Major & Study Abroad advice?

[daydreamin123]

So I'm planning the rest of my undergrad with my advisor and I'm pretty conflicted! My ultimate goal is to be a dentist and ideally start D school right after senior year. However, I'm also dying to study abroad and very passionate about Spanish and want to incorporate these things in my education before it's too late. That being said, I have 2 potential paths as far as majors:

1) Biology Major
-A smooth, conventional path; I can still study abroad for 4 weeks during the summer after sophomore year
-Not only that ^ but I can graduate in 3.5 years and have a semester to chill before dental school or fix my app should I have to
-Safe, makes achieving the ultimate goal of becoming a dentist easier but I'm not passionate about bio...definitely doable but not very exciting (+I'd MUCH rather focus on something different in undergrad)

2) Spanish Major, Biology Minor
-Risky in the sense that it's nontraditional; I can study abroad for a WHOLE semester and study for the DAT after
-Less science classes...don't know if D schools will dislike that? But I am able to fit in the upper level preferred courses like microbio, biochem, genetics, A/P II
-4 full years

Overall: The idea of graduating one semester is really tempting, especially knowing that it's on a "set" path; i.e tons of people do this and it works out. I could just suck it up and be grateful to be able to learn Spanish abroad even if it is a much shorter program & overall focus on the big picture: become a dentist. OR I could just follow my interests and go for the Spanish major even though it'll take longer and might shift my focus in terms of DAT and science stuff.

PS asked my dentist and he basically said, "study abroad AND graduate early?! Take it and run."

SORRY this is rambly, I've been thinking about this the whole week and cannot decide! Any input is greatly greatly appreciated!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[strep mutans]

Option 2.

I imagine adcoms get bored seeing bio major after bio major. You'd be a breath of fresh air. Also, some patients only speak Spanish, so it can be a very important skill for dental school and beyond.

Lastly, studying abroad for a semester >>>> a measly month

I studied abroad for my senior spring semester. I could've graduated a semester early instead, but that would have been a horrible mistake.

That's my $0.02.

 

[ajj70]

Your major doesn't really matter. Technically you could study abroad for a semester with either option but just don't graduate early with the bio major. As long as you can fit your pre-reqs and upper level classes into your schedule, you can major in whatever you want. Often by the time you get in all your pre-reqs and the upper level classes you are only a class or two away from a major in either bio or chem anyway. Make sure you know all the pre-reqs, bio, chem, ochem, English (writing) sociology, etc.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

Option 2. I am not a science major and it came up at every single place I interviewed in a good way. As long as a you have a solid reason for picking a different path, it makes you interesting. Also there is no where on the application to put a minor, so you don't even have to do an official minor. At the time of my application submission, I had only the pre-req science classes + biochem. If you have a good GPA/DAT/rest of application, you'll be fine doing whatever. I only studied abroad in the summer and it would've been awesome to stay longer. Use that summer to study for the DAT.

 

[akog]

Option 2. I am not a science major and it came up at every single place I interviewed in a good way. As long as a you have a solid reason for picking a different path, it makes you interesting. Also there is no where on the application to put a minor, so you don't even have to do an official minor. At the time of my application submission, I had only the pre-req science classes + biochem. If you have a good GPA/DAT/rest of application, you'll be fine doing whatever. I only studied abroad in the summer and it would've been awesome to stay longer. Use that summer to study for the DAT.

I agree. My primary major is non-science, and it came up constantly. In fact, I only had 12 months of science courses when I applied, and I just got in to my state school.

I studied abroad for a semester in Australia. It was great for me, but I could have had those experiences in other ways. And it never came up anywhere in the application process. (And it didn't seem relevant to me either.)

 

[right_meow]

Personally I would do option 1. I have friend who was interviewed but not accepted and the committee said it was because they didn't feel as though she had taken enough UD biology classes. I know this is not always the case, but it is still a risk I would not want to take. Not to mention Spanish classes can be hard (at least at my University they are)! And you really don't want to risk doing anything that could lower your GPA.

If you do option 1, you could spend a semester doing something like working or volunteering in a Spanish speaking country before you start DS. This way you could truly perfect your skills and also do something you really want to do rather than be enrolled in required classes. Alternatively you could just do option 1, still study abroad a semester, and not graduate early. Option 1 would probably also allow you to minor in Spanish. My freshman year I was in a very similar situation and chose "option 1". I am now graduating early to travel and pursue other passions, and I have been accepted to all the schools I applied to. I am SO glad with my decision and I regret nothing!

Basically this is an decision only you can make, but I think having flexibility in college along with that semester to do whatever you want before dental school are really invaluable. Good luck!

 

[daydreamin123]

Option 2. I am not a science major and it came up at every single place I interviewed in a good way. As long as a you have a solid reason for picking a different path, it makes you interesting. Also there is no where on the application to put a minor, so you don't even have to do an official minor. At the time of my application submission, I had only the pre-req science classes + biochem. If you have a good GPA/DAT/rest of application, you'll be fine doing whatever. I only studied abroad in the summer and it would've been awesome to stay longer. Use that summer to study for the DAT.

what did you major in?

 

[hoppingpre]

I was a double major in Biology and a foreign language. At every interview, people were always interested when I talked about my foreign language major, so it does give you that extra spark.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

what did you major in?

Economics