What to major in as a pre-dental student?

[paymaant]

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Hey Everyone,

I am currently a sophomore and I am going to declare as a General Biology major. However I was wondering if it would help my chances at all if I double majored or major/minor. Do most people do either one of these or do they just choose to go down one path? What did you all major in? What is the advantage of major/minor or double majoring? I would appreciate some input.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

Hey Everyone,

I am currently a sophomore and I am going to declare as a General Biology major. However I was wondering if it would help my chances at all if I double majored or major/minor. Do most people do either one of these or do they just choose to go down one path? What did you all major in? What is the advantage of major/minor or double majoring? I would appreciate some input.

Check my predents for my major/minor.

If I had to do it all over again I would've double majored... Biochem/WST

 

[FLOSS UR TEETH]

chemistry wouldn't be a bad minor at all or second major.. do you have any other interests tho? art? english? all good.. be well rounded but also choose classes that will help you with your future goals

 

[wizi]

Hey Everyone,

I am currently a sophomore and I am going to declare as a General Biology major. However I was wondering if it would help my chances at all if I double majored or major/minor. Do most people do either one of these or do they just choose to go down one path? What did you all major in? What is the advantage of major/minor or double majoring? I would appreciate some input.

If you dont know what you should majoring in then choose a major that guarantee you a 3.5+ sGPA.

 

[ddslove789]

Do something that you LOVE! There's no sense in majoring/minoring in something that you don't like... you won't be able to do as well as you could and dental schools will see that. In fact, you truly don't have to major in a science if you don't want to, as long as you take all the pre-reqs and enough upper div bio classes to satisfy dental school requirements. Realistically speaking, however, it is often easiest to do this if you do major in a life science. Like FLOSS said, being well-rounded is something that dental schools do look for, so if you have other interests, then perhaps pursue them as your minor if you are enjoying bio as a major.

 

[UltimateHombre]

If you dont know what you should majoring in then choose a major that guarantee you a 3.5+ sGPA.

+1 best advice hands down.

Do something that interests you so you will succeed more academically. Either way GPA wins over major any day!!!

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=813958

 

[MrAvicii]

biology is the typical major. or you can do psychology as well.

 

[bellos]

If you decide on biology, it would be worth your time to see what classes are required for a Chemistry minor. I say this because I qualified for a chemistry minor simply by doing the required classes for my biology major. Because of this I also did a psychology minor. The most common piece of advice in this thread is also the best advice: do what you like. It is equally, if not more important that you choose something you will excel in, because you will have to take the pre-dental classes anyway, so you might as well do yourself a favor and keep your GPA as high as possible, with the least amount of effort necessary.

 

[preOMFS]

You can major in anything you want, as long as you also complete the science prereqs. If you find something interesting that is non science (i.e. business, international relations) it may make you stand out more and allow you to write an interesting personal statement.

 

[setupben]

I have to agree with the others here, do something you enjoy!!! Even if you have to spend an extra year doing it. This will increase your GPA (since you enjoy it), set you apart, and you won't hate the next 4 years of your life.

I don't think you will ever regret doing what you love.

 

[Contach]

Here are some thoughts.

(1) pick a major that has the least possible required courses. This will free up space in your schedule to do (a) pre-reqs for d-school and (b) easy courses that will allow you to increase your GPA, have time for extracurriculars, and spend more time on those pesky science pre-reqs that often have thousands of students in them, and tend to scale/weed out students.

(2) pick a major that you are interested in, so you can do well in the courses and you are motivated to study.

(3) A faculty at my school suggested that all pre-dental students pick a major in theatre or drama. He claims that this helps you interact with patients, and if you can sell your services as a dentist, you will do very well (moneywise), in addition to your patients being more likely to accept your recommended (often-times the most expensive) and surely the one with the best prognosis.

He claims this is the hardest thing in dentistry.
I highly suggest you take all the courses you need to take the DAT before you take it. It will help tremendously in my opinion. Some schools may not require certain courses like organic chemistry. But organic chemistry will help you on the DAT - so it's probably a good idea to take it.

some things to think about...

 

[doc toothache]

A faculty at my school suggested that all pre-dental students pick a major in theatre or drama. He claims that this helps you interact with patients, and if you can sell your services as a dentist, you will do very well (moneywise), in addition to your patients being more likely to accept your recommended (often-times the most expensive) and surely the one with the best prognosis.

He claims this is the hardest thing in dentistry.
I highly suggest you take all the courses you need to take the DAT before you take it. It will help tremendously in my opinion. Some schools may not require certain courses like organic chemistry. But organic chemistry will help you on the DAT - so it's probably a good idea to take it.

The only thing that may top theater is to get plenty of experience selling used cars. Way to go disseminating misinformation about organic chemistry requirement.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=791511

 

[nondescriptive]

I think people should pick a major they enjoy, although being a science major will probably make dental school easier. The only thing required is the pre-reqs and I think you're good to go(I recommend additional upper sciences). I've seen business majors, electrical engineers, art majors, etc. get into dental school. The most important thing is GPA, DAT, and EC.

 

[Contach]

The only thing that may top theater is to get plenty of experience selling used cars. Way to go disseminating misinformation about organic chemistry requirement.
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=791511

It was an example to get my point across. There are other courses that can help you with the DAT but may not be pre-req's. But I do remember some Canadian dental schools not requiring orgo.
http://www.dentistry.dal.ca/prospective/DDS/DDSRequirements.html
and McGill only requires a half a year of orgo: http://www.mcgill.ca/dentistry/prospective/undergrad/dmd

 

[ViviPreDent]

as other posters have said, follow your interests! major in WHATEVER you want to! it will not only broaden your horizons and make you a happier student, but it will also show adcoms a little more about who you are and help distinguish you from thousands of other applicants.

i doubled in neurobiology and studio art. best decision i made in college! i've always loved art so it was SO much fun to include it in my curriculum. do what you think is fun! 🙂

 

[slm266]

Get out of undergrad ASAP by doing a major that fills your prereqs, prepares you for DAT and dental school.

Taking nonessential classes in a nontraditional major just prolongs your undergrad time, increases your debt, and can make you apply a whole cycle later.