Freshman in college, needs help

[dogfood2k3]

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I am currently a freshman in college planning to major in finance and am looking for help in getting into dental school. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[DDSY]

Major doesn't matter. Do well in your basic science classes (bio, chem, physics, and orgo) ~3.4 or higher. Maintain a decent overall gpa ~3.4 or higher. Make sure to study hard for the Dental Admission Test. Also do some extracurriculars, such as shadowing a dentist, or volunteering time for the research center of a dental school.

Note that any science classes you take will ultimately make dental school easier for you. Some advance bio or biochem classes would be worthwhile courses to take. Good luck.

 

[Old School]

As a finance major you are going to have some increased demands on your schedule with the extra courses that you will need in order to apply to most dental schools.

If you take a look at the website for one of the 56 dental schools in the US (I'm just assuming you're talking US schools) you will find that most require the following:

• 2 Semesters General Chemistry (6-8 Credits)
• 2 Semesters Organic Chemistry (6-8 Credits)
• 4 Semesters of Biology (6-8 Credits)
• 1-2 Semesters of Physics (6-8 Credits)

Beyond that, many schools will tell you that is in your interest as an undergraduate to also take:

• Comparative Anatomy
• Physiology
• Biochemistry
• Histology
• Microbiology
• Immunology
• Other Science Courses

Good luck. Stick around, you can learn a lot here at SDN.

 

[dizzle23x]

i majored in finance too. it wasn't the best choice in the world considering it is only partially applicable to your career in dentistry. if you're interested in it, that's fine but if i had to re-do things i would choose entrepreneurship (if your school offers it)

 

[DMD to Be]

Become addicted to SDN.🙄 Seriously though, just do good in your classes. I'd advise maintaining at least a 3.6. Some may say 3.4, but that is somewhat competitive now. I can only imagine what the competition will be like 3 years down the road. . Better safe than sorry. You can always retake the DAT, but bringing a GPA up is a totally different story. Best of luck to you!!

 

[dentalman]

As a finance major you are going to have some increased demands on your schedule with the extra courses that you will need in order to apply to most dental schools.

If you take a look at the website for one of the 56 dental schools in the US (I'm just assuming you're talking US schools) you will find that most require the following:

• 2 Semesters General Chemistry (6-8 Credits)
• 2 Semesters Organic Chemistry (6-8 Credits)
• 4 Semesters of Biology (6-8 Credits)
• 1-2 Semesters of Physics (6-8 Credits)

Beyond that, many schools will tell you that is in your interest as an undergraduate to also take:

• Comparative Anatomy
• Physiology
• Biochemistry
• Histology
• Microbiology
• Immunology
• Other Science Courses

Good luck. Stick around, you can learn a lot here at SDN.

A counselor at your school may have more information as well. There may be a few rare schools that require Biochemistry or microbiology, but you can wait a year or two until you are more committed to dental school to look into it. (If all of the schools you are interested in don't require it, then you don't have to, but if just one requires it, then you will.)

Major - anything you want. Just do well in your major and especially in your science prerequisites.

 

[dogfood2k3]

i plan on taking the science courses as electives, instead of some music or art class. Also, what can i expect from classes like chemistry and organic chemistry in terms in difficulty?

 

[sejin8642]

i plan on taking the science courses as electives, instead of some music or art class. Also, what can i expect from classes like chemistry and organic chemistry in terms in difficulty?

It depends on your aptitude I guess. For me, science and math classes come easy. Whereas I always strugle with courses such as history and English.

 

[AlphaQUp]

i plan on taking the science courses as electives, instead of some music or art class. Also, what can i expect from classes like chemistry and organic chemistry in terms in difficulty?

You will bend over for Organic Chemistry. The only thing you can do to prepare for it is to buy lube.

 

[johntara04]

You will bend over for Organic Chemistry. The only thing you can do to prepare for it is to buy lube.

It all depends. For me, I grabbed my ankles in gen chemistry and o-chem was a breeze. So, one thing is hard for you but easy for me and visa versa.

 

[DDSY]

You will bend over for Organic Chemistry. The only thing you can do to prepare for it is to buy lube.

General Chemistry is general chemistry. In organic chemistry, you tend to say O O O O O O O O more frequently. 🙄

O = ouch?

 

[collegeboy30000]

You will bend over for Organic Chemistry. The only thing you can do to prepare for it is to buy lube.

and smile

...no seriously, shadow asap to see if you even like it. Thats what helped me commit to dentistry. Its alot of science classes to take and the labs. I also cannot imagine how competitive it will be in three years, I bet the national average on the DAT will be 20, j/k.
[side note]
My sis majored in Finance and now she is ballin'.

The lecture before exam day, my Organic Chem II professor would say,
"Study hard"

 

[LNinlove]

General Chemistry is general chemistry. In organic chemistry, you tend to say O O O O O O O O more frequently. 🙄

O = ouch?

HAHAHA no doubt! ochem I final on wednesday...big time O!

to the OP, gen chem is fairly easy if you stay up with it. actually, most of the pre reqs are fairly easy if you stay up with them.

I am relieved to see that I am not the only one taking it from ochem though!

My recommendation? Astroglide...

 

[supraman]

lol @ the bend over for Ochem.

Ill tell you, ochem is not hard.........if you seriously study it for 3-4 hours a day. Prepare for organic by reading everyday.

As far as the proper guidance? Im sure your guidance counselor knows whats going on, but if you want a central guidance from SDN...i think we can agree on...


ACE EVERY SINGLE CLASS. Seriously, the competition is insane, sometimes I wish i was a freshman again, to destroy my classes and get A's. Good luck guy

 

[jlicious]

i plan on taking the science courses as electives, instead of some music or art class. Also, what can i expect from classes like chemistry and organic chemistry in terms in difficulty?

I was a bio major/chem minor, and I can tell you that if you do take these classes as electives, you are going to have to start early. Take general chem as soon as you can, then biology, math, physics and Organic chem. You might have to take biochem and microbiology, but at my school you could only take those during your third/fourth year AFTER all of the basics listed above had been completed. I didn't take anatomy, but you should check on which dental schools you might want to see if they require it. And take English! I didn't do this until my senior year and it almost prevented me from applying to some schools.

As for difficulty, if you study hard in gen chem, organic chem isn't that bad. Physics and math are pretty much the same animal in my book.

Side note: my fiance was a finance major; I'm hoping she can make the money while I'm in dental school! 🙂

 

[dentalman]

Difficulty is a relative term. In organic chemistry, I would probably study 20 hours more than the "average" student in a huge lecture hall for an exam (and be effective in that studying), and my grades would reflect that. They call them "weeding out" classes for a reason. But, as long as you keep getting good grades, you can end up as a beautiful flower and not a weed. If you study the same as the average student, expect to get average grades. (Which is usually a 2.7 - which won't cut it in the long run).