Ask a 4th year dental student anything :)

[Bereno]

Hey guys, I have not been on here in a while (or at least not posted much lately). Many of you likely don't recognize my username, but I used to be quite active and have been on here for a while if that sort of thing is important to you. For what its worth, I thought it might be a helpful to some of you if you had a question and maybe I could answer it for you. Know that my experiences are anecdotal and will reflect my experiences at my school only. Hopefully it helps one or two of you guys out.

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[Weakfart]

How has each year (D1, D2, D3) compared to each other?

 

[hellofuturedentists]

Thanks for doing this!
Have you had much free time to spend with friends and family?

 

[swindoll]

Do you already know what you're going to do after graduating?

 

[Bereno]

How has each year (D1, D2, D3) compared to each other?

D1: first 6 months were terrible for me. I worked really hard just to do average. Then I had a family health problem pop up which made it even harder. I then stopped going to class, and started studying on my own and the rest of the year went much, much better.
D2: Fun year. Lot a work, and a lot to learn, but doable.
D3: First six months sucked - just as bad as the first 6 months of D1, but that is likely not the same for most people. It was bad for me since I was studying for the CBSE.
D4: So far, awesome. More freedom to do what we want with patient as well as more free time.

Thanks for doing this!
Have you had much free time to spend with friends and family?

I live 3500 miles from home, so I dont see my family much. Free time depends on how you want to approach dental school. More free time - general dentist, less free time - specialize. If you have good time management skills, you can have the weekends off.

Do you already know what you're going to do after graduating?

OMFS (hopefully)

 

[Bifenthrin]

Where are you applying for OMFS? I'm guessing you've started the application process already.

Also... how did you motivate yourself to study for boards? Mine are in a month and I still can't force myself to sit down for more than an hour here and there. Wahh!

 

[Bereno]

Where are you applying for OMFS? I'm guessing you've started the application process already.

Also... how did you motivate yourself to study for boards? Mine are in a month and I still can't force myself to sit down for more than an hour here and there. Wahh!

I'm applying all over the US, only to 4 year programs. Motivation is different for everyone... mine came from various sources lol. If you want more info, PM me.

 

[Cello]

I remember when you got into dental school.... It is amazing how time flies. Congratulations on finishing up!

2 questions:

1.) You may not know for sure, but how difficult it would it be to have a young family and go into OMFS if your spouse also works long hours / is a surgeon?
2.) When would be the best time in your opinion to have kids during dental school?

 

[Bereno]

I remember when you got into dental school.... It is amazing how time flies. Congratulations on finishing up!

2 questions:

1.) You may not know for sure, but how difficult it would it be to have a young family and go into OMFS if your spouse also works long hours / is a surgeon?
2.) When would be the best time in your opinion to have kids during dental school?

Hey, thanks! Time does fly... it still blows my mind how fast it goes haha.

1) You are right, I am not really sure. My sister did it, but her husband was not nearly busy as she was. I know some OMFS residents that did it with a family, but I have not talked extensively with them about it, nor do I know if their significant other was also super busy. Your best bet would be to talk to some current, or recently graduated residents.

2) Hmmm.... not sure. If I had to pick, I would say 4th year, or 2nd year, though some may disagree with me. The reason is that during 4th year and 2nd year, your schedule is very busy, but it is much more flexible than it was during 1st or 3rd year at my school. You are busy every year, but these might be the most flexible years to do it in. Curious on what other people would say about this.

 

[y3nd0]

I also remember when you got into dental school! (And the slight beef you had with another prominent figure on SDN)...

What was the largest learning curve you had to overcome during your pre-clinical work?
Once you started working in the clinic?

Thanks for all the time and dedication you put into the forums, Bereno!

 

[deleted659902]

¿Eres el número uno en su clase?

 

[hopefuldentistry]

1-how many hours did you study/ work on school per week in college versus in dental school?

2-Do you recommend trident gum?

 

[Bereno]

I also remember when you got into dental school! (And the slight beef you had with another prominent figure on SDN)...

What was the largest learning curve you had to overcome during your pre-clinical work?
Once you started working in the clinic?

Thanks for all the time and dedication you put into the forums, Bereno!

Lol, it still surprises me that it was such a controversial topic. Also, I enjoy giving my input when I can, so no problem.

Learning curve: The largest learning curve was how to learn again. What I mean by this is that I found traditional lectures to be no longer be effective time management for me. I had to stop going to class and use self study in order to learn what I needed to learn in the time allotted. The learning habits that I developed during undergrad had to be completely reworked, and that was a hard thing to let go since I spent so much time perfecting them haha. Once my test scores began going up, I became much more comfortable with it.

 

[Bereno]

¿Eres el número uno en su clase?

No tenemos el rango de clase

 

[Bereno]

1-how many hours did you study/ work on school per week in college versus in dental school?

2-Do you recommend trident gum?

1) Not sure... worked about 32 hours a week during undergrad and mostly just crammed for tests when they came up. Worked well, so I never really paid attention to how many hours... Dental school; much, much more studying with a more regimented study schedule. I would study essentially every day, including weekends. That said, I went to a school with a very rigorous BMS program, more rigorous than most dental schools. Accordingly, I would say that if you are not wanting to specialize and you don't go to a school with a med school curriculum, then you will likely not have to spend as much time studying as I did.

2) Not as much as I recommend Spry haha

 

[darknightzzz]

Hey guys, I have not been on here in a while (or at least not posted much lately). Many of you likely don't recognize my username, but I used to be quite active and have been on here for a while if that sort of thing is important to you. For what its worth, I thought it might be a helpful to some of you if you had a question and maybe I could answer it for you. Know that my experiences are anecdotal and will reflect my experiences at my school only. Hopefully it helps one or two of you guys out.

1. How hard it is to pursue orthodontist or periodontist?

2. if I am only settled for AEGD (2 yr) this means I can chill in dental school?

3. do graduate programs after DDS favor applicants who did well in Dental School but took like, lets say, 5-6 year off to work, then come back to apply for specialty program (ortho or perio)? or do they prefer the fresh grads?

Thank you.

 

[Bereno]

1. How hard it is to pursue orthodontist or periodontist?

2. if I am only settled for AEGD (2 yr) this means I can chill in dental school?

3. do graduate programs after DDS favor applicants who did well in Dental School but took like, lets say, 5-6 year off to work, then come back to apply for specialty program (ortho or perio)? or do they prefer the fresh grads?

Thank you.

1) Ortho has historically been tough to get into. Perio is not as difficult. How hard exactly is hard to quantify, but remember that any specialty can have the potential to be hard to get into. If you get to know your perio or ortho faculty during dental school, keep a solid class rank, then you should have a decent shot at it.

2) No

3) All specialties want someone who did well in dental school. Time off depends on the specialty. OMFS does not want people who have been in private practice for a while, they want fresh grads. Endo seems to be the one that comes to mind that tends to favor someone who has been in practice for a little while.

 

[helprosie]

What did you major in and did you apply to UCLA?

 

[cotoncub]

1)

3) All specialties want someone who did well in dental school. Time off depends on the specialty. OMFS does not want people who have been in private practice for a while, they want fresh grads. Endo seems to be the one that comes to mind that tends to favor someone who has been in practice for a little while.

So since I'm definitely going the HPSP route, if I decide to pursue a speciality like OMFS or perio/prosth will I be at a disadvantage?

 

[Confused1617]

Hello,
Thank you for doing this! I had a few questions to ask.

1) Other than OMFS and Perio, what are other hot residencies that will give most opportunities?
2) How were the boards?? Did you feel you had enough time to study? Also, since you mentioned you did a lot of cramming, did this bite you in the back for Part 1?
3) What do you think of the job market for general dentists now?

 

[Bereno]

What did you major in and did you apply to UCLA?

I majored in Finance. No.

So since I'm definitely going the HPSP route, if I decide to pursue a speciality like OMFS or perio/prosth will I be at a disadvantage?

Not that I am aware of. I have some classmates that are doing the HPSP thing and I am not aware of any disadvantage that they are at. I know that it will decrease the number of programs you can apply to, but I also know that there will be far less applicants for those spots, so I have the impression that it is a wash. If I hear any different, I will be sure to let you know.

Hello,
Thank you for doing this! I had a few questions to ask.

1) Other than OMFS and Perio, what are other hot residencies that will give most opportunities?
2) How were the boards?? Did you feel you had enough time to study? Also, since you mentioned you did a lot of cramming, did this bite you in the back for Part 1?
3) What do you think of the job market for general dentists now?

No problem

1) Hard to say. Depends on what kind of opportunities you are talking about. Are you under the impression that OMFS and perio are the only hot residencies? If so, that is far from the truth. Some peds guys are doing great things, endo is still a great specialty for someone who wants the endo lifestyle, ortho will always be in demand so long are there are hormonal pubescent teens that need braces, etc, etc. All specialties will provide great opportunities.

2) Boards were a cake-walk (not just for me either, most of my classmates felt the same way). Don't worry about the boards. Yes, I had more than sufficient time to study. I studied for a week for part I and that was about 4 days too long (for me). I should be clear, I did a lot of cramming in undergrad - this did NOT work for me in dental school, so I had to develop a much longer term, marathon type of study schedule. I essentially studied every day during the first two years, barring vacations, and the week after a major exam.

3) Job market depends on where you are talking and what you plan on doing (associateship vs private practice vs corporate vs urban vs rural, etc). Job market is effectivetly the same it has been for the past few years (though it is always shifting), but that is about all I can say about it. Not really well versed in the gen dent job market given that I am aiming to specialize.

 

[louuwilll]

If you could do one thing differently in undergrad what would it be?

 

[Bereno]

If you could do one thing differently in undergrad what would it be?

I would go back and not take 7 years to do it... I went in for business in order to go to law (4 years), ended up going back for biology so I could go to dental school (3 more years). That said, I loved my undergrad. I would not change much - I met some wonderful people and learned a lot about a lot of things. I still talk with some of my undergrad friends, despite the continental distance, 3 hour time difference, and years apart.

 

[kc8pg]

Is there anything you wished you knew when you started dental school?
Anything that a fresh D1 student should do or focus on doing?

 

[Bereno]

Is there anything you wished you knew when you started dental school?
Anything that a fresh D1 student should do or focus on doing?

Hmmm. I went into dental school pretty open minded, so there is nothing that comes to mind for me to say "I wish I knew that before I started".
A fresh D1 should learn how to manage their time and develop some discipline on when to focus, on what to focus on (you cant learn it all), and when to relax. If you can get these down quickly, you will do well

 

[100%permwinner]

Hi. Congrats on finishing that far! I'll become a first-year soon and orientation is next week. For now, I'll focus my attention on D1.
1. What times of the semester were you most socially active with your classmates? I mean hanging out, attending parties, etc. Best ways to make new friends?
2. In preparing for private practice, specialty, etc after graduation, what are some great advices for starting networking?
3. What are best ways to cope with excessive stress and unfortunate events (i.e. bad grades, arguments with friends, criticism from patients and prof) in dental school?
4. How many hours did you sleep in first and second years? This is my concern because I'll probably spend a total of 2 hours commuting back and forth.
Thank you for your time!

 

[Bereno]

Hi. Congrats on finishing that far! I'll become a first-year soon and orientation is next week. For now, I'll focus my attention on D1.
1. What times of the semester were you most socially active with your classmates? I mean hanging out, attending parties, etc. Best ways to make new friends?
2. In preparing for private practice, specialty, etc after graduation, what are some great advices for starting networking?
3. What are best ways to cope with excessive stress and unfortunate events (i.e. bad grades, arguments with friends, criticism from patients and prof) in dental school?
4. How many hours did you sleep in first and second years? This is my concern because I'll probably spend a total of 2 hours commuting back and forth.
Thank you for your time!

Congrats on starting dental school!

1) After exams. Our school would have a single, large 4-5 hour exam every 10 weeks, so the week after that was always a bunch of parties. Some were private, some were sponsored by the school. Great time to socialize and hang out. I am not sure if other schools do this, so I can only speak for my school. Other than that, I am hanging out with my classmates all the time in the second half of third year and it looks like what will be most of fourth year.
2) Networking advice? Just be friendly with everyone you meet and get to know. Simple as that. This is not big business where your success is who you know. This is private practice where being good to your patients and being professional to your peers is most important (in my eyes).
3) Find an outlet. Mine is photography. I find a creative outlet by going out and taking pictures, editing them, and sharing them. It works since I can pick it up and drop it when needed, so its flexible enough to work for me. Some of my classmates workout, some drink (honestly), some socialize, etc. The key is to find an outlet, because if you don't you will burn out. As far as coping, that is a personal attribute that will vary from person to person. My class is very small at 35 students, so everyone knows everything about everyone here, for good or for bad. As far as working with patients - learn to develop a backbone and thick skin. Know that you will have to jump through hoops in dental school and learn to recognize those loops that way you can do them without raising a fuss haha.
4) I slept probably 7-7.5 hours a night to be honest. There was never a time that I needed to lose sleep so long as I stuck to my study plan. Many of my classmates that took more time off early had to cram more later and got much less sleep. I never felt the need to give up on my sleep in order to study. The key is to be disciplined in your study habits. With commuting, this might prove to be more difficult, but I also have classmates who drive about 45min each way every day and they did just fine.

 

[MedicalGuy123]

No tenemos el rango de clase

woah you can speak spanish? If so, are you mexican?

 

[Bereno]

woah you can speak spanish? If so, are you mexican?

Lo siento, aunque me gusta practicar mi español , soy muy , muy gringo.

 

[MedicalGuy123]

Lo siento, aunque me gusta practicar mi español , soy muy , muy blanca.

was spanish hard for you to learn? Its such a hard language...

 

[100%permwinner]

Congrats on starting dental school!

1) After exams. Our school would have a single, large 4-5 hour exam every 10 weeks, so the week after that was always a bunch of parties. Some were private, some were sponsored by the school. Great time to socialize and hang out. I am not sure if other schools do this, so I can only speak for my school. Other than that, I am hanging out with my classmates all the time in the second half of third year and it looks like what will be most of fourth year.
2) Networking advice? Just be friendly with everyone you meet and get to know. Simple as that. This is not big business where your success is who you know. This is private practice where being good to your patients and being professional to your peers is most important (in my eyes).
3) Find an outlet. Mine is photography. I find a creative outlet by going out and taking pictures, editing them, and sharing them. It works since I can pick it up and drop it when needed, so its flexible enough to work for me. Some of my classmates workout, some drink (honestly), some socialize, etc. The key is to find an outlet, because if you don't you will burn out. As far as coping, that is a personal attribute that will vary from person to person. My class is very small at 35 students, so everyone knows everything about everyone here, for good or for bad. As far as working with patients - learn to develop a backbone and thick skin. Know that you will have to jump through hoops in dental school and learn to recognize those loops that way you can do them without raising a fuss haha.
4) I slept probably 7-7.5 hours a night to be honest. There was never a time that I needed to lose sleep so long as I stuck to my study plan. Many of my classmates that took more time off early had to cram more later and got much less sleep. I never felt the need to give up on my sleep in order to study. The key is to be disciplined in your study habits. With commuting, this might prove to be more difficult, but I also have classmates who drive about 45min each way every day and they did just fine.

Thank you for the response! I was invited to an interview at UConn but I'm planning to attend another school.

 

[hellofuturedentists]

If your class is roughly 40 people, is there any drama? If so, and you're not involved, is it interesting to watch? (half joking, half serious, since I'm applying to UConn and their class size is on the smaller side)

 

[MelonDew]

What are you going to do about your loans?

 

[OrphanageCaretaker]

Chocolate or Vanilla?

 

[ajj70]

Hi. Congrats on finishing that far! I'll become a first-year soon and orientation is next week. For now, I'll focus my attention on D1.
1. What times of the semester were you most socially active with your classmates? I mean hanging out, attending parties, etc. Best ways to make new friends?
2. In preparing for private practice, specialty, etc after graduation, what are some great advices for starting networking?
3. What are best ways to cope with excessive stress and unfortunate events (i.e. bad grades, arguments with friends, criticism from patients and prof) in dental school?
4. How many hours did you sleep in first and second years? This is my concern because I'll probably spend a total of 2 hours commuting back and forth.
Thank you for your time!

Sorry man, but OUCH!!! Are you at least taking a bus or public transportation so you can study?

 

[Faux]

Hi. Congrats on finishing that far! I'll become a first-year soon and orientation is next week. For now, I'll focus my attention on D1.
1. What times of the semester were you most socially active with your classmates? I mean hanging out, attending parties, etc. Best ways to make new friends?
2. In preparing for private practice, specialty, etc after graduation, what are some great advices for starting networking?
3. What are best ways to cope with excessive stress and unfortunate events (i.e. bad grades, arguments with friends, criticism from patients and prof) in dental school?
4. How many hours did you sleep in first and second years? This is my concern because I'll probably spend a total of 2 hours commuting back and forth.
Thank you for your time!

You should fix your commuting situation , at least for the first two years. No reason to have that kind of stress.

 

[Scumbag_Steve]

[Q

 

[100%permwinner]

Sorry man, but OUCH!!! Are you at least taking a bus or public transportation so you can study?

I'm taking public transportation. Driving is slightly faster but have other costs associated with it.

 

[metsfan692]

How many schools do the video/Webcam interview?

 

[100%permwinner]

If at all possible, I would find a safe place on/near the campus of your dental school and sleep in your car there to save time. I did it for a few weeks during an undergrad summer to avoid a 45 minute commute before I got a closer apartment, and it wasn't bad. Showered at the gym and packed 3 days of food at a time from home, so I only had to make the 45 minute commute one week day and one weekend day instead of everyday.

Thanks for the advice. I also thought about this for a long time and I am aware of the tradeoff between higher cost of living and time saved. My general dentist also recommended me to rent near school given how busy first year is. Now I'm still looking for a good place near school.

 

[Bereno]

was spanish hard for you to learn? Its such a hard language...

Not really... I am pretty rough at it lol

Thank you for the response! I was invited to an interview at UConn but I'm planning to attend another school.

Nice! Its always nice to have options

If your class is roughly 40 people, is there any drama? If so, and you're not involved, is it interesting to watch? (half joking, half serious, since I'm applying to UConn and their class size is on the smaller side)

Of course there is. Thankfully though, there is not as much as there could be. We all seem to get along pretty well

 

[Bereno]

Chocolate or Vanilla?

Vanilla. All day, every day.

How many schools do the video/Webcam interview?

Only one that I know of, though there might be more.

Thanks for the advice. I also thought about this for a long time and I am aware of the tradeoff between higher cost of living and time saved. My general dentist also recommended me to rent near school given how busy first year is. Now I'm still looking for a good place near school.

Look, don't sleep in your car just to save the trip. If you are taking public transportation, just study while on the bus/train/whatever. Much more useful to do that and sleep in your own bed.

 

[Kittenz]

Lol, it still surprises me that it was such a controversial topic. Also, I enjoy giving my input when I can, so no problem.

Learning curve: The largest learning curve was how to learn again. What I mean by this is that I found traditional lectures to be no longer be effective time management for me. I had to stop going to class and use self study in order to learn what I needed to learn in the time allotted. The learning habits that I developed during undergrad had to be completely reworked, and that was a hard thing to let go since I spent so much time perfecting them haha. Once my test scores began going up, I became much more comfortable with it.

Could you explain the method that was successful for your self studying at UConn, and what worked and didn't work for you? I expect to be in the same boat come this school year.

 

[Bereno]

Thanks for doing this man.

1) How did you prepare/study for CBSE? Did you use typical USMLE step 1 materials for it like First Aid?
2) How did you do or think you did on CBSE?
3) What kind of extra-curricular stuff did you do for OMFS (e.g. externships, OMFS club)?
4) What about OMFS do you find more appealing than general dentistry or other specialties, and why not a 6-yr program?

1) UWorld, First Aid, and Pathoma (UFAP) are well known to be staples. I did not rely on Pathoma as much, though I did definitely use it. I also used Sketchy Micro, and that was awesome. The way I did it was I read all of FA, then I did as much UWorld as I could and annotated what I thought was relevant from it into FA. I then read all of FA again the week before I took the exam. This worked out well for me, and I think this is how I would do it again if I needed.

2) I did well enough that I should get some interviews lol. I got a 71, which is a little lower than what I wanted, strong enough to be happy with it

3) The usual; OMFS club, externships, etc, but then I did a lot of community service stuff like teaching senior citizens oral healthcare, and stuffs like that. No research here though.

4) Why OMFS? Well, dentistry is kind of boring, that's why haha. I like medicine, I like bigger cases, and I get more satisfaction manipulating the hard and soft tissues of the body more than I get from restoring enamel and dentin. I feel turned on by surgery - I look forward to doing it and learning about it. I feel I have something to give to the field that I can't echo for dentistry in general. I also have some family friends that are oral surgeons that I really look up to - they are good people, so that has always made surgery a little more attractive. I also think I would be good at it. Not to say one is better than the other, but that I just find it more satisfying.

Could you explain the method that was successful for your self studying at UConn, and what worked and didn't work for you? I expect to be in the same boat come this school year.

The thing I tell most first year students is to consider stop going to class. They never listen and they all go to class, but after about 6 months they begin to stop going to class lol. The lectures are recorded, so I would get to school the same time lecture starts, but I would just go to the library instead. I would play a lecture on double speed and listen. I would pause when I needed to look something up, or replay it if I needed listen again. Good luck doing that in a live lecture haha. That also meant that if I was tired, and wanted to sleep a little, I could sleep in with no worries. I would use Anki to take notes (flashcards) as well. Doing this took a little over an hour for each lecture, but then I had my notes already made for each lecture that allowed me to go back and study much more efficiently later on. That said, there is a great anxiety for a lot of students to not go to class, especially when they are just starting dental school and are all eager to do well and want to learn everything. Eventually they see that they cant learn everything and that they need to focus on what is or is not important. My advice is to think about the pros and cons of attending lecture and see what works best for you.

 

[deleted659902]

2) I did well enough that I should get some interviews lol. I got a 71, which is a little lower than what I wanted, strong enough to be happy with it



4) Why OMFS? Well, dentistry is kind of boring, that's why haha. I like medicine, I like bigger cases, and I get more satisfaction manipulating the hard and soft tissues of the body more than I get from restoring enamel and dentin. I feel turned on by surgery - I look forward to doing it and learning about it. I feel I have something to give to the field that I can't echo for dentistry in general. I also have some family friends that are oral surgeons that I really look up to - they are good people, so that has always made surgery a little more attractive. I also think I would be good at it. Not to say one is better than the other, but that I just find it more satisfying.

71? Isn't that about 200 on Step 1, which is barely passing? Nonetheless, good luck with your OMFS endeavor!

Also, you find dentistry boring? haha, I guess I'll find out for myself come third year. Thanks!

 

[Greyangel6]

Read a few of your posts before, a few years back, particularly liked the spreadsheet of financial projections. Thanks for doing this! Btw, I'm an incoming D1

1) Can I pm you for motivational sources haha?
2) How did you manage time for externships, shadowing different departments, clubs?
3) What loupes would you recommend?
4) Would you recommend studying in groups? I prefer to study by myself but because I hear being sociable can be very helpful in terms of studying too.
5) What do you do for your food situation? I mean, do you cook or do you eat out more? Would you recommend picking up some basic cooking? I went through undergrad eating ramen and drinking water for basic sustenance lol so I can't cook for the life of me. But I realize I should take better care of myself or I will not last physically in dental school haha.

Again thanks for the AMA

 

[Faux]

The thing I tell most first year students is to consider stop going to class. They never listen and they all go to class, but after about 6 months they begin to stop going to class lol. The lectures are recorded, so I would get to school the same time lecture starts, but I would just go to the library instead. I would play a lecture on double speed and listen. I would pause when I needed to look something up, or replay it if I needed listen again. Good luck doing that in a live lecture haha. That also meant that if I was tired, and wanted to sleep a little, I could sleep in with no worries. I would use Anki to take notes (flashcards) as well. Doing this took a little over an hour for each lecture, but then I had my notes already made for each lecture that allowed me to go back and study much more efficiently later on. That said, there is a great anxiety for a lot of students to not go to class, especially when they are just starting dental school and are all eager to do well and want to learn everything. Eventually they see that they cant learn everything and that they need to focus on what is or is not important. My advice is to think about the pros and cons of attending lecture and see what works best for you.

so flash cards were still effective for you in ds?

 

[Bereno]

71? Isn't that about 200 on Step 1, which is barely passing? Nonetheless, good luck with your OMFS endeavor!

Also, you find dentistry boring? haha, I guess I'll find out for myself come third year. Thanks!

The USMLE correlations are weak to begin with, but yeah, I think its something like that. The thing is, the med students have 2 months of dedicated study time, and do not have dental classes to study for, so its hard to compare the two. I studied during my third year so I had clinic all day, and studied at night, so in that light I am happy with it. If I based my score on how well I did during my two years in the medical school classes, it would have been much higher lol.

Yes, its a little boring for me... Its exciting at first, but after a while, its just another Class II, or just another denture, or just another SRP, etc, etc.

Read a few of your posts before, a few years back, particularly liked the spreadsheet of financial projections. Thanks for doing this! Btw, I'm an incoming D1

1) Can I pm you for motivational sources haha?
2) How did you manage time for externships, shadowing different departments, clubs?
3) What loupes would you recommend?
4) Would you recommend studying in groups? I prefer to study by myself but because I hear being sociable can be very helpful in terms of studying too.
5) What do you do for your food situation? I mean, do you cook or do you eat out more? Would you recommend picking up some basic cooking? I went through undergrad eating ramen and drinking water for basic sustenance lol so I can't cook for the life of me. But I realize I should take better care of myself or I will not last physically in dental school haha.

Again thanks for the AMA

1) Sure
2) By planning ahead. Simple as that. I also carry around a small 2x4 pocket book that I use as a to do list and also as a scratch pad for when I need it. I use it all the time so I don't forget to do things. Its literally on me every day.
3) I like my Orascoptic 3.8x loupes paired with a Lumadent light a lot, but there are a lot of other great brands to choose from.
4) I do not like studying in groups. Too often group chat will take over and the time spent is less effective/efficient. That said, if you feel solid on the material, group study can be a great way to reinforce it and socialize as well
5) I eat the same thing every day, so I might be the wrong person to ask haha. I eat cereal in the morning, bring my own lunch (granola, carrots, banana, yogurt, etc), and have random things for dinner (ramen, canned soup, frozen foods, etc). Some basic cooking might be nice - I know a lot of my classmates cook on Sunday and bring it for the week. I cant cook either, so I just load up on Trader Joes frozen foods sometimes haha.

so flash cards were still effective for you in ds?

Anki flashcards are amazing since they only test you on what you don't know - much more effective than physical cards (for me).

 

[LizLemongrab]

Thank you for doing this, I have appreciated reading all of the questions and your responses so far.
1. When did you learn Spanish?
2. Would it be plausible to self-teach myself some rudimentary Spanish during D1/D2 using Rosetta or Pimsleur?
3. Have you used an intraoral camera to make a portfolio of your work while in dental school and if so, what was your setup?
4. Do you think you would have liked a Anki-like program containing modules that are tailored specifically for certain classes such as anatomical courses, pathology classes, radiology, diagnosis/treatment of oral disease, other visual subjects, and course terminology (disclosure: I'm in a research project seeking to develop such an app for the school I attend)?

 

[Bereno]

Thank you for doing this, I have appreciated reading all of the questions and your responses so far.
1. When did you learn Spanish?
2. Would it be plausible to self-teach myself some rudimentary Spanish during D1/D2 using Rosetta or Pimsleur?
3. Have you used an intraoral camera to make a portfolio of your work while in dental school and if so, what was your setup?
4. Do you think you would have liked a Anki-like program containing modules that are tailored specifically for certain classes such as anatomical courses, pathology classes, radiology, diagnosis/treatment of oral disease, other visual subjects, and course terminology (disclosure: I'm in a research project seeking to develop such an app for the school I attend)?

1) I took 3 years in highschool, and took a class in college. That said, my Spanish is terrible haha
2) Yup, just be sure to find someone to practice with
3) Yes and no. I have used an intraoral camera but I have not made much of a portfolio yet. I should and need to soon, but I have not yet. I have a Canon 50d with a 100mm macro F2.8 USM (non-L) lens with a MR-14EX ringflash. As a side note, I love the 100mm macro as its one of my favorite lenses to use outside of dental stuffs. Great all around 100mm lens.
4) Absolutely, so long as I can make sure I review only what I need to and can skip/delay what I know (Anki does a great job at this IMO).