HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT PANICKING

[averagedesi]

Hey, I'm a grade 12 student currently in a Canadian (ON) High school.
I graduated my Grade 11 year with a 91% average and hope for the same this year.

I am currently taking 2 maths and 3 sciences. Do Universities accept those with AP classes over those with regular U level classes?

I'm really interested in dental school and med school as well. My mother is pushing me towards med school because she believes that dental school is much harder to get into and harder in general in Ontario. I'm not sure if I should pursue med school or dental school. I do have 4 years to decide, but I can't stop stressing out about it.

With dental school, I like the idea of lesser hours, more time for family life... etc. Also, I'm backing away from the idea of med school because I don't want to be on-call in a hospital or have people's lives in my hands. I would hate to be a surgeon, so if I went to med school, I would lean towards being a family doctor or pediatrician. The idea of being a dentist is extremely interesting. I've always wanted to go into medicine (since I'm a sciences and maths person). Would you recommend I go to med school or stick to my original idea of dental school? Is one harder than the other?

Also, does dental/med school prefer certain majors over others? I was thinking of applying to UofTS for biology, as well as McMaster, Waterloo, Western, Guelph and York. Or should I apply to a health sciences or a biomedical program? Is biology easier to get a higher GPA in than biomed?

All replies will reaaaaallllyyy help!

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[dentjo]

Major in something that will get you good grades and keep you interested. Take all the pre-req/recommended classes for both medical and dental schools. Volunteer and shadow both fields during your first 2 years of undergrad. Then you decide from there which route you want to go to. Just keep your grades high so that whatever you decide on can become a reality.

 

[free99]

Moving to pre-dental

 

[Incis0r]

My mother is pushing me towards med school

With dental school, I like the idea of lesser hours, more time for family life... etc. Also, I'm backing away from the idea of med school because I don't want to be on-call in a hospital or have people's lives in my hands.

Just answer one question for me: Is your mother going to go to med school or dental school or are you? Whose career are we talking about? I say this because I see this in my friends (in college) all the time. Here I'm sitting, happily enjoying my time, participating in 2 or 3 extracurriculars that mean a lot to me, waiting for next year's dental school apps to open, and my college friends are all in 5-6 clubs, trying to rack up resume points, gunning for the top 10% of the class, and trying to do it all in order to be competitive for med school.

THIS WOULD BE FINE IF and ONLY IF, they had a genuine desire to become a doctor. One of them tells me that his mom dreams of calling her son a doctor and he wants to make her proud. Another says that he was never really given any other choice!!!!

So just by considering your alternatives, you are light-years ahead of your peers. But you need to sit down, and consider your goals. This is going to be YOUR career. You will spend 40 hrs/week for 30 years in this job. You will have countless challenges in whichever career you choose. Make sure it's one you can tolerate (at the minimum- hopefully you enjoy waking up and doing it every morning).

For me, personally, the answer is dentistry. I was a pre-med before (and no I didn't switch because Med school is harder to get into in the States....I have a 3.93 GPA, a good chunk of ECs, and I've published research. I can get into med school if I want). I switched because I found dentistry to be more gratifying/matching my long-term goals, personally and professionally. That is a realization you can only obtain from shadowing. Not from strangers on an internet forum.

PS- You mentioned that you don't want to be on-call in a hospital or have people's lives in your hands. Please know that there is a very high chance you will be on-call in medicine, at least during residency. As for people's lives in your hands, that occurs in both dentistry and in medicine- you sedate your patients in dentistry, you are doing permanent surgery in dentistry....when you do extractions, you need to be sure that the BP is at an acceptable level to prevent the patient from bleeding out. When you are examining the patient, you need to check for periodontal disease and if necessary refer to their physician due to the diabetes-gum disease connection. Etc. Etc.

So shadow, ask tons of questions, and relax- you've got plenty of time.

But yeah, let go of mummy's sari (I'm guessing you're Indian based on your username).

 

[PocketRocket]

What your mom thinks she knows about dentistry and medicine is most likely outdated and therefore incorrect.

If I were you I would research and shadow in both professions. Try to get a job in a hospital ED for your first couple of years of college and dental assisting during your last 2 years. See what you like and what you don't like. This is essentially what it all comes down to. Figuring it all out on your own through experience. It is only then that you will know for certain.

Also, why the heck are you panicking lol

 

[SXCoronado]

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