BS vs BA

[12345a]

I'm a second year at my cc transferring next year w/ psychology as my major

The Majors offered at my 3 possible schools are:

UC Davis: Psychology - BS
UCLA: Psychology - BA
UC Berkeley: Psychology - BA

So here's my question:

Do dental schools prefer a Bachelors in Science as opposed to in Arts?

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[uclaDDS101]

I'm not sure if dental schools prefer one or the other, but I do know that they like to see upper div science courses. Hence, consider majoring in Psychobiology (B.S.) if you go to UCLA.

 

[sdooner30]

i would think dental schools would also consider the reputation and curriculum difficulty at the undergraduate school that you ultimately decide to go to.

 

[telebeans]

go to berkeley.

majoring in a nonscience BA does not make any difference when you're comparing it to someone getting a BS in something like biochem.

the reputation from cal will help.

 

[PDizzle]

Whether they call it a BS or a BA is sort of like the old, "DDS vs DMD" thing. In UC Berkeley I majored in MCB(molecular cell bio,...like half the frign school it seemed!) and was given a BA, not a BS like I figured I would. The exact same thing in another UC might be a BS. It's the courses you took that are important.

 

[chund]

It doesn't matter as long as you have the pre-reqs. I had the choice of a Biology BA or BS and I choose BA because it allowed for a minor and the BS didn't. The BS only had like 3 or 4 more labs. No Fun. SO I got to take 4 semesters of spanish and I got a minor in life sciences but i was a finance and acct class away from a minor in Business admin. I did mention my business classes in my interview and they seemed impressed. Because everyone has chem and bio, but how many have econ, mgt, mkt, law, span, ect. It shows your diversity and abilities.. I guess in a way i was a traditional applicant with un-traditional courses under my belt. I did have to take OChem as electives tho, but I got A's in them so it wasnt a big deal.

 

[doc toothache]

The requirements for a B.S. are usually more demanding than for a B.A.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=516945

 

[Danny289]

Whether they call it a BS or a BA is sort of like the old, "DDS vs DMD" thing. In UC Berkeley I majored in MCB(molecular cell bio,...like half the frign school it seemed!) and was given a BA, not a BS like I figured I would. The exact same thing in another UC might be a BS. It's the courses you took that are important.

Well said!

 

[doc toothache]

Whether they call it a BS or a BA is sort of like the old, "DDS vs DMD" thing. In UC Berkeley I majored in MCB(molecular cell bio,...like half the frign school it seemed!) and was given a BA, not a BS like I figured I would. The exact same thing in another UC might be a BS. It's the courses you took that are important.

Why you figured you would get a BS is not clear since the school only offers a BA in MCB. If as you say, there is no difference between a BS and a BA maybe you can point to a single university in the U.S. where the requirements for a BA and a BS are identical or where the degrees are interchangeable. As an example, Berkeley does offer a BS in chemistry (College of Chemistry-a bit unusual to have a department designated as College) and a BA (College of Letters and Sciences) and the course requirements are not identical.

 

[PDizzle]

Why you figured you would get a BS is not clear since the school only offers a BA in MCB. If as you say, there is no difference between a BS and a BA maybe you can point to a single university in the U.S. where the requirements for a BA and a BS are identical or where the degrees are interchangeable. As an example, Berkeley does offer a BS in chemistry (College of Chemistry-a bit unusual to have a department designated as College) and a BA (College of Letters and Sciences) and the course requirements are not identical.

I think you missed my jist. You are correct, UCB only gives a BA for MCB. My point was that a similar degree(MCB) with similar courses could be a BS in some other college. I'm talking about comparing a BA from one school to a BS from another school. So, to summarize, a BS in MCB from school #1 is not necessarily any different than a BA in MCB from school #2. Adcoms will look at the course work, not the second letter of the bachelors degree you have.

 

[zorie]

I don't know how the UCs do it, but at my school BSs usually require several more courses (usually upper levels) for the sciences which can look good on a transcript if you do well in them. What really matters isn't BA/BS though, as much as what else you do. At my school a BA in something like bio or chem gives you more spaces to fill with other classes, so a lot of people do minors and a BA instead of just a BS. I've known some kids try to do pre-health stuff with JUST a BA and have taken not-full course loads for more than one semester, which probably doesn't look good to an adcom. I personally went with a BS (and a minor, it's not impossible) because I figured that if something ever went wrong with the dental school plan, most employers I knew of usually prefer a BS over a BA and it would therefore be easier to get a job if I needed to. Again, what matters most is how you use your time. Make sure you get in some good upper levels and sequences, but if you have other interests as well don't give them up for the sake of a few extra courses.

 

[JamesOSU]

I could have not taken calculus, physics, and 2 upper level electives and gotten a B.A. in Microbiology. None of my classmates were going for the BA, be kind of silly when the rest of the people you'll be competing with will have BSs

 

[HupHolland]

The requirements for a B.S. are usually more demanding than for a B.A.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=516945

At my undergrad, a BA was more demanding than a BS. A bachelor degree is a bachelor degree. It really doesn't matter.

Hup

 

[JJBDDS]

I was able to just pick if I wanted a B.S. or a B.A because of the classes I took. So I got a B.S. in Spanish. It sounds weird but I took a good number of science classes too and was able to get a B.S. I thought it sounded better but in the end they would have been equal really since I chose my degree before graduation..