Will dental schools disapprove?

[specialksereal]

So, I have recently decided I want to change my major from Biology to Psychology, and my minor will remain Chemistry. I want psychology because, if I do not get into dental school, I would rather continue education through psychology. Is this a bad idea, and will this decrease my chances of dental school? No final decisions have been made on my part, so please help!

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[dentalWorks]

it should not hurt you at all. whatever major you pick in undergrad will not hurt you chances.

I used to worry about this very thing Cause I am a non-traditional with a computer science background... EVERY SINGLE dental school I spoke to pretty much said the thing same that they don't care about my major / minor just as long as I got the right GPA / grades

 

[Frederico Albin]

Dentals schools don't really care what kind of degree you have... just make sure you get all of the pre-requesites and you are good... dont major in biology just because thats what most people do before they go to dental school... do something that interests you and makes you happy while in undergrad... something that might give you a second option if in case you're not accepted. In your case... I think you made a good decision changing your program.

Just ask yourself... If not dental school... what would interest me the most? and go on from there...

 

[SuperTank]

Dentals schools don't really care what kind of degree you have... just make sure you get all of the pre-requesites and you are good... dont major in biology just because thats what most people do before they go to dental school... do something that interests you and makes you happy while in undergrad... something that might give you a second option if in case you're not accepted. In your case... I think you made a good decision changing your program.

Just ask yourself... If not dental school... what would interest me the most? and go on from there...

No, dental schools don't care what your major is. If you want to major in biology, do it, even if it is the most popular major. I majored in Biology, and it wasn't addressed at either of my interviews.

 

[MatthewLeeDDS]

So, I have recently decided I want to change my major from Biology to Psychology, and my minor will remain Chemistry. I want psychology because, if I do not get into dental school, I would rather continue education through psychology. Is this a bad idea, and will this decrease my chances of dental school? No final decisions have been made on my part, so please help!

I actually think this is a wise move on your part. You don't have to tell dental schools that you chose psychology as a 'back-up plan'. I can't imagine they'd care one way or another anyway, but if they ask just tell them that you enjoy psychology! There are several things that will decrease your chances of getting into dental school, and picking a major that you enjoy is not one of them

 

[Frederico Albin]

No, dental schools don't care what your major is. If you want to major in biology, do it, even if it is the most popular major. I majored in Biology, and it wasn't addressed at either of my interviews.

You misundertood what my point was... the guy was concerned if swiching programs was going to affect him at all... and I just said "they dont care what degree you have" because you can apply to dental school no matter what you studied in undergrad, not because they are not going to look at what kind of degree you applied with. The rest of your comment is pretty much the second part of what I said up there. Do something that interests you... "even if it is the most common major among pre-dental students" I guess i should have added this to my first post to clear things up. Why would they address anything about a biology degree anyway? Pretty much everyone knows whats in a bio program...

 

[SuperTank]

dont major in biology just because thats what most people do before they go to dental school...

You're right, I didn't understand what you were trying to say. I thought you were advising people not to major in Biology, as many pre dents do this. But I see now you were advising people to not let their choice of a major be determined by what many other people choose (Biology).

 

[doc toothache]

So, I have recently decided I want to change my major from Biology to Psychology, and my minor will remain Chemistry. I want psychology because, if I do not get into dental school, I would rather continue education through psychology. Is this a bad idea, and will this decrease my chances of dental school? No final decisions have been made on my part, so please help!

It is always wise to choose a field that one enjoys. Who knows, you might even decide not to pursue dentistry.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=701115

 

[imtwotired]

do NOT, under ANY circumstances, give the admissions committee reason to believe you are not 100% devoted to dentistry. Choose the major you enjoy and if asked, simply explain why you enjoyed those classes. If they ask you what you will do if you don't get in, THE correct answer is that you will do whatever it takes to make yourself a more competitive applicant and reapply the next year.

 

[peterngu]

While all the above advice sounds great, I'd also recommend taking a look at whether the schools of your choice "recommend" taking certain advanced undergraduate bio courses, and consider taking them while pursuing a non-bio degree.

 

[Mte123]

I just got in with the same thing: Psych major and chem minor. They didn't even know about the minor because there is nowhere on the application to put that on. The only downside to not majoring in bio is i didn't have the required bios to apply to my state school...

 

[progter]

do not choose psych as a "backup"

it takes years of research experience, publications and national conference presentations to be considered for grad school in psych. Something that dental school does not require.

If you fail to get into dental school, you will most definitely never gain admission to a respectable psych phd program.

now if you want to study psych as a UG because it interests you then great, whatever helps you get the highest GPA, but don't think "oh if i dont get in dental school i will just hop on in to grad school in psych." Won't happen. People spend their entire college careers and then some to get into those programs. No psych admission board will ever let you in when you say "I studied psych as a backup and am applying because i didnt get into dental school"

 

[UKdreams]

To be honest I am the same as you.. I majored in psych, did research in psych and so forth. Don't let him fool you about getting into psych grad school. If you're going for a Psy.D program, I would even go as far to say that research is not a requirement since it is more counseling based. However, if you're going more towards Ph.D, then research is necessary. Not only research, but you must come up with your own research, carry it out and be able to explain it. In addition, perform well on the GRE, etc. As far as looking bad changing your majors, ALMOST EVERYONE DOES IT!! Look at all of the non-traditional students that enter dental schools. I am sure admissions committees ask them if they will get tired of dentistry and quit like they quit their old job. Don't worry about switching, do it if that's what you want. I love having interesting classes, taking pre-reqs and giving myself a break on 24/7 hard sciences. When dental school comes, I do not want to be so burnt out on it to begin with..

 

[progter]

take a look at the clinical psych phd/psyd programs there buddy

no one is getting into a good psyd program w/o research. You still do research in a psyd, just not as much.

now if you want to go somewhere like Argosy then yea, maybe you dont need research. But like I said, if you cant get into dental school, you wont get into a respectable psych grad program.

period.

 

[Mte123]

Just to put it out there: So do some psych research. It will even boost your DENTAL application...