Best Major???

[predentalvcu]

Hi, so I'm a freshman Business (entrepreneurship) major on a Pre-Dental track. Looking at the next few semesters it's going to be hard to fit all the dental prerequisites into the already packed schedule of my Business major. I have a couple of friends who are also Pre-Dental but they are Bio and Chem majors, I was wondering if doing the Business (entrepreneurship) major is really worth all of the trouble or if I should switch to Bio. Do top dental schools look at a Business majors more favorably than a Bio/Chem major because you learn the "soft skills"? I'm just wondering if all this will even be worth it in the end.

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[virtualmaster999]

Major in what you like! It's college, it's a time to explore different options and opportunities! Sure you want to go into dentistry, but hat doesn't mean you can major in something like Business right? If that's something that fascinates you, then go for it! At the end of the day, if you take all your pre-reqs, some upper level classes, and finish your major, you'll be in good shape!

 

[Hannah Banana]

Hi, so I'm a freshman Business (entrepreneurship) major on a Pre-Dental track. Looking at the next few semesters it's going to be hard to fit all the dental prerequisites into the already packed schedule of my Business major. I have a couple of friends who are also Pre-Dental but they are Bio and Chem majors, I was wondering if doing the Business (entrepreneurship) major is really worth all of the trouble or if I should switch to Bio. Do top dental schools look at a Business majors more favorably than a Bio/Chem major because you learn the "soft skills"? I'm just wondering if all this will even be worth it in the end.

I was biochem major and after the first couple weeks of dental school, my roommate who majored in Bio clearly has more advantage since she learned most of that in more details than me in undergrad. So I would say if you're not sure what to major in, go for something like Bio. However, would I choose Bio if I could do it all over again? No, because Bio is not my strongest subject and I'm happy that I chose Biochem. Majoring in something you enjoy will make studying less painful and you'll do better.

 

[Incis0r]

Can you major in Biology and perhaps minor in business? That way, you get the best of both worlds. and if you can't minor in business, there's nothing to stop you from doing an unofficial minor...i.e. take the electives that interest you the most to supplement your education.

 

[predentalvcu]

Business is not something that I'm terribly interested in but I see some benefit of having a business background when it comes to having my own practice later on. But Bio was my strongest and favorite class in high school, so I'm not sure if I should stick with Business or switch to Bio. Will a Business major stand out when applying to schools like UNC-Chapel Hill or Harvard?

 

[Incis0r]

Business is not something that I'm terribly interested in but I see some benefit of having a business background when it comes to having my own practice later on. But Bio was my strongest and favorite class in high school, so I'm not sure if I should stick with Business or switch to Bio. Will a Business major stand out when applying to schools like UNC-Chapel Hill or Harvard?

Just the $0.02 of a lowly pre-dent, but IMHO, a 3.7+ GPA/20AA+ DAT/Well-rounded ECs/Shadowing/Volunteering is much more interesting to adcoms than a business major. Do what you like AND WHAT YOU ARE GREAT AT, do it well, and the invites and acceptances will come.

 

[artfreakpdc]

My best advice: MAJOR IN WHAT YOU LOVE.
Seriously, this is one of the biggest regrets I had as I finished my undergrad - I was a painter, and I always had the urge to not major in Art, because I saw Art as a really bad major for getting jobs. But for me, the story was different. I knew I wanted to prepare for dental school, so all I really had to do was to take the pre-requisite classes while taking the classes I am interested in. Seriously, follow my advice.

Personally I majored in Neurobiology, and it was the worst mistake of my life. Not only I found the subject extremely difficult to catch up on, but also dragged my GPA catastrophically. Do what you love. You won't regret it, even if your dental school plan doesn't work out.

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/2014-majors-and-ds-admission-trend-2005-2013.1065182/

 

[Ollivander]

I majored in finance, minored in chemistry, and took all the biology prereqs. I'm not in nor have I been accepted to dental school yet though. When I reach the point where I've graduated from dental school I know it'll have been worth it though and I'll have an upper hand on my classmates and competition in private practice. Major in whatever you want. If I could do it again I'd major in Spanish so I could brand myself as a multilingual dentist. I'll finish becoming fluent in that after dental school though.

 

[darknightzzz]

Just the $0.02 of a lowly pre-dent, but IMHO, a 3.7+ GPA/20AA+ DAT/Well-rounded ECs/Shadowing/Volunteering is much more interesting to adcoms than a business major. Do what you like AND WHAT YOU ARE GREAT AT, do it well, and the invites and acceptances will come.

you should have pride and self respect and not call yourself lowly predent. plz, by putting urself down people will crush you.

anyways, just my 2/100 cents from a predent.

 

[Incis0r]

you should have pride and self respect and not call yourself lowly predent. plz, by putting urself down people will crush you.

anyways, just my 2/100 cents from a predent.

It was an attempt at humility. Gosh, darknightzz

 

[deleted659902]

Just major in anything while making sure to take all the pre-reqs along with some upper level biomedical sciences including Histology, Animal Physiology (or human), Biochemistry (a year long one), Microbiology, Human Anatomy (preferably with cadaver lab), and perhaps even immunology. Oh wait, that's pretty much bio major.... never mind.

 

[MRZ8]

Business major makes you stand out amongst Bio majors in conversations. My business major friend became recognized quickly by Dr. Goolsby, Director of Student Recruitment at VCU, and was accepted there.

 

[Mascota]

A ton of people in my dental class were bio majors and it's not helping them any more than those who did non-science majors and took the prerequisites + the core recommended (biochem, anatomy, physiology, microbiology, etc.)

I was a Spanish major in undergrad, had a 3.83 GPA, 22 DAT, interviewed at 7 schools and was accepted to 6 on Dec 1st, and I'm doing well in my classes. The Spanish major made for some great conversations in my interviewers too, btw.

The key thing is if you do a non-science major make sure you take a few semesters of full time science courses (12+ credit hours) just to prove to adcoms you can handle it. Also, like I said above, take more than the prerequisite classes, and you'll do great.

You'll thank me later when you're not having to take calc II, advanced stats, ecology, evolution, plant physiology etc etc. and you end up being just as prepared for dental school as everyone else in your class.

Unless you love spending hours studying stuff you'll never use and consequently forget entirely after you graduate undergrad, then go for it.........

 

[deleted659902]

I will say this for as many times as needed.

What you major in won't make you "stand out" if you have mediocre academic stats. Having a high GPA and a DAT score will, even if you are one of those abundant bio majors.

 

[predentalvcu]

So should I keep the Business major? How difficult will it be trying to fit all of the science classes in a non-science major? Sorry I'm just trying to find the right major.

 

[Shirohige]

Whatever major you are interested in. As long as you maintain a strong sGPA!

 

[gamesdf]

Sorry for breaking the peace here, but cut the crap like "major in what you like".
One of the worst advices I've ever got when I was in college was "major in what you like. Dont follow the money. Money will come to you."
Unless you are confident that dentistry is what you are going to do no matter what happens in your life or you are so passionate about science, DO NOT major in science.
You can still go for dentistry/medicine without having useless science majors. It's not a bad idea to have a second plan that can make you good money right out of college in case you dont make it to dental schools. Think about computer science, engineering, accounting, etc..

 

[Dr Dimbsa]

I was biochem major and after the first couple weeks of dental school, my roommate who majored in Bio clearly has more advantage since she learned most of that in more details than me in undergrad. So I would say if you're not sure what to major in, go for something like Bio. However, would I choose Bio if I could do it all over again? No, because Bio is not my strongest subject and I'm happy that I chose Biochem. Majoring in something you enjoy will make studying less painful and you'll do better.

How did you handle p chem?

 

[Hannah Banana]

How did you handle p chem?

It was boring and tough for me. The average was high 50's on exams so the prof curved a lot. I ended up with a B.

 

[deleted659902]

Sorry for breaking the peace here, but cut the crap like "major in what you like".
One of the worst advices I've ever got when I was in college was "major in what you like. Dont follow the money. Money will come to you."
Unless you are confident that dentistry is what you are going to do no matter what happens in your life or you are so passionate about science, DO NOT major in science.
You can still go for dentistry/medicine without having useless science majors. It's not a bad idea to have a second plan that can make you good money right out of college in case you dont make it to dental schools. Think about computer science, engineering, accounting, etc..

I used to advocate this stance; that is, major in something practical like engineering or accounting as a "back up" so to speak. However, if you are incapable of handling a pre-health curriculum (organic chem, physics, chem, and bio), then you most likely won't be able to handle an engineering or any other number-intensive curriculum either, potentially leading to a low 3.0 GPA or even worse, sub 3.0. Such low GPA will, from what I've heard, will hinder one's chance of securing an employment upon graduation. Thus, I posit that there really isn't a point to having a "back up" major. If you feel the need to have one, then you will lose both the bird in the bush and the one in your hand.

My point: pick one or the other and go all in.

 

[gamesdf]

I used to advocate this stance; that is, major in something practical like engineering or accounting as a "back up" so to speak. However, if you are incapable of handling a pre-health curriculum (organic chem, physics, chem, and bio), then you most likely won't be able to handle an engineering or any other number-intensive curriculum either, potentially leading to a low 3.0 GPA or even worse, sub 3.0. Such low GPA will, from what I've heard, will hinder one's chance of securing an employment upon graduation. Thus, I posit that there really isn't a point to having a "back up" major. If you feel the need to have one, then you will lose both the bird in the bush and the one in your hand.

My point: pick one or the other and go all in.

I did not say anything about "not being able to handle pre-health curriculum". In fact, my sGPA is 3.9.
If you cant handle pre-health curriculum, you obviously wont get into dental/med schools. Even if you do, you will probably fall behind quickly.
All I was saying is that you should not major in science majors just because you are pre-med/pre-dental or because people tell you to major in what you like without considering your future.

 

[deleted659902]

I did not say anything about "not being able to handle pre-health curriculum". In fact, my sGPA is 3.9.
If you cant handle pre-health curriculum, you obviously wont get into dental/med schools. Even if you do, you will probably fall behind quickly.
All I was saying is that you should not major in science majors just because you are pre-med/pre-dental or because people tell you to major in what you like without considering your future.

Like you, I once held a skeptical view of the notion that I should major in something related biology if my goal was to get into med/dental school as it's not the most sought after major among most employers. That view changed towards the midterm of my D1 Fall semester when I realized how challenging dental school basic science classes can be, not because of the difficulty of the content but due to the sheer volume of subject material. While impractical for garnering job offers, a degree in bio will prepare you better for dental school basic science classes than, say, that in engineering or accounting. You will have taken most, if not all, of the basic science courses including Histology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry as part of your bio degree requirements, and so you will have an easier time studying for such classes in dental school compared to someone who majored in something more practical like engineering.

If your goal is not only to get into dental school but also to thrive afterwards academically, then majoring in biology isn't such a bad idea. In fact, it may be the best strategy.

 

[gamesdf]

Like you, I once held a skeptical view of the notion that I should major in something related biology if my goal was to get into med/dental school as it's not the most sought after major among most employers. That view changed towards the midterm of my D1 Fall semester when I realized how challenging dental school basic science classes can be, not because of the difficulty of the content but due to the sheer volume of subject material. While impractical for garnering job offers, a degree in bio will prepare you better for dental school basic science classes than, say, that in engineering or accounting. You will have taken most, if not all, of the basic science courses including Histology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry as part of your bio degree requirements, and so you will have an easier time studying for such classes in dental school compared to someone who majored in something more practical like engineering.

If your goal is not only to get into dental school but also to thrive afterwards academically, then majoring in biology isn't such a bad idea. In fact, it may be the best strategy.

You can still take those classes without majoring in one of the most useless majors "biology".
Pre-health advisers usually recommend pre-dental/med students to take at least 2-3 science classes per semester anyway.

I double-majored in bio + psych, and I have to say I was a ****** for doing that.

 

[tennis689]

I majored in Russian and I am getting my MS in Molecular Bio this semester. I'm glad I studied Russian because it was a passion of mine and every dentist that asks me is like ... whoa.. WHAT?

 

[Mascota]

You can still take those classes without majoring in one of the most useless majors "biology".

Bingo.

I'm not sure why people think you need to get an entire degree in biology in order to take histology, anatomy, biochem etc.....

 

[swindoll]

I hear over and over again that people who major in sciences have a much easier time in dental school.

 

[gamesdf]

I hear over and over again that people who major in sciences have a much easier time in dental school.

I believe it's not because they majored in sciences. It's because they are smart enough to do well with one of the hardest majors.
You can still take all the useful science classes without majoring in sciences.

 

[virtualmaster999]

Lowkey that underwater basket weaving major though.....