no major just preden

[supaflyz]

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Hey guys I have a question to ask you guys. I want to be a dental hygienist now. At first, I wanted to major in biology and just take pre-den classes because my school doesn't have pre den as a major. However, that will take at least 2 if not two in a half years to get done. To be a dental hygienist I only have 3 classes left to take which is A&P 1 and 2, and nutrition.
Is it possible that I become a dental hygienist then work part time and take further classes to get into dental school? Basically I'm trying to ask do you have to have a major in order to get into dental school? I only have organic 1 and 2, biochem, and 2 other advance biology classes to finish the pre-den program. However the biology major requires that I go up to cal 3, genetics, evolutionary biology, cell biology, and 12 hours of advance biology electives which is pretty insane.
I mean can I just go straight into the pre-den program and pick another major instead of biology.

 

[MolarExpress]

I'm not sure about this..but, don't you have to be in a hygene program to be a hygenist? Or maybe you can take classes as a non-degree seeking student to finish your pre-reqs for hygene.

 

[supaflyz]

Yeah I have to get into a program. I mean once I finish it will it be easy to get into dental school. I can take the pre-den classes as I only have 5 left, but the biology major has to many class.

 

[dent2009]

Yeah I have to get into a program. I mean once I finish it will it be easy to get into dental school. I can take the pre-den classes as I only have 5 left, but the biology major has to many class.

You make it sound like dental hygiene school is a ticket into dental school... don't underestimate the competitiveness of applicant pools these days...

 

[harjay]

I don't know all of the pre-reqs for the RDH program, but I know that it, too, is competitive. As dent2009 said, it won't be your ticket into d-school.
Keep in mind that most schools don't require you to have a BS degree. In that sense, it doesn't matter what your major is. Having the degree makes you a better applicant.
In my personal opinion, you'd be better off showing your academic skills and getting some observation/assisting hours instead of doing a hygiene program, especially if you know that you want dentistry to be your final goal.
If you are happy sticking with hygiene, by all means try it out and see how you like it. Keep in mind though that it's not a piece of cake to get in there either and the program has a sort of waiting period once you get accepted.

 

[Hollywood28]

These guys are right. I am a hygienist applying to dental school after practicing for 6 years. Yes, it will definitely be helpful to have a degree when applying to dental school, but like the previous posts have stated... the dental hygiene route is not necessarily your free pass into the DDS program. Yes, you will receive alot of hands on training and will be more familiar with dentistry, but the dental hygiene program is rigorous and not necessarily easy to get into.
Also you have to think about once you are an RDH. I actually had to quit my job to complete my pre-req's for dental school. I tried working and going to school fulltime and personally I was not able to do both 100% so you have to make choices sometimes. If you can talk with your universities' advisor they probably can give you some good advice on the best route for you to earn your degree and complete the necessary pre-req's. You know a degree in business or something else would be something to look into b/c you can fulfill your pre-req's at the same time.
Hope this helps! 🙂

 

[supaflyz]

Thank you for your advice, it was really helpful. I only have 3 more class before I can apply for dental hygien school. I have 5 more class for pre-den class. However, my major is biology. I like biology, but I just don't want to go all the way up to calculus 3 which is rediculous. I really suck at math. I just change my major to art history because I really like art and history at the same time. I took one course art history 1 and really was intrigue by the different civilizations artwork. I pick biology major at first because most of the students applying were biology major or something with science. I felt that I have less of a chance entering if I choose another degree.

 

[Pat Kelly]

Being a dental hygienist won't be that much more impressive than any other undergraduate degrees. This is not a knock on the profession, but rather it is not that much more helpful because you don't need a specific major to go into dental school. Having those training will help, but you have to do a lot more work than other pre-dental majors to finish your degree. It is also more expansive too, and I don't think it's that great of a way to get into dental school.

 

[supaflyz]

So right now Im deciding between art history and health and human performance. I have also read that they are looking for more diverse applicants. I think I'm going to stick with art history though. The courses are really interesting plus I love art.