Medical School or Dental School

[Mortulangel0902]

I went to a college which offers a scholarship to attend medical school or dental school for free. While I have had more exposure to medicine (volunteered in hospital, husband is a medical student, volunteered in health clinic in ecuador), after not doing so well on the MCAT and taking a break after college, I am not as discriminatory to other medical professions as I once was.

Also for whatever reason, I have become bothered with death. I have held a cadavers hand while I was a sophomore but for whatever reason feel like I could not even step in the room at this point in my life (no nothing dramatic has happened to me since that time).

While I want to save lives, I feel that the work that dentists do is life saving as well. I have shadowed a dentist too and think it is interesting. No, I do not want to do medicine and dentistry.

Here is what I do know, my family comes first so if I end up matching into a profession with long hours that would take a huge chunk of time away from my family, I would happily walk away from it. I am interested in dermatology / cosmetic dentistry and am not afraid to do go above and beyond to be where I need to be. I want to make more than 250k but I know plenty of dentists that do so the doctor/money thing is not an issue. I feel doctors are the most prestigious however I am not really caught up in the ego game. Lastly, while dentistry would be great, It would not have been a consideration if I did well enough on the MCAT to get into the school that I wanted to get into.

All of that said, what would you do?

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[DrReo]

I went to a college which offers a scholarship to attend medical school or dental school for free. While I have had more exposure to medicine (volunteered in hospital, husband is a medical student, volunteered in health clinic in ecuador), after not doing so well on the MCAT and taking a break after college, I am not as discriminatory to other medical professions as I once was.

Also for whatever reason, I have become bothered with death. I have held a cadavers hand while I was a sophomore but for whatever reason feel like I could not even step in the room at this point in my life (no nothing dramatic has happened to me since that time).

While I want to save lives, I feel that the work that dentists do is life saving as well. I have shadowed a dentist too and think it is interesting. No, I do not want to do medicine and dentistry.

Here is what I do know, my family comes first so if I end up matching into a profession with long hours that would take a huge chunk of time away from my family, I would happily walk away from it. I am interested in dermatology / cosmetic dentistry and am not afraid to do go above and beyond to be where I need to be. I want to make more than 250k but I know plenty of dentists that do so the doctor/money thing is not an issue. I feel doctors are the most prestigious however I am not really caught up in the ego game. Lastly, while dentistry would be great, It would not have been a consideration if I did well enough on the MCAT to get into the school that I wanted to get into.

All of that said, what would you do?

Dental school has its very own cadavers.

Seems like a failure performance on the MCAT leads you to consider dentistry. Go out there and knock the MCAT out.

 

[Blue Panther]

I went to a college which offers a scholarship to attend medical school or dental school for free. While I have had more exposure to medicine (volunteered in hospital, husband is a medical student, volunteered in health clinic in ecuador), after not doing so well on the MCAT and taking a break after college, I am not as discriminatory to other medical professions as I once was.

Also for whatever reason, I have become bothered with death. I have held a cadavers hand while I was a sophomore but for whatever reason feel like I could not even step in the room at this point in my life (no nothing dramatic has happened to me since that time).

While I want to save lives, I feel that the work that dentists do is life saving as well. I have shadowed a dentist too and think it is interesting. No, I do not want to do medicine and dentistry.

Here is what I do know, my family comes first so if I end up matching into a profession with long hours that would take a huge chunk of time away from my family, I would happily walk away from it. I am interested in dermatology / cosmetic dentistry and am not afraid to do go above and beyond to be where I need to be. I want to make more than 250k but I know plenty of dentists that do so the doctor/money thing is not an issue. I feel doctors are the most prestigious however I am not really caught up in the ego game. Lastly, while dentistry would be great, It would not have been a consideration if I did well enough on the MCAT to get into the school that I wanted to get into.

All of that said, what would you do?

When you are in middle school: what clothes you wear, what shoes you have matter
When you are in high school: who your friends are, what car you drive, how popular your are matters
In undergrad: how often and how much you can drink before passing out, what professional/grad school you are going to, what job you landed matters
When you are 30-40: how attractive your spouse is, how cute your kids are matters
At 40-50: how big your house is, what college your kids are going to matter
At 60+: how early you retire and what your life is like after retirement matters
Finally you die: how many people attended your funeral, how baller ass funeral you had matters.

Deep down you want to pursue medicine, its your calling. Dentistry is too beneath you.

 

[mylilpony]

If I were you, I would go for medicine. I would never want to "fall back on dentistry". The gap between medicine and dentistry is not large enough to decide upon one or the other based on an exam. You found out that the MCAT is hard. The DAT is not considerably easier for every individual, this too is an obstacle for you. If you do poorly on the DAT, then what? Study some more for the DAT...or go back to MCAT? Do medicine, be a doctor, follow your dreams. Just my opinion, you asked. I hope it's beneficial in some way.

 

[12345a]

Here is what I do know, my family comes first so if I end up matching into a profession with long hours that would take a huge chunk of time away from my family, I would happily walk away from it. I am interested in dermatology / cosmetic dentistry and am not afraid to do go above and beyond to be where I need to be. I want to make more than 250k but I know plenty of dentists that do so the doctor/money thing is not an issue. I feel doctors are the most prestigious however I am not really caught up in the ego game. Lastly, while dentistry would be great, It would not have been a consideration if I did well enough on the MCAT to get into the school that I wanted to get into.

All of that said, what would you do?

It's easy to say that "I want a lifestyle friendly specialty" but chances are that you won't match into anything resembling derm, rads, optho, gas, etc. You couldn't even hack it on the MCAT (no offense). You should do dentistry even though it's your fall back option....that's what they're for (no matter what anyone says).

Some other observations from a former pre-med:

-You won't see an "Under 3.0 Club" on the pre-allo forum because let's face it, unlike DS admissions, a 3.5 is barely competitive for med school admissions.
-You have unrealistic expectations about how much you want to make
-Even though the standards are lower, dental school admissions aren't a walk in the park (especially with little dental related activities)
-The fact that you took the MCAT (/applied to med schools?) will negatively effect your application...Dental schools don't regard med-school rejects who are out of other options very well

best of luck and choose the career based on your personal motivations, but I think it's unwise to choose one because of any perceived characteristics about it (talk to actual physicians and you might find out why so many are miserable...)

 

[Mortulangel0902]

Just so you know my stats....3.9 g.p.a. P- 10 B -10 V- 9 ..It's not that I did not get into medical school it is just that I did not get into the school where the scholarship is offered. My sister in law got a 25 on the MCAT and matched into derm so to say that the MCAT is going to be the overall predictor of where I end up is false. So, dentistry is not a "fall back option" it is just that I am unsure of where I belong.

 

[dentalWorks]

Mortulangel0902 ~

This is what happens when you ask people "What should I do?".... people will give you their opinions and none of them are going to be good or bad. They are just opinions.

Let me turn the table on you. What do YOU want to do? Its a very basic question. Do you think going to dentistry is going to make you feel inferior to doctors? when you go out to parties and there are doctors present, your wife or friends will introduce you as "hey this is my friend/husband Dr. Joe schmoe"... and the doctors will shake your hand and ask "oh so whats your specialty"... then your going to say "Oh I am a dentist"... how is that going to make you feel? inferior? superior (becuase you spend more time with ur family)? These are questions ONLY YOU can answer.

Dentistry, unfortunately is not a "stick" measuring contest with medicine. While dentistry could provide the 250K+ incomes and more time with family, it does not even come close to how "prestigious" being a doctor is. You need to see this now and ACCEPT IT or you might be one misreable dentist making 250K a year.

As far as the dead and cadavers thing go, thats not much of an issue, MOST people have a hard time with an encounter with the dead for the first time..... Eventually you get used to it. My sister lol (she is a dentist now), her first day in anatomy class, she passed out lol. Wait no, she threw up first in the garbage can, then few minutes later she passed out lol. Today she is a dentist today, so my point is, you WILL get over this thing.

There is 1 huge benefit to dentistry that many here havn't spent any time talking about. While both med and dental schools are 4 years long. You graduate dental school, and maybe start making 80-150+K a year (depending on location), on the other hand, you graduate med school, you gotta do MINIMUM 3 years of residency, making like 40k a year and working 60-80 hours a week. And if you do one of those "ultra" residencies (General surgery for example), those are I believe 5 years, and pushing close to 80+ hours a week.

 

[doc toothache]

after not doing so well on the MCAT and taking a break after college, I am not as discriminatory to other medical professions as I once was.
While I want to save lives, I feel that the work that dentists do is life saving as well. I have shadowed a dentist too and think it is interesting. No, I do not want to do medicine and dentistry.

Here is what I do know, my family comes first so if I end up matching into a profession with long hours that would take a huge chunk of time away from my family, I would happily walk away from it. I am interested in dermatology / cosmetic dentistry and am not afraid to do go above and beyond to be where I need to be. I want to make more than 250k but I know plenty of dentists that do so the doctor/money thing is not an issue. I feel doctors are the most prestigious however I am not really caught up in the ego game. Lastly, while dentistry would be great, It would not have been a consideration if I did well enough on the MCAT to get into the school that I wanted to get into.

There are plenty of reasons you should stick with medicine.

 

[Palmetto914]

To the OP, so you got into med school, but you're not going because it wasn't the school you wanted? Maybe I'm confused, or misread your post about your stats. I get that a full-ride to med school is a very big deal, so can you not apply to that same school next year? Your MCAT is a hair away from 30+...take it again, apply, and get your scholarship. Some people would say, though, "Dude, I'd kill to get an acceptance to med school." If you ONLY want to go to med school because you can go to a particular one for free, it sounds like you don't really want to go to med school.

 

[FutureDent020]

When you are middle school: what clothes you wear, what shoes you have matter
When you are high school: who your friends are, what car you drive, how popular your are matters
In undergrad: how often and how much you can drink before passing out, what professional/grad school you are going to, what job you landed matters
When you are 30-40: how attractive your spouse is, how cute your kids are matters
At 40-50: how big your house is, what college your kids are going to matter
At 60+: how early you retire and what your life is like after retirement matters
Finally you die: how many people attended your funeral, how baller ass funeral you had matters.

Deep down you want to pursue medicine, its your calling. Dentistry is too beneath you.

haha, I like this post

 

[Mortulangel0902]

To the OP, so you got into med school, but you're not going because it wasn't the school you wanted? Maybe I'm confused, or misread your post about your stats. I get that a full-ride to med school is a very big deal, so can you not apply to that same school next year? Your MCAT is a hair away from 30+...take it again, apply, and get your scholarship. Some people would say, though, "Dude, I'd kill to get an acceptance to med school." If you ONLY want to go to med school because you can go to a particular one for free, it sounds like you don't really want to go to med school.

My husband is in medical school and needed a cosigner for his loan. I cosigned because we were very sure that I would go for free and not take out a loan. As a result, even if I wanted to go, I would not be able to get the financial aid to go. As far as taking it again, it was a huge disappointment after what happened to so just decided to take some time off to reevaluate what I wanted to do and personally, I was so burnt out after college (I had a double major, research, volunteering etc.) that I just couldn't wrap my mind around preparing all over again for 1 or 2 points. However, now that I am at a point where I feel I can start preparing again, things in dentistry do interest me just as much as medicine and I just do not know what to choose.

 

[Skygrandpager]

As a result, even if I wanted to go, I would not be able to get the financial aid to go.

Are you 100% sure about this??
anyways, In my opinion getting into med/dental school for free (not sure how) is very much worth the stress of attempting to get those extra 1 or 2 points. Also, it may be easier for you to get those points on the MCAT having already took that exam once before, as opposed to taking a totally different exam, like the DAT, for the 1st time.
But out of curiosity, what score on the DAT would you need?

 

[dentalWorks]

My husband is in medical school and needed a cosigner for his loan. I cosigned because we were very sure that I would go for free and not take out a loan. As a result, even if I wanted to go, I would not be able to get the financial aid to go. As far as taking it again, it was a huge disappointment after what happened to so just decided to take some time off to reevaluate what I wanted to do and personally, I was so burnt out after college (I had a double major, research, volunteering etc.) that I just couldn't wrap my mind around preparing all over again for 1 or 2 points. However, now that I am at a point where I feel I can start preparing again, things in dentistry do interest me just as much as medicine and I just do not know what to choose.

How come he needed a cosigner? Most people who go to med/dental schools don't need cosigners...

 

[redchesus]

My husband is in medical school and needed a cosigner for his loan. I cosigned because we were very sure that I would go for free and not take out a loan.

You realize that there are virtually no free-ride programs in dental schools right? How are you going to afford dental school?

 

[DrReo]

Just so you know my stats....3.9 g.p.a. P- 10 B -10 V- 9 ..It's not that I did not get into medical school it is just that I did not get into the school where the scholarship is offered. My sister in law got a 25 on the MCAT and matched into derm so to say that the MCAT is going to be the overall predictor of where I end up is false. So, dentistry is not a "fall back option" it is just that I am unsure of where I belong.

With those stats you should realize that no where on earth will give you a free ride, okay very little.

if you want this so called free ride, apply to a few PhD programs. They will give you a stipend.

 

[Mortulangel0902]

Are you 100% sure about this??
anyways, In my opinion getting into med/dental school for free (not sure how) is very much worth the stress of attempting to get those extra 1 or 2 points. Also, it may be easier for you to get those points on the MCAT having already took that exam once before, as opposed to taking a totally different exam, like the DAT, for the 1st time.
But out of curiosity, what score on the DAT would you need?

This link shows the scholarship I am speaking of
you can go to U of Pitt, Penn State, or Temple Dental School, Medical School, Law or Graduate School for free you just have to pay for your own living expenses. No this is not just for African American students it is for anyone that graduates from Cheyney or the other HBCU.

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/porta...ond_-_leslie_pinckney_hill_scholarship/566784

 

[Mortulangel0902]

How come he needed a cosigner? Most people who go to med/dental schools don't need cosigners...

He's an international students. He has 2 brothers and one sister in medical school who his parents are paying cash for to attend. He never stated that he was going to go to so when he got admitted cosigning the loan (this is before we got married) was the only option.

 

[Mortulangel0902]

i will close the post for now. if anyone sees this and is interested in more info about the scholarship just message me but im going to take everyones advice into consideration. i will let oyu k now what happens

 

[crew09]

When you are in middle school: what clothes you wear, what shoes you have matter
When you are in high school: who your friends are, what car you drive, how popular your are matters
In undergrad: how often and how much you can drink before passing out, what professional/grad school you are going to, what job you landed matters
When you are 30-40: how attractive your spouse is, how cute your kids are matters
At 40-50: how big your house is, what college your kids are going to matter
At 60+: how early you retire and what your life is like after retirement matters
Finally you die: how many people attended your funeral, how baller ass funeral you had matters.

Deep down you want to pursue medicine, its your calling. Dentistry is too beneath you.

+1

The responses in this thread should be read by all undergrad students seeking dentistry and/or medicine.

OP,

To be honest, the responses felt slightly abrasive even to me, but they hold a lot of truth. Good luck on your decision.