Computer Science And Pre-Dental?

[ricouzuki]

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My friend is about to start college and he was thinking of getting a dual degree in pre-dentistry and computer science. does anyone know if someone has done this before? He is about to attend NJIT but he wants to transfer to the university of delaware. Is that a good school for those types of degrees?

 

[IWuvTeef]

My friend is about to start college and he was thinking of getting a dual degree in pre-dentistry and computer science. does anyone know if someone has done this before? He is about to attend NJIT but he wants to transfer to the university of delaware. Is that a good school for those types of degrees?

My fiance started college as a computer science major. After soph. year, he decided he wanted to go to medical school. He stuck with the comp. science major and took the science prereq. classes for med school. He took the MCAT, applied, and got in. So, it can be done.

Since your buddy has yet to begin college and he knows he wants to do predent, he will be able to plan his schedule to include the prereq classes. My finace had to struggle to cram them into 2 yrs on top of his comp. science classes.

Good luck to your friend.

 

[dat_student]

My friend is about to start college and he was thinking of getting a dual degree in pre-dentistry and computer science. does anyone know if someone has done this before? ...

<<<<<< Dual degrees: Molecular Genetics & Computer (minor: chemistry) 🙂 I love both majors. 😍

 

[54807]

Yeah, I finishing my engineering degree next Spring.

It can be really hard to fit in the prereqs but it's doable. Our engineering degree programs have 18 units every semester so to add the extra prereqs is rough.

I'm also cramming in a bunch of upper division science courses so the biology majors dont kill my GPA in dental school classes.

 

[INFNITE]

there's a reason why most people interested in going med/dent after college choose to major in majors like biology, chemistry or biomedical engineering. Taking courses in these majors pretty much kills two birds with one stone (completing your degree and fulfilling your pre-health prereqs). If you are motivated, getting a comp sci degree while doing predental is certain possible, but it's obviously not recommended since you are bringing additional stress to yourself. Plus, if you are pursuing a career in dentistry, going for a comp sci degree may be counter-productive because the two fields are almost complete polar opposites.

 

[abzirian]

I'd say go for it! I tried to cram an econ minor with my bio major and graduate in 3 years, and while i had to take full courseloads and summer classes, i actually didn't think it was too bad. If you enjoy both majors, why not? When you're older, at least you can look back with no regrets.

 

[nshah613]

I would say Go for it! I started out with Computer Science. End of second year I decided i wanted to go to dental school, so i started taking pre-dental courses. On top of the basic requirements, i took advanced bio courses too. So it's def doable. Comp Sci is def tough, it teaches you how to think "algorithmically". I just graduated 2 weeks ago with my comp sci degree, and I'll be starting at NYU dental in the fall.

Go for it!

 

[dat_student]

...Comp Sci ...teaches you how to think "algorithmically".

So true, I love CS 😍

I just graduated 2 weeks ago with my comp sci degree,

congrats

and I'll be starting at NYU dental in the fall.
...

congrats

 

[jjflynn2]

I have a CS and MS in CompSci, and start Dental School this August. A CS degree is no easy path; in most cases you don't even get the extra credits for all of your lab time, unlike most Sci classes. I love CS too, (in fact I am a CS prof!) and the curriculum does an outstanding job of teaching practical and logical thinking...thus my above conclusion.
A person who knows they want to be a dentist should major in a science, and then minor in a field of interest and/or one that they could do well in (for GPA purposes). The CS path is adding a tremendous amount of unecessary stress, which can easily turn things south for your application. Plus it only covers the bare minimum of Science (the 6 or 7 prereqs).
Best of Luck.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

Plus, if you are pursuing a career in dentistry, going for a comp sci degree may be counter-productive because the two fields are almost complete polar opposites.

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion...the dental office I just worked at had digital radiography, a computer in each operatory, and of course all the front desk stuff was on computer. We had tech support in there more often than supply orders! They basically kept the office afloat.

I think any major is helpful (since it broadens you as a person), but especially anything in technology, engineering, and sciences. I think the extra work is worth it, since it's something you'll love doing, and it will NEVER go wasted. (What if your friend wants to defer a year or doesn't get in on his/her first try? CS is one of the ONLY fields where you can get a great job right out of college).

Most colleges don't even offer a predent major; it's just a track of requirements. Depending on the type of CS major at the school, some are faster than others; depends if it's engineering or theoretical.

I say go for it, and just tell him/her to have lots of fun on the weekends so he/she doesn't burn out!

 

[INFNITE]

I wouldn't jump to that conclusion...the dental office I just worked at had digital radiography, a computer in each operatory, and of course all the front desk stuff was on computer. We had tech support in there more often than supply orders! They basically kept the office afloat.

I think any major is helpful (since it broadens you as a person), but especially anything in technology, engineering, and sciences. I think the extra work is worth it, since it's something you'll love doing, and it will NEVER go wasted. (What if your friend wants to defer a year or doesn't get in on his/her first try? CS is one of the ONLY fields where you can get a great job right out of college).

Most colleges don't even offer a predent major; it's just a track of requirements. Depending on the type of CS major at the school, some are faster than others; depends if it's engineering or theoretical.

I say go for it, and just tell him/her to have lots of fun on the weekends so he/she doesn't burn out!

I doubt operating digital radiography requires advanced C++ programming skills.... If you are interested in comp science but still plans to have a full-time career in dentistry, it is NOT worth the effort to add in additional stress by taking the full computer science curriculum. If you are interested in comp sci, you could always take a few coureses as electives (or maybe you'll be able to take enough comp sci electives to minor) but majoring in comp sci is a completely different story. True, pre-dental isn't a major by itself, but the reason why most people opt to major in bio when they do premed/dent is because a major such as biology prepares you for the type of courses and exposes you to some of the material which you will use extensively in medical/dental schools. For instance, outside of the normal core pre-dental requirements, most bio majors are required (or have the option) to take courses on biochemistry, physiology, anatomy etc. These courses are extremely helpful when you get to dental school because you will be taking many of the same type of courses and you'll have already been exposed to the material. Right now looking back at what I have done in my undergrad career, i sorta wish I had majored in biology because although I majored in biological engineering, alot of the engineering aspects of what I have learned will go to waste (i doubt I need to use derivatives and integrals in dental schools). At least majoring in bioengineering gave me a solid foundation of basic biology and different applications of biology.
As far as interest level in comp sci...how do you know you are interested in comp sci? I started out as a comp sci major, and so did many of my friends. They all dropped out. Would you really want to be working on a 1000 line code when you have an orgo exam the next morning?