opinion..

[kblake]

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...Im a freshman undergrad in community college. Im planning on transferring to one of the U of California.

My question is, Im not good at math; at all. But i have a deep desire for dentistry. I want to major in biology, but it requires calculus. Im thinking of doing psychology. Is there a way to avoid the calculus since i dont believe its a dental school requirement?

Whats all of your opinions on this. If you werent great at math, what would you do?


Thanks so much!

 

[bigstix808]

...Im a freshman undergrad in community college. Im planning on transferring to one of the U of California.

My question is, Im not good at math; at all. But i have a deep desire for dentistry. I want to major in biology, but it requires calculus. Im thinking of doing psychology. Is there a way to avoid the calculus since i dont believe its a dental school requirement?

Whats all of your opinions on this. If you werent great at math, what would you do?


Thanks so much!

well, there is a "math" section on the DAT that you are going to need to know to do well on. i think calc is a little far off key than what is tested, but i think it's a good course to take none-the-less.

some schools dont require calc, but in fact require stats as a major requirement. not sure where you go, but IMHO, i would say just man up and take the course...i mean, it could only help you. but if you could get away with advanced college algebra, or medical statistics, etc.. then that would be more beneficial...but do what makes YOU happy. if you can't do well then don't take. if it's a REQUIRED couse then please read above. (in case you missed it - suck it up and deal with it)

good luck though on trying to decide😎

 

[kblake]

Thanks! So do you think a psychology major would be fitting? Are students generally more well prepared with the biology major vs. non 'science' majors?

 

[Wayne Coronado]

...Im a freshman undergrad in community college. Im planning on transferring to one of the U of California.

My question is, Im not good at math; at all. But i have a deep desire for dentistry. I want to major in biology, but it requires calculus. Im thinking of doing psychology. Is there a way to avoid the calculus since i dont believe its a dental school requirement?

Whats all of your opinions on this. If you werent great at math, what would you do?


Thanks so much!

In my opinion, a degree that deviates from the biology/chemistry pre-professional curriculum will set you apart from your peers and will be a breath of fresh air to the admissions office. I sort of represent that example and decided to pursue a major in clinical laboratory science (AKA medical technology). Not to say that my example was a major twist from the bio/chem degree norm. To complete my degree reqs I had to take a good mix of bio and chem (nearly enough to minor in each) which also knocked out the pre-dent prerequisites. What may be of interest to you is that I did not have to mess with the calculus at all (until d-school of course) 😀. I did have to take two semesters of algebra/trig, but there is no way around that no matter what route you take (sorry). Another added bonus is the early exposure to pathology, clinical chemistry, and extensive microbiology (several courses) that you probably would not be seeing until you get to d-school (I felt like I had a leg up in micro and gen path in this regard). All of our courses in the year-long CLS program (senior year) were directed by MD's and I learned a lot rotating through the various clinical labs in the hospitals. Not to say that there are not other ways around the calculus, but I just wanted to share my experience and encourage you to take a glance at this field. I also minored in psych only to help me cope with my patients 😀. Good luck with whatever you choose to do and feel free to PM me if you care to know anything else about this track...

 

[kblake]

Oh man, thanks so much..you've given me a glimpse of hope. I will look into all that. But i was thinking the same thing, everyone is a biology major. Thats boring, wheres the diversity?

 

[Regmata]

Psych is fine, I have a psych degree...just make sure you definitely go on, cause the degree is damn near useless. Just take the necessary science courses as you go.

 

[toofshucker]

Thanks! So do you think a psychology major would be fitting? Are students generally more well prepared with the biology major vs. non 'science' majors?

I don't know about other schools, but I do know that Temple strongly believes that, according to their studies, students that matriculate with a strong background science (ie, a degree in bio or chem or closely related) have a much higher rate of success in dental school than the "non-traditional" degree students.

That being said, I agree. I only had the pre-reqs in science when I got into dental school, and I feel that I have had to work harder at the basic science courses than the other students who are taking the classes for the 2nd, 3rd, time.

BUT, you need to do what will get you the grades to do what you want. I decided late in my schooling that I wanted to do dental school, and did all the pre-reqs in 1.5 years. So, do what will give you the grades in the pre-reqs and get you the DAT score you will need to get into school. I hope my ramblings have helped.

 

[kblake]

You ramblings do help! 😉 And make perfect sense!

What would a biology minor do for me? Do you think that would be a good idea with a psychology major?

Thanks again!

 

[toofshucker]

You ramblings do help! 😉 And make perfect sense!

What would a biology minor do for me? Do you think that would be a good idea with a psychology major?

Thanks again!

I think it is a fine line in picking your major. You want to do something different to make yourself stand out from the other 2,000 applicants with a biology degree, but you also want to be properly prepared to succeed in dental school.

The more science classes you take, the better. My advice would be take all the science you can. So, a biology minor would be great. Now, if you like psych, and would be able to be very successful in psych, then definitely do that. The more you enjoy/the easier the psych classes are, the more you will be able to concentrate on your pre-reqs. Getting into dental school is so competitive now, you need to give yourself every opportunity to succeed. Temple has over 4,000 applications for 125 seats. That is less than a 3% chance to get into a top, top clinical program (the top in the country). 😱

Only you can answer these questions, but you need to do whatever will give you the best chance to get yourself into dental school and if psych is that, then go for it.

 

[kblake]

Thanks alot....After talking to someone from SDN, im thinking of going with the bio major. Im thinking about going to the university of the pacific...does anyone know much about this school? i know alot, but maybe someone can tell me something else.

 

[armorshell]

Thanks alot....After talking to someone from SDN, im thinking of going with the bio major. Im thinking about going to the university of the pacific...does anyone know much about this school? i know alot, but maybe someone can tell me something else.

Are you aiming for one of the accelerated programs? If so I believe they have your track laid out for you, right?

 

[SuperC]

I have to be honest here and tell you the truth. First: Many schools do require calc and as the others have said, for sure stats. Second: Gen Chem and especially physics are fairly math intensive.

I think that if dentistry is your goal you are going to need to be pretty good in math.

The good news, usually not doing well in math is usually do to a lack of a good base of knowledge. I would start from the beginning. Intro to algebra, college algebra, trig, pre-calc, calc. If you have a good understanding of the basic principles it makes math much easier.

-C

 

[Soflex]

I have to be honest here and tell you the truth. First: Many schools do require calc and as the others have said, for sure stats. Second: Gen Chem and especially physics are fairly math intensive.

I think that if dentistry is your goal you are going to need to be pretty good in math.

The good news, usually not doing well in math is usually do to a lack of a good base of knowledge. I would start from the beginning. Intro to algebra, college algebra, trig, pre-calc, calc. If you have a good understanding of the basic principles it makes math much easier.

-C

THIS IS GREAT ADVICE. I strongly agree with this approach...you need to build from the ground up with your algebra. (You usually have to take 2 semesters of algebra trig before you can take physics anyway). You will not be able to succeed in General Chemistry and Physics classes without having confidence in your fundamental math skills.

The first level of calculus is not that bad. You just have to put a lot of time into it to make sure you get the concepts. Being a bio major is such a great preparation for dental school. Don't let a fear of calc hold you back.

Freud and Piaget will not help you with biochemistry and histology when you are a DS1!

 

[BuckeyMcGee]

I wouldn't say you need to be that great at math to make a good dentist, however you are going to be good enough to do well on the QR section, so study smart for that. The most math you will do in dentistry is adding or subtracting millimeters...I do think that the QR section is the most irrelevant section on the DAT. Good luck though.

 

[Wayne Coronado]

I wouldn't say you need to be that great at math to make a good dentist, however you are going to be good enough to do well on the QR section, so study smart for that. The most math you will do in dentistry is adding or subtracting millimeters...I do think that the QR section is the most irrelevant section on the DAT. Good luck though.

Exactly what I was thinking 👍

 

[SuperC]

I wouldn't say you need to be that great at math to make a good dentist, however you are going to be good enough to do well on the QR section, so study smart for that. The most math you will do in dentistry is adding or subtracting millimeters...I do think that the QR section is the most irrelevant section on the DAT. Good luck though.

I agree on this point too, the only math I do these days, is figure out what grade I need on the final to get an A. It sucks when you need a 106%. However, I still stand by my first post, but I will amend it. Dental school has little if any math in it, but the path to get there is loaded.
-C

 

[toofshucker]

I agree on this point too, the only math I do these days, is figure out what grade I need on the final to get an A. It sucks when you need a 106%. However, I still stand by my first post, but I will amend it. Dental school has little if any math in it, but the path to get there is loaded.
-C

I agree with you. Math is not necessary for dental school, but is necessary to get into dental school.