Starting First Semester of College

[HSenior]

Hey all, I just recently graduated from S and I'm getting ready to register for classes for the Fall.

Aside from the basics such as English 101 and Algebra, what do you recommend I take? I don't waste any time with BS classes. After 90 credits I will begin to apply at Dental schools, so what classes do you think D-schools would like to see on my transcript?

The school I want to go to (U of MD) has 41 credits of classes you must take, what should I do with the other 49 credits before I start applying for D-schools?

 

[HSenior]

I forgot to add that I will be working full time until about a month into the semester.

 

[4thMolar]

General biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and some core bio courses should be taken during your first 2 years. Try to take a good amount of science courses, as that will be what you will take in dental school. For the rest of your credits you'll need to take electives that are necessary for your particular major. Try looking into sculpture classes as well, and of course your english and math courses. Once you get into your junior and senior years you can take upper level science courses such as embryology, histology, biochem, etc.

 

[enfuego]

You'll have all your gen ed requirements, and you'll have all the requirements for your major. If you're a science major, some of those courses may overlap with pre-dent requirements. There are upper-level bio courses that are also recommended for us (anatomy, physio, biochem, etc).

If you look at requirements for different schools, some of them do want to see some social sciences like psychology, sociology, etc. Some will give a broad list of electives you could consider, but they pretty much cover every topic. Dental schools like to see that you're well-rounded. Some people say art classes are good to work on your manual dexterity.

I completely understand not wanting to waste time in random classes, but undergrad is a good opportunity to learn about things you would not study otherwise - even if it's just a couple classes here or there. Dental school is going to be all science all the time. If you're going to expand your horizons, undergrad is the time to do it. I mean, I took this one random class and it ended up having a huge impact on my life. You may learn just as much by reading a book in your free time and teaching yourself, but it's just not the same as interacting with a good professor and having discussions with your classmates.