A Lost Freshman

[greenbean123]

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Hi all,

I am greenbean. I am a freshman in college and unsure of what to do. I am currently in Biochemistry but questioning if I should continue. Biochemistry covers all the pre-reqs and then some for dental school. I hear dental schools want a diversity of majors and I don't want to fit the generic mold of being a science major. In fact, I am considering a non science major. Should I stick it through or change? Also, I only need to take the pre-requisites so why should I take something like "General Physics using Calculus I" class? I mean it is impressive but it's not like dental schools require it.

Again, I am a lost freshman so please, any advice helps. [emoji1360]


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[DMikes]

Physics is a required course. Physics using calculus is not. I took it anyways (calc-based) as I felt much of it was more intuitive.

Pick a major in a topic you enjoy--just be sure to fulfill all the pre-reqs. Schools aren't going to knock you for being a so-called "generic mold of...a science major." Likewise, they aren't going to say, "Oh WOW! This person was an Art History major rather than a science major! Let's accept them."

Pick something you enjoy, take the pre-reqs, apply.

 

[Panis et Circenses]

I'd avoid biochemistry. That's a very hellish major.

 

[Flemish]

Don't get in over your head with a major you don't care for just because it sounds impressive. A high GPA in a boring old "Biology" major will beat out a subpar GPA in "Quantum Computational Neuroscience" any day.


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[AbcessivelyCompulsive]

I was a Biochemistry major, and I went to UCLA. Was it hard? Yes. Did it help me get into dental school? Absolutely.

There aren't many Biochemistry majors even though it is a "science" major. In my class of 140, there might be 4-7 Biochemistry majors. At some of the schools that I interviewed at, some of the "strong" qualities listed in my application was my major and my school (I had a 3.4 sGPA, a 3.6 cGPA. I thought that was "low" for application standards but I guess not).

That being said, if you think you could maintain A's and B's in biochemistry and you truly enjoy the major, I say stick with it. It opens up a lot of doors afterwards. What if you choose not to be a dentist, and now you're suddenly stuck with an Art History major? What are you going to do?

If there is a science major that you enjoy more, do that. You'll get better grades in classes that you enjoy and will retain more information for later. On the downside, you have to do really well because your major is not going to stick out in a giant application pool of Biology majors.

If there is a non-science major that you enjoy and you think you can get good grades in the science pre req courses, do that. But be warned, you'll have less classes contributing to your science GPA and you'll have less experience in science, so when you get to dental school and the courses go quickly, you'll have a lot much more to study. That's less time to focus on your hand skills.