Hi everyone! I’m a college freshman majoring in biology. I know that dentistry is the path I want to take in the future and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. I’ve been extremely involved in the dental field already, already receiving my dental radiology certifications and becoming a CDA in high school, competiti for nationally (and winning) in dental science competitions, and doing a number of other things with a big dental organization. Now that I’m in college, I’m struggling. Don’t get me wrong, I knew it would be hard, but it’s HARD. I did poorly in the begginning of the semester due to struggles adjusting but I’m started to pull things together and will have decent grades by the end of the semester. The biggest problem I’m running into is with my major. I majored in bio because I was told I had to to become a dentist. Now that I’m here, I’m being told that I can major in whatever I want as long as I fulfill dental school prereqs. This has made my life even harder.
I know where I want to be but don’t know how I want to get there. I really want to major in something health related but also want to do something that will get me a degree that I can actually use to get a decent job if I don’t get into dental school. I love interacting with patients (based on experiences through assisting and volunteering at a hospital). I love learning about anatomy and physiology and medicine overall.
I have no idea what I want to major in and would love if anyone had any ideas as to majors that sound like a good fit for someone like me. I’ll probably minor in bio so that I can take the prereqs I need for dental school. I just don’t know what I want to major in!
Yes it’s true that you can major in anything and still get into dental school, in fact, being a little different would give you talking points during your interviews. So first, consider any major a possibility. Next here are a few ideas that are health related: Community Health, Global Health, Nutrition, Health Care Compliance and Regulations, Health Care Coordination, Health Policy, Public Health or Science or Health Care Delivery. The reason that pre-dents are steered toward biology is that the degree gets you through the necessary pre-reqs. As you stated, you can do the pre-reqs with any degree, though it may take you a bit longer. Also, keep in mind all of the other components that you need to fulfill to reach your goal: show an upward trend in your grades, shadow a dentist, do lots of community service, make connections with professors who may write you letters of recommendation in the future, be active in the pre-dental club (or start one if your school doesn’t have one), start studying for the DAT early, research your target dental schools and confirm their required pre-reqs. If you find that college is difficult be sure to use all of the resources available to you (tutoring, office hours, study skills training, counseling). You will need to work hard and have a lot of perseverance - now and for four years of dental school. If it is your dream go for it! Hope it all works out for you.
You do not need to major in biology to go to dental school. Dental schools have no preference whatsoever for one major over another. You just need to complete the prerequisite classes for admission, which include the intro biology sequence, general chemistry sequence, organic chemistry sequence, and intro physics sequence. Additional requirements may include English, biochemistry, microbiology, etc. A biology major is popular simply due to the fact that there is a lot of overlap, but you are by no means obligated to major in biology if you are not passionate enough about the subject to study it in depth.
Major in a subject you are passionate enough about that you are willing to study it in depth, even if it is non science. Even a major such as history is totally fine. The last question you should be asking yourself is “will it look good to dental schools”.
I know it’s already been said but Dentistry school has no required major. Yes a science related major would be good because you would get more of a grasp on the whole dentistry/medical aspect. A BS in Nursing would be good because it would qualify you for a lot more medical jobs and be a good major to get into a dentistry school.