I realized I want to go into dentistry. I am a social science major and I understand all I need to do is just get my pre req for dentistry. Only problem is I have to take pre-pre requests because I didn't take the right math and no sciences except for bio in highschool. I am a second year student and I just feel stressed out and want to cry any advice ? Also the pre req in university scare the hell outta me like how am I gonna make friends for these labs and I already find math hard
Hi Anon!
First of all, I want to remind you that I am a first year medical student in the US. I don’t know a lot about dentistry programs here in the US, and certainly not in other countries. However, there are a lot of similarities.
1. Stress out and cry (for a little bit) if you need to. It’s okay. This is a stressful process and it happens. You have made the first big step (finding a field!) and that is huge. :)
2. Visit your pre-heatlh advising office if your school has one. They can help you out with what courses you need to take and fitting them into your schedule. One cool thing about being a social science major is that these science prereqs (and pre-prereqs) will count as general education credits for you! That is not the case for a STEM major; I had to take extra premed courses on top of my major and GE requirements. So it kind of balances out; your major is not putting you behind and can be a talking point in the application process.
3. Think about summer classes, extending your degree for a term or a year, doing a master’s program, or taking classes to fill prereqs after your degree if necessary. (This is a great thing to ask about during advising.) For medical school, this is not unusual at all. I’m not sure about dentistry. Remember that you are on your own timeline; you are not “too late” for where you are. There is nothing wrong with taking extra time if you need it to finish classes or study for the test.
4. For finding friends, you can check to see if your school has a pre-dentistry club. That can be a helpful way to meet people with similar interests/goals. Many of them will be in your classes. But even if not, I found that working with the same lab partner for an entire term tends to bond you. I’ve gotten along with all of mine, even if I didn’t necessarily become best friends with them. And if your class is lecture + lab, there is always the chance you can make a friend in lecture.
5. Look into tutoring resources at your school. At my school, there were a few free tutoring resources. If you are really struggling with math or another subject that can be helpful. Also, remember that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. Having difficulty in a course, even if it’s a prereq, doesn’t meant you aren’t suited for dentistry.
I hope this is helpful to you. Some people might approach things differently, and that’s okay. Feel free to toss out any of this that doesn’t apply or that you don’t think will work for you. Dental blogs (dentblrs?), please feel free to add on!
