Major in Business and take Pre-reqs?

[cjbmwm3]

I am applying to San Jose State University and I'm trying to decide what to major in.
I will be going in with an AA from San Jose City Community College
I was wondering if it's a good idea Major in Business and do the DS pre-reqs at the same time?
I really want something to fall back onto if dental school falls through.

Also, what would be the best Business major ? International, Management Information Systems?
thanks
-Craig

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[Bereno]

A business major wont help. If you want to have an education that will help you be a successful business owner when you become a dentist, take maybe 2 accounting classes, minimum of 1 marketing class, as well as a management class. I stress these three because they are the only classes out of all the classes you would take for a business degree that would be useful to a dentist.

If you fall through with dentistry, I would not use business as a backup - get a CSS degree, an engineering degree or something more marketable. Business degrees are a dime a dozen and are a tough sell to employers.

 

[Canard]

I assume you are still in high school and you have time ot think about it until you start next year. Have you shadowed dentist? Why did you decide that dentistry is good?

I think shadowing helps a lot to see "why" you want to pursue dentistry and it can be a good motivation to do well in science courses. OR it might just turn you away from dentistry. Whichever it is, shadowing will help you to determine "what to major in" next fall.

My advice: whatever you major in, make sure to major in something you can get high GPA and have fun doing. Major doesn't have to be Bio or Chem related. #'s are important!!!

 

[cjbmwm3]

I assume you are still in high school and you have time ot think about it until you start next year. Have you shadowed dentist? Why did you decide that dentistry is good?

I think shadowing helps a lot to see "why" you want to pursue dentistry and it can be a good motivation to do well in science courses. OR it might just turn you away from dentistry. Whichever it is, shadowing will help you to determine "what to major in" next fall.

My advice: whatever you major in, make sure to major in something you can get high GPA and have fun doing. Major doesn't have to be Bio or Chem related. #'s are important!!!

Nope, I am at a community college right now and transferring to a University soon.

I work at an orthodontist office and my ultimate goal would be becoming an orthodontist

 

[cjbmwm3]

A business major wont help. If you want to have an education that will help you be a successful business owner when you become a dentist, take maybe 2 accounting classes, minimum of 1 marketing class, as well as a management class. I stress these three because they are the only classes out of all the classes you would take for a business degree that would be useful to a dentist.

If you fall through with dentistry, I would not use business as a backup - get a CSS degree, an engineering degree or something more marketable. Business degrees are a dime a dozen and are a tough sell to employers.

Well I would major in business just to major in something.
I don't know what else I would really like. I don't want to do something so difficult that I can't focus on the sciences that are Pre-reqs.

 

[Barking Lamb]

Well I would major in business just to major in something.
I don't know what else I would really like. I don't want to do something so difficult that I can't focus on the sciences that are Pre-reqs.

I think you would be safe with your current plan. Just be wary, if you take only the pre-reqs you MUST ace them all. I did this and it seems to be working out just fine.

 

[cjbmwm3]

I think you would be safe with your current plan. Just be wary, if you take only the pre-reqs you MUST ace them all. I did this and it seems to be working out just fine.

You are only taking the pre-reqs?
What are you majoring in?

 

[Barking Lamb]

You are only taking the pre-reqs?
What are you majoring in?

I majored in anthropology. But, I genuinely love and find the field interesting. I plan on volunteering as a forensic dentist after dental school during times of mass disaster. I have written that on my applications and had to discuss it during several interviews. This could be weighing in my favor. I also attended a university for all 4 years I don't know if this helps/matters. I just thought I would share my personal story.

 

[cjbmwm3]

I majored in anthropology. But, I genuinely love and find the field interesting. I plan on volunteering as a forensic dentist after dental school during times of mass disaster. I have written that on my applications and had to discuss it during several interviews. This could be weighing in my favor. I also attended a university for all 4 years I don't know if this helps/matters. I just thought I would share my personal story.

That sounds pretty cool.

Yeah I really just need to find something I am interested in and major in that, while doing great in the pre-req classes.

 

[MrAvicii]

I am applying to San Jose State University and I'm trying to decide what to major in.
I will be going in with an AA from San Jose City Community College
I was wondering if it's a good idea Major in Business and do the DS pre-reqs at the same time?
I really want something to fall back onto if dental school falls through.

Also, what would be the best Business major ? International, Management Information Systems?
thanks
-Craig

Marketing make a ton of $$$, they're lot better than Finance/Business degrees (nowadays.) its also a super easy major and you can find a job afterwards (incase d-school doesnt work out.) thats what I would do if I could go back.

 

[Bereno]

Marketing make a ton of $$$, they're lot better than Finance/Business degrees (nowadays.) its also a super easy major and you can find a job afterwards (incase d-school doesnt work out.) thats what I would do if I could go back.

You need to be careful with a marketing focus. Its very bi-modal. Either they are making good money, or they don't have a job... There are a lot of marking majors with no job lol.

 

[MrAvicii]

You need to be careful with a marketing focus. Its very bi-modal. Either they are making good money, or they don't have a job... There are a lot of marking majors with no job lol.

I can see your viewpoint, but I personally have not seen that to be the case. I have a lot of friends on both coasts in marketing that are moderately well off. Some are making 100K, but then again thats in big cities i.e LA, NY, Chicago.

I would still recommend it. While accounting, CIS, and engineering are safer bets they are progressively boring and often mentally exhausting. In one of my old firms, all marketing execs made 100 and up so (even the junior ones.) I was jealous to say the least lol

 

[cjbmwm3]

I can see your viewpoint, but I personally have not seen that to be the case. I have a lot of friends on both coasts in marketing that are moderately well off. Some are making 100K, but then again thats in big cities i.e LA, NY, Chicago.

I would still recommend it. While accounting, CIS, and engineering are safer bets they are progressively boring and often mentally exhausting. In one of my old firms, all marketing execs made 100 and up so (even the junior ones.) I was jealous to say the least lol

How is marketing in the San Jose area?

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[Bereno]

I can see your viewpoint, but I personally have not seen that to be the case. I have a lot of friends on both coasts in marketing that are moderately well off. Some are making 100K, but then again thats in big cities i.e LA, NY, Chicago.

I would still recommend it. While accounting, CIS, and engineering are safer bets they are progressively boring and often mentally exhausting. In one of my old firms, all marketing execs made 100 and up so (even the junior ones.) I was jealous to say the least lol

Thats because you were only working with the ones that had a job! haha

I also have a few friends that are in the marketing world. Its a ton of work, and you need to be on your game. They make good money that's for sure though. This said, I have a few other friends who are in CSS, that are also making good money, but have a much more stable job, not to mention the job growth possibilities... Then again, I live around Seattle where we have lots of big IT companies.

Either way OP, you need to figure out what you like doing first. Long story short, I was headed to law school, and was practically lined up to attend. However, I found that medicine and entrepreneurship were more of my calling. I found this out the long, hard way. If you can, try and figure this out the sooner the better.

 

[MrAvicii]

How is marketing in the San Jose area?

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I am not sure to be honest. I do have a friend out in LA who works for Disney and makes a lot more money than my other friends in entry level Finance gigs. Plus he doesnt want to jump outta the window, since his job is not as nearly stressful as a finance/accounting gig.

 

[MrAvicii]

Thats because you were only working with the ones that had a job! haha

I also have a few friends that are in the marketing world. Its a ton of work, and you need to be on your game. They make good money that's for sure though. This said, I have a few other friends who are in CSS, that are also making good money, but have a much more stable job, not to mention the job growth possibilities... Then again, I live around Seattle where we have lots of big IT companies.

Either way OP, you need to figure out what you like doing first. Long story short, I was headed to law school, and was practically lined up to attend. However, I found that medicine and entrepreneurship were more of my calling. I found this out the long, hard way. If you can, try and figure this out the sooner the better.

good switch bereno. law school = lifetime of misery and regret hahah

 

[Bereno]

I am not sure to be honest. I do have a friend out in LA who works for Disney and makes a lot more money than my other friends in entry level Finance gigs. Plus he doesnt want to jump outta the window, since his job is not as nearly stressful as a finance/accounting gig.

Agreed. Finance and accounting are BORING. I can say this because I have my degree in finance lol. I will say though, that they are super important unfortunately haha. This is of course, if you are going into the corporate world.

 

[MrAvicii]

Agreed. Finance and accounting are BORING. I can say this because I have my degree in finance lol. I will say though, that they are super important unfortunately haha. This is of course, if you are going into the corporate world.

im ready to drill baby drill. I hope those old folks are ready hahaha

 

[yellowjeeep79]

I am applying to San Jose State University and I'm trying to decide what to major in.
I will be going in with an AA from San Jose City Community College
I was wondering if it's a good idea Major in Business and do the DS pre-reqs at the same time?
I really want something to fall back onto if dental school falls through.

Also, what would be the best Business major ? International, Management Information Systems?
thanks
-Craig

If you are dead set on dentistry, major in biology. It will help you much more when you get to dental school and will show an admissions committee that dental school is your goal and passion.
I suggested to my son to major in what ever he wanted and just add the pre reqs. Big mistake. He majored in engineering. He was not well prepared for the DAT, and a friend of mine on our ad-com sat down with him and told to him abandon the engineering and concentrate on bio-chem, microbio anatomy, etc.

 

[cjbmwm3]

If you are dead set on dentistry, major in biology. It will help you much more when you get to dental school and will show an admissions committee that dental school is your goal and passion.
I suggested to my son to major in what ever he wanted and just add the pre reqs. Big mistake. He majored in engineering. He was not well prepared for the DAT, and a friend of mine on our ad-com sat down with him and told to him abandon the engineering and concentrate on bio-chem, microbio anatomy, etc.

Well honestly I think that could be because engineering is a pretty demanding major compared to others.

The thing is I'm not sure if I'm dead set on dentistry

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[Canard]

If you are dead set on dentistry, major in biology. It will help you much more when you get to dental school and will show an admissions committee that dental school is your goal and passion.
I suggested to my son to major in what ever he wanted and just add the pre reqs. Big mistake. He majored in engineering. He was not well prepared for the DAT, and a friend of mine on our ad-com sat down with him and told to him abandon the engineering and concentrate on bio-chem, microbio anatomy, etc.

This is not true (at least the 6 interviews that I went to). They all praised my degree in Mechanical Engineering and I always related what I learned in Engineering and how I can apply that in the dental field. But then again, I already had BS, MS and worked in industry then took pre-req courses so it is little different situation. If OP is dead set on dentistry then I would never recommend Engineering because it is much more work than other majors. But I just wanted to point out that Engineering degree + acing all pre-req courses = great combination to differentiate from all other applicants.

Good luck.

 

[MrAvicii]

If you are dead set on dentistry, major in biology. It will help you much more when you get to dental school and will show an admissions committee that dental school is your goal and passion.
I suggested to my son to major in what ever he wanted and just add the pre reqs. Big mistake. He majored in engineering. He was not well prepared for the DAT, and a friend of mine on our ad-com sat down with him and told to him abandon the engineering and concentrate on bio-chem, microbio anatomy, etc.

that may have been the case X amount of years ago, but that no longer matters. If your son expected to score well on the DAT via engineering courses he may have other problems ahead. I come from a non-science background and I simply studied hard and scored well and have landed a good amount of interviews.

 

[MrAvicii]

This is not true (at least the 6 interviews that I went to). They all praised my degree in Mechanical Engineering and I always related what I learned in Engineering and how I can apply that in the dental field. But then again, I already had BS, MS and worked in industry then took pre-req courses so it is little different situation. If OP is dead set on dentistry then I would never recommend Engineering because it is much more work than other majors. But I just wanted to point out that Engineering degree + acing all pre-req courses = great combination to differentiate from all other applicants.

Good luck.

agreed. I'm a non-trad so I worked full time while taking my prereqs. And I definitely have seen how much I stand out vs. trad applicants, even during the interviews. I'm also more gutsy and I tend to ask a lot of Qs and be very vocal. I've seen quite a few candidates on interviews that were so shy and quiet that I cant see them having the right personality to be admitted or let alone be a dentist. You cant be the shy guy when you have to tell your patients the stone cold truth.

 

[Dig it the most]

Great idea! You might want to take some upper-division science classes as elective credits, but you'll get everything you need in the pre-reqs for the most part. Dental schools like to see that you can handle those challenging science classes. I wish I had at least a business minor going into dental school. That is some useful knowledge in the profession.

 

[93geo]

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=813958

 

[herkulease]

your problem might be scheduling.

business and science schedules don't easily line up.

You might be forced to do some juggling with limited lower division classes at the start due to the addition of a seminar section for both chem and bio. I took them before they introduced that but we had lab twice a week vs 1 now. They might've gone back I'm not sure. I know they were testing it out but its been close to 10 years since lower division chem/bio I never cared to look at their schedule afterwards.

Side benefit you will get some exercise. Duncan hall and science building(there no name for it, its mainly for lectures) is on 1 side of campus. the business building is on the complete opposite side.

you might want to look into taking chem or bio or physics at sjcc. much smaller class. about 40 to 50 versus 200+

 

[cjbmwm3]

your problem might be scheduling.

business and science schedules don't easily line up.

You might be forced to do some juggling with limited lower division classes at the start due to the addition of a seminar section for both chem and bio. I took them before they introduced that but we had lab twice a week vs 1 now. They might've gone back I'm not sure. I know they were testing it out but its been close to 10 years since lower division chem/bio I never cared to look at their schedule afterwards.

Side benefit you will get some exercise. Duncan hall and science building(there no name for it, its mainly for lectures) is on 1 side of campus. the business building is on the complete opposite side.

you might want to look into taking chem or bio or physics at sjcc. much smaller class. about 40 to 50 versus 200+

I was looking into taking general bio at SJCC next semester. The pre dental advisor at SJSU said this
"Craig,
You will need 2 semesters of Biology with Lab for Dental School.
So, please wait to begin the sequence until you are at SJSU OR plan on
taking both semesters at City College. You cannot transfer portions
of this requirement because the order of the topics covered is
different.
JK"

Will doing it at SJCC hinder anything for me?

 

[herkulease]

taking the prereqs at a community college will limit the schools you can apply to.

tufts, bu and somewhere else refuses to take any prereqs taken at a community college.

some will not care and some will say its ok but prefer it at a 4 year university.

I don't know how the biology works now at sjsu. when I took it was Bio 1/2/3.

now apparently its just bio 1a and 1b. Their articulation agreement though with sjcc still lists the old 1/2/3.

 

[bumpntrunk]

I got a BA and a masters in business. Took the pre-req science classes (ran about a 3.6 science GPA). Got interview with first completed application so think there is nothing wrong with majoring in business. Becoming a private practive dentist also means small business owner. Business management would be a good subject to study

 

[MrAvicii]

I got a BA and a masters in business. Took the pre-req science classes (ran about a 3.6 science GPA). Got interview with first completed application so think there is nothing wrong with majoring in business. Becoming a private practive dentist also means small business owner. Business management would be a good subject to study

i wouldnt stress getting a business major in order to run your own office. Its not worth taking a ton of credits when you can simply take a few necessary courses and take the time to actually look at your revenue + expenses.

 

[cjbmwm3]

I got a BA and a masters in business. Took the pre-req science classes (ran about a 3.6 science GPA). Got interview with first completed application so think there is nothing wrong with majoring in business. Becoming a private practive dentist also means small business owner. Business management would be a good subject to study

Did you just do general business?

 

[sacapuntas]

Marketing make a ton of $$$, they're lot better than Finance/Business degrees (nowadays.) its also a super easy major and you can find a job afterwards (incase d-school doesnt work out.) thats what I would do if I could go back.

There is a big difference between having a marketing degree and being a marketer. Most recent grads with a marketing degree struggle to make the transition and will be an office b&$*# for 30K a year or working at starbucks. It is a very risky degree to get IMO.


To the OP, I think a bio major is the easiest route to dental school and should be your major if you don't know what else to take. If you have a genuine interest in another subject such as business, pursue that.

One thing I have learned with some years of trying, failing, and succeeding at things, is you don't need a backup plan if you really want something. If you are dedicated to becoming a dentist and make that your priority, you won't need to worry about your undergrad degree because you will become a dentist.

 

[sacapuntas]

that may have been the case X amount of years ago, but that no longer matters. If your son expected to score well on the DAT via engineering courses he may have other problems ahead. I come from a non-science background and I simply studied hard and scored well and have landed a good amount of interviews.

Why would a biology major setting you up well for dental school success be true in the past but not the present?

Regardless of how well prepared you think you are because you did well on the DAT, we (I am in similar situation as you) will not be as prepared as a biology major or other student that had lots of upper level bios to succeed. We will be seeing biology material at an incredible rate in DS, and any upper level bio you bring to the table will only help.

I think you are meaning a bio major won't help you get into dental school, but what the poster (who is already a dentist) was meaning that a bio major will significantly help once you are in it.

 

[MrAvicii]

There is a big difference between having a marketing degree and being a marketer. Most recent grads with a marketing degree struggle to make the transition and will be an office b&$*# for 30K a year or working at starbucks. It is a very risky degree to get IMO.


To the OP, I think a bio major is the easiest route to dental school and should be your major if you don't know what else to take. If you have a genuine interest in another subject such as business, pursue that.

One thing I have learned with some years of trying, failing, and succeeding at things, is you don't need a backup plan if you really want something. If you are dedicated to becoming a dentist and make that your priority, you won't need to worry about your undergrad degree because you will become a dentist.

heres mr toolbag with his soapbox. first of all chump, I dunno where you get your facts from but in big cities as I mentioned above, marketing majors FIND JOBS. Why? because corporations need marketing since they are directly tied to sales and generate revenue.

Thats all I will say on that. You have never worked in a corporate firm, nor do you have any clue on this issue whatsoever (your point is automatically moot.)

Having no backup? oh thats a good plan. Most people should have one. Just like you know, cars have seatbelts and airbags and planes have emergency escape exits. A bio degree for d-school HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN TO BE A BETTER ROUTE! doc tootache has a whole threads on this. I know this because I too thought that bio was the best route, but in fact its not.

 

[MrAvicii]

Why would a biology major setting you up well for dental school success be true in the past but not the present?

Regardless of how well prepared you think you are because you did well on the DAT, we (I am in similar situation as you) will not be as prepared as a biology major or other student that had lots of upper level bios to succeed. We will be seeing biology material at an incredible rate in DS, and any upper level bio you bring to the table will only help.

I think you are meaning a bio major won't help you get into dental school, but what the poster (who is already a dentist) was meaning that a bio major will significantly help once you are in it.

A non-bio major would take less bio classes. Having X amount of bio classes vs. Z wont set you apart or even help that much. From what everyone says the best classes to take that will help for D-school include Biochem and A&P. Being a bio major and taking cell biology or prokaryotes based courses are not crucial to d-school success.

 

[sacapuntas]

heres mr toolbag with his soapbox. first of all chump, I dunno where you get your facts from but in big cities as I mentioned above, marketing majors FIND JOBS. Why? because corporations need marketing since they are directly tied to sales and generate revenue.

Thats all I will say on that. You have never worked in a corporate firm, nor do you have any clue on this issue whatsoever (your point is automatically moot.)

Having no backup? oh thats a good plan. Most people should have one. Just like you know, cars have seatbelts and airbags and planes have emergency escape exits. A bio degree for d-school HAS NOT BEEN PROVEN TO BE A BETTER ROUTE! doc tootache has a whole threads on this. I know this because I too thought that bio was the best route, but in fact its not.

You're cute when you get all riled up.

Don't assume another users experiences, as you don't know my professional background and I am not willing to share it on a public forum.

You're confusing getting accepted into dental school, which is what doc toothaches threads are about, with being prepared to absorb the information most effectively in dental school.

You don't think being exposed to material the second time is easier than the first time being exposed to it?

 

[MrAvicii]

You're cute when you get all riled up.

Don't assume another users experiences, as you don't know my professional background and I am not willing to share it on a public forum.

You're confusing getting accepted into dental school, which is what doc toothaches threads are about, with being prepared to absorb the information most effectively in dental school.

You don't think being exposed to material the second time is easier than the first time being exposed to it?

hahaha thats a good way to defend yourself! "dont judge me, because i refuse to post what I am really like online." LOL bs with a major B! haha if you knew you would say otherwise. so please dont offer advice in areas where you have zero knowledge.

Like I said it helps when you are learning things that are relevant such as A&P and Biochem. Zoology, Plants, Prokaryotes wont help you in d-school.

But hey good luck with that.

 

[cjbmwm3]

Well the plan is to have something to fall back on. If I did Biology I wouldn't really have much to do if for some reason dental school fell through.

I would have to go back to school and pick something. No the end of the world, but I would like to have options from the start.

 

[sacapuntas]

hahaha thats a good way to defend yourself! "dont judge me, because i refuse to post what I am really like online." LOL bs with a major B! haha if you knew you would say otherwise. so please dont offer advice in areas where you have zero knowledge.

Like I said it helps when you are learning things that are relevant such as A&P and Biochem. Zoology, Plants, Prokaryotes wont help you in d-school.

But hey good luck with that.

Sent you a PM in regards to your 'personal sidebar'.

In regards to the bold statement, I was thinking more of immunology, microbiology, histology...stuff you will see again in the near future in dental school. So now you have 6 bio courses beyond the pre-reqs...starting to look a lot easier to be a bio major.









And to the OP...it sounds to me like you still need to shadow more dentists and shadow other professions to determine a good major to take. My only point is biology is the best suited for a pre-dental schedule, but if you have other interests that is a higher priority.

 

[MrAvicii]

Sent you a PM in regards to your 'personal sidebar'.

In regards to the bold statement, I was thinking more of immunology, microbiology, histology...stuff you will see again in the near future in dental school. So now you have 6 bio courses beyond the pre-reqs...starting to look a lot easier to be a bio major.


And to the OP...it sounds to me like you still need to shadow more dentists and shadow other professions to determine a good major to take. My only point is biology is the best suited for a pre-dental schedule, but if you have other interests that is a higher priority.

No one will fail d-school without your above mentioned classes. Those classes are not required prereqs for most schools (esp immuno and histo.) while they may help I wouldnt go out of my way to take them. I didnt take orgo twice and I did just fine. I dont presume those classes to need to be taken twice either.

 

[bumpntrunk]

I wasnt trying to say a business major was better as a back up plan, just that I did it. It did not have a negative impact on my application/interview process. It will have some relevance when I start a private practice in the future but you can just as easily take some classes without doing it as a major. Of course taking additional bio courses that will be touched on in D-school will help as well. I took the pre-req bios and the "suggested" additional bios as well. Just make sure you wanna do dentistry cause just like any other job, you wanna do something you love.

 

[Bereno]

Now now children...

 

[Canard]

OK let's get back to the main points:

1.) It doesn't really matter what you major in as long as you can justify your choice to ADCOM and relate it to the dental field. Also, as long as you can get >3.5 GPA in both sGPA and oGPA
2.) I don't know how california school works but can you go in to 4 year University from CC as undeclared major? If you can, try to take BIO 1 and CHEM 1 class to see how you will like it.
3.) If you can't do undeclared then major in whatever for now and only take pre-req courses for D-school + gen ed courses to see if you like science courses or not. Even if you didn't like the science courses and want to change direction, you only lost 1 semester of your life. I think that is still worth it to try it out.
4.) It is great that you work at orthodontist office but do shadowing at general dental office because most of dental student become general dentist.

FINALLY: if you really think dentistry is "the one" for you then don't have back up plan and put all of your effort in doing well. Having back up plan = not so sure in my opinion.

I hope this helps

 

[yellowjeeep79]

that may have been the case X amount of years ago, but that no longer matters. If your son expected to score well on the DAT via engineering courses he may have other problems ahead. I come from a non-science background and I simply studied hard and scored well and have landed a good amount of interviews.

Actually, I'm talking about this year. Yes, I applied to ds 30 years ago, but I have 1 son applying to ds this cycle, 1 son in medical school and I'm an Assoc Clinical Professor of restorative dentistry, so I know of what I speak (I think!). Certainly, a person with a BS AND an MS in business and plenty of life experience can get 6 interviews, but that takes along time and a lot of work. As doctoothache pointed out, biology applicants do not have any statistical advantage - still, the easiest way to go is biology. You HAVE to take the pre reqs for your degree. Any really tough classes you are required to take AND they will help you in ds.
Having said that, you pretty much have to be certain you want ds (or medicine or podiatry etc.) AND that you can make the grade, so to speak. A BS in bio is tough to sell! That's exactly why I suggested to my son that he major in something else, just to be sure he wouldn't rather do something else with his life. After a couple of internships in engineering, he's now certain dentistry is for him. Trouble is, engineering is a tough major and A's or hard to come by, plus there isn't a lot of room in the schedule to take bio chem, A & P etc.
To the OP, if you're uncertain, try the business approach, take some bio and chem and see what floats your boat.

 

[MrAvicii]

Actually, I'm talking about this year. Yes, I applied to ds 30 years ago, but I have 1 son applying to ds this cycle, 1 son in medical school and I'm an Assoc Clinical Professor of restorative dentistry, so I know of what I speak (I think!). Certainly, a person with a BS AND an MS in business and plenty of life experience can get 6 interviews, but that takes along time and a lot of work. As doctoothache pointed out, biology applicants do not have any statistical advantage - still, the easiest way to go is biology. You HAVE to take the pre reqs for your degree. Any really tough classes you are required to take AND they will help you in ds.
Having said that, you pretty much have to be certain you want ds (or medicine or podiatry etc.) AND that you can make the grade, so to speak. A BS in bio is tough to sell! That's exactly why I suggested to my son that he major in something else, just to be sure he wouldn't rather do something else with his life. After a couple of internships in engineering, he's now certain dentistry is for him. Trouble is, engineering is a tough major and A's or hard to come by, plus there isn't a lot of room in the schedule to take bio chem, A & P etc.
To the OP, if you're uncertain, try the business approach, take some bio and chem and see what floats your boat.

well written sir

 

[cjbmwm3]

OK let's get back to the main points:

1.) It doesn't really matter what you major in as long as you can justify your choice to ADCOM and relate it to the dental field. Also, as long as you can get >3.5 GPA in both sGPA and oGPA
2.) I don't know how california school works but can you go in to 4 year University from CC as undeclared major? If you can, try to take BIO 1 and CHEM 1 class to see how you will like it.
3.) If you can't do undeclared then major in whatever for now and only take pre-req courses for D-school + gen ed courses to see if you like science courses or not. Even if you didn't like the science courses and want to change direction, you only lost 1 semester of your life. I think that is still worth it to try it out.
4.) It is great that you work at orthodontist office but do shadowing at general dental office because most of dental student become general dentist.

FINALLY: if you really think dentistry is "the one" for you then don't have back up plan and put all of your effort in doing well. Having back up plan = not so sure in my opinion.

I hope this helps

On my application is says undeclared is for frosh only.

I wish I could choose it.

 

[cjbmwm3]

So I could put my major as anything and only work on the pre-reqs if I wanted to?

 

[MrAvicii]

So I could put my major as anything and only work on the pre-reqs if I wanted to?

yup.

 

[cjbmwm3]

yup.

That might just be what I am going to do haha