Alright. I'm a high school junior and I want to become an Orthodontist/Dentist when I grow up. What I'm worrying about, however, is my MAJOR in college. What should it be? I've heard that you can take a totally different major and still get the credits required for dentistry. I REALLLYYY enjoy political science and find chemistry rather stale, so what should I do? I also plan on going to UCSD and UCLA (which dont offer the Pre-Dent major). HELP ME!!
125779
Biology, Chemistry, Microbiology.  Chemistry IS rough, but you have to do it if you want this as a career...both P Chem and Orgo.  You can take the classes you enjoy for political science for your "CORE" credits or consider double majoring.  Or don't listen to me...I have a degree in bioanthropology and I ended up being a logistician for the government.  Go figure.  :D
179211
Go to any Universities near your town.  Quite a few of them have students who do the work for not as much as a licensed dentist.  And they should always have a licensed dentist at their side observing the whole procedure to make sure they don't do anything incorrectly.
475333
You can major in whatever you like as long as you fufill (succesfully) your pre-requisites. \n\nMost med schools will accept you with 90 credit hours but I believe its prefferable to have a degree, and of course, a good gpa (naturally). \n\nMed schools actually like people who are "well-rounded". Most applicants are bio majors and thats fine, but when they see an applicant who is majoring in say, Medieval Science or something, then it looks a bit better, as it stands out from the rest. \n\nI'm an Anthropology major fufilling my pre-reqs right now in the hopes of attending Johns Hopkins or Baylor. \n\nHope this helps!! :)
63079
Dentistry is good. I'm not sure how it is in the States, but here you can (and must) practice dentistry with only an undergraduate degree. You will not be accepted into a doctorate degree without at least 8 years' clinical experience, if memory serves me correctly.\n\nBut you do have to ask yourself if you want to spend the rest of your professional life staring into people's mouths, especially when many of them will have bad breath and a lot of them will only have come to you because they have a problem and haven't had a checkup in years.
202894
You can major in whatever. Your in luck: the "whatever" major is offered at every single college anywhere. I hear PT is a lotta fun but don't get into it unless you really enjoy science, studying a lot during school, and working with people with diabilities.
80440
That's what I want to do when I get out of college. \nDoes anyone know:\n1) What classes I need to take in high school and college-  I suggest you take your math and chem courses in high school.  If they offer foreign language, take that.  If they offer a basic Psych course, take that.\n\nIn college, you'll need to be Pre-med and as a result will have to take all of the required science-math courses.  Pre-Med is a HUGELY competitive program.\n\n\n2) What a good college for this would be-  any college with a strong pre-med and child development program.  I would look toward Private Schools.  They test to place better on the assessment tests.\n\n3) Do I really have to become a medical doctor first (like one who works in hostipitals)\n\nYes and no.  You'll be required to intern and the hospital is an excellent place for internship.  Private practices usually tend to fail within the first few years unless the doc is working two jobs.\n\n4) about how long will i be in school if I go year round (no summer breaks) \n\nYear-round school is expensive.  Typically, schools charge by the class.  In the summer, classes tend to run more than in-session classes (unless you take your summer classes as a community college, and then, you have to make sure all of the credits will transfer).\n\nI suggest you look into a school that runs in quarters not semesters.\n\nHowever, unlessyou're Doogie Houser, expect to graduate with an undergraduate Pre-Med degree within 3-4 years.\n\nMasters programs can run from 1-2 years.  Pre-med from 2-4 years.
214996
Schooling for dentistry is very expensive.  Be ready with your checkbook or lots of grants and scholarships.  Being a dentist in practice for yourself is expensive starting up.  You have a lot of overhead cost, add that on to student loans, and well you get the picture.  If you do an associateship with another dentist then you have a contract with that dentist for a certain period of time.  Science classes are a must, biology,anatomy, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacology, etc.  I would try to get a job in a dental office doing something to see if dentistry is for you.  Ask around, tell the dental offices that you would like to be a dentist and see what dentistry is all about.  Some offices will let you "hang out" and observe sometimes. Do a lot of research and see what the pros and cons are.  You have to have a strong stomach, love dentistry, and people to survive in the dental field.  It is for some people and then not for others.  You put yourself at risk for exposure to infectious diseases, even though we take universal precautions (gloves,safety glasses and masks) you can cut yourself, injure the patient or cut them.  There is a lot of liability involved.  I would def. spend some time getting to know dentistry before you make your decision.  Sounds pretty scary right?  I love dentistry and would never change it, though being a hygienist I have less liability then a dentist, but I still carry liability insurance in case of problems.
269316
A dental college.  You will be worked on by a student, but the work is free.  I don't know where one is near you though.
566698
1. First I would ask myself if I would like to play in human oral cavity.  This is your first test.\n2. May be you like playing a doctor now, but would you be good at being a doctor? You would have to attend to their needs when they needed not when you feel like it.\n3. Ready for a few years of premed and then for a few more in a school of dentistry.\n4. If you choose, for the sake of your future patients, I hope you have small hands :).\n\nWhatever profession you’ll decide to choose you better know that you are going to like it.  Money is important however it should be a second to liking your job on the list considerations. \nJust a voice of experience, I know a lot of people who went for accounting and ended up as brain surgeons, very good brain surgeons. \n\nJust have fun and explore.
24519
What do you do for fun?  Try to make a career out of your favorite hobby.  I was majoring in psychology (which I had wanted to do since I was about 15), and a semester into college I realized it was not for me.  I changed to an "undecided" major and stayed in school for another 2 semesters before realizing that I was in the wrong place.  I transfered to a small art school and moved back in with my parents.  I'm one quarter away from graduating with my culinary arts degree and I couldn't be happier.  Don't look for a program that fits you, figure out what it is that you're good at, and then figure out what you have to do to make a living at it.
365610
Start studying Biology!  Pick up some study guides so that your predental college courses become easy.  Work on your steady hand.  Study some basic chemistry and talk to you dentist about  what specifically to study and inquire about scholarships.
549220
Well, assuming you want to do surgery, you're going to have to go to medical school. Med school is really competitive and your best chance of getting in is with a very comprehensive education of all things medical. Pre-med might not always be the best choice because it sometimes lacks coursework in the fundamentals of molecular and cellular biology. Lots of students I know going to medical school are majoring in microbiology (the study of cells), bioscience, biochemistry (incredibly tough but proves that you're ready for the rigors of medical school), chemistry and surprisingly enough, bioengineering. \n\nI would avoid any health, diet, or majors that don't focus on the basic levels of cellular and human biology. Getting a 4.0 in major consisting of nutrition doesn't look very good. You need to have a really good background in chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and microbiology to be a good canadiate for a medical program but as long as your taking challenging classes that focus on some aspect of the human body, you have a very good chance of getting into medical school.\n\nI'd look into what aspect of biology you enjoy the most and major in that. From there, with good grades and good recommendations, you should be a shoe-in for medical school
357260
Hey, kid, don't get cocky.  There's a thing called carpal tunnel syndrome, you know?\n\nThe best way to figure this out is to visit the admissions pages of the Dental school you wish to attend.  From my own memory, I do remember a few of the course requirements from Ohio State, although some may have been optional:\n\nMath up to a year's worth of calculus.\n\nTwo years college chemistry up to and including calculus-based organic chem.\n\nChem based biology courses, including microbiology, anatomy, and physiology\n\nOne year of calc-based physics\n\nTwo writing classes...\n\nAh, fooey.  Just check out their web page:
4089
Call your community colleges in your area. Most of them have dental schools and do work for students to learn but are over seen by dentist. It saves alot of money.
302689
1st of all, UC Davis and U of Iowa are two of the best universities for the field you are considering.  2nd: the other answer is correct: although doctors have terrible handwriting, spelling, especially grammar and diction, are of utmost importance to the field.  I would focus on linguistics, computer science and biochemistry/biology during your undergraduate study, meaning pick one of these fields and focus on it while taking classes and earning minors or certifications within the others, and then consider your options for medical school.  It is insanely difficult to gain acceptance to medical school, and the first step is confidence.  If you focus on the right classes and keep a GPA in high school and college of at least 3.7 on a 4.0 scale, you should do fine... but if your grades are below this range you will probably find placement in medical school extremely difficult.  Study the subjects you excel in the most to keep your grades high, and take it from there.  Good luck!
480356
I am a esthetician. There are alot of schools for this. Try a community college or private one. It depends on the state on how long it takes(how many hrs). It can be 2,000 and up. It  might be less at community college. Most you can take a fed school loan out. It's a great field, you have to love healing and people!
438267
I was just at a meeting last night and the general feeling is that it is now harder to get into a dental school than medical school.  This is in the US, but I don't know about the UK.\n\nIt's just very competitive.  Too many students and not enough openings.