Should I continue pre-dental? (Please advise)

[lifeohlife]

I hate thinking about this, but at times like this I question myself committing into dentistry.
Every since I was 10 I always wanted to become a dentist. And I worked by butt off in high school to get into a really good university so that I could be a step further into achieving my dreams. I did, and I thought I would be happy. But right now I am so unhappy. I'm always depressed. I feel so lost.

(Please note that my parents aren't even making me do this. If anything, they wanted me to go into finance. lol)

So I'm struggling so much in my science classes (getting C's and D's), and just breezing through in courses that aren't even related to my field of interest (solid A's).
I have a really low GPA (2.4) as a sophomore, and was planning to go into postbac after I graduate. I'm really aiming to reach a 3.0 gpa by the end of senior year...but I keep losing my mental strength...it comes and goes (my motivation). Whenever I receive a bad grade in these science classes, I die a little inside and just want to run away from life. I'm not even a bit interested in the material I am learning.
But then later I try to stand up and try again. This cycle literally keeps on repeating, and I'm just wondering how much longer I am going to last.

I understand that dental school will be even harsher, but I keep believing that I may enjoy it more since it will be more focused on...well teeth and physical practice. But to get there I have to excel in these boring prerequisites.
And I honestly can't imagine myself doing anything else. I'm literally not interested in anything else besides dentistry. But I'm failing so hard right now!!

I probably sound so immature right now, but if someone could just tell me what I should do so that I could get my head straight that would be appreciated. I'm just a depressed wacko right now.

Please give me constructive criticism. Thanks again.

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[JLT223]

You said it yourself, you aren't even interested in anything you're learning. Dental school will only be tougher. What attracted you to dentistry? It's heavily based in biology and to succeed you need to have at least some interest in it, otherwise you're going to be miserable. I'd take some time to really think about what you want out of a career and to see if dentistry fits that mold. I'm not saying give up your dreams, but to re-examine your goals. And you would need a post bacc 100% if you go through with your decision to pursue dentistry.

 

[lifeohlife]

@JLT223 - I mean I guess what I am learning is somewhat interesting. I do have several "oooh ah. I didn't know that before" moments when I study biology or chem. It's just not OFTEN. lol
But to be honest, nothing really interests me. Even the classes I excel in...I don't find it "interesting". It's just easier. Like for me, writing a 12 page paper on a philosophical topic or literature is 10x easier than studying for a nuero exam. Definitely. Oh yes.

I have really steady hands (I paint, draw, play piano, and do crafts) and so I am interested in the practicing part of dentistry.
I have shadowed dentists, and I just love their job!

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

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[Cranjis McBasketball]

Dental schools don't just require these classes to make sure you understand their concepts.. They want to get a grasp on if you can handle a rigorous academic schedule and if you know how to learn and study. You're not going to love every class. I hate organic chemistry, but you just gotta push through for the end result.

 

[Myce]

I hate thinking about this, but at times like this I question myself committing into dentistry.
Every since I was 10 I always wanted to become a dentist. And I worked by butt off in high school to get into a really good university so that I could be a step further into achieving my dreams. I did, and I thought I would be happy. But right now I am so unhappy. I'm always depressed. I feel so lost.

(Please note that my parents aren't even making me do this. If anything, they wanted me to go into finance. lol)

So I'm struggling so much in my science classes (getting C's and D's), and just breezing through in courses that aren't even related to my field of interest (solid A's).
I have a really low GPA (2.4) as a sophomore, and was planning to go into postbac after I graduate. I'm really aiming to reach a 3.0 gpa by the end of senior year...but I keep losing my mental strength...it comes and goes (my motivation). Whenever I receive a bad grade in these science classes, I die a little inside and just want to run away from life. I'm not even a bit interested in the material I am learning.
But then later I try to stand up and try again. This cycle literally keeps on repeating, and I'm just wondering how much longer I am going to last.

I understand that dental school will be even harsher, but I keep believing that I may enjoy it more since it will be more focused on...well teeth and physical practice. But to get there I have to excel in these boring prerequisites.
And I honestly can't imagine myself doing anything else. I'm literally not interested in anything else besides dentistry. But I'm failing so hard right now!!

I probably sound so immature right now, but if someone could just tell me what I should do so that I could get my head straight that would be appreciated. I'm just a depressed wacko right now.

Please give me constructive criticism. Thanks again.

What I think you should do is take a couple of years off after graduation and work/volunteer (AmeriCorps/Peace Corps), etc. You need a break to reflect on what you did in college and what you need to do to prepare to apply to dental school. It's okay to not follow the same path as your classmates who enter professional schools right after college. Working and volunteering for a couple of years will give you a better and different perspective on life and, perhaps, help you apply your life experiences to what you're learning in the classroom. It will also give you a better appreciation for your post-bacc science classes.

I'm a non-traditional student who had never really been good at the sciences in undergrad, but when I took my pre-reqs after working and volunteering for a while, I found that I was able to relate a lot of my real-life experiences to what I was learning in the classroom. For example, many of my classmates in dental school hated physics, but I loved it because as an older student, I was able to see beyond the equations and abstract concepts and relate it to everyday things like motors, circuit boards, and pacemakers/defibrillators, etc. My work and volunteer experiences gave me a better appreciation for what I was learning, which made the subjects more interesting to learn.

I wish you luck on your journey to becoming a dentist.

 

[pgex2t]

Went through a similar slump as you did in undergrad. Failing depressed me so much that Pepsi was okay. I recovered my gpa to an extent my final year, but clearly still needed a post-bacc or masters. After applying, I can honestly say that I associated my failures in the classroom with my commitment to dentistry at the time (most of these failures were self-inflicted) and that I didn't lose interest after all-just confidence. When a term or cumulative gpa drops below 3 consistently, you know that fundamentally something is wrong. I advise you study your learning habits and figure out how you're approaching preparation for your classes incorrectly. Find academic help; go to office hours or tutor centers if your school has those. You're only a sophomore so you still have time to recover and not (absolutely) require a post-bacc. For now, just try to mitigate the damage until Summer when you can really take an introspective look at yourself and how you're approaching your education.

Best of luck

 

[jokersmiles]

Your problem is that you give up too easily. You don't study hard enough because you aren't "interested" in the material.
If you give up like that without giving it your all then you are your greatest enemy. How will you know your potential if you never work towards reaching it?
Its one thing to study so hard that you stress out and lose sleep but still score Ds and Cs, its another thing to not even try hard if its not interesting.
There is no key to earning good grades in biology classes, its all memorization. The more time and effort you put into going to the library and studying,
the stronger your results will be. Don't complain about classes being uninteresting, everyone has to take general education requirements even though
none of that would ever relate to being a dentist, you just have to work through it and try your absolute best.

You need to finish strong for undergrad and then get a masters degree along with a 21+ on your DAT to prove to dental schools that you can
handle the curriculum and that this truly is your lifelong dream. I wish you the best and good luck.