double major - chem and bio- who has done it or considering.

[basarachobits]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hello. I am thinking about doubling my major. But I am not sure I should do it. sure, it will look outstanding on my application to dental school, but that wil decrease my time to study DAT, do shadowing, work in labs and other things. I would like read other's opinions. any comments will be appreciated.

 

[GDwood]

i've done it. It is fine if u put time into it. not sure if it is going to look outstanding on my application cuz i haven't applied yet and don't know much about it.

 

[UNMPDS]

I am getting a BS in Biology and a BA in Chemistry and it will make you stand out when you apply. I have found that it doesn't take to much more effort than just a minor in Chemistry, except for a few more classes like Physical Chemistry, Biochemistry (which is a suggested pre-dental course anyway, and also counted towards my biology degree), Biological Chemistry, and a two credit research project (which also looks good for dental school). I know an oral surgeon who did this, he is the one who suggested it to me, and he said it put him way ahead of the game when he got into dental school. So it is definitely worth considering, but talk to an advisor for your school because I am sure the curriculum for you will be different. One thing of caution however, a lot of these courses are hard, especially when you are taking them with upper level biology classes and other stuff, so it isn't worth it if you get bad grades in all your classes. So make sure it is something you think you can handle, and it may take you an extra year to graduate like it will for me. While the schools will give you a nod for the tough course load, if it is all C's then they will still see that GPA and it won't look good. So these are other factors to consider. Good luck!

 

[Anemone]

I did it(in 4 years), along with a minor in a non-related field. Be prepared to take credit overloads and summer school. It actually wasnt THAT bad because many courses overlap, but be prepared to work your butt off.

 

[shamrock2006]

yea i double majored in bio and chem and a minor as well in a bio related field...more ethical type stuff. But i think it helped. my DAT wasnt great..my gpa was ok (had a very strong upward trend..good LORS..etc etc)..had to apply senior yr insted of junior year (had a year off)..but i still got accepted. I suggest doing it if you think you can handle it

 

[Mennkid]

I had a triple major in bio, chem and psychology (also have an MS). In a few of my interviews they made it sound like I was a degree tramp and all I was out for was the degrees. Other schools did not give a flip about anything more then one degree, so it depends on the school and the interviewer. All you have to do is be able to explain why you got the degrees that you did, and work very hard to do well in them.

 

[997GT3]

I had a triple major in bio, chem and psychology (also have an MS). In a few of my interviews they made it sound like I was a degree tramp and all I was out for was the degrees. Other schools did not give a flip about anything more then one degree, so it depends on the school and the interviewer. All you have to do is be able to explain why you got the degrees that you did, and work very hard to do well in them.

lol wow. if that's the case we have a lot of degree tramps here.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

hello. I am thinking about doubling my major. But I am not sure I should do it. sure, it will look outstanding on my application to dental school, but that wil decrease my time to study DAT, do shadowing, work in labs and other things. I would like read other's opinions. any comments will be appreciated.

Actually, it won't be of great assistance if you are a double major. In fact, it can often be harmful....schools are not greatly impressed by two majors, especially if they are both science (as UNMPDS mentioned, you can usually use a class to fit more than one requirement.) Meanwhile, it is very likely that your GPA will not be as high as if you concentrated very carefully on one major, or perhaps a major and a minor. The possible GPA drop will hurt you much more than the double would impress them. Also, it may take out time from getting involved in other activities or shadowing (which make a big difference on an app), and most importantly, you want to stay emotionally balanced by doing a variety of things and not just science. When you're in dental school you'll see how important that balance will be to retain your sanity.

As far as I recall from my application process, every time this question was asked at a Q+A session, the answer was what I wrote above. If you can kick a$$ at two majors and you really want that extra background in the other major, go for it. Otherwise, minoring in something different, especially the humanities, may be a good plan. I minored in music and it was brought up at every interview I went on.

Good luck!