Anybody switch from pre-med to pre-dental

[thehappydoctor]

What were your reasons for doing so? I may be considering it...

Also, how did you change your resume to reflect this change (do dental schools not require clinical experience or something?)

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[NDPitch]

When I was a sophomore in college (about 6 years ago now...), I initially thought I wanted to go to medical school. I shadowed some physicians and knew it wasn't for me. Out of everything I saw, the average work week was 55 to 60 hours. People were sick or terminally ill. A lot of patient problems were just lessened via prescriptions. Patients came in and then got referred to a specialist and never came back. There were sometimes very pressing decisions that had to be made concerning life or death scenarios. The schooling was 4 years just to step up to the plate, plus the required 3 years of residency. If you wanted to specialize in something specific, you had to hope you got into your specialty. I met one doctor who went to school wanting to be an orthopedic surgeon, but was now a GP and unhappy because he didn't end up where he wanted.

Some of these things that I didn't like still applied to dentistry (patients can still be very ill, difficult decisions to be made), but there were some great pros. I enjoyed that, eventually, a dentist can enjoy more time at home. I enjoyed the highly specialized nature of dentistry, and knowing ahead of time that the oral cavity would be your area of expertise when you got out of school - even if you specialized. I like that most problems in dentistry can be FIXED, not just treated with a prescription. I enjoyed how personable dentistry is, and that you have the opportunity to meet a lot of people, getting to know families over the length of your career.

In a nutshell, that's how I chose dentistry over medicine. That's not to bash medicine, some of the things I see as negatives, others see as can't-live-without positives. It really depends on what you see as fulfilling and what type of person you are.

Edit - regarding your question about making the change. Dental schools still require clinical experience, most commonly through shadowing practices. So any shadowing you've done in hospitals or doctors offices will usually not apply for the dental school process.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

What were your reasons for doing so? I may be considering it...

Also, how did you change your resume to reflect this change (do dental schools not require clinical experience or something?)

There are many people who choose to do just what you are considering. i was ine of them. The biggest thing I would recommend (kearn from my mistake) is before you do do apply, spend time with a few dentists watching what they do and get involved as much as they will let you. If you have had your heart set on medicine for a while, then it will take some convincing yourself before you will truly know that dentistry is right for you.

If you do chose to switch to dentistry, it is not hard to explain yourself to the adcoms. Do at least the minimum amount pf shadowing that some schools require. Then, in the personal statement, sell yourself including why you initially chose medicine, but felt dentistry is where your true calling was. If you a sincere why you made the switch, then the will know you really do want to go into dentistry and won't look at theswitch as anything but a positive one.

 

[tennisman]

I was one of those that made the switch in my Sophomore year of undergrad. First, I'll tell you why dentistry:

As a dentist, you will have incredible opportunities to decide how you want to do business. After just four years of dental school, you can start up your own practice, join with an existing one as an employee, go on to specialize, teach, etc.

I personally enjoy working with my hands. I took several ceramics courses and realized that I wanted to continue developing my skills in artistic esthetics, yet I loved the life sciences. Once I made the connection that dentistry would not only fulfill those desires, but would also be a stable career, I made the switch. Of course, the ability to work four days a week (or more if you want to) and relax on the weekends is an added bonus.

Now, as to why not medicine:

There are several aspects of medicine that are just downright fascinating, don't get me wrong. Yet after I volunteered at a free health clinic, I got a bad taste in my mouth for the redundancy of seeing a patient, diagnosing, and prescribing medicine. It seemed like that's all they did. Granted, it was at a free health clinic so there were no surgeries, etc. I also volunteered at a Cancer Center for a semester and realized that hospitals weren't the place for me. As I see it, hospitals are run by a bunch of red personalities (power-hungry/aggressive) trying to govern a whole bunch of more red personality doctors. It can be ugly. The icing on the cake is that all your patients are always sick. Some doctors I shadowed have said that can be a depressing thing.

I would recommend going into dentistry though with your eyes wide open. Know what you are getting into. Dentistry isn't all roses. Keep in mind that dental schools are more expensive than medical schools nationwide and dentists have high overhead to run an office. There are a couple of decent options to finance your education if you want (HPSP, NHSC, etc). Do some job shadowing or work in a dental environment to see if you would be a good fit for the profession.

To answer your question about how I changed my application to apply to dentistry - it's not that hard actually. Dental schools look primarily at GPA and DAT scores. It is important to have some extra-curricular experiences, but it is not a "deal-breaker." You can still include any healthcare related service activities in your application. However, there is a separate section relating to dentistry/shadowing experience. Look for opportunities to beef up that portion of your application and you should be good.

 

[doc toothache]

There are many people who choose to do just what you are considering. i was ine of them. The biggest thing I would recommend (kearn from my mistake) is before you do do apply, spend time with a few dentists watching what they do and get involved as much as they will let you. If you have had your heart set on medicine for a while, then it will take some convincing yourself before you will truly know that dentistry is right for you. If you do chose to switch to dentistry, it is not hard to explain yourself to the adcoms. Do at least the minimum amount pf shadowing that some schools require. Then, in the personal statement, sell yourself including why you initially chose medicine, but felt dentistry is where your true calling was. If you a sincere why you made the switch, then the will know you really do want to go into dentistry and won't look at theswitch as anything but a positive one.

A ps is not the best forum to discuss other love affairs; kind of like going on a first date and talking about an ex.

 

[Predent36]

A ps is not the best forum to discuss other love affairs; kind of like going on a first date and talking about an ex.

I agree. I used to be pre-med as well and did not include it in my PS. I was never questioned if I had ever considered medicine at interviews, either. There was not any indication on my application that I ever had been.

My switch was solidified by my shadowing experiences. When I was pre-med I was interested in surgery because it's hands-on. I made the switch due to shadowing, my desire to eventually have a private practice, the hands-on aspect, and most importantly, a personal reason that stems from my childhood.

 

[UCSFx2017]

I also think it's a bit risky to include in your personal statement your transition from medicine to dentistry. I'm sure someone could craft a personal statement that successfully ties in the transition but I think it'll be wasted space when you could just get to the point and elaborate on why you want to be a dentist. Including the transition also seems like dentistry is just a contingency plan. There's nothing wrong with that but the personal statement reads better if it only shows how dentistry is a perfect match for you.

I was never pre-med but I have considered it and have been asked why I didn't choose medicine during several interviews. Be honest in your answer but obviously don't disparage another profession.

If you aren't certain about dentistry even after shadowing and assisting a dentist, you should probably default to medicine. With medicine you have the opportunity of clerkship, or whatever it's called, and get a feel for every medical specialty and decide by 3rd or 4th year when you apply to one of many different specialties. By matriculating into dental school, you've automatically chosen a narrow specialty before ever entering a predoctoral program.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

A ps is not the best forum to discuss other love affairs; kind of like going on a first date and talking about an ex.

I disagree with you. The personal statement is to explain your love for the profession and how you developed that love is very pertinent.

 

[doc toothache]

I disagree with you. The personal statement is to explain your love for the profession and how you developed that love is very pertinent.

A "love" developed circuitously through pre med, pre vet, pre pod, pre pharm, pre do, pre engineering...Changing a dream from a career in medicine to dentistry is not any different than a change from a dream career as a concert pianist, rock star, electrician, plumber, carpenter, engineer, pharmacist, podiatrist, elementary, middle, high school teacher, university professor,... but you get the drift.

 

[ryansgs]

I made the switch sophomore year. Realized I'll be old when I'll finally become a doctor.

Dentists make more per hour, work less hours, less schooling, don't have to deal with dying people, and I've yet to meet a doctor that was genuinely happy with their life.

 

[BWG]

I went to medical school and now dental school. Most of the advice here is spot-on. The only thing you give up with dentistry is that respect the general public have for MD's. That said you get more respect at work as a dentist bc you sigh the paychecks of those around you vs nurses who may or may not care much for you since you just represent new orders when you show up on the floor. If you're a private practice MD the situation is similar to dentistry. It all varies quite a bit on the MD side.

 

[BWG]

I also think it's a bit risky to include in your personal statement your transition from medicine to dentistry.

I did it and got in. That said I had to be up front about medicine since I attended medical school.

 

[PointEstimate]

I did it and got in. That said I had to be up front about medicine since I attended medical school.

With that kind of background, you sort of have to (I see BWG as an exception, not the rule). I think pre-whatever doesn't really matter outside of the ECs (including volunteering and shadowing) you choose to pursue. Your personal statement should tell a story, but at 5000 characters you can skip out the parts about why medicine at first and just get to the real question they want answered (why dentistry).

 

[NDPitch]

Ha, I was reading the current questionnaire on SDN, and saw this comment and thought it was relevant to this discussion.

If you had it to do all over again, would you still become a plastic surgeon?

Tough question. Probably, but in hindsight I think I may have given more thought to other specialties that are a little easier on the number of years of training and ability to raise a family. If not, I possibly would have pursued dermatology or dentistry.

Anyway, just lends credence to the fact that there are some physicians that look back and think maybe they should have become a dentist. It goes the other way around too, I know, but just try to get an idea of what it is you actually want to do on a day to day basis so that hopefully you don't have any second thoughts looking back.

👍

 

[dentalWorks]

My age (started DS at 30) + years in residency (minimum 3 years) wasn't an easy sell