Course Recommendations Before Dental School?

[Mattack]

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I'm a Freshman in High School and I am the kind of person who plans ahead. For the past three years I have had my mind set on becoming an OMFS. I am confident in my ability to make it into and through dental school as well as my residency. My fear is choosing classes that won't prepare me for the DAT or help me to make it through dental school. Any recommendations would help. I'm looking for college and High School recommendations since I'm currently in High School. Here's some information on what I'm currently planning on taking (academic classes only):

10th:
- English 10H
- Modern World History
- Algebra 2
- Chemistry 1
- Biology 1
- Latin 1
- Latin 2

11th:
- AP Biology 1
- English 11H

12th:
- AP Biology 2
- English 101 CC

I'd also like to talk to someone who is in or has been through dental school so if you have feel free to private message me as I have a few questions. I'm already planning on shadowing a local OMFS next year but I'd still like to have answers to my questions since I still have a while before I start shadowing.

 

[WaveRace]

OP, I mean no disrespect in saying this, but you have no idea if you have what it takes to make it to OMFS (let alone dental school) as a 15 year old. Focus on enjoying high school and being in the midst of your youth. Take AP level sciences if they interest you. That is the most directly relevant coursework to being pre-dental, but even that isn't the end of the world. You get a blank slate when you start college. What you did in high school doesn't matter, at all, for dental school admission.

Keep an open-mind about different careers. If you get to college and find yourself committed to dental school, awesome! The SDN community is here to guide you as you try to jump through the hoops of dental school admission. Saying that you are interested in dental school is a much better way to approach this topic with people, btw. Try to be more humble going forward. It will serve you well.

 

[pma96]

In college you will have to take the pre-requisites which include General and Organic Chemistry, 2 introductory Biology courses, Physics, English composition, among others (I recommend looking them up on the websites of the dental schools you're interested in). If you are a biology major you may have some freedom to take additional lower and upper level courses like Anatomy, Physiology, Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Histology, Microbiology, Evolution, Immunology, Pharmacology, etc. that will further prepare you for the DAT and for dental school. Also, if your school offers courses like painting or ceramics I would recommend taking those, since they help you practice your manual dexterity skills.

 

[artist2022]

Kind of going off of what was said above, high school does not matter much (if at all) when it comes to dental school. Undergrad matters more, and even then, the school you go to doesn't necessarily matter too much. You'll want to focus on keeping your GPA high and doing well on your DAT. One thing I'd advise to you as a high schooler, though, is that even though taking AP Sciences will help, do not use AP credit in your undergrad. Many dental schools do not accept AP credit, and it somewhat screwed me over this cycle. Just keep this in mind!

 

[doc toothache]

Thinking ahead is admirable. The issue, however, is that there is a good possibility that you may change your mind about what you want to do when you grow up every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
2015 Community College/Advanced Placement and DS Admission
2015 Guide to Dental School Admission

 

[deleted678432]

I'm a Freshman in High School and I am the kind of person who plans ahead. For the past three years I have had my mind set on becoming an OMFS. I am confident in my ability to make it into and through dental school as well as my residency. My fear is choosing classes that won't prepare me for the DAT or help me to make it through dental school. Any recommendations would help. I'm looking for college and High School recommendations since I'm currently in High School. Here's some information on what I'm currently planning on taking (academic classes only):

10th:
- English 10H
- Modern World History
- Algebra 2
- Chemistry 1
- Biology 1
- Latin 1
- Latin 2

11th:
- AP Biology 1
- English 11H

12th:
- AP Biology 2
- English 101 CC

I'd also like to talk to someone who is in or has been through dental school so if you have feel free to private message me as I have a few questions. I'm already planning on shadowing a local OMFS next year but I'd still like to have answers to my questions since I still have a while before I start shadowing.

Dont let people discourage you. I knew I wanted to be an OMFS when I was 15 and now I'm about to apply to dental school, so I may be of some advice. And my advice is to have fun. Nobody important will care about your highschool academics, so don't stress too much there. Take classes that you want to take and don't waste your highschool years trying to get into a school that will feed your ego. Obviously you should do your best, but don't kill yourself trying to be #1 in your class... because the only person who cares about where you go to college is yourself and your mother. Personally I think that AP bio and AP chem will help a lot in gen chem and gen bio, so those would be the only two that you should worry about. Also.. don't accept your AP credits in college for classes that are pre-reqs for d-school because itll bite you in the butt when a dental school doesn't accept them. Other than that, experience life and dont let it go by too fast. I remember my first day of college and highschool like they were yesterday, and would love to go back and experience all the fun things I was doing with my friends before real life hit. Too many people go to school but don't go to college. By this I mean too many people sit in the library and watch their four years go by in a snap. You need to have a balance between fun and serious or you're going to stare at your dental acceptances with regret that you didn't go out with your friends when you could've. With that, savor the moment, and have (smart) fun. But in the end, don't forget what you're there for.

 

[JasonB24]

Definitely take AP classes! I suggest taking AP classes like calculus, statistics, psychology, and history. As mentioned earlier, some dental schools don't accept AP credit at all for physics, biology, chemistry. However, the nonscience AP classes do count toward your graduation requirements for undergrad. This let's you have way more flexibility in the classes you can take in undergrad!