now i see some schools need physiology, some schools need biochem, etc etc, just this and that. I'm just so confused, because im an engineer major, and it takes 5 years to become a engineer, and because i wanted to go to dental school it added another year because of the bio class i had to fit in, so 6 years. and now there are all these other classes schools want....

I honestly thought it was just chem, bio, org. Now all these other classes. Can anyone help me on what i do im just so lost.
I am not an "engineer" per say, but I did change careers from I.T into dentistry and let me tell you, you are freaking out over nothing lol

These are considered upper level biology courses, and there aren't that many (Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and few others)...... The ones I just listed are pretty common amongst most pre-meds / pre-dents. It is actually within your BEST advantage to take them cause many schools (even the ones whom don't require them) seem to put a good emphasis on them when considering your application for interview..... There is a reason they are "highly recommended" by many schools.
__________________
DAT study program: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=719365

University of Detroit Mercy Class 2015

"If we beheaded everyone who rode into the night, we'd have ghosts watching these walls" – Jeor Mormont (the old bear)
dentalWorks is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-13-2012, 12:53 PM   #6
Member
 
Status: Pre-Dental
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 43

Default

I was a computer science major. I took the basic requirements in addition to some upper division. If you can, I think you should try to take upper division (zoo, phys, cell bio, anatomy, etc). It looks good on your resume and tells the adcoms that you're competitive with other bio ppl. Also, these upper div will help in studying for the DAT, but I did find myself studying new material outside of these classes.

Coming from an engineering background, I think you have a definite advantage over the traditional student as you can bring what you learned to bio. I definitely did not forget about what I learned and just applied it. Helps a lot when you think of the body as a circuit, functions, etc.

I'm probably reiterating what others have said, but I think it's the way to go. Good luck!
__________________
Anything is Possible.

Last edited by MultiSportD; 05-13-2012 at 12:59 PM.
MultiSportD is offline   Reply With Quote

Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 11:45 PM.


Comments are closed.