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What is a good major to choose when thinking about applying to professional schools, such as medical and dental?

I want to apply to either medical school or dental school and I was curious about which major I should choose. I know biology and chemistry are the two main fields but is there a benefit from choosing a specific one? #college #medicine #professional #degree #dentistry

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Richard’s Answer

Pick a major that interests you so you don't mind devoting a majority of your hours to studying. You will need to get good grades in college in order to apply for medical school. At the medical school I attended, the average GPA is reported to be 3.85, so even one or two B's can hurt your chances of acceptance.
Aside from this, any major is acceptable as long as you complete the prerequisite courses. I chose to major in biochemistry because there was overlap with the premed requirements and I wanted to complete my degree in 3 years.
Typical medical school prerequisites include:
Biology: Lecture – 4 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
General Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Organic Chemistry: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Biochemistry: Lecture – 1 semester
General Physics: Lecture – 2 semesters; Lab – 1 semester
Math: Statistics – 1 semester
English: Rhetoric (Composition) and Literature – 2 semesters
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Steven’s Answer

Most students applying to medical or dental schools will have been majors in physical or biomedical sciences.
But it is not necessary to be a biology, chemistry or physics major, so long as you are able to fulfill the specific requirements for entry into dental or medical school. Most programs will have the specific course requirements listed on their websites.
You might also try social media websites related to dental and medical schools and ask what fields current students are majoring in. Considering that most of the requirements are science and math-related, you should not be surprised to see most of the current professional students coming from these majors. But you may be surprised to see that more than a few have majored in fields less intuitively-related to the biomedical sciences.
Good luck!

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Mikio’s Answer

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/medical-school-admissions-doctor/2013/09/11/choose-the-right-undergraduate-major-for-medical-school

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