TWO QUESTIONS: 1) if i hate/am horrible at physics, should i go into dentistry? 2) can i major in a non-science major? more details below lol

[pragmaticc]

hs senior looking to possibly do pre-dent. sorry for the long post. i sincerely appreciate any help lol!!

1) if i hate/am horrible at physics, should i go into dentistry?

bio and chem are fine by me, but physics.... just... gosh. horrible. one of the most difficult subjects i've ever faced in my life. my intelligence lies more in humanities-related qualitative analysis type of stuff anyway, so while chem (which is simple-math-adjacent in terms of the thinking approach, & i'm good at math) and bio (which isn't too hard conceptually) are ok w me, physics, which RELIES on this very quantitative type of critical thinking, is just ..... awful. ik the practice of dentistry doesnt exactly require a super complex understanding of physics throughout your actual career, but physics is obviously a huge part of undergrad.​

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to be fully honest, i am pursuing dentistry with "practical" purposes in mind. dentistry is attractive to me because i feel that it has a good work-life balance, a good salary, and because my mother and uncle are both dentists (so i have the ability to get some family guidance, i guess). i also would love to be in a profession where i'm directly interacting with & helping people (and dentistry fits this). also, if i decide to start a clinic, dentistry is one of the BEST professions for that (since it's always needed by everyone). (on a more trivial note, my mother also says that being artistic - which i am - is super crucial in dentistry, but not sure if she's exaggerating haha. she's not artistic and always pushes me towards dentistry because she thinks i'll enjoy it more than she does.)​

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i'm not passionate about dentistry itself per se, nor am i passionate about science as a field of study. if money were no object, i'd probably do something like sociology or political science in undergrad and then work for nonprofits or think tanks or in community help type of work (organizing in the community, setting up programs, activism, doing research that would benefit my community, etc). i would, however, like to be financially secure, so dentistry seems to be the most attractive option right now considering everything i said in the paragraph before this one.​

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still, i don't know if i'm being unrealistic. sure, if i jump from this second to, like, eight years from now when i'm magically a dentist, all of the pros i stated would be true. but physics is a subject i truly can't stand, which will kind of bomb my gpa. i also don't LIKE bio, even if i'm okay with it. chemistry is the only science subject that i actually like. is dentistry right for me, or am i looking at this career through a narrow vision that isn't actually considering MY interests/strengths/weaknesses?​

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2) can i major in a non-science major?

"yes," the comments will say. "you can."​

i know i technically can, but i'm asking, like, practically. if i do a non-science major, it won't be economics or business or something. it'll be some social science. so my two questions are:​

1) is it achievable to meet dent prereqs, pursue good extracurriculars, do research, AND get a good gpa in my actual major as a non-science major? or should i just do bio or chem or something?​

2) do "good" dental schools look down on non-science majors? i feel like having an idk english or sociology or poli sci or philosophy degree will reflect as a lack of rigor and maybe "cheapen" my gpa even if it's good.​

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[Dr Dimbsa]

Wow this is a lot to unpack lol but okay let me try to state this briefly and clearly.

1. Don’t count yourself out of dentistry because you struggle in high school level physics. Your study habits will change in college and even if you don’t do great in physics you can still get into dental school and be a good dentist, etc.

2. You can major in whatever your heart desires. Many dental students in my class were non science majors and are some of the brightest and most capable people I’ve met. You can definitely still get your pre reqs done, research and all that, just talk to your advisor when you get one and they’ll help you with all that. If anything, dental schools like diversity and seeing non-science majors is always interesting to them and a good talking point at interviews.

3… the big one… Please do not go into dentistry if you don’t like it. And definitely do not go into it for the money. It’s awesome that you have family in dentistry so you can shadow them as much as you want. Go and do that. Also shadow dentists that aren’t your family so you can see how they do things. See if you like that type of work and if you can imagine yourself do it. Go on a dental service trip in college. If you still don’t find dentistry interesting and you are more interested in another line of work… DO NOT waste your time! If making money is all you really want (which is fine), go into finance! You can get your bachelors and get a cushy job making 6 figs right out of school. Dental school is EXPENSIVE and getting through the pre-dental stuff and dental school grind is HARD.

You’re young and you got lots of time to think. Go to college and explore different career paths, if dentistry is what you land on then great, if not, fine. Don’t do something cause your family does it or cause it pays decently.

 

[pragmaticc]

thank you so much! i really really appreciate your insight!!! i'll look into doing a service trip & shadowing. i'll definitely seriously consider whether i enjoy dentistry after i start studying it in college + shadowing. again, ty!!

 

[doc toothache]

Trend in Undergraduate Majors 2005-2012

ADEA made a change in the way undergraduate majors are reported. It has dropped math and computer sciences, education, language/humanities/arts, pre-dentistry and other. It has added health professions and related programs, psychology, parks/recreation/leisure/fitness studies, family and...

forums.studentdoctor.net

 

[Ajav]

hs senior looking to possibly do pre-dent. sorry for the long post. i sincerely appreciate any help lol!!

1) if i hate/am horrible at physics, should i go into dentistry?

bio and chem are fine by me, but physics.... just... gosh. horrible. one of the most difficult subjects i've ever faced in my life. my intelligence lies more in humanities-related qualitative analysis type of stuff anyway, so while chem (which is simple-math-adjacent in terms of the thinking approach, & i'm good at math) and bio (which isn't too hard conceptually) are ok w me, physics, which RELIES on this very quantitative type of critical thinking, is just ..... awful. ik the practice of dentistry doesnt exactly require a super complex understanding of physics throughout your actual career, but physics is obviously a huge part of undergrad.​

​

to be fully honest, i am pursuing dentistry with "practical" purposes in mind. dentistry is attractive to me because i feel that it has a good work-life balance, a good salary, and because my mother and uncle are both dentists (so i have the ability to get some family guidance, i guess). i also would love to be in a profession where i'm directly interacting with & helping people (and dentistry fits this). also, if i decide to start a clinic, dentistry is one of the BEST professions for that (since it's always needed by everyone). (on a more trivial note, my mother also says that being artistic - which i am - is super crucial in dentistry, but not sure if she's exaggerating haha. she's not artistic and always pushes me towards dentistry because she thinks i'll enjoy it more than she does.)​

​

i'm not passionate about dentistry itself per se, nor am i passionate about science as a field of study. if money were no object, i'd probably do something like sociology or political science in undergrad and then work for nonprofits or think tanks or in community help type of work (organizing in the community, setting up programs, activism, doing research that would benefit my community, etc). i would, however, like to be financially secure, so dentistry seems to be the most attractive option right now considering everything i said in the paragraph before this one.​

​

still, i don't know if i'm being unrealistic. sure, if i jump from this second to, like, eight years from now when i'm magically a dentist, all of the pros i stated would be true. but physics is a subject i truly can't stand, which will kind of bomb my gpa. i also don't LIKE bio, even if i'm okay with it. chemistry is the only science subject that i actually like. is dentistry right for me, or am i looking at this career through a narrow vision that isn't actually considering MY interests/strengths/weaknesses?​

​

2) can i major in a non-science major?

"yes," the comments will say. "you can."​

i know i technically can, but i'm asking, like, practically. if i do a non-science major, it won't be economics or business or something. it'll be some social science. so my two questions are:​

1) is it achievable to meet dent prereqs, pursue good extracurriculars, do research, AND get a good gpa in my actual major as a non-science major? or should i just do bio or chem or something?​

2) do "good" dental schools look down on non-science majors? i feel like having an idk english or sociology or poli sci or philosophy degree will reflect as a lack of rigor and maybe "cheapen" my gpa even if it's good.​

​

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You may need to do a postbaccalaureate if you feel your non-science degree doesn't prepare you adequately. There are lots of postbacc opportunities available.