While most students will decide to become a dentist later in their academic careers, some students just know that they are destined for dentistry before they even apply to college. While there is no one set of courses you have to take in high school to become a dentist, there are some classes you can take to help you build a set of skills and an impressive resume that will help you on your journey to dentistry.
Delve into Science
There isn’t really such a thing as a “pre-dentistry” major. Instead, college students hoping to go on to dental school usually major in subjects like Biology, Chemistry, and Biochemistry. In high school, you should be taking high-level science courses to prepare for these types of majors. Classes like IB, AP, or honors Biology, Chemistry, and Physics are a great start. Classes like these will not only strengthen your application to college but are related to questions on the Dental Admissions Test or DAT.
Build some fine motor skills
Dentists use their hands a lot, usually with sharp objects and people’s mouths. Having good fine motor skills are important. Working on fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination isn’t a must, but it can be an extremely helpful skill to build. This can be done in or outside of class, but pursuits such as drawing, painting, woodworking, or playing an instrument can help build skills. These hobbies will also help you fill out the activities section of your application or elective class load.
Foreign Language
While foreign language is usually a requirement, gaining foreign language skills is an important skill for anyone working directly with patients. Popular languages for practitioners in America are especially Spanish and Chinese. Think about what communities you hope to work in and what those communities speak. Gaining these skills will serve you well when you start working as a dentist.
Consider taking an accounting course
If your high school or even local community college has an accounting course, you can take this now, but you can also just earmark this and take it in college. Most dentists run their own practice or work in small practices. This means they have to understand money and usually a little bit of accounting. Often pre-dental students take business classes to better understand how to run a practice.
Get some good extracurriculars
Ok, so these are not classes, but many pre-medical/dental students start with dedicated extracurricular activities. Usually, they load up on extracurriculars related to STEM or health care. Some ones we love include HOSA (Future Health Professionals association), Science Olympiad, and job shadowing. Job shadowing or volunteering in the medical field can be especially helpful to those on the fence.
Take a class outside of class
We love for our students to explore their interests outside of their high school. There are a couple of ways to do this. Colleges often offer summer courses to high school students. Most of these will not be dental-specific, but targeting any that are popular with pre-meds or STEM majors is a great choice. You can also sign up for an online class. These are usually affordable and flexible making them highly accessible. For pre-dental students, we especially love Dentistry 101 from U Mich and UPenn’s Intro to Dental Medicine, but there are many classes out there that can give you important background knowledge and skills.
If you are dreaming of becoming a dentist, it’s never too early to start planning. If you are nervous, reach out to us! We are always happy to help plan your future. Contact us here!