Is it normal to feel scared like this?

[Loyoladentalman15]

Hello all,

I really hope this isn't a dumb thing to post but I am sure most of us has had that little doubt in our minds saying, "What if I fail?" Now, here me out. Most of us aren't natural geniuses. We had to endure a lot and work twice as hard as some of our peers. Not all of us took the traditional route of 4 years of college then off to dental school. There are probably thousands of students like me who had to do a post bac for at least a year (I did 2) or did a masters. In order to be accepted, you would probably have had to blow the top off the DAT (21 or 22+) and gotten a 3.7+ GPA in a post bac or masters.

I am going to be honest. I had to work pretty hard to maintain a 3.83 post bac gpa over 60 hrs or so and managed to get a 22AA on the DAT the 2nd time around. There were some days when I just wanted to give up and do something else but I stuck with it and still dreamed of being a dentist. Now as I prepare my application, I am starting to feel scared. If I do get in, great! I'll be 25 when I start. However, that's only the beginning. I am scared of seriously failing out of dental school and then I'll be left with all of that debt. It sounds silly to think about the future that way but have any of y'all ever had this feeling?

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[Bifenthrin]

I don't know how it is at other schools, but I can tell you this: at NYU, you have to pretty much do nothing to flunk out. If you put in even a little bit of effort, you're going to at least pull C's off. If you're capable of maintaining a 3.83 in your post bac and a 22AA on the DAT, you're capable of succeeding in dental school. I'm not promising you'll have a 4.0 by any means, but I doubt you'll fail out.

 

[Loyoladentalman15]

I don't know how it is at other schools, but I can tell you this: at NYU, you have to pretty much do nothing to flunk out. If you put in even a little bit of effort, you're going to at least pull C's off. If you're capable of maintaining a 3.83 in your post bac and a 22AA on the DAT, you're capable of succeeding in dental school. I'm not promising you'll have a 4.0 by any means, but I doubt you'll fail out.

I have no desire to specialize honestly. I know myself and that I am not the smartest person ever (my first round of exams in college made sure of that lol). The post bac and 2nd DAT has been a challenging but very humbling experience. That does make me feel a bit better. I guess it's all just nerves. Thank you, friend.

 

[Loyoladentalman15]

I agree. I think it's pretty hard to fail out. And, once you're in, go share your fears with your Dean of Student Affairs if it's freaking you out that much! They'll usually do everything they can to get you the resources you need to do well whether that's a tutor, just being aware that you're concerned, or making sure you're okay. My other advice is to make friends! They'll help make the journey easier and will fill in the gaps when you don't know something. And you'll do the same for them!

I see. Maybe I am just being too concerned. I need to work on that.

 

[cmcner]

If you fail they lose over $100,000 a year each year you aren't there so they don't want you out either. Dentistry is all about failure and learning from your mistakes and getting better, they don't expect you to start perfect, or to ever become perfect for that matter, just to do the best that you can and try to be perfect.

 

[Loyoladentalman15]

If you fail they lose over $100,000 a year each year you aren't there so they don't want you out either. Dentistry is all about failure and learning from your mistakes and getting better, they don't expect you to start perfect, or to ever become perfect for that matter, just to do the best that you can and try to be perfect.

Oh wow. I didn't even think about this.
Thanks a lot Dr.!