Bio or social science

[Predent20192023]

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Someone has recently told me that it’s better to have biology as your major for dental school. Only med school recommmends social sciences as majors. Is this true?

 

[monkeykey]

Major in business if you find it remotely interesting! It will give you a nice fallback plan if you decide not to become a dentist as well as give you business knowledge if you decide to run a private practice some day.

 

[hunterdunc]

I say get a degree in engineering if that interests you. A way better back-up plan than some degrees and you will still be making great money if dentistry doesn't work out.

 

[monkeykey]

I say get a degree in engineering if that interests you. A way better back-up plan than some degrees and you will still be making great money if dentistry doesn't work out.

Engineering imo is not a good choice if your end game is to be a dentist because 1) engineering is among the hardest of majors which will statistically give you a lower GPA which hurts your chances of getting an acceptance 2) It seems like wasted effort to me because engineering is a valuable skill in the job market but I see the practical application of it outside of an engineering to be limited and not very relevant to dentists.

 

[SoftGel]

Major in anything. Does not matter. Complete pre-reqs and maintain competitive gpa.

 

[Hoang Nguyen]

Engineering imo is not a good choice if your end game is to be a dentist because 1) engineering is among the hardest of majors which will statistically give you a lower GPA which hurts your chances of getting an acceptance 2) It seems like wasted effort to me because engineering is a valuable skill in the job market but I see the practical application of it outside of an engineering to be limited and not very relevant to dentists.

I dont agree. You are still able to get high GPA in engineering if you like it enough and study hard. Moreover, I think dentistry is a combination of art, engineering and science . I got my degree in Computer Science / Math and all my interviewers were really interested when discussed my undergrad studies . I would say just major in whatever field that you like. Just make sure you get good GPA, scores in pre-reqs and DAT.

 

[SoftGel]

don't be one of those dummies who do a dumb major and end up having to do a post-bacc to qualify for dental school. If you are determined to go into dental school, just stick with biology. I cringe every time somebody says to major in whatever you find interesting. If you do that, be prepared to be looked down upon by many dental schools and/or having to spend 2-3 years in a post-bacc or masters program before applying to dental school.

This is total BS. I say with near certainty, dental schools do not care what your major is. Maintain your gpa, complete your pre-reqs, and speak with passion as to why you chose whatever xxx major, if it even comes up in an interview, and it probably won't.

I would even go out on a limb to say atypical pre-med majors are viewed more positively, but truly no one cares. Choice of majors is not getting anyone into/rejected from dental school.

 

[doc toothache]

Engineering imo is not a good choice if your end game is to be a dentist because 1) engineering is among the hardest of majors which will statistically give you a lower GPA which hurts your chances of getting an acceptance 2) It seems like wasted effort to me because engineering is a valuable skill in the job market but I see the practical application of it outside of an engineering to be limited and not very relevant to dentists.

Interesting, albeit erroneous advice considering engineering has the highest percentage rate (~60%) of enrollment vis-a-vis other majors. Ever wonder who designs the equipment/instrumentation dentists use on a daily basis?

2014 Majors and DS Admission Trend 2005-2013

The ADEA appears to be still tweaking the list of majors. It has dropped the designation of "No Major" and added "Other". The relative high percentage in the "Other" category might indicate a significant change in the definition of the listed majors and might explain the 4 % drop in the Health...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[doc toothache]

don't be one of those dummies who do a dumb major and end up having to do a post-bacc to qualify for dental school. If you are determined to go into dental school, just stick with biology. I cringe every time somebody says to major in whatever you find interesting. If you do that, be prepared to be looked down upon by many dental schools and/or having to spend 2-3 years in a post-bacc or masters program before applying to dental school.

Apparently adcoms are oblivious to your line of reasoning since only roughly 60% of enrollees are biology/biomed majors.

 

[deleted945327]

don't be one of those dummies who do a dumb major and end up having to do a post-bacc to qualify for dental school. If you are determined to go into dental school, just stick with biology. I cringe every time somebody says to major in whatever you find interesting. If you do that, be prepared to be looked down upon by many dental schools and/or having to spend 2-3 years in a post-bacc or masters program before applying to dental school.

You sound lost. I majored in psychology and ended up with 5 interviews.