Getting into Dental School without Pre-Dentistry Major

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Michelle writes: I have been planning, ever since I can remember, to be an orthodontist. My school (SUNY Buffalo) does not offer a pre-dentistry major. So I am majoring in anthropology, and taking a pre-dentistry pathway. I am afraid that I will not get into dental school. What other careers could I do with an anthropology degree?


The Career Doctor responds: First, you should talk with an adviser in your program — or talk with an admissions counselor at a dentistry school. From my limited experience with medical-school applicants, while applicants need to have the core science courses, their major can be just about anything — even a business degree. I would assume the same holds for dentistry, but you owe to yourself to check it out, especially before giving up so easily on your dream!

You can find tons of great stuff — including information about the Dental Admission Test (DAT) — at the American Dental Association Website.

So, while I think you are on a good track for becoming a dentist, assuming you are doing well in college, I also laud you for doing some research on a secondary career should dentistry end up not working for you.

Students earning bachelor’s degrees in anthropology can do any number of things related specifically to their major, including: anthropologist, archeologist, analyst, researcher, teacher, and many others. You can find loads more information at one of my favorite sites for students, the what can I do with a major in anthropology section of the “What Can I do With a Major in…” from the Career Services staff at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

You can find all sorts of this type of career information in the Career Exploration section of Quintessential Careers.

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Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., the Career Doctor

About The Career Doctor Blog

The Career Doctor Blog provides intelligent and level-headed solutions to job-seeker questions. Updated daily with a new career, college, or job-related question - coupled with a thoughtful response from nationally-recognized career expert Dr. Randall Hansen - The Career Doctor. Have a question that has you stumped? Feel free to email your question, but please know that because of the large volume of emails Dr. Hansen receives that a personal response is often not possible... and that it may take some time for your question to appear in the Career Doctor Blog.
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