Best Fallback Options. What if I don't get in?

[deleted675533]

Regarding undergraduate majors. I am curious as to what you all think is a good major that will help me fulfill my prerequisite courses, but also could be a good potential fallback in the case that I am unable to make it in to Dental School or for some other reason. I know that many people will say that I shouldn't need a fallback and that I should just decide to do whatever it takes to make it into dental school no matter what. I realize that, and I am very much that type of person. On the other hand, it seems foolish to NOT have a backup plan, just in case. So what do you all think?

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[ICUrunning]

Regarding undergraduate majors. I am curious as to what you all think is a good major that will help me fulfill my prerequisite courses, but also could be a good potential fallback in the case that I am unable to make it in to Dental School or for some other reason. I know that many people will say that I shouldn't need a fallback and that I should just decide to do whatever it takes to make it into dental school no matter what. I realize that, and I am very much that type of person. On the other hand, it seems foolish to NOT have a backup plan, just in case. So what do you all think?

You could major in literally anything your little heart desires provided that you finish the prereqs required for d school. Finding a backup career is something you need to figure out on your own because only you know what careers and subjects you find interesting.
I could tell you to go into engineering, but what if you don't like math?

 

[B0wMNj]

engineering, economics or psychology is what I would do if I could go back.

 

[asusundevilll]

If I were to re do it. I would do dental hygiene. That way you could work and make some serious dough as well as get exeperience.

 

[Tebros]

Just make sure you major in something you want to do, and not something you have to do. Cheers.

 

[gladiator8]

Biomedical Engineering. Most of the prerequisites are built into the curriculum.

 

[akog]

If you have the patience for it, I think computer science gives you the best job prospects off the line. With your dental school prereqs maybe could parlay it into some sort of bioinformatics situation...

 

[shays]

If you're truly passionate about dentistry, you could look into dental therapy school. I know it is offered at University of Minnesota and probably entails the same undergraduate path as dental school.

 

[ajj70]

Med school

 

[Ollivander]

I'm doing a finance degree with a chemistry minor and also taking all of the biology dental prereqs on the side. I feel as though my finance degree is a great "backup plan", although I will never enter a career that focuses on it because I'm hell-bent on getting into dental school. I'll do a one years masters if I have to. But even if I never have to use it, it's nice to know I can most definitely find a decent paying job with it in addition to the fact that I feel very equipped to run a dental practice(s) from a business perspective. I also now know how I'm going to invest my money.

 

[Bifenthrin]

I did a 5 year BS/MA program. Got my BS in biology and an MA in education. It was smart, cause I didn't get into dental school on the first try, so I taught for a year and got into dental school on the second try.

 

[grivacobae]

I'm doing a finance degree with a chemistry minor and also taking all of the biology dental prereqs on the side. I feel as though my finance degree is a great "backup plan", although I will never enter a career that focuses on it because I'm hell-bent on getting into dental school. I'll do a one years masters if I have to. But even if I never have to use it, it's nice to know I can most definitely find a decent paying job with it in addition to the fact that I feel very equipped to run a dental practice(s) from a business perspective. I also now know how I'm going to invest my money.

That's pretty much how I started, good on you! But for that last part, you don't need to have a Finance degree to know how to invest your money, just make yourself financially literate. You will have an upper hand when it comes to the business side of Dentistry that's for sure!

 

[BabyShades]

The best fall back option is a Biology degree. You can do research with that!

 

[2THDDS]

The best fall back option is a Biology degree. You can do research with that!

don't know if you were serious, but bio is one of those degrees that you can't really do much with unless you get masters or phD down the road.
Maybe you can work in a research lab, hospital lab, but that's really about it.

 

[deleted659902]

Regarding undergraduate majors. I am curious as to what you all think is a good major that will help me fulfill my prerequisite courses, but also could be a good potential fallback in the case that I am unable to make it in to Dental School or for some other reason. I know that many people will say that I shouldn't need a fallback and that I should just decide to do whatever it takes to make it into dental school no matter what. I realize that, and I am very much that type of person. On the other hand, it seems foolish to NOT have a backup plan, just in case. So what do you all think?

A degree in engineering, actuarial science, or accounting can be a nice backup.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

The best fall back option is a Biology degree. You can do research with that!

Strongly disagree. Unless you get a masters or PhD, good luck getting a decent job with a BS in bio.

 

[BabyShades]

Aside from the Jokes, I would have went with a BS in Nursing. You will be able to finish your Pre-requisites for dental easily by taking just a bit more classes. Once you are in Nursing school, you will learn how to study for multiple exams and will be expose to several patients. By the time you graduate, you will have a nursing degree. The year before you graduate, you can prepare for the DAT and apply to your state dental school. If you don't get in, you can work as a nurse during the time rather than not having anything to do.

I really think coming out as a nurse puts you ahead than most students that are applying . I believe this because you are exposed with a diversity of patients and it will teach you to be empathetic and compassionate. This will go a long way to help you succeed in your interviews as well as your patients as a dentist.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Aside from the Jokes, I would have went with a BS in Nursing. You will be able to finish your Pre-requisites for dental easily by taking just a bit more classes. Once you are in Nursing school, you will learn how to study for multiple exams and will be expose to several patients. By the time you graduate, you will have a nursing degree. The year before you graduate, you can prepare for the DAT and apply to your state dental school. If you don't get in, you can work as a nurse during the time rather than not having anything to do.

I really think coming out as a nurse puts you ahead than most students that are applying . I believe this because you are exposed with a diversity of patients and it will teach you to be empathetic and compassionate. This will go a long way to help you succeed in your interviews as well as your patients as a dentist.

Strongly agree.

 

[dkgrubby]

Hey guys, I am in the exact same boat. ogpa 3.09 and sci gpa of 2.8 and already graduated with a bio degree. Right now I am pretty frustrated and want to know my options. At this point I just want a career lol, a decent career to just let me move on with my life already. I just feel like with my low gpa its unlikely I will get in and I just want to get the ball rolling at this point. If dentistry is not an option what can I do? I am thinking about joining airforce or navy branch to get away for 4 years, save money, with full benefits, and coming back getting a second degree in something more practical. Thats one option I am considering

 

[Ollivander]

Hey guys, I am in the exact same boat. ogpa 3.09 and sci gpa of 2.8 and already graduated with a bio degree. Right now I am pretty frustrated and want to know my options. At this point I just want a career lol, a decent career to just let me move on with my life already. I just feel like with my low gpa its unlikely I will get in and I just want to get the ball rolling at this point. If dentistry is not an option what can I do? I am thinking about joining airforce or navy branch to get away for 4 years, save money, with full benefits, and coming back getting a second degree in something more practical. Thats one option I am considering

Why not do a one year masters? If you have a biology degree, have you considered applying to other professional schools? Maybe some that are slightly less competitive. Pharmacy, nursing, radiology are just a couple of thoughts off the top of my head.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Hey guys, I am in the exact same boat. ogpa 3.09 and sci gpa of 2.8 and already graduated with a bio degree. Right now I am pretty frustrated and want to know my options. At this point I just want a career lol, a decent career to just let me move on with my life already. I just feel like with my low gpa its unlikely I will get in and I just want to get the ball rolling at this point. If dentistry is not an option what can I do? I am thinking about joining airforce or navy branch to get away for 4 years, save money, with full benefits, and coming back getting a second degree in something more practical. Thats one option I am considering

How many times have you applied?
If dentistry is your passion, don't give up on it.

 

[Ollivander]

How many times have you applied?
If dentistry is your passion, don't give up on it.

True that. You should probably take this advice and take a year or 18 months to do a masters somewhere and reapply to dental school.

 

[dkgrubby]

Why not do a one year masters? If you have a biology degree, have you considered applying to other professional schools? Maybe some that are slightly less competitive. Pharmacy, nursing, radiology are just a couple of thoughts off the top of my head.

Ah I thought about one year masters, but I just feel like im just getting way more in debt to POSSIBLY get in. Don't even know how much I am willing to sacrifice to be a dentist anymore, I just want a career so I can move on with my life. I thought about pharmacy, but I heard its way too saturated, plus everyone and their mothers is applying and getting into pharmacy school right now. I mean I would do it if I can get a guaranteed job, but from what I have heard amonst friends and forums, just seems like a bad career choice at the moment. As for nursing it just seems like it would really suck to be a nurse, however doing that and then going as a nurse practictioner doesn't sound too bad. Radiology I do not know too much about, but isnt radiology considered a doctor?

At this point I don't really care what I do anymore as long as I can make a decent living and get away. THis whole process has been so stressful and depressing. I have been waiting for almost 2 years now, just want to get my life started. Disappoint from parents, walking pass my dad with him shaking his head or look of disappointment. It sucks. Feel like I just need to disappear.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Ah I thought about one year masters, but I just feel like im just getting way more in debt to POSSIBLY get in. Doesn't sound like a good return on investment to me. I thought about pharmacy, but I heard its way too saturated, plus everyone and their mothers is applying and getting into pharmacy school right now. I mean I would do it if I can get a job. As for nursing it just seems like it would really suck to be a nurse, however doing that and then going as a nurse practictioner doesn't sound too bad. Radiology I do not know too much about, but isnt radiology considered a doctor?

At this point I don't really care what I do anymore as long as I can make a decent living. THis whole process has been so stressful and depressing.

Hey buddy, it does suck. I'm going through it right now. Reapplicant for the 2017 cycle. Graduated last year and I am taking this entire year and a half to really solidify my app. I've been doing an informal post bac since last year and still taking classes now and this fall. I will retake the DAT this summer. Does it suck? Well, when you see all your friends starting their careers, families, etc hell yes it sucks. BUT! I see a bigger picture. I see myself living the dream by serving others with my skills as a dentist. To help the less fortunate by giving them a reason to smile is my passion. I see myself getting married in the future and having kids who do not have to worry about money in the future like I am. That is my main driving force.

If you have not applied once or only applied once, you must ask yourself. Is this your passion? I understand your situation but from reading your post, it seems like dentistry does not make you happy. You even said: "Radiology I do not know too much about, but isnt radiology considered a doctor?" You aren't by any chance doing this for your parents or to prove something to someone are you?

 

[Ollivander]

Ah I thought about one year masters, but I just feel like im just getting way more in debt to POSSIBLY get in. Doesn't sound like a good return on investment to me. I thought about pharmacy, but I heard its way too saturated, plus everyone and their mothers is applying and getting into pharmacy school right now. I mean I would do it if I can get a job. As for nursing it just seems like it would really suck to be a nurse, however doing that and then going as a nurse practictioner doesn't sound too bad. Radiology I do not know too much about, but isnt radiology considered a doctor?

At this point I don't really care what I do anymore as long as I can make a decent living and get away. THis whole process has been so stressful and depressing. I have been waiting for almost 2 years now, just want to get my life started. Disappoint from parents, walking pass my dad with him shaking his head or look of disappointment. It sucks. Feel like I just need to disappear.

I meant a radiology tech, but you seem to demand a higher salary than that. Pharmacy is not a bad option and neither is optometry for that matter. Although I have no clue how competitive optometry is. I don't know about your area, but every Walgreens and CVS around me are constantly looking for pharmacists to replace ones that have left for better jobs or to start up their own pharmacies. It pays well. My best friend is just about to graduate from pharmacy school. I also have a friend in my organic chemistry class that had a much higher GPA than you, but scored absolutely terrible on the PCAT and got into pharmacy school. It was somewhere in the 20-30% range.

Getting into dental school isn't easy. I'm stressing about not getting in myself. Right now if I don't get in I'm 100% going to go for a one year masters, kill it, and get accepted the second time around into dental school. If you want in then you need to do a masters, shadow more, get more volunteer hours, and make yourself stand out as an applicant where you can show that you're more than just a sub 3.0 GPA. I'm also going to take out loans if necessary to pay for the masters. It comes down to how much you want it.

 

[ICUrunning]

Ah I thought about one year masters, but I just feel like im just getting way more in debt to POSSIBLY get in. Don't even know how much I am willing to sacrifice to be a dentist anymore, I just want a career so I can move on with my life. I thought about pharmacy, but I heard its way too saturated, plus everyone and their mothers is applying and getting into pharmacy school right now. I mean I would do it if I can get a guaranteed job, but from what I have heard amonst friends and forums, just seems like a bad career choice at the moment. As for nursing it just seems like it would really suck to be a nurse, however doing that and then going as a nurse practictioner doesn't sound too bad. Radiology I do not know too much about, but isnt radiology considered a doctor?

At this point I don't really care what I do anymore as long as I can make a decent living and get away. THis whole process has been so stressful and depressing. I have been waiting for almost 2 years now, just want to get my life started. Disappoint from parents, walking pass my dad with him shaking his head or look of disappointment. It sucks. Feel like I just need to disappear.

You'd better make sure that dentistry is the right field for you considering you are unsure of what career to go into. The majority of us will be paying 250-450k for a dental degree. And that is before interest. Paying for a SMP or Masters is a drop in the bucket.

 

[dkgrubby]

Hey buddy, it does suck. I'm going through it right now. Reapplicant for the 2017 cycle. Graduated last year and I am taking this entire year and a half to really solidify my app. I've been doing an informal post bac since last year and still taking classes now and this fall. I will retake the DAT this summer. Does it suck? Well, when you see all your friends starting their careers, families, etc hell yes it sucks. BUT! I see a bigger picture. I see myself living the dream by serving others with my skills as a dentist. To help the less fortunate by giving them a reason to smile is my passion. I see myself getting married in the future and having kids who do not have to worry about money in the future like I am. That is my main driving force.

If you have not applied once or only applied once, you must ask yourself. Is this your passion? I understand your situation but from reading your post, it seems like dentistry does not make you happy. You even said: "Radiology I do not know too much about, but isnt radiology considered a doctor?" You aren't by any chance doing this for your parents or to prove something to someone are you?

Haha yes, everything you are saying is exactly how I am feeling. I mean what would make me happy is if I can become a dentist and own a nice office. I mean a job with a decent salary of 60-70k plus would be fine with me. I don't know what makes me happy anymore I been out of school for 2 years and worked crappy jobs, a large part of my optimism has died. However I feel like this is just a current state of mind from the situation that I am in, cause I wasn't always like this. I think what would make me happy would be to either get into professional school so I have some sort of direction in my life or get a decent job that makes good money so I can get the ball rolling so to speak. I feel like its doom and gloom for people with sub par bio 3.0 gpa. I am doing an informal post bac like you so far. I got 2 As and a 1B first semester now I am taking anatomy and physio and not doing too hot right now with like a C+ to B range. I still got way more tests to go so I am trying to pick it up.

 

[dkgrubby]

You'd better make sure that dentistry is the right field for you considering you are unsure of what career to go into. The majority of us will be paying 250-450k for a dental degree. And that is before interest. Paying for a SMP or Masters is a drop in the bucket.

to me that doesn't bother me because then I would have direction in my life. I mean I don't want to take a masters degree and get a ****ty gpa be in a worse position than I am now haha.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Haha yes, everything you are saying is exactly how I am feeling. I mean what would make me happy is if I can become a dentist and own a nice office. I mean a job with a decent salary of 60-70k plus would be fine with me. I don't know what makes me happy anymore I been out of school for 2 years and worked crappy jobs, a large part of my optimism has died. However I feel like this is just a current state of mind from the situation that I am in, cause I wasn't always like this. I think what would make me happy would be to either get into professional school so I have some sort of direction in my life or get a decent job that makes good money so I can get the ball rolling so to speak. I feel like its doom and gloom for people with sub par bio 3.0 gpa. I am doing an informal post bac like you so far. I got 2 As and a 1B first semester now I am taking anatomy and physio and not doing too hot right now with like a C+ to B range. I still got way more tests to go so I am trying to pick it up.

I'm not sure what to tell you other than DESTROY all of your informal post bac classes. A's in everything. I suppose that one B wont hurt you as long as you are taking all science classes. You need to be sure to kick butt on the DAT (22+), and try to double the hrs of shadowing and volunteering.

 

[dkgrubby]

I'm not sure what to tell you other than DESTROY all of your informal post bac classes. A's in everything. I suppose that one B wont hurt you as long as you are taking all science classes. You need to be sure to kick butt on the DAT (22+), and try to double the hrs of shadowing and volunteering.

How long should I do an informal post bac? cause I feel like after this one year informal post bac stint then I am gonna try to apply. I don't know if I want to wait another year doing another inform post bac to raise my gpa. I mean heck I would do pharmacy, I just need to know if I can get a job haha. From what I have read it seems like its so saturated.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

How long should I do an informal post bac? cause I feel like after this one year informal post bac stint then I am gonna try to apply. I don't know if I want to wait another year doing another inform post bac to raise my gpa. I mean heck I would do pharmacy, I just need to know if I can get a job haha. From what I have read it seems like its so saturated.

get that science gpa to atleast a 3.0 then apply IMO. You dont want anything below a 3.0. but if I were you, I may just go straight for the masters this fall.

 

[dkgrubby]

get that science gpa to atleast a 3.0 then apply IMO. You dont want anything below a 3.0. but if I were you, I may just go straight for the masters this fall.

yeah crap, would it be the wiser choice to take a bunch of "easy" science classes to boost up your gpa or forget about taking the hard classes. If I were to take a masters I would have to move away, way more loans to deal with, eerrgghhh. Its pretty frustrating.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

You need to take classes that will help you in dental school. Like immunology, micro, cell bio, biochem, embryology, histology, etc. I would think that after you take those classes, any of those "easy" classes should be okay of if you take them on top of those hard sciences. If you are just taking the easy classes, then you are wasting your time. You do realize you can just do a masters in bio at your local state school right?

Yeah about that... it seems that you don't really want dentistry that bad if you aren't willing to take more loans to do a master to HELP you get into dental school. I think you should do some soul searching if you are having these mixed feelings. If your heart is not in it, it may be wise to drop dentistry entirely and move on. Otherwise, you will be miserable.

 

[dkgrubby]

You need to take classes that will help you in dental school. Like immunology, micro, cell bio, biochem, embryology, histology, etc. I would think that after you take those classes, any of those "easy" classes should be okay of if you take them on top of those hard sciences. If you are just taking the easy classes, then you are wasting your time. You do realize you can just do a masters in bio at your local state school right?

Yeah about that... it seems that you don't really want dentistry that bad if you aren't willing to take more loans to do a master to HELP you get into dental school. I think you should do some soul searching if you are having these mixed feelings. If your heart is not in it, it may be wise to drop dentistry entirely and move on. Otherwise, you will be miserable.

yeah you are probably right on the soul searching

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

yeah you are probably right on the soul searching

I forgot to quote you on that last message. My apologies.

Yes. Def do some soul searching. Remember, it's OK to switch to something else. Who knows. You may end up loving your new career. You can always go back to dentistry in the future if you choose to.