“I want to go to a BS/MD program or a BS/DDS school.”
This is a phrase we hear from several students each year. While becoming a doctor or a dentist are both good options for many students, if you are interested in an accelerated program you need to figure out which option is best for you.
Both types of programs are very focused on finding those few students who are not only academically able to handle the workload involved but also have the passion for that profession, something I describe in my link in full. In other words, BS/MD programs want to see students that have a focus on becoming a physician. BS/DDS programs want to see students that have a focus on becoming a dentist.
Is there a way to do both things at the same time? Yes but typically neither one is done well. If you shadow a doctor for a BS/MD program you don’t want to disclose that to a BS/DDS program. If you shadow a dentist you don’t want to disclose that to a BS/MD program.
What about volunteering? Volunteering at a dental office or free dental clinic? Great option for a BS/DDS program but not the sort of thing you want to disclose to a BS/MD program.
If you try to prepare for both options, what you end up with is only being able to list some of your activities. So you don’t look as involved or committed as another student and therefore, not as competitive.
Trying to do both options makes you less competitive for both options. Instead, sit back and think about who you are and what you want to do with the rest of your life. Medicine and dentistry are great professions but they are not the same. Different people like different things. Figure out what your best option is and then focus your efforts on becoming the most competitive candidate for one or the other.
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