A few questions about: "If I'm going to be a Dentist... " ? Thanks!?

Question

I know I can find these online but I always get so many different answers. I am hoping someone here can really help me - especially if there's a dentist somewhere online here :)!
1. I know I have to go to college for 4 years but do I have to go 2 or 4 years afterwards. I don't know if I want to study that long!
2. How much would I get paid in my FIRST year? I know that you get paid more the longer you stay!
4. What classes would I have to take in college? Please list all. Like a Math, a history, a foreign language, a biology. I already have some high school college dual credits that will help me.
5. I can't decide whether I want to be a HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY TEACHER or a DENTIST? ... Can you help me?
6. If I took Biology, Chemistry, and PHysics during high school - & next year my senior year I'm talking FORENSICS AND ZOOLOGY (although I should have taken AP Biology) would that be an type of preparation for me?
B/c I'm having alot of history classes to help decide if that's my major?!

Additional Details
14 minutes ago
I KNOW THEY'RE A LOT OF QUESTIONS - BUT, PLEASE WHEN ANSWERING, ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS!

This is truely appreciated by me ;) Thank you all!

Answer 1

You know, you could spend 2 or 3 hours with a professional career counsellor getting these questions asked, so I don't think you'll get them all answered by one person here. Try to read all the answers and take the information you need. I have a canned answer about dental school admissions, so I'll give you that much. I'll also give you a link to my alma mater so you can see what their admission requirements are. As far as "first year" salary, that's just impossible to answer. There is no set amount and it depends on how many hours you work and how good a compensation package you are able to negotiate. It could be anywhere from $200 a day (crappy) to $2,000 a week (great).

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Perhaps your guidance counsellor could provide some resources. Their library might not extend beyond college admissions, though. You can visit any dental school web site and learn about admission requirements. Check out my old school http://www.dental.upenn.edu/ - click on "Admissons" - and see if this is helpful at this stage of the game.

Start by going to a good college so you will have a better chance of admission to a dental school. Dental schools are becoming harder and harder to get into, so a good college helps. It is not a simple transfer, but a whole new application procedure.

It helps to look into the requirements for admission to a dental school and work backwards. This will help you choose your college major and it might even help you choose your college. Typically, it is easier to match up the requirements for dental school admission with the requirements of a science major and biology seems to be the closest match. You could be a history major if you wanted to be, but then all of your electives would probably be used up trying to take courses required for dental school admission.

Typically, you graduate from college after 4 years with a bachelor's degree and then start dental school, which is a whole separate entity from college. Some colleges offer combined programs where the really bright and focused student might be able to combine some credits and actually enter dental school before receiving the undergraduate degree. Obviously, you would have to know this well in advance, as it might even determine where you apply to college. You do not have to disclose this intention as you are applying to the college, but you need to look into the program almost immediately, because it will determine quite a bit about what courses you need to take as soon as possible in college.

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http://www.dental.upenn.edu/ - Click on Admissions. I just wanted you to see the home page so you would know what else is here.

You can find some salary information at http://www/ada/org

Answer 2

1. Dental School is a 4 year program (that is 8 with undergrad).
2. Dentists make on average $180,000 if they are general practitioners and $300,000 if they specialize.
3. Just for starters since requirements vary from school to school... (P.S. you'll need to get a degree)
Bio 1&2
Chem 1&2
OChem 1&2
Phys 1&2
Calculus 1
Plus all the classes for your degree which can be history, especially if you don't know what you want to be when you start school.
4. The requirements for a degree differ from program to program.
5. Teachers here start out by making $40,000 per year. That is not really a whole lot. But they go to school for a shorter period and work less hours than the average dentist.
6. Sounds like your classes are going to be fine next year.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I would like to be a dentist. so I am going to nearest colledge to get into dental hygiene program and once I finished it I am going for three years in dental school