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Can I major in Business Management and go to Dental School or Optometry School?

I'm a freshman who just started college and I'm quite confused. At first I was a business major and then switched over to biological sciences because I've always wanted a career in the health field and thought that might be the best major. Now, I don't really think so. I either want to be a dentist or an optometrist, two things that I am interested in along with business. Will it be a bad idea to major in business rather than something like psychology or a science-major? Thank you. #college-major #business #entrepreneur #college #business-management #pre-dental #pre-optometry #dental #health #optometry

business college-major entrepreneur health business-management dental optometry pre-dental pre-optometry
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Jared’s Answer

Yes. Some would argue an unusual major makes you stand out. I am not sure about that. However, with all the Biology and Chemistry prerequisites, you just about get a Bio or Chem major in one and a minor in the other, which is what most of us do.

But I know Optometrists who majored in business, math, and music.
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Estelle’s Answer

Absolutely. This will actually allow you to appear more well-rounded on your application. You must maintain a 3.8 + GPA though.
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Hina’s Answer

Hi absolutely! I think that is a wonderful major for a pre-optometry or pre-dental student to have for a number of reasons. 1. It really gives you a good background on business if you consider opening up your own practice. I think alot of folks will attest to the fact that Optometry or Dental school doesn't give you as much practice management courses as one would like. 2. Look up the schools you are interested in and what pre reqs they require- alot of times the pre reqs can vary quite a bit so it is important that you know which courses to add on to your major so that when you apply to school you are ready. 3. Do some research although both careers have similar pre-reqs and schooling- they differ quite a bit especially in the city/town you will practice in from what you will make, to the type or scope of practice you will have, to what modality of practice is most prevalent in that area- independent ownership, franchises, employment. I would say I would shadow for both an optometrist and a dentist in your area to really gain an idea of what it is like, also look into what you would be making versus cost of school. I am an optometrist and absolutely love what I do but I do wish I looked at pay versus student debt. I've also heard the same from dental friends and how even the school you decide to go to can vary tremendously in student tuition.
Good luck!
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david’s Answer

Absolutely. As long as you have the the other needed courses it is not an isssue. You should show your desire to work in the health field by volunteering and shadowing other provider in whatever field you are looking to go into. Good Luck!

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Ken’s Answer

Congratulations on being interested in finding the right career to follow.. It takes a special person to enter into a specific career field and meet the demands which that career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which make one successful in that area. The next step is doing networking to meet and talk to and possibly shadow people doing what you might think that you want to do to see if this is something that you really want to do, as a career area could look much different on the inside than it looks from the outside.  When I was doing college recruiting, I encountered too many students, who skipped these important steps, and ended up in a career/job for which they were ill suited.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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