Was Thinking About Majoring in Biomedical Engineering Before Going to Dental School, But...

[Lo&Behold]

Okay, so I'm 17 years old and I just finished my first semester at The University of Arizona. My current major is undecided engineering. I know that it might be a little late, but after some more research, I realized that it's very challenging to get admitted to a dental school after majoring in Biomed, due to the difficulty of the courses that might lower your GPA. So, I'm trying to consider other options that are more helpful and in the field that I'm trying to pursue. Any suggestions?

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[neoexile]

Okay, so I'm 17 years old and I just finished my first semester at The University of Arizona. My current major is undecided engineering. I know that it might be a little late, but after some more research, I realized that it's very challenging to get admitted to a dental school after majoring in Biomed, due to the difficulty of the courses that might lower your GPA. So, I'm trying to consider other options that are more helpful and in the field that I'm trying to pursue. Any suggestions?

A lot of my friends did Biology/Biochemistry in college before going to medical school. However, I would strongly advise you not to choose a major because it's "easier". The problem with this line of thought is you want a major that will prepare you for the real world and if you indeed do go to medical school, there will be no course that will be "easy" per se.

It's better that you choose a field that YOU are interested in, regardless of difficulty, and push yourself to be as successful at that as you can. That's how you find success in any field.

 

[Lo&Behold]

A lot of my friends did Biology/Biochemistry in college before going to medical school. However, I would strongly advise you not to choose a major because it's "easier". The problem with this line of thought is you want a major that will prepare you for the real world and if you indeed do go to medical school, there will be no course that will be "easy" per se.

It's better that you choose a field that YOU are interested in, regardless of difficulty, and push yourself to be as successful at that as you can. That's how you find success in any field.

Thanks for your input! While I do agree with you, to be honest, I'm not really into biomedical engineering that much. In fact, I'm not sure about what I'm actually interested in, other than becoming a dentist. I was looking at biomedical engineering as a way to get into dental school, nothing more. The good thing about that plan was that I had a backup in case I changed my mind for some reason, or simply didn't get admitted to a dental school. But I'll take a closer look at Biology and Biochemistry as a change. Thanks again!

 

[tiper15]

Agreed with neoexile. You'll make more out of your undergraduate experience with choosing a major you enjoy, even if it is difficult. I'm in biochemistry and I would much rather have to take the harder but more interesting courses vs. a health science major, for example. Also, you are in first year so you have plenty of time to decide what your major is! I'm Canadian, so I'm not sure how big the differences are, but I've changed my major once and my minor 3 times.
Good luck and have fun!

 

[iLikeTrains]

Before I switched from bioengineering to biology at the end of my second year, I asked my bioengineering professor for advice. He told me I should stick with bioengineering because my GPA was high among engineers but low for dental school admissions. So, I do agree with you in how you should switch out of bioengineering ASAP if you want to save your GPA for dental school admissions.

Also, you only just finished your first semester, so it's possible for you to still take some time (Christmas break and possibly another semester?) to explore and figure out what you want to do -- ask your engineering friends, predental club members, dentists, and professors on what engineering and dentistry are really like.

Engineering will easily land you jobs starting in the $60-80k range. However, if you hastily switch to biology and end up not pursuing dentistry, your degree will land you in research labs for $40-50k or in Starbucks.

 

[neoexile]

Before I switched from bioengineering to biology at the end of my second year, I asked my bioengineering professor for advice. He told me I should stick with bioengineering because my GPA was high among engineers but low for dental school admissions. So, I do agree with you in how you should switch out of bioengineering ASAP if you want to save your GPA for dental school admissions.

Also, you only just finished your first semester, so it's possible for you to still take some time (Christmas break and possibly another semester?) to explore and figure out what you want to do -- ask your engineering friends, predental club members, dentists, and professors on what engineering and dentistry are really like.

Engineering will easily land you jobs starting in the $60-80k range. However, if you hastily switch to biology and end up not pursuing dentistry, your degree will land you in research labs for $40-50k or in Starbucks.

I like this, partially because I did Biomedical Engineering in my undergrad. 😀

 

[caffeine jitters]

I definitely agree with the sentiment that you should select a major based on what you're interested in! It is just an added bonus if it aligns with your desire to become a dentist by preparing you for things like the DAT, or by allowing you to keep your GPA high.

I just graduated yesterday with a degree in Exercise Physiology. It was an AWESOME choice for me because I am really interested in all things the human body as well as in maximizing sport performance. The bonus was that it really helped in preparing me for the Biology portion of my DAT.

 

[WolfsBane]

Okay, so I'm 17 years old and I just finished my first semester at The University of Arizona. My current major is undecided engineering. I know that it might be a little late, but after some more research, I realized that it's very challenging to get admitted to a dental school after majoring in Biomed, due to the difficulty of the courses that might lower your GPA. So, I'm trying to consider other options that are more helpful and in the field that I'm trying to pursue. Any suggestions?

I have to disagree with the others on this thread. I believe you should do what you like as @caffeinejitters said, but you should try to make sure you have the best opportunity to succeed. If you do the Biomed.. degree and think you may suffer and have a 3.2 DONT do it. It is very hard to get in with a 3.2 GPA. Switch to something you see your GPA being great in, in the science degrees. it's nice to have a cool undergrad degree, but you want to be a dentist, not an engineer.

 

[Dogtreats]

I have to disagree with the others on this thread. I believe you should do what you like as @caffeinejitters said, but you should try to make sure you have the best opportunity to succeed. If you do the Biomed.. degree and think you may suffer and have a 3.2 DONT do it. It is very hard to get in with a 3.2 GPA. Switch to something you see your GPA being great in, in the science degrees. it's nice to have a cool undergrad degree, but you want to be a dentist, not an engineer.

yeeeesss. I got a degree in Biochem and my GPA suffered because of it and I didn’t get in my first time. I wish I would have went with an easier major so my GPA was better, to be 100% honest. If I knew for sure dentistry is what I wanted to do from the start, I probably would have picked just a plain bio major to shoot for a 4.0. That’s just me though.

 

[Jueves]

I agree, disregarding the GPA and doing something you enjoy as the primary deciding factor is almost equivalent to the “choose your favorite D School regardless of cost” argument. Don’t shoot yourself in the foot. Was a bio major then realized that I could just switch to Liberal Arts and take History courses instead of Bird Genetics. Long story short spiked from a 3.2 to a 3.7 and am sitting on 5 interviews and a couple acceptances. I agree that you shouldn’t hate your major, but your goal is to be a Dentist, and GPA is important. If you don’t need to take the harder bio/chem course don’t do it, you’ll learn everything you need to know for the DAT during studying anyway. Don’t make the application process harder than it needs to be. It’ll only get more competitive GPA wise.

 

[caffeine jitters]

I just feel like majoring in a science in undergrad will help you to appreciate the bigger picture with regards to things we are taught in dental school. Making connections is a huge aspect of learning and I think that capability will lead to the production of more competent doctors that strive to learn even when they're practicing - not because they have to, but because they want to.