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any type of science major, or even non-science for that matter, can go to dental/medical/pharmacy school. As long as you have the prerequisites needed to enter, you can apply.

I would start off by shadowing your local dentist, pharmacist, or doctor and see what stands out and what doesn't and which profession aligns more with your life goals. Each one is an expensive and long journey so you want to make sure you spend some time shadowing and asking questions to get a better feel for the profession.

Dentists probably don't come into contact with HIV patients as much as doctors and pharmacists, so if you want to spend time with HIV patients being a doctor in immunology might be something to look into. I also wouldn't say most pharmacists apply to medical school in the US either, but it might happen to some.
 
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I would look into the specialties and see which one lines up with your goals. I'm not 100% certain which one that would be. But first, you should shadow a dentist, get into dental school, and see what you like! And then go from there.
 
twe said:
I see a lot of biology majors go to dental school and thrive so I want to see in comparison to my major of physics.
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biology majors go to dental and medical schools because biology is a solid major for getting the necessary prerequisites needed to apply. They have to take biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, and some upper-division electives. Physics might not be as common because it could be viewed as a harder major to biology, and doesn't cover as many prerequisites needed to enter school, meaning those in physics might have to take more courses on top of their already required coursework. However, being a physics major could be viewed more highly upon from admissions since it could be seen as a more difficult major and if doing well and getting your prerequisites done, could be a good thing!

But in the end, your major does not matter to get into dental school. It's just a stepping stone to help prepare you to handle the difficulties of the curriculum. So I'm sure there are physics majors in dental school!
 
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twe said:
I was thinking in the sense that typically biology majors go to school and thrive at medicine or dentistry but physics majors, I'm sure which way we typically go. I'm saying is it hard for physics majors in medical school? I've taken the prereqs, but I'm still wondering. I thrived in physics,but I'm thinking in comparison to medical school would it be more difficult for me than a biology major.
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im sure there are biology majors that struggle in dentistry or medicine. The point of the major is to help you create foundations for understanding the difficult concepts in medicine or dentistry as well as develop study skills to master the large amount of material dumped on you. It's tough to say that just because you majored in physics rather than biology you'd struggle in medicine compared to someone learning biology. The two things don't necessarily translate into professional healthcare settings directly, you're going to be learning a lot things you were never taught in your undergraduate programs, and maybe some things you did learn.

Biology might teach someone to understand how organisms work, the molecular mechanisms of things, and how organ systems might interact with one another. Whereas physics would help you understand the mechanics of blood flow, how neurons fire, and the flow of ions across a membrane. Both majors teach you different things but you will learn to think critically and make connections to grasp concepts.

Be proud to be a physics major, there's nothing to worry about. If you wish to pursue medicine, dentistry, pharm, or any other health-related field, what you are learning now is all foundational material. So do your best to succeed in your coursework and maintain as high of a GPA that you can to make yourself as competitive as you can to programs.

short answer: no, it shouldn't be hard for physics majors compared to biology. You might be learning concepts a biology student has learned or seen before, or vice-versa, but you'll both be learning it in a much greater depth than previously taught.
 
twe said:
Can any physics majors say they've went to dental school
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This is from the most recent ADEA guide. You can see from class of 2026, that 3.5% of enrolled students were of physical sciences. So yes, they do go, but it’s not very common. As you can see over 66% of enrolled students were biological sciences. But that’s just because biological sciences helps get the prereqs without taking a lot of excess classes since it’s part of their majors.
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twe said:
Do you have any advice for me? My undergrad GPA was 3.1 due to learning difficulties and some full withdrawals, but my master's GPA in Information systems is 3.5 which I won't finish until December.

I volunteer with hospice, HIV and cancer centers, etc. (My personal interests outside of school, not for application purposes), cancer research at my local hospital with no publication yet (this is a new office for the PI).

The research is a brand new thing that I've started as of last month.

My goal in life is to help HIV and cancer patients whether this is with medical school or not. My local HIV center deals with medical physicians, dentists, and pharmacists.

I started my master's online due to being rejected from the same school (medical school and PhD program) that I'm doing research for now.
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1) Finish your degree.

2) Find mentors at your medical school. "Help" comes in multiple forms when it comes to working with HIV, cancer, or other immunocompromised individuals or illnesses.

3) Heed the advice of our verified experts who have already shared advice with you. Heed the advice of your mentors who must be honest with you about what your plans are.

I'll need to know more about your journey to advise, but since you've already asked about feasibility for med or for dent, the first thing to do is see what your options are that won't involve so much of a time and money investment.
 
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twe said:
@Ryxndek @Mr.Smile12 I don't have a mentor, how do I find one? Would I share my transcript and resume with you?
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Would recommend reaching out to those at your medical school as they would be able to provide you with resources that we can’t offer online.

Mentors could be found in your academic department or admissions or any pre-health student resource center. They might have some dental or medical students who are ambassadors that you could reach out to and ask questions or they may have an admissions advisor you could speak to.

Like @Mr.Smile12 said, help comes in many forms. It’s up to you to find those who are willing to help and put yourself in a position to succeed.

If you’d like, you could share your transcript and resume to me through a PM and I could try and help you. But I would also seek help at your institution as well as they will be able to help you in a different capacity
 
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