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Yes, I believe you should always have a back up plan, especially since you haven't even started college yet. Take the pre-reqs on top of your major (a bio major will overlap a ton with the pre-reqs, same with a bunch of other science majors). Get a major in something that you enjoy and could see yourself doing. Best of luck
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You can get into dental school with any major. Go to the school you want to based on where you will be the happiest. Then just take the pre reqs and keep the gpa high. I wouldn't choose a school based on the major.
First of all, a biology major is not useless without going to dental school or grad school.
Secondly, do what you see yourself being happy doing. If you really want to be a dentist, then that's the route you should pursue. That's the correct answer.
Secondly, do what you see yourself being happy doing. If you really want to be a dentist, then that's the route you should pursue. That's the correct answer.
Have you graduated from college yet and tried to apply for jobs with a bio degree? Yeah it’s pretty useless without grad school. You either have to be a teacher or do something in research. If either of those don’t sound nice to you then yeah it’s useless. Lol
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Biology research is so useless. Studying cells and stuff to find cures for diseases. Useless I tell ya
If you read my post I clearly said if it doesnt interests you then yeah it is going to be a useless degree. Research isn't for everyone.
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I think majoring in science is beneficial. Not that dental schools care what your major is, but you will have a much stronger foundation when studying for the DAT than someone who did the bare minimum prerequisite requirements.
Uh, yeah, I have. Have worked in industry both with a bachelors and a graduate degree in science. So I think I know what I'm talking about. Have YOU graduated from college yet?
Yeah I have graduated (LOL) so that's why I'm giving OP a realistic sense of knowing that if they're not interested in research/teaching and also not interested in grad school it's USELESS. Please re read my post as your going to grad school and also working in the science field is proving my point since you were interested in that. Not everyone with a bio degree wants to do that. For most of us, it's honestly just a means to help us get to the grad program we want to get into.
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Make sure mathematics is a strong suit of yours if you go through engineering courses. There are definitely difficult courses in engineering, and to be frank, I think it may be easier for most to major in biology than an engineering degree. You want to maintain high grades in undergrad to be able to apply to dental school.
No, I understood your post perfectly fine, but please re-read my post. I said that I have worked in industry with both just a bachelor's as well as with a grad degree. So obviously both are viable situations. And I have worked with many people who have just a bachelor's in science who have done very well for themselves and are doing something they enjoy. Working in industry is not just about doing research. What's more, many of them never envisioned themselves doing what they're doing now.
Here's the thing: you can develop a passion for something the more you do it. As a high school senior, how can you definitively say that dentistry is absolutely the thing you want to do and that you are absolutely not interested in anything else, when you haven't even tried it first hand? The point is that a biology degree is certainly not useless, and calling it that comes across as pretty entitled. Heck, for many people, a college degree isn't even a realistic option. So be thankful for what you have. And know that with a biology degree, you're better off than a lot of people in this country.
lol I guess having an opinion is now entitled. I'm okay with that. lmao Also, I said it's useless if you don't like the job opportunities you'll have if you don't do dentistry and I still stand by that. Just me and my entitled opinion. lol Furthermore, this has nothing to do with being "thankful" or if people in this country can't get a bio degree or not so idk how that supports your stance against my opinion of the degree being useless if you don't like the career fields you're most likely going to be funneled into. As for job opportunities, I say research and teaching because those are the most common jobs to get with the degree. Obviously there are other options but a good portion are few and far between. Anyways, what do I know? I'm just a bachelors degree having bio grad that was looking for a new job within the past year, so it's not like I did research on jobs or anything when I decided to switch what I do for a living.
Also, what I bolded in your statement is exactly why I am saying OP should look into job opportunities out there for someone with JUST a bio degree and make sure that they're okay with that if they decide to go a different path.
Sorry, but you do come across as being entitled by calling a bio degree useless, even if you think initially that you won't have any interest in teaching or working in industry (and you wouldn't know unless you've actually tried it). Point is that having a bio degree in this country is still a privilege, and you have many options at your disposal even if you don't pursue dentistry. Life is what you make of it. You have only graduated for a year and have largely only experienced the frustrations of finding a job. Trust me, I've been there done that, multiple times. Do you have to pay your dues in entry level positions in the science field? Sure, but that's the same for any field. Also, try to cool it with the "lols" and lmaos". You're showing your age.
To the OP: If engineering is what you love, then do that. If dentistry is what you love (or at least what you think you love at this time), go for that. You don't have to major in bio if you don't want to - as mentioned, you can major in anything as long as you fulfill the prereqs. If you enjoy bio, then major in bio. If there's something else you like, then major in that. But just know that you won't be left with an "useless" degree if you do decide to major in bio.
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I've been working for years before I got a bio degree so...One of the jobs I previously had was for the university I got the bio degree at, and my job was enrolling non traditional applicants most of which already had a degree and were coming back for another one, so I still believe I know what I'm saying LOL. Also, my entitled butt also volunteered with a group solely focused on finding people job opportunities. Since you already know all of this about me, thanks for letting me know that you can tell someone's age and experience through the internet due to whether they write lol or lmao. I have 70 year old family members sending bitmoji's and emojis, so I don't really see the correlation with age and what you choose to type out. LMAO lololol ROLF JAJAJA haha (added those in there just to crack myself up).
Having a bio degree is pretty useless, especially if you majored in it to get into a professional school. Your advice is plain reckless, especially to someone who hasn't gone to college or applied to jobs yet.
Ok. If you choose to believe that having a bio degree is the end of the world if you don't make it into one of the medical fields, go ahead. I'm just speaking from experience and working with people that were in the exact situation you're describing and found that they could have a fulfilling life and career in the science field.
Oh, believe me, I use emojis and the like as well in appropriate situations. But when you're having a mature debate, just know that using certain language paints you in a certain way. No matter what age you are.
Refer to my other posts.
Don't need to
If you can't read my posts entirely and see how you've misread everything I've said, please don't respond. lol
For a little help, I bolded the part that I don't know where you got from any of my posts. You're welcome. lol again or my personal fave, rofl.
Trust me, I have.
Then you don't know what you need.
That means a lot coming from a pre dent
A pre-dent with over 8 years of industry experience? Sure it does.
Well, good luck this cycle. Hopefully it won't take another 8 to get in.
@Shumax this is really a question you have to think about more and talk to your parents or teachers about. I think a lot of people can succeed majoring in science so long as they are committed and they do not give up. A lot of people make college out to be very studious and difficult -which it is at many times - but for the most part, college is as hard as you make it. If you want to go dental, go dental. Having a backup plan is smart, but I promise that if you really want to become a dentist, you can do it.
Not sure where you got the idea that I was trying to get into dental school for the past 8 years, but keep putting words in my mouth.
Great advice @maga1994. OP listen to this! Exactly what I was trying to get across.
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In academia with just a bachelors degree, you’ll be stuck doing all the scut work the PhD students and post-docs don’t want to do. And you’ll be doing it all for $15-20 an hour. Think a PhD is then the way to go? Might want to enlighten yourself on the myriad struggles you’ll face.
Why doing a PhD is often a waste of time – The Economist
Big Hoss
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where in gods green earth did you get the idea that being a mechanic is far more lucrative
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If you have the entrepreneur mind, sure. There are plenty of blue-collar jobs which are in demand since every millennial and their mom has been told that you're a failure if you don't go to college. I myself would be pretty ashamed and embarrassed if I was stuck making less with a bio degree than my immigrant parent who has their own business doing something comparable to a mechanic while also making a salary comparable to that of an associate dentist.
Ah, and the truth comes out. It's about the money, is it? Apparently, that's what self worth is tied in to. If that was the case, my argument could've been much simpler. Dentistry>Engineering>Bio. End of story.
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Yeah...there’s this really inconvenient truth that life is expensive. When you have people depending on you to provide it’s more about doing what you have to do than what you want to do.
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I was in the exact same situation as you (although I was premed). It absolutely is risky to pursue biology instead of engineering. Engineering classes may be conceptually difficult, but I think the all-or-nothing nature of professional school admissions is very stressful. You could hedge your bets by pursuing an engineering degree and taking the dental prereqs on the side, but you'd risk tanking your GPA.
I decided that diving in head first was worth the risk and I went after the biology degree. I knew a very bright, ambitious girl that hedged her bets as a premed engineer. She gave up on med school pretty quick, but at least she got a job at Google. There are many ways to go through life, but I swear she would have made it if she had chosen an easier major.
Unfortunately, you can't really convert AP scores to college grades. I think it really depends on what school you choose, how strategically you choose your courses, what professors you get stuck with, whether you strategically spread your coursework (meaning: don't take all the hard courses in one semester), etc, etc.
If you want a summary of my biology career: 5 on AP Bio, 740 SAT Bio -> B+ in college bio 1 & 2 -> 23 DAT Bio.
I ultimately chose to take the risk because engineering doesn't have the job security of medicine or dentistry. I'd rather deal with the stress of having to take a gap year at 22 than worry about getting laid off at 40. All I care about professionally is being an expert at something. I don't care what that something is. I don't believe in the find-your-passion theory of career selection, but many people do. I spent more time thinking about what I'd be good at than what I'd be passionate about.
The Hamilton Project - Lifetime Earnings (.pdf), Interactive Website Version
The College Payoff - Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings (.pdf)
What's It Worth (.pdf)
^engineering, engineering, engineering, engineering,...
^essentially the bio majors that made it into med school (and probably a decent specialty)
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