A series of questions that are important to me, help is greatly appreciated.

[Argute]

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Hello, I am new here and I have a series of questions that I would really appreciate some help with. Some of these are rather specific and the FAQs did not clarify things for me. I realize that this post may be lengthy but these questions are important to me and I would really appreciate it if someone could take the time to dissect and answer them.

1) I am considering pre-dentistry with a major in Finance. I feel like having a background in business could potentially set me up for success in dentistry, as running a practice is essentially running your own business. Now, I realize that people commonly say you can major in anything, but is this actually true? I ran across the following on Stony Brook University's Dental School Admissions page:

Suggested Additional Preparation:
Success in dental school is highly correlated with a student's competence in science. Applicants should gain familiarity with the fundamentals of the natural and social sciences that are relevant to the delivery of health care. Virtually all candidates accepted into dental school possess a baccalaureate degree in the arts and sciences. Although preference for admission is not based on a particular field of academic concentration, all candidates are required to demonstrate competence in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, mathematics and English composition. It is strongly suggested that applicants also take classes in the social sciences and upper level sciences such as biochemistry and physiology.

Above I have bolded the concerning statement that has burst my bubble in taking finance as a major. I realize that the next sentence may nullify this concern a bit, but saying that "Virtually all candidates accepted into dental school possess a baccalaureate degree in the arts and sciences" really makes it seem improbable or at least disadvantageous to go for finance and get a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). In addition to your thoughts about this, if you know of any situations of someone successfully or unsuccessfully pursuing dental school in this manner I would love to hear any stories as well.

2) A pre-health adviser at my school said that she advises against taking the pre-dental requirements over the summer, although my school offers each one during the summer. She said that schools like to the the courses spread out over the a complete semester. Is there any truth to this? It would definitely be to my advantage to take some of them over the summer, but I do not want to look bad in my application for dental school. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge on this manner, or just any opinions/advice in general?

3) When is the ideal time to take the DAT assuming I graduate in the spring?

4) There is a possibility that I might graduate in the Fall, as I originally entered college in the Spring. If I do this, when should I apply to dental school? I would have a gap semester between entering, will this put me at a disadvantage?


The first two questions are a lot more concerning to me because school is starting soon and I need to finalize a schedule. Thank you.

 

[sacapuntas]

Hello, I am new here and I have a series of questions that I would really appreciate some help with. Some of these are rather specific and the FAQs did not clarify things for me. I realize that this post may be lengthy but these questions are important to me and I would really appreciate it if someone could take the time to dissect and answer them.

1) I am considering pre-dentistry with a major in Finance. I feel like having a background in business could potentially set me up for success in dentistry, as running a practice is essentially running your own business. Now, I realize that people commonly say you can major in anything, but is this actually true? I ran across the following on Stony Brook University's Dental School Admissions page:
Above I have bolded the concerning statement that has burst my bubble in taking finance as a major. I realize that the next sentence may nullify this concern a bit, but saying that "Virtually all candidates accepted into dental school possess a baccalaureate degree in the arts and sciences" really makes it seem improbable or at least disadvantageous to go for finance and get a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). In addition to your thoughts about this, if you know of any situations of someone successfully or unsuccessfully pursuing dental school in this manner I would love to hear any stories as well.

While I am not familiar with a BBA, BA vs BS does not make a difference. I would assume the BBA is fine as well. The important thing is to do well in the science classes that you do take and keep your overall GPA respectable. Don't worry about your degree, go towards what you are interested in.

2) A pre-health adviser at my school said that she advises against taking the pre-dental requirements over the summer, although my school offers each one during the summer. She said that schools like to the the courses spread out over the a complete semester. Is there any truth to this? It would definitely be to my advantage to take some of them over the summer, but I do not want to look bad in my application for dental school. Does anyone have any first hand knowledge on this manner, or just any opinions/advice in general?

I would not worry about taking courses over the summer. I took some last summer so I could get through the pre-reqs quicker. As someone taking a non-science major, getting some summer courses in will definitely help speed you up. In particular, try and get a chemistry done since you need so many chem courses.

3) When is the ideal time to take the DAT assuming I graduate in the spring?

I studied all fall and really hit it hard over Christmas break. I took the test the last Saturday before spring semester stared and I found this to relieve a lot of stress around application time. Many people take the test in June/July when they apply, but I think this is not the best plan as you leave no time for a retake and you up your stress level significantly.

4) There is a possibility that I might graduate in the Fall, as I originally entered college in the Spring. If I do this, when should I apply to dental school? I would have a gap semester between entering, will this put me at a disadvantage?

This will not put you at a disadvantage as long as you keep yourself busy through work, volunteering, research, shadowing etc. This could also be a great time to take your DAT if you have the free time to do it.

 

[Argute]

While I am not familiar with a BBA, BA vs BS does not make a difference. I would assume the BBA is fine as well. The important thing is to do well in the science classes that you do take and keep your overall GPA respectable. Don't worry about your degree, go towards what you are interested in.

I am not sure if you entirely understand my concern. BA and BS are clearly mentioned as possibilities in this quote. Almost every business degree is neither a BA nor a BS degree across every school (unless you count economics, which is universally a liberal arts degree). So I am worried that a degree in Finance will put me at a disadvantage for dental school.

This concern is making me consider a degree in Computer Engineering / Computer Science instead, because these are BS degrees and are also possibly good backups in case I do not make it.

I would not worry about taking courses over the summer. I took some last summer so I could get through the pre-reqs quicker. As someone taking a non-science major, getting some summer courses in will definitely help speed you up. In particular, try and get a chemistry done since you need so many chem courses.

What stage are you in the process? Did you successfully land any interviews / acceptances after taking some pre-reqs as summer courses?

This will not put you at a disadvantage as long as you keep yourself busy through work, volunteering, research, shadowing etc. This could also be a great time to take your DAT if you have the free time to do it.

Wouldn't I have already applied to dental schools at this point though? Wouldn't it be too late to take the DAT?

 

[Stacker]

I am not sure if you entirely understand my concern. BA and BS are clearly mentioned as possibilities in this quote. Almost every business degree is neither a BA nor a BS degree across every school (unless you count economics, which is universally a liberal arts degree). So I am worried that a degree in Finance will put me at a disadvantage for dental school.

This concern is making me consider a degree in Computer Engineering / Computer Science instead, because these are BS degrees and are also possibly good backups in case I do not make it.




What stage are you in the process? Did you successfully land any interviews / acceptances after taking some pre-reqs as summer courses?




Wouldn't I have already applied to dental schools at this point though? Wouldn't it be too late to take the DAT?

Different schools have different preferences. Most don't care about what degree you have. You are not at a disadvantage to most schools by majoring in business. By taking a wild assumption here, I would think research heavy schools prefer science majors. From what I've read in the premedical forum, medical schools like engineers. I wouldn't know if the same were true for dental schools but it probably is. If you're already knee deep in your finance degree, just stick with it and do well in the prerequisites and try to take upper level science courses as electives. Don't major in something just as a back up plan for dentistry. Study something you like and go all in. Doing well in undergraduate is just effective time-management.
Although majors don''t matter, I would suggest any incoming freshman to develop an interest in science and major in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, etc. It'll open more doors for you such as research opportunities and better preparation for the DAT and dental school curriculum.

"Success in dental school is highly correlated with a student's competence in science. Applicants should gain familiarity with the fundamentals of the natural and social sciences that are relevant to the delivery of health care. Virtually all candidates accepted into dental school possess a baccalaureate degree in the arts and sciences. Although preference for admission is not based on a particular field of academic concentration, all candidates are required to demonstrate competence in biology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics, mathematics and English composition. It is strongly suggested that applicants also take classes in the social sciences and upper level sciences such as biochemistry and physiology."

The sentence you bolded is just a statement of statistics. It doesn't mean anything other than that. Why don't you emphasize the sentence after the one you bolded instead?