2nd year at Baylor College of Dentistry... questions??

[BCD17]

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[mrdocta]

What time did you normally start and end classes each day as a D1? And how many hours on average outside of class were you studying during the week? Thanks

 

[BCD17]

Classes are 8-5 basically every day. There are a few days where we get out early in the afternoon and most Fridays were half days.

On average, I would say 3-4 hours of studying every night after class. It really depends on when the busy exam weeks are.

 

[keyvdent]

1. What is the laptop requirement like, what do u really need? They sent me the specs and it just seems way excessive.
2. Do classmates help each other with old exams/notes, or are you on your own?
3. How is it living in dallas? Is south dallas as bad as the city forums make it out to be?
4. How far is too far living from school considering the traffic. If you want a 20 min or less commute?
5. Hardest d1/d2 classes?
6. What is your first summer like after D1?
7. Overall how has your experience been?

Thanks for taking the time to answer these.

 

[CraigHack]

Hey BCD17,

Thank you for fielding questions. My question is regarding admissions at Baylor, and in TX if you can speak to it:

How many out-of-state students are in your class, or the other dental classes at Baylor? The general guidance on SDN is that Texas is a no-go for OOS students, unless they have stellar stats and strong ties to the state. I've considered applying to TX, but it seems like a waste of money from the stories I've read since I've never lived in TX.

 

[usmanc]

I'm on the first waitlist right now. Are there many students in your class or other classes that you know of that got off the waitlist? In other words, what are the chances of getting off the waitlist?

 

[BCD17]

1. What is the laptop requirement like, what do u really need? They sent me the specs and it just seems way excessive.
2. Do classmates help each other with old exams/notes, or are you on your own?
3. How is it living in dallas? Is south dallas as bad as the city forums make it out to be?
4. How far is too far living from school considering the traffic. If you want a 20 min or less commute?
5. Hardest d1/d2 classes?
6. What is your first summer like after D1?
7. Overall how has your experience been?

Thanks for taking the time to answer these.

1.) You are required to own a laptop - but honestly a lot of people just use tablets and it works just fine
2.) Yes, every class is different but luckily my class is very helpful and willing to share notes/reviews
3.) Dallas is great, minus the extremely hot & humid summer months. The area where the school is located isn't the nicest part of Dallas, but I haven't heard of very much crime or anything in the area.
4.) Some people live 20, 30 or even 1 hour away to live with their parents. There is a train stop near the school so that helps with traffic
5.) D1 - physiology or gen. pathology. D2 - endo or one of the other lab courses
6.) Summer between D1 and D2 you take micro and you are required to take NBDE part 1 before the fall semester of D2
7.) My experience so far has been pretty positive. My only complaint is the number of exams/week sometimes and the amount of lab work we do for the prosthodontics courses, but I'm sure most schools would have similar complaints

 

[BCD17]

I'm on the first waitlist right now. Are there many students in your class or other classes that you know of that got off the waitlist? In other words, what are the chances of getting off the waitlist?

Hey BCD17,

Thank you for fielding questions. My question is regarding admissions at Baylor, and in TX if you can speak to it:

How many out-of-state students are in your class, or the other dental classes at Baylor? The general guidance on SDN is that Texas is a no-go for OOS students, unless they have stellar stats and strong ties to the state. I've considered applying to TX, but it seems like a waste of money from the stories I've read since I've never lived in TX.

There are about 5-8 out of state students in my class (I think). Mostly from surrounding states (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma)

 

[BCD17]

I'm on the first waitlist right now. Are there many students in your class or other classes that you know of that got off the waitlist? In other words, what are the chances of getting off the waitlist?

I'm not 100% sure but I think most classes have a couple of students get accepted off the waitlist

 

[SXCoronado]

.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

I was told that at the beginning of the school semester, many students are trying to get all A's (because that was how we were trained since like ever). Eventually, a lot of people who never wanted to specialize said "Screw it. I'm okay with a B or C. General practice FTW."
What do you say about this? and are you planning to specialize?

 

[BCD17]

Why did you pick Baylor over Houston or SA? I've recently heard people not liking Baylor as much as Houston especially.

Also - are there any social clubs, things people do outside of school? Maybe sports or something

I picked Baylor because A) I'm from Dallas and B) Baylor has a great reputation within the dental community of graduating dentists with a lot of clinical experience.

All 3 dental schools in TX are great schools so I would recommend visiting each one and talking to the students to decide which is the right fit for you.

 

[MolarBear11]

Hi BCD17! Thanks for doing this, Baylor is my top choice

1) What were your stats like? gpa/dat/shadowing/volunteer hrs..
2) Are you OOS?
3) How is the social life? What do students do for fun?
4) I am applying this semester, any application/interview tips?

 

[BCD17]

Hi BCD17! Thanks for doing this, Baylor is my top choice

1) What were your stats like? gpa/dat/shadowing/volunteer hrs..
2) Are you OOS?
3) How is the social life? What do students do for fun?
4) I am applying this semester, any application/interview tips?

1) My stats were average. I was a re-applicant. If there are any re-applicants who want advice, just send me a message
2) I'm a TX resident
3) The social life can be whatever you want it to be. Basically, there are always things to do with clubs, organizations, classmates, etc. so you have to decide how to balance the social experiences with studying. 1st year does not allow a lot of time away from studying but there is a lot more free time 2nd year
4) Practice for your interview. Do a mock interview with friends/family or with your pre-dental advisor on campus. Be yourself and be ready to answer questions about weaknesses on your application. Know what your strengths and weaknesses are!

 

[keyvdent]

Hey BCD17, you rock.

Few more questions,

1. Would you recommend buying all the books or did you not rely on them too much?
2.Looking back before D1, anything you wish you would have done before hand?
3. What is your general opinion of these locations if you have one, Mainly relative safety,
A)white rock lake area
B)kessler park in oak cliff
C) mesquite
Is there a main city most students live in, rent in dallas is crazy expensive.

 

[BCD17]

Hey BCD17, you rock.

Few more questions,

1. Would you recommend buying all the books or did you not rely on them too much?
2.Looking back before D1, anything you wish you would have done before hand?
3. What is your general opinion of these locations if you have one, Mainly relative safety,
A)white rock lake area
B)kessler park in oak cliff
C) mesquite
Is there a main city most students live in, rent in dallas is crazy expensive.

1) I wouldn't purchase any of the "required" textbooks during D1 year - except Netter's for anatomy. Upperclassmen will always have pdf versions of the textbooks and will pass them down
2) Prior to D1 - I wish I would have relaxed and enjoyed my last summer before dental school. I was so anxious/excited to start, I forgot to enjoy my last bit of freedom as much as I should have haha. I recommend traveling, hanging out with friends, do anything that you enjoy doing!
3) white rock - great area; oak cliff - not sure but it kinda has a bad reputation; mesquite - same as oak cliff

Most students live within 20 mins of school

 

[keyvdent]

Are lectures recorded?
How many classes did you have D1 each semester?
Do you have any patient interaction in d1 or d2?
are most professors easy going or old school tough type?
Do you have breaks between classes, or for lunch?

 

[BCD17]

Are lectures recorded?
How many classes did you have D1 each semester?
Do you have any patient interaction in d1 or d2?
are most professors easy going or old school tough type?
Do you have breaks between classes, or for lunch?

• Yes, lectures are recorded
• D1 - I honestly don't even know the number of courses we took, but it was a lot. We were in class from 8-5 every day
• We have very limited patient interaction in D1 - mostly just assisting or observing the D3/D4 students. During D2 we get to start doing prophys and we are seeing our first denture patients next month. Full clinic exposure doesn't happen until June
• The professors vary quite a bit. Some are very hard to figure out, others are straightforward - kinda like undergrad
• We have 10 minutes between classes and 1 hour for lunch (although I hear lunch breaks are hard to come by once you become a D3, depending on your procedure/efficiency)

 

[keyvdent]

So one thing I'm worried about is not feeling adequate. For example, it'll be like 2.5 years since I got done with ochem in college by the time i start dschool. Am I in for a rude reunion if I'm a rusty on reactions, I mean I remember the basics and foundations, I scored like a 21 on that portion of the dat. Would you recommend refreshing up on some of the core sciences before dschool like gen chem, ochem, biology, biochemistry.

I imagine the courses are fast pace, but do they allow a short refresher at the beginning, or do they start off right where college should have left you.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

So one thing I'm worried about is not feeling adequate. For example, it'll be like 2.5 years since I got done with ochem in college by the time i start dschool. Am I in for a rude reunion if I'm a rusty on reactions, I mean I remember the basics and foundations, I scored like a 21 on that portion of the dat. Would you recommend refreshing up on some of the core sciences before dschool like gen chem, ochem, biology, biochemistry.

I imagine the courses are fast pace, but do they allow a short refresher at the beginning, or do they start off right where college should have left you.

I'm not a dental student (yet) but from my knowledge, you don't even use ochem or gen cem. Biochem you will use but dental students have said that the best thing to do is relax before dental school starts.

 

[BCD17]

So one thing I'm worried about is not feeling adequate. For example, it'll be like 2.5 years since I got done with ochem in college by the time i start dschool. Am I in for a rude reunion if I'm a rusty on reactions, I mean I remember the basics and foundations, I scored like a 21 on that portion of the dat. Would you recommend refreshing up on some of the core sciences before dschool like gen chem, ochem, biology, biochemistry.

I imagine the courses are fast pace, but do they allow a short refresher at the beginning, or do they start off right where college should have left you.

You shouldn't worry at all... if you have successfully passed the prerequisites to get into dental school, you'll have the foundational knowledge that you need. For me, the biochem course in dental school was much simpler than the biochem course I took in undergrad. If you have a chance, I would really recommend taking Anatomy and Physiology before dental school, it helps if you're somewhat familiar with the concepts/terminology because anatomy can be like another language at first.

 

[keyvdent]

I know you said you were in your second year, but what do you hear about the 3rd and 4th year students experience in the clinic. Are they generally happy or ok about it, or it is a pain to get patients and requirements done?

Thanks again.

 

[BCD17]

I know you said you were in your second year, but what do you hear about the 3rd and 4th year students experience in the clinic. Are they generally happy or ok about it, or it is a pain to get patients and requirements done?

Thanks again.

From what I hear, there usually isn't a problem finding enough patients. It's the specific procedures that are hard to find sometimes. 3rd and 4th year are so much different than 1st and 2nd, so I'm really looking forward to moving up to the clinics. It seems like the D3s and D4s are generally happy and I know they don't have nearly as many exams as D1s or D2s.

 

[MolarBear11]

Random question but, do you get an overload of free shirts like you do in undergrad? I like free shirts.

 

[Frychicken]

Random question but, do you get an overload of free shirts like you do in undergrad? I like free shirts.

Gotta collect them all!

 

[sonrie]

Hey BCD17, How many minorities were there in your entering class?
How many Hispanics?
Do you D1,D2 students do any community service throughout the year such as Visit Hospitals,Schools etc?

 

[ribs98]

How many upper division biology classes did you take in undergrad? Thanks!

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

How many upper division biology classes did you take in undergrad? Thanks!

I hear this makes a big difference in your application for Baylor.

 

[Carbohydrates]

How is living in Dallas? Cost of living? How close to campus?

 

[ribs98]

I hear this makes a big difference in your application for Baylor.

Yah that's what I've heard so I want to know how many should be taken minimum...

 

[catoshiro]

I don't think it is quite the matter of how many you should take but which upper divisions you take. Like anatomy and physiology are valued over evolution or cell. At least that's the impression I got when I interviewed. Correct me if I'm wrong OP

 

[EasTexan]

I don't think it is quite the matter of how many you should take but which upper divisions you take. Like anatomy and physiology are valued over evolution or cell. At least that's the impression I got when I interviewed. Correct me if I'm wrong OP

Yep, don't go in to the Baylor interview having not taken A&P... especially the A part.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

I don't think it is quite the matter of how many you should take but which upper divisions you take. Like anatomy and physiology are valued over evolution or cell. At least that's the impression I got when I interviewed. Correct me if I'm wrong OP

I would say that A&P and cell would be useful because you do take histology in dental school too right?

 

[catoshiro]

I would say that A&P and cell would be useful because you do take histology in dental school too right?

Oh yea all them are but I feel like Baylor really pressures you to take A&p before starting d1 more than any other upper division science

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Oh yea all them are but I feel like Baylor really pressures you to take A&p before starting d1 more than any other upper division science

I see. So, I've taken A&P 1 and comparative anatomy but I've yet to take A&P 2. As a post bac, I want to take as many relevant classes as possible but the department chair is like, "You took comparative anatomy. No need for A&P 2." I strongly disagree with him. It provides valuable dissections and we all know you can never have too many dissection components.

 

[stressssuchamesss]

what classes do you recommend taking if you have a gap semester?

 

[Carbohydrates]

what classes do you recommend taking if you have a gap semester?

Immunology, A&P, Cell molecular..