Dental/Medical school Admission...

Question

Ok... I am a predental student at UCLA majoring in Biology. I am wondering, do you know if dental schools care about your major or which school you come from(as long as you take all the required classes)? I mean does matter if I go to UCLA and major in a Biology(which is freaking hard) or should I have had major in History or sociology (which are easier) and have gone to an easy university. Just wondering... ohhhh... Also if you know, how do you know??? Thnx

Answer 1

Hi

First off, congrats on pursing medicine/dentistry.

For the most part, you're right. Your major doesn't matter. However, there are two things about the courses you take that do matter (other than the grades you get, of course).

1. It matters how many science courses you've taken. The more, the merrier (shows that you are truly interested in science). This, of course, takes into consideration your major. Therefore, it's much easier for a biology major to have taken biochem, physical chem, etc... than for an English major to have taken his English classes, Pre-med classes, AND biochem, physical chem, etc..

2. It matters why you chose your major. DO NOT under any circumstances tell the admissions folks (during interview or when you're writing the essays) that you chose (insert major here) because you thought it'd give you a greater benefit toward admission. Many people assume that it looks better to have double major or to have been a history major because either option shows that you were willing to work extra hard. NOT TRUE. If you were willing to work extra hard, you'd have done more research internships or volunteered more hours.

Personally, I am a bio major. I chose it because I had interest in science. And I chose it before I had any intention of going pre-med.

Next, the school does matter a little, and it only does if conditions for comparison are perfect.

Would you rather take a 3.6 GPA candidate from an unknown school or a candidate with the same GPA from UCLA? Of course, you'd go for UCLA. The school is better, and the courses are presumably harder. So the student must have worked harder to get the grades (sarcasm).

However, the question "does it matter which school you come from" becomes much more difficult to answer as you factor in the fact that every applicant is different.

Ex: Hopkins student, 3.6 GPA, 30 MCAT, with intense research, and minimal volunteer, medium hospital exp.

UNLV student, 3.7 GPA, 31 MCAT, with medium research exp, medium volunteer, and minimal hospital exp.

NYU student with 3.1 GPA, 31 MCAT, minimal research, minimal volunteer, minimal hospital exp. Owns and runs successful VW/Audi dealership that serves major metropolitan district while attending school.

Tell me, honestly ... can you choose one of the 3 candidates over another. If you answer in a reasonable, rationale manner, your answer should be "no" - at least until you've interviewed all three.

Best of luck with dental school!

Answer 2

Medical school and Dental school of course are different programs entirely, however, they are similar in their respective requirements.  Having both degrees, I believe I can give you some specific information.  Here are some thoughts....most dental schools do not care what your major was, as long as you took the required classes to gain admittance to the professional school in question.  In addition, attending UCLA as an undergrad may give you a little leverage in gaining admittance to the UCLA school of dentistry, however, you still have to compete favorably with the other applicants to do that.  Obviously, there are 5 dental schools in California, and several in the surrounding states, 2 now in Arizona, 1 in Nevada, and one each in Oregon and Washington.  Remember, you have to do well in your classes, 3.8 minimum overall with better than that on the core sciences, also you must write a DAT of over 25, have impeccable recommendations, have a natural talent too work with your hands, and present well at the interview...if you do this, you should have an excellent chance of admittance to dental school...there is one more thing...you should speak english fluently, with little or no accent...remember, it is easier to get in to dental school than to get out...good luck, and I hope this helps you with your career choice.  ps, you may not agree with these parameters I have outlined, and under certain circumstances, you may gain admittance with lesser qualifications, but if I were you, and I have been where you are now, I would not depend upon that...

Answer 3

My knowledge of medical school admissions is limited to friends who went to medical school but I know of a great website, http://www.medapplicants.com brings people who are applying to med school together in one forum. You can search through profiles and see what people majored in for their undergrad degree, where they got the degree, their MCAT scores and where they got accepted.

I know I have seen a couple of people who majored in music who go accepted at some really competitive med schools. You should check it out.  

Answer 4

no they do not care what your major is. actually, dental/medical schools are actually more impressed if your major is something non-science because it shows you're a well-rounded student. even though i am majoring in biology myself, it really does not matter.