I need some advice on the mess that I've made. I've been dismissed from my D.O. med school, failed level 1 2x, then unsuccessfully appealed the Dean's decision. Before med school I considered dental school, with around 120 shadowing hours. Right now I'm trying to figure out what options to pursue. In total, I have ~200k in student loans, and I've maxed out any remaining federal student loan eligibility, except for Grad Plus. My undergrad GPA was a 3.25 O, and a 3.29 Science, but I graduated in 2010, so I'm not sure if my prequisites would still be eligibile. Do I have any chance of being admitted, with this dismissal that I'll have to disclose on the application?
Screwed up, what should I do?
- Thread starter Rangee12
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If you failed first year of medical school twice, what makes you think you'll be able to get through dental school in one piece?
med school (MD) and dental school (DMD/DDS) are identical for the first two years so i doubt that they would be sympathetic. Ive been told by all the Ives and schools that the only difference between the classes are they days on which they are taught
You'd still have to take the DAT and do really well because your GPA isn't very competitive. Honestly, I don't think the odds are in your favor. Dental school should never be a second option after failing out of Med/D.O. School bc the science classes are just as challenging. I think you should really consider P.A. school or even pharm school.
First of all, you need to figure out what went wrong during your year at DO school. If you failed the course curriculum because you didn't commit enough/study enough, and you think you can start fresh, then start working hard now and you will have a chance at getting admitted by dental school. You can start by doing more shadowing hours, volunteering, and taking DAT (and do well).
If you fail the curriculum because no matter how hard you try, you just cannot catch up to other people, you might want to reconsider your options.
If you fail the curriculum because no matter how hard you try, you just cannot catch up to other people, you might want to reconsider your options.
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Yeah...because dental school is a great back up for med school!
A
akog
Color commentary aside:
Your prereqs are probably still fine
Your GPA makes it a slight uphill battle, but doable.
I assume that dental admissions people would not like dental being your second choice and the fact that you were not able pass muster academically. Not sure you could overcome that.
If you wanted a chance, I would spin a better story on "why dentistry," get 99th percentile on the DAT to offset your history (90th percentile is around the average for acceptance if I'm not mistaken), then contact admissions people personally and ask for guidance.
Your prereqs are probably still fine
Your GPA makes it a slight uphill battle, but doable.
I assume that dental admissions people would not like dental being your second choice and the fact that you were not able pass muster academically. Not sure you could overcome that.
If you wanted a chance, I would spin a better story on "why dentistry," get 99th percentile on the DAT to offset your history (90th percentile is around the average for acceptance if I'm not mistaken), then contact admissions people personally and ask for guidance.
F
fogorvostan
I agree with everyone else. You really need to sit down and figure out why you failed in medical school. There are misconceptions floating around that dental school is this giant cakewalk compared to medical school and that's just not true. As other people have explained, the first two years are similar, if not identical classes. You may also want to ask yourself what you are going to do with that debt. If you were to attend dental school at a private school, it's not unrealistic to walk away with $400k in loans. You already have $200k. Is $600k really what you are willing to spend for a career that isn't even your top choice?
If healthcare is your passion, it may also be worthwhile exploring other career paths, such as nursing. I've worked in a hospital and interned in a few others. The nurses I spent time with provided some of the best patient care. You can also make pretty good money as a nurse. It's not a doctor's salary, but you can support yourself and there are always jobs available for good nurses.
Best of luck with everything. You're definitely going to hit some peoples' nerves by posting this, but I hope it helps you find your answer. A lot of us as predent/dental students have experienced others thinking dentistry is a "lesser" form of medicine and it's just not true.
If healthcare is your passion, it may also be worthwhile exploring other career paths, such as nursing. I've worked in a hospital and interned in a few others. The nurses I spent time with provided some of the best patient care. You can also make pretty good money as a nurse. It's not a doctor's salary, but you can support yourself and there are always jobs available for good nurses.
Best of luck with everything. You're definitely going to hit some peoples' nerves by posting this, but I hope it helps you find your answer. A lot of us as predent/dental students have experienced others thinking dentistry is a "lesser" form of medicine and it's just not true.
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Wow, I'm actually more surprised that Med schools allow someone who failed first year to try again. Is this normal?
Given the rigor and competitive nature of med school I thought if you fail a few classes first year there is no going back.
Given the rigor and competitive nature of med school I thought if you fail a few classes first year there is no going back.
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OP, do you actually want dentistry though? Considering that you picked medicine (DO) over dentistry despite having 120 hours of shadowing a dentist, it's pretty clear that you'd be much happier being a physician.
Here, what's the result of the following: (Dentistry/a career path I don't enjoy/a career that isn't my ideal) + ($600K in loans before interest) + (depressed starting salaries in dentistry- people aren't starting with 170K+ nowadays....more like 90-110K) = ??
My guess? Severe unhappiness + depression.
P.S- Did all 200K in loans come from doing year 1 twice at your DO school? What med. school charges $100K/year?! That is a horrible situation. I sympathize with you.
Here, what's the result of the following: (Dentistry/a career path I don't enjoy/a career that isn't my ideal) + ($600K in loans before interest) + (depressed starting salaries in dentistry- people aren't starting with 170K+ nowadays....more like 90-110K) = ??
My guess? Severe unhappiness + depression.
P.S- Did all 200K in loans come from doing year 1 twice at your DO school? What med. school charges $100K/year?! That is a horrible situation. I sympathize with you.
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People just do not fail med school twice with no reason. There should have been something pretty significant to cause you to fail. You need to analyze those reasons and decide, if they are still present or you are able to function normally
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You'll need to prove you're not the same person who failed the first year of D.O. twice. If you're really intent on pursuing dentistry, you need to understand it'll take quite a bit of effort to convince them of that (meaning more shadowing, research, acing higher division biology classes-necessary since you failed 1st year twice). The whole process may well take years just for some schools to give you a chance (Keep in mind that pre-reqs generally expire after 7-10 years). To be honest, based on your diction in your original post, I don't think going the dental route is the right choice for you. But if you're intent on pursuing it, I would advise you to score well on the DAT and spend some time thinking on how to explain your mishaps to adcoms.
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Im a 2nd yr dental student, my boyfriend is a 2nd year med student (MD).
I take 11 classes a semester, he takes 4 classes a semester.
I have projects due every week, at least 2 exams every week, he has 4 exams every one and a half months.
If you think you can make through dental school after failing DO school twice, then take your DAT as soon as possible and go from there.
I take 11 classes a semester, he takes 4 classes a semester.
I have projects due every week, at least 2 exams every week, he has 4 exams every one and a half months.
If you think you can make through dental school after failing DO school twice, then take your DAT as soon as possible and go from there.
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AADSAS requires you to disclose whether or not you attended another health professions school prior to applying to dental school. Assuming you have integrity, I don't see how failing D.O. school will make you an attractive candidate. If I were you, with that amount of debt (I'm assuming some from undergrad) I would look into law school or selling high-end real estate. People have dealt with tougher situations and made the best of them, but if I were you I'd start to get really serious about your future and do something.
