Chemistry major compared to biology

[xjoohn]

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I'm majoring in chemistry, but feels like biology majors have so much more options since they have classes that dental schools find "good" as part of their requirements. How will upper level chemistry classes compare to those upper level biology classes? Should I take a lot of upper bio classes as well with the chem classes? I know I'm taking genetics and biochemistry, but what else should I take? I don't want to be overwhelmed and possibly lower my gpa 🙁

 

[dentalprodigy]

imo. I think its a good idea 2 take upper level bio courses (micro, anatomy and physiology...) Because as a chem major U will not have the proper foundation for certain classes such as gross anatomy etc. I'm not discouraging U, just saying my sister was a chem major and she struggled allot in her first year and expressed that her fellow classmates (bio majors) had some introduction to the material BEFORE.

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[wired202808]

I'm majoring in chemistry, but feels like biology majors have so much more options since they have classes that dental schools find "good" as part of their requirements. How will upper level chemistry classes compare to those upper level biology classes? Should I take a lot of upper bio classes as well with the chem classes? I know I'm taking genetics and biochemistry, but what else should I take? I don't want to be overwhelmed and possibly lower my gpa 🙁

It doesnt matter what your major is. You can still take as many bio classes as you need. Here are the requirements for majority of schools: Bio 1 & 2, AP 1 & 2, Biochemistry, Microbio.

 

[Davermz450]

I know for my school that chem is a lot "harder" of a major to complete. I know that with a bio degree you can get rid of a lot of the pre requisites for dental school opposed to a chem degree that does not cover most pre reqs, but with a chem degree you could get a bio minor and then will probably have all the dental pre reqs taken care of. If you know your only goal is to get into dental school then major in something you're good at, get a high gpa and then do the bio pre reqs as electives of extra classes.

 

[Dgeorg6]

I've never read where A&P 1 and 2 were requirements for any dental school..

but then again I haven't looked at every schools requirements

most want at least 16 hours of biology + maybe biochemistry

 

[xjoohn]

I know for my school that chem is a lot "harder" of a major to complete. I know that with a bio degree you can get rid of a lot of the pre requisites for dental school opposed to a chem degree that does not cover most pre reqs, but with a chem degree you could get a bio minor and then will probably have all the dental pre reqs taken care of. If you know your only goal is to get into dental school then major in something you're good at, get a high gpa and then do the bio pre reqs as electives of extra classes.

Well I like chem and I know I'm not changing my major, but people told me those 4th year chem classes such as inorganic chem gets a little messy and might hurt your gpa. I don't know if I should take many upper biology classes along with those chem classes which can lead to lowering my gpa. Would making bio I and II, genetics, biochem, plus all my chem requirements put me as a competitive student? or should I go for more biology classes? I don't want my gpa to suffer just because I want to be little more competitive 🙁

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=791511
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=813958

 

[Bis-GMA111]

a chem major is a lot harder at my undergrad school. chem majors are required to take pchem, amongst other things. not fun at all.

although in hindsight i prob would've enjoyed being a chem major instead of a bio major. i enjoy crunching numbers and learning about science. it's all about personal preference, really.

 

[tendram]

Well I like chem and I know I'm not changing my major, but people told me those 4th year chem classes such as inorganic chem gets a little messy and might hurt your gpa. I don't know if I should take many upper biology classes along with those chem classes which can lead to lowering my gpa. Would making bio I and II, genetics, biochem, plus all my chem requirements put me as a competitive student? or should I go for more biology classes? I don't want my gpa to suffer just because I want to be little more competitive 🙁

Having more or less biology classes under your belt will not make you any more or less competitive, or at least I wouldn't think so. What will make you more competitive is having high grades in all of the prerequisite classes you need for the schools you will be applying to. My advice: see what electives you can take that count toward your degree and also fulfill the requirements for dental school and take those. I wouldn't load yourself down with any unnecessary bio classes. That being said and as someone else has already mentioned, taking some upper level bio classes will more than likely help to have a good understanding of the first year dental school stuff .

 

[wired202808]

Having more or less biology classes under your belt will not make you any more or less competitive, or at least I wouldn't think so. What will make you more competitive is having high grades in all of the prerequisite classes you need for the schools you will be applying to. My advice: see what electives you can take that count toward your degree and also fulfill the requirements for dental school and take those. I wouldn't load yourself down with any unnecessary bio classes. That being said and as someone else has already mentioned, taking some upper level bio classes will more than likely help to have a good understanding of the first year dental school stuff .

agreed plus some schools require upper level courses like Biochem, AP and Micro

 

[itsallabout18]

Well I like chem and I know I'm not changing my major, but people told me those 4th year chem classes such as inorganic chem gets a little messy and might hurt your gpa. I don't know if I should take many upper biology classes along with those chem classes which can lead to lowering my gpa. Would making bio I and II, genetics, biochem, plus all my chem requirements put me as a competitive student? or should I go for more biology classes? I don't want my gpa to suffer just because I want to be little more competitive 🙁

My experience with Chemistry was that the upper-level courses do get harder. I absolutely loved it, though! Biology tends to be reapplication of the same principles over and over. I look at Chemistry as a backward progression in undergraduate work. You start with gen. chem. and then you slowly introduce the concepts behind all of the information from freshman chemistry. It's like taking a sequence of classes that constantly explains the "Yeah, but why?" moments of the previous courses. Also the professors were incredible in my chemistry department. I think that most chemistry majors at my school are very capable in biology, while biology majors are not necessarily good chemistry students. Remember, much of the DAT is chemistry, and it's much easier to teach yourself the necessary biology, in my opinion. One thing that I would say (and it's definitely something that hurt me) is that you can generally think and figure out an answer in chemistry. Biology is not that way, and you basically have to memorize things. The breadth of biology on the DAT caters more to a crowd who has a diverse exposure to advanced biology courses.

 

[ethylalcohol]

under grad bio classes can't get harder once they reach certain levels but ...trust me.. chem classes get harder and harder as # goes up..

 

[little Buddy]

chem is basically a math minor (calc 1-3, liner algebra, dif eq..) in itself to fulfill the prereqs to get into upper division courses. With bio, every course you take builds off each other (prereqs are other bio courses) more than chem and math do. In my experiences, bio majors almost always have gpa's 2-3 points higher than chem majors at my school and will be "better" prepared for dent/medical school since the material is more relevant.

 

[MOUTHLOVER]

Why don't you do the smart thing and do a bachelor or science in something like Psychology, which isn't annoying like chemistry. Isn't useless like plants/ecology. Makes you unique, and is completely relevant to the practical aspect of dentistry in dealing with patients. Like me 🙂

 

[itsallabout18]

Why don't you do the smart thing and do a bachelor or science in something like Psychology, which isn't annoying like chemistry. Isn't useless like plants/ecology. Makes you unique, and is completely relevant to the practical aspect of dentistry in dealing with patients. Like me 🙂

Perhaps in order that some of the harder dental classes will not be "annoying"?

 

[birdsflyinghigh]

Perhaps in order that some of the harder dental classes will not be "annoying"?

that doesn't mean anything. dental school ins't hard because of the classes. its hard because of the credit load. Since you cant take 25 credits in ugrad, you'll never know. There's also nothing wrong with taking the easy route with a major like English in order to have a good GPA and increase your chances of gaining admission to dental school. It's not like the major matters anyway, so what's the point of hurting your GPA and lowering your shot?

 

[MOUTHLOVER]

Perhaps in order that some of the harder dental classes will not be "annoying"?

yeah, do you honestly think the classes you took in undergrad will REALLY help much for that?! Also, why would you want to learn the same thing twice! that seems foreign to me. I think that it's kind of GREAT that we have to do an undergrad degree before dent school and I think we should be taking advantage of the fact that we can do a degree in anything we like. I am so happy that I'm doing a degree in psychology. By the time I'm done D school my academic desires will be so much more satisfied. 😀

In the end, if chemistry is what REALLY interests you. I'm happy for you, seriously! 😛 For me I like learning about people. One of the main reasons why I want to become a dentist is because of the high amount of interaction with people.

When I study/read/learn any subject, its like I'm in a small room in the middle of a field, filled with people having fun (which I am aware of). When the subject is chemistry the walls are opaque and I feel trapped in and tortured by the separation from life. When it's biology, the walls are see through but I can't hear or interact with anybody. Finally, when it's psychology the walls are just fences and people come and chat with me and play me beautiful songs on their guitars. 😀

I hope you thought that description was weird, because it felt weird writing it. 😎

 

[xjoohn]

Why don't you do the smart thing and do a bachelor or science in something like Psychology, which isn't annoying like chemistry. Isn't useless like plants/ecology. Makes you unique, and is completely relevant to the practical aspect of dentistry in dealing with patients. Like me 🙂

Came too far to change my major 😳