<p>Right now I am almost disregarding 4 and 5, because I believe they are way easier than the other majors, and while higher GPA sounds nice It wouldn't prepare me enough for the DAT, at least from what I believe.</p>
<p>Biology, biochemistry, and chemistry tend to be the worst in this aspect of the majors you listed; chemical engineering is usually the best, but if you are unlucky enough to graduate during an industry downturn, it might not be so great at the time.</p>
<p>For what it is worth, I was a Fine Arts major in undergrd. I was accepted to every dental school that I applied. An applicant must obviously have all of the pre-requisite science and math classes under their belt, but Dental Schools like “other” majors. Especially those that help an applicant develop social skills.</p>
<p>ham1010 I plan on double majoring in French and Spanish, my parents don’t think I can get in to Dental School if I major in a liberal art/ (fine art)… Was it hard for you?? I want to go to UPenn Dental or NYU?? :D</p>
<p>You are asking the wrong question. It isn’t about what major you had. It is about how you performed in the prereq classes. A religion major who got an A in chemistry can get in. They like diversity. If you are a physics major and you got a C in the required course, then the religion/philosophy majors are above you on the pecking order.</p>
<p>Correct. It does not matter what major. Doing well in the science classes you take is more important-having a science gpa above 3.0. Also, you need to show volunteer/interest in dentistry. If you have a dental clinic in a nearby hospital this may be a good way to volunteer.</p>
<p>Dental schools look for diversity. There is no required major for entrance into dental school. Just keep your grades up and score high on the DAT. The best major you can choose is clearly chemical engineering as this degree will provide you with the best opportuniites if you decide not to attend dental school.</p>
<p>Sorry for the absence. I thought this thread was dead. A lot of discussion about majors and courses needed to gain acceptance to dental school. Best advice that I can give is to choose a competitive school, get good grades in the core courses ( four chem, two calc, two physics, a few bio), and do well on the DAT. Most schools look for an overall ave. of 3.5-3.6 these days. So choose a major that you enjoy and will do well. You do NOT have to be a science major to gain acceptance to Dental (or Medical) school these days. In fact, most schools require some courses in the Humanities just to be considered. They want to see that you are more than a science geek. They want communication skills. I have seen that many schools also require meaningful volunteer/work experience in the field prior to applying. </p>
<p>Another important decision when looking at schools is cost. My advice is to choose a state school if possible as the cost has gotten out of control. Today most private schools are in the $60,000/year range…and that doesn’t include living expenses. In our state, a resident pays $35,000/year. The reality is that “Name” really has little impact on outcome of a graduate. Either the student has what it takes to succeed, or they don’t. Dentistry is dentistry. As long as the school is in good standing with the powers that be, it doesn’t matter where you get your training. I attended a very well regarded private dental school in New England and had no better education than my friends at the State schools…just saying. </p>
<p>So what is my kid doing to prepare for applying to dental school and follow in my steps? He is studying Fine Arts at a small, competitive liberal arts school. He has taken two calc, two bio, two intro Chem classes, and two Organic chem. Hopefully he will knock off two physics classes this summer at a local liberal arts college. Most importantly, he has worked in dental offices for the last five years during breaks and “shadowed” a bunch of colleagues in town. If he is lucky, he will get accepted to a “State” school and get out only $200,000 in debt. Good luck to everyone!</p>
<p>ham1010 - From your posts it seems like you live in MA or at least New England . If so which state school is your kid studying Fine Arts at? My daughter is a senior in High School and I am trying to convince her to stay in MA.</p>