Questions from a senior in high-school!

[Toadesque]

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I know I'm going to get hell from people for trying to decide my profession while in high school but hear me out.

My parents have the perception that I should decide BEFORE my undergrad because they think if I go in not knowing, then I'll just waste my time and their money. And because my brother went into pre-med already knowing he wanted to be a doctor. So they want me to know as well.

Here's the problem. They say if I don't decide before I apply to my undergrad school then they'll put me in a junior college because then I won't waste their money at an expensive school. I want to have NO business at a JC. None. WHATSOEVER.

So just to make them happy, I've told them I've been leaning towards dentistry. Which is the truth. I have been. I think I would be better off in dentistry than in medicine. Money never really crosses into the equation too much with me. So long as I can live decently. I'll deal with that when I'm older.

Which leads me to my questions...

When I apply to my undergrad school, what is the process here? I have to take all the pre-dental classes right? I am aiming to major in bio.

How tough is it to actually get into a decent dental school? My dad went to USC. He says once you get in, everything is smooth.

I might have some more questions later, but for now some insight would be appreciated. Thanks! 🙂

 

[901preDent]

I think it is a good idea for you to decide before you get in... I wish I had. I think i would be better off right now and mabye not worring so much about getting in as I am. You are right you dont want part of junco. Dentistry is an awesome field. I think you know that since I think u said your dad is a dentist. thant awesome I would love to have a dentist dad. If dent is what you are leaning toward go for it and find out more about it later. you have four or five years to think about it. Just make good grades b/c they will follow u , whether u choose dentistry or not.just my 2 cents.
good luck,

 

[Toadesque]

Yeah my dad is a dentist. I guess I didn't explicitly state it, sorry 🙂

Heh you're probably the first I've seen to promote deciding prior to college.

But do you have any info about undergrad?

Majors, how to prepare for dentistry or possibly even medicine, etc?

I plan to go to a 2nd tier UC, I'm not smart enough to get into UCLA or Berkely...rofl.

Thanks 🙂

 

[997GT3]

How tough is it to actually get into a decent dental school? My dad went to USC. He says once you get in, everything is smooth.

I might have some more questions later, but for now some insight would be appreciated. Thanks! 🙂

For some, easy means hard. Please tell us your strengths. What AP's did you take and what were your AP scores? SAT/ACT?

 

[ChrisM07]

I will be a sophmore at Temple this comming fall and I've found that, from experience, your first semester in college is very very important (not that the others arent) and you should do the best you can in it. Not to say that youre screwed if you dont, but it will definately help you out if you start out with a high GPA. It's easier to maintain a higher GPA than it is to start low and try to raise it.

In regards to the major choice, I personally feel science is the best if youre going into something healthcare related. Although, I've been told that it doesnt matter. You can be an art major and still make it into dental school...given that you pass the DAT your junior year which is why I think it's important to be science geared because the DAT is ALL science.

Also, sometime in your college career, intern or shadow a dentist (find more than one) because it shows dental schools when you apply that you know what youre getting yourself into and you are experienced with the field. I am in one of those right now and have been for the month of July and it has been amazing. You learn tons and you will know by the first or second visit with the dentist whether or not this is the profession for you. Apply to dental clubs (if your school offers them) because it shows leadership and interest in the field. BTW try and find someone else other than your dad to intern with somewhere along the line so if you should ask for a letter of recomendation, it might look more legit (anyones dad can write them a fantastic letter just because theyre the dad in my opinion).

Get to know your advisor because they have a lot of answers as well. They will become your friends when you need help with things.

 

[dackmonkey]

It's awesome that you wanna decide what you wanna do so early on. i think that more often than not, people really have no idea what they wanna do (besides med school, which usually changes soon after first or second year, haha). personally, and i know this is gonna come as cheesy as hell, but I've wanted to be a dentist since junior high. I did my first shadow in grade 9 and loved it. It was for a one day thing for this course I was taking, but since then I knew that this is what I wanted to pursue in terms of a career.

A bio major sounds about right. Most of the prereqs are pretty standard, bios, chems, organic chems, etc. that you will be taking regardless as a science undergrad. Check out your state school's website and see what kinda prereqs the faculty requires for dental school. They will be pretty universal (more or less).

 

[2quik]

my advice on applying to colleges is try to find a university w/ a dental school. And try to find out if that dental school favors their undergrads. This will help IMMENSLEY! Once you get in, go talk to the admissions committee of the dental school there and around that area (assuming there are other dental schools around). Find out what they think would be the best major for you. Some will say science, some will say just do well in whatever.... After that, do your best to follow their advice and bust your balls working hard towards your goal.

im admit, im not the sharpest tool in the shed, but this strategy has worked for me!

 

[whoaaitzkyle]

I'm a third year at Cal applying for the 2008 cycle for dental school. You have to learn how things work politically. In terms of undergrad, if you are aiming to go to a professional school it doesn't matter what school you go to as long as it's a 4 year accredited university. Going to Cal has only made me sacrifice that much more because of the immense competition. I think it is great you're thinking about your profession before you go to college. It is an admirable thing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. With that said, since you are mature enough to make such an important decision...do your research on undergrad schools. A GPA is a GPA and unfortunately that's how the admissions process is going to work. The weight they put on which school you go to is slim to none.

I wouldn't focus too much on doing dental stuff now. I would go into college with the idea of creating bonds with professors and try to get good letter of recommendations. Often times people are scrambling because they need 3 letters of rec's so they don't get good quality ones. Also, since you seem to be a very motivated individual, I would just focus on doing well on your lower division classes...after all it's going to come up again on your DAT! Also remember to have a little fun here and there. College is not just another step toward your career but also is a great experience to grow as a person. I think it's great your parents are encouraging you to think ahead...I think people should go into dentistry because they choose to and no other reason besides that.

 

[burgler09]

Truth is, you are doing good by thinking about this now, but don't worry too much about it. If you are still unsure I'm sure your parents will understand. Chances are, if you just decide because your parents are making you decide on something you will end up changing anyways.

Nothing through college is smooth lol. If you really enjoy science go into your major and do the best you possibly can, then when you are ready to make a career choice and apply for a professional school or graduate program you have the grades to be competitive to whatever you apply into. Don't worry so much as to what you are going to be now but more to the fact of working to allow yourself to have options down the road. If you TRULY want to be a dentist go for it, a biology major is good but there is a lot of Chemistry so think about that too 🙂

I decided my what I was going to be in highschool my freshman year ( a computer programmer, then my senior year I decided I was going to be an architect) Now look where I am 🙂 Don't put too much emphasis on it, work more on the present and keep your grades up.

 

[Streetwolf]

As long as they send you to a good college just don't worry about what you want to be quite yet.

Spend your first year:

-Getting all As
-Taking a variety of courses that interest you
-Deciding which courses you enjoy best and follow that path

Honestly most pre-dents just end up taking Gen-Chem first year anyhow so as long as you include that in your schedule you'll still be on the pre-dent track. And if you realize that's not what you want to do, you'll hopefully have taken some other courses that lead you in the right direction to whatever you DO what to do in life.