Sociology Major

[AmalA]

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So I am going to be graduating from a state university this spring. I was a bio major but due to personal issues I could not keep up with the material and dropped the major and applied for Sociology. I really enjoy this major and did really well in the courses. However I am very passionate about Dentistry and would like to pursue dental school. What would be a good route for me to take to pursue my dreams into getting into a dental school. I feel that I am much more focused and ready to complete my prereqs (bio/chem/phys/ochem) within the coming years.

please help. I would really appreciate some feedback and guidance into getting back on track for dental school

 

[sgv]

You can major in whatever you want. But first you need the highest GPA that you can get for just your prerequisite courses, second you have to maintain the highest overall GPA possible, and third you need the highest DAT score you can get. Sprinkle in some stuff so it looks like you're on a track to being a good dentist via community service and leadership activities or on a track to becoming a fulltime professor via research and teaching exp. If you ask me what I think is more important, research or community service, I'm going to say community service. Even if you become an researcher, you will first and foremost be, a dentist. Professorship is second. With that said, research still looks heck of a lot more impressive than community service. If you do this, you have a decent shot at any category of schools (Ivy, UC, or state). THIS IS SOME OBVIOUS STUFF.

I'm going to go on a limb and assume you have a low GPA so you've got yourself an uphill battle...just saying you're passionate about anything won't cut it for the interview...learn to better articulate your thoughts bro...I'm also passionate about coffee but you won't see me working at Starbucks...

Also sociology is weak sauce. If you study something easy, dental school is going to take a s**t on you. Imagine classes and lab from 8 to 5 while taking 30 credits a semester. Copping out this early in college can be a big no no sign that you're probably going to do the same thing in dental school, except you'll repeat a year instead of changing majors. If you do major in sociology, you better destroy your prereq's and the DAT.

 

[AmalA]

You can major in whatever you want. But first you need the highest GPA that you can get for just your prerequisite courses, second you have to maintain the highest overall GPA possible, and third you need the highest DAT score you can get. Sprinkle in some stuff so it looks like you're on a track to being a good dentist via community service and leadership activities or on a track to becoming a fulltime professor via research and teaching exp. If you ask me what I think is more important, research or community service, I'm going to say community service. Even if you become an researcher, you will first and foremost be, a dentist. Professorship is second. With that said, research still looks heck of a lot more impressive than community service. If you do this, you have a decent shot at any category of schools (Ivy, UC, or state). THIS IS SOME OBVIOUS STUFF.

I'm going to go on a limb and assume you have a low GPA so you've got yourself an uphill battle...just saying you're passionate about anything won't cut it for the interview...learn to better articulate your thoughts bro...I'm also passionate about coffee but you won't see me working at Starbucks...

Also sociology is weak sauce. If you study something easy, dental school is going to take a s**t on you. Imagine classes and lab from 8 to 5 while taking 30 credits a semester. Copping out this early in college can be a big no no sign that you're probably going to do the same thing in dental school, except you'll repeat a year instead of changing majors. If you do major in sociology, you better destroy your prereq's and the DAT.

Yes i did screw up first couple years. However i am more back on track and more focused. I am currently working on researches and getting some work published in the health field. I also have done a lot of work with dentist (private care and gov/fed dental care). I have also attended ADA conferences with the dentist i have worked it.
I really want to pursue dentistry, but would like some further guidance and IF dentistry is still a good option for me.

 

[sgv]

The idea of how to get into dental school is super straightforward and easy to grasp. Actually carrying it out takes hard work. Only you know if you have the capacity to put in the hours. I also have no idea if dentistry is a good option for you based on the five sentences you gave me.

As long as you have the ability to be above a 3.0-3.3 GPA by averaging near 4.0 the rest of your college years, dentistry is still a career option. Figure what the heck you want in a career. Straightfoward stuff. Know yourself and be confident in your career choice. You can only muster the stamina and willpower to study hard if you have a good enough reason for putting in the effort. For some people, it's the cushy lifestyle of a dentist. For others, it's for more [psychological] reasons. The [pyschological] reasons are, in my opinion, the more powerful of the two and I left it intentionally vague so you can figure out what the heck it is for you. You absolutely cannot appear wishy washy when it comes to interviews. You should be just as confident in your career choice the day you first decide what it is and the day of your interview. Listing a bunch of do's and don'ts won't help you if you haven't yet proven yourself as a very capable person, let alone a prospective healthcare provider. Work on that first and to be honest, it involves more introspection and self critiquing than anything else. A very corny advice is to write in a physical note, all your shortcomings on one side and then all the changes you'll make to fix them on the other side. I made a similar list involving specific goals my first year of college and have crossed out all but one by the end of college. "You can only improve what you can measure."

 

[Inci-dental]

Just show them an upward trend. Just like sgv said, try to get 4.0 every semester from now on. I'm a psych major and got a C+ in bio 1 and a W in chem 1 my freshman year, but then got straight A's in all my other classes and got into Columbia. Try hard from now on and you will definitely make it

 

[LizLemongrab]

I feel your pain. I left chemE for political science for personal reasons myself. It's not unwise to buffer your overall GPA with something you enjoy and find easy. Just make sure you ace your pre-reqs and take some additional upper division biology courses. I even failed ochem1 and then got a B+ when I retook it. I took a C in anatomy, B in human physiology, C+ in physics 1 my first time around, you get the idea. I was by no means a straight A student until I started blocking out my classes such that I only did one disciplinary area per term. My final two semesters in school were 42 credits of biology and chemistry coursework with 3.8+ GPAs for each semester and the year.

That style might not necessarily work for you though. I think you need to take an inventory of where you are now, what you want out of life, and how you realistically think you could get those things by occupation, community involvement, and recreational activities. A lot of universities have career aptitude exams that are free for students. It might help if you are having trouble deciding between very different paths. I almost applied to law school with a rather strong LSAT score until I found out that the algorithm's idea of who would be most content with and successful in a law career is the diametric opposite of everything I am and believe in. The only careers that showed up as appropriate matches for me based on 5 categories were medical and dental specialties to include obstetrics, gynecology, prosthodontics, omfs, and perio. You'd be surprised at the odd level of specificity that can be provided. All things considered, between vaginas and mouths being sensitive places, only your very closest friends are going to reveal their excellent ob-gyn or dentist. Everyone likes an undiscovered gem... especially regarding those areas. Bear in mind that the algorithms are usually developed in hindsight using people who already are specific things and strongly favor people with very strong predilections. TMI tangent aside, I canned my law school applications and will be attending dental school starting this summer.

You are on the right track with shadowing and research. A popular field of research right now has been healthcare disparity research. If you can communicate a blend of biological and social sciences, this could be a good application of sociology for you to think about. There are lots of papers floating around if this sounds appealing to you.

I am assuming the personal issues have been resolved so, build back that confidence with a plan to make it happen if that's what you truly want. Start small with a routine, get somewhere between 6-9 hrs of sleep per night, eat healthy, and develop efficient study strategies that work for you. Set realistic goals. 4.0s each term would be great, but a 3.5 or 3.7 and an upward trajectory is still respectable. Just don't beat yourself up when you miss the mark by a few points. I got in with a 3.06 or 3.07 sGPA.