Advice from career changers into dentistry?

[PA-dreamer99]

Hello!

I graduated in 2022 from my states flagship school with a gpa of 3.87. I majored in economics and global studies. Having thought this through and having met with dentists in my area to share my aspirations I am 100% committed to getting on track for dental school.

I wanted to ask if there were any career changers into dentistry that could share their experience in terms of how long it took them to complete the prerequisite and get the shadowing experience?

Do dental schools look unfavorably upon career changers? I am hoping to get my shadowing hours completed while obtaining my prerequisites.

Any additional advice would be greatly appreciated. I m going to work hard for this. I have no family that could advice me so I would greatly appreciate and insights

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[macsak]

Hello!

I graduated in 2022 from my states flagship school with a gpa of 3.87. I majored in economics and global studies. Having thought this through and having met with dentists in my area to share my aspirations I am 100% committed to getting on track for dental school.

I wanted to ask if there were any career changers into dentistry that could share their experience in terms of how long it took them to complete the prerequisite and get the shadowing experience?

Do dental schools look unfavorably upon career changers? I am hoping to get my shadowing hours completed while obtaining my prerequisites.

Any additional advice would be greatly appreciated. I m going to work hard for this. I have no family that could advice me so I would greatly appreciate and insights

schools actually like people who are not your standard bio or zoo majors...

 

[lioneljohn]

From what I've seen, schools don’t mind career changers at all—in fact, they often appreciate the different backgrounds. Most people I know took about a year or two to get their prereqs and shadowing done, so you're on the right track if you're planning to do both at the same time. Just stay focused and keep moving forward

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The blogs at ADEA's site have some stories.

The Challenges of the “Career Changer”

Student Profile: Thoughts From a Career Changer