Time Commitment

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HubbaBubba

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I know this question has been asked before, but I wanted to get a more updated version of people's answers (the other one was maybe 10 years ago).

While in dental school, do you have ANY free time whatsoever?

I've been hearing from some friends in D1 and D2 that they basically eat, sleep, and breathe dentistry. Nothing else.

I know this is the required mindset to do well in dental school, what with the long class times and insane amount of credit hours. Although, I find it hard to believe that there is literally NO time leftover to do things that keep you sane. o_O

Would I have time to go to the gym, maybe take the bike out for a spin, catch up with some friends, or even just have time to be a couch potato and regroup after a stressful week of classes?

Just want to get a better idea of what to expect in a year or so, if (and hopefully when) I get accepted.

Thanks everyone!!! :D

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If you want to specialize, it won't be pleasant. If you just want to get by and pass, it's pretty manageable. It's hard work either way.
 
Somehow my classmates make time for what's important to them. Namely, drinking.
 
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It is what you make it. Like the above post mentioned, if you are trying to specialize and want a 4.0 you will have less free time than if you are going for a 3.0. I would say I study about average or a little more than the average student in my class. I have plenty of free time to go to the gym when I want and go out with friends on the weekend. Also depends on the school schedule week to week. On an average week I spend 2-4 hours on weeknights studying and most of the day on Sundays. During a light week with no exams its less than that, during a tough week its more.
 
I think people on here and people in life in general tend to make things sound a lot worse than they really are. I've had a ton of free time in dental school and I've made out just fine so far. I still go to the gym every day, I still play soccer when I want, I watch pretty much all the sports games I want to watch, and I still have time to hang out with friends from school. And this is all after trying to get into OMFS. The key is to be efficient. That means putting your phone away, not being easily distracted, and knocking out the work in a timely matter. When it's time to work, dammit do the work. I often see people sitting around all day complaining that they have assignments or lab work to do but they're dicking around for pretty much 80% of the time. I have no sympathy when they complain and they often are a lot more stressed out because they don't see through the inefficiency that they go through on a daily basis. Then again, I also don't have or have never had Facebook, so you'll never see myself wasting my life away or caring about what others are doing while I have my own set of problems.
 
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It's not as bad as people make it sound. I've had a decent amount of free time this semester and I've been studying for boards that are in 21 days. I don't have free time right now but after finals and boards I will again. Even if you don't want to "just pass" and do well you can have free time. I have gotten mostly A's and a few B's and I have not gone overboard on studying. I've had time to hang out with my wife and relax. That being said, I know some people who are having trouble and really need to put in a lot of hours. It really is different for everyone.
 
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Not in d-school yet myself but if free time to do some sort of hobby is important to you, you will find a way to make it fit.

I am a bodybuilder and take it pretty seriously. Should have my pro card by the time I am in dental school. Am I going to just give that up completely? HECK NO! I will not compete during those 4 yrs as I won't have time. But right now I sleep 9pm-2am, which i plan to keep doing during dental school. Train early morning. BOOM!

Make it happen. If you want free time, sleep less. Body will adjust.
 
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I'm satisfied with B'ss and I have much more free time than I should. Everyone that tells you that dental school takes up your entire life is either gunning for a specialty or struggling to keep up.
 
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Thanks guys!! This definitely made me a lot less anxious about the time commitment factor. I don't plan on specializing so hopefully I will be just fine!
 
I'm still a pre-dent, but here's what I noticed. Last night I went to the library where dental students study. This one dental student set next to me, opened her notes, and then spend almost three hours facebooking, texting, giggling, distracting everyone else around, and then packed and left! Like, what was the point of even going to the library? LOL
Obviously, she's an outlier, but the point is that it depends on a person.
I also know a girl who takes ice-cold shower after classes so that she can stay awake for hours on end afterwards while studying.
 
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I'm still a pre-dent, but here's what I noticed. Last night I went to the library where dental students study. This one dental student set next to me, opened her notes, and then spend almost three hours facebooking, texting, giggling, distracting everyone else around, and then packed and left! Like, what was the point of even going to the library? LOL
Obviously, she's an outlier, but the point is that it depends on a person.
I also know a girl who takes ice-cold shower after classes so that she can stay awake for hours on end afterwards while studying.

Wow! Ice cold shower....
 
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I also know a girl who takes ice-cold shower after classes so that she can stay awake for hours on end afterwards while studying.
Wow that's not why I take cold showers but okay lol...
 
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