Do I have what it takes?

[Bears1725]

Hello, I am going to be a sophmore at Miami University and my first year I majored in Business and I did fine but thinking about pursuing Dentistry. My questions are do I really need to change to a Bio or Zoo major to have a shot of getting into a Dental School? Is it simply to late in the game for a change? The other thing is that my reading comprehension is average would this really hurt me on the Dcat? Is there like an ACT score that shows what your capable on the Dcat or is it more just a matter of studying for the Dcat? There is a practice that I could join when I am older, I just don't know if I am capable of making the transition to get into a Dental School. I'm just worried that if I don't get the good grades I am stuck with a Bio major and new graduate school degree.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

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[sketo43]

You don't need to major in biology - a business major or whatever major you want is fine. You just need to take the prerequisites: 2 semesters each of biology, chem, ochem, and physics. Depending on where you want to go, some schools might require an additional class or 2 (usually biochem, anatomy, microbiology, or calculus). Your major doesn't matter, but your GPA does.

It's not too late to change - even if you can't finish the prerequisites by the time you graduate, you can take the classes afterwards. I personally feel that a business background will be helpful for when you are running your own practice. But you can major in whatever you want as long as you also take the science prereqs.

People who aren't great readers can still do well on the RC section of the DAT. It just takes practice and finding a strategy that works for you.

It takes hard work, but if you want to be a dentist, I say go for it! If you haven't already done so, then I recommend shadowing a dentist so you can see what a normal day is like. Good luck!

 

[sfrice80]

To answer some of your questions, its never too late to switch, especially in your position, its still early in the game. You dont have to switch to a science major if you dont want to but whatever major you choose, you will still have to fulfill or take the pre-reqs that dental schools require. My friend got in last year and he was a music major so being a business major doesnt hurt you but you'll have to take your science pre-reqs and probably a couple more on top of your business major requirements. Second of all, its the DAT, not the Dcat and I wouldnt worry about your reading comprehension yet if you havent even started studying for it yet. Focus on getting some pre-reqs under your belt and when it comes time to study for the DAT, study hard for the reading comp section and you'll do fine. As far as grades go, aim for the 4.0's of course but dont dip below 3.0, 3.5-3.7 is a good median to be in, especially your science gpa. Good Luck to you!

 

[nze82]

Hello, I am going to be a sophmore at Miami University and my first year I majored in Business and I did fine but thinking about pursuing Dentistry. My questions are do I really need to change to a Bio or Zoo major to have a shot of getting into a Dental School? Is it simply to late in the game for a change? The other thing is that my reading comprehension is average would this really hurt me on the Dcat? Is there like an ACT score that shows what your capable on the Dcat or is it more just a matter of studying for the Dcat? There is a practice that I could join when I am older, I just don't know if I am capable of making the transition to get into a Dental School. I'm just worried that if I don't get the good grades I am stuck with a Bio major and new graduate school degree.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

You don't need a bio degree. In fact, many dental schools have begun offering DDS/MBA programs. So, they might even like the fact that you have a background in business, as business is one of the most important aspects of dentistry.
What on earth is Dcat?
And if you're referring to the DAT, yes! there is a RC section, and performing poorly on that section will hurt you big time.

 

[enfuego]

Hello, I am going to be a sophmore at Miami University and my first year I majored in Business and I did fine but thinking about pursuing Dentistry. My questions are do I really need to change to a Bio or Zoo major to have a shot of getting into a Dental School? Is it simply to late in the game for a change? The other thing is that my reading comprehension is average would this really hurt me on the Dcat? Is there like an ACT score that shows what your capable on the Dcat or is it more just a matter of studying for the Dcat? There is a practice that I could join when I am older, I just don't know if I am capable of making the transition to get into a Dental School. I'm just worried that if I don't get the good grades I am stuck with a Bio major and new graduate school degree.

Any advice would be appreciated.
Thanks.

No, you don't need to change your major. Business is good for dentistry as well, so it's a good choice. There's no requirement regarding majors. Lots of people just end up doing biology because it overlaps with the dental pre-reqs. And it's not too late - I didn't decide on pre-dental until I was a sophomore and I'm a non-science major, and I'm still graduating on time with additional recommended upper-level science courses. I did do summer classes one summer, but that's nothing. You have plenty of time.

When I started sophomore year, my advisor was telling me to double up and take bio and chem and whatever all at the same time to catch up. But I had a bad experience with science in high school, so I wasn't sure about it. So I started out with just the one basic intro bio science course to see if I could do it. I ended up doing really well, and I really liked bio, so I just kept right on. If you're uncertain, it's not a bad idea to start slow.

The DAT will cover the basic sciences, and yes, reading comprehension is included. It's all a matter of preparing yourself. There are lots of materials and such that you can review. I'm studying for it this summer, and I find the hardest part is actually being able to make myself sit and study. The material itself is not crazy difficult - there's just a lot of it. For reading, the only way to fix that is to read. Read more books, read science articles, etc.

 

[lovelyinpink11]

I agree with all the previous post. Just make sure you take your pre-reqs and obtain/maintain a competitive GPA. As for the DAT, you have a little while ahead of you. Just start reading a lot more, such as dental publications, or even medical publications to improve your reading comprehension. I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to reading comprehension! Good luck, and keep coming back to the forum if you have any more questions. The people on here are great