Reality of Dentistry After Graduation

well yeah but in America making money is easy

I can't speak for anyone but myself, I'm not looking for a goldmine and I don't expect one. I'm just seeking a steady paycheck and a challenge. Also, I'm not going to start my own practice. I'm going to go into an established one with a client base already there. I have no interest in having to run my own business on top of the clinical duties. Let someone else do that.

I found this post kinda a bit odd. I know a dentist (my uncle) who made 100 thou straight out of dental school...working as an associate! What makes this more unbelievable was the fact that this was in the late 70's...so that meant alot more than today. He worked alot because he liked what he did. To say dentists can't make alot after graduation is total BS...because you're not factoring in where and how much one will work. I plan to make a killing.

Just like almost any other profession it all depends. Yeah if you go to USC or to Tufts or an expensive school and you try to start your own practive right out of school (which is probably not the best way to go) you are going to have a tough time. But say you go to a cheaper school and work really hard and with some luck you can really get ahead. And there's everything inbetween, it just all depends on where you work, how much you work and the quality work you do.

You make an important point BadVibes. Many pre-dents who have not had the experience of making payments on loans (car loans, mortgage, etc) may be in for a shock when they get out of dental school. Interest never sleeps and those loan payments are coming due every month after you graduate. I was talking to a dentist who graduated back in 2000 and he said he still owes $100,000+. He advised me to work for a few years before buying a practice, because he said he didn't like the stress of feeling like he had to be a mega producer right out of dental school to make payments on student loans, mortgage, practice, etc.

I know another example of a D4 who is in the process of buying a practice right out of dental school for about $500,000 (imagine the monthly payment on that! 20 year payments are around $2000/mo). Then consider on top of that he has $200,000 in student loans (monthly payment to pay off in 10 years about $1700/month). Now add in the payments for a mortgage on a $200,000 house (about another $1,500/mo). Now add in some car payments at about $500 per month.

Here's your monthly budget:

Practice loans: $2,000
Student loan payment: $1,700
Home mortgage pmt: $1,500
Car payments: $ 500
Total payments/mo $5,700

Or in other words $68,000 a year is in payments that come due each month. If you have never had to make payments like this before it can be very stressful. Just something to think about.

I think this is all irrelevant. It is worth the debt, even for years, to have something worthwhile. People put themselves in huge debt for 30 years to pay off a house, waiting 10 years to get your school loans payed off is no big deal. I've heard that for most dentists, the school debt is the smallest out of a house and a practice. Also, I can't believe that even while paying off loans you are "living on pennies." Even if I live on only $30,000 a year, that is more than what I am living on now by far as a student! I'm sick of hearing about how "poor" we future dentists will be when we will make more in a year than some will ever make in a lifetime.

I think we need to think of how lucky we are. NOt only do we have food to eat, clothes to wear, and a roof over our head, but the opportunity for education and a disposable income. Most of the world does not have these luxuries.

Sure, the road ahead is not that smooth. But if someone really thinks about investment, the person should think about something else in parallel with going to dentistry. 150K or 200K is quite a debt to owe, but if you invest in something while going to dental schools, the debt is very payable upon your graduation. 150K or 200K is not that much really. Some don't even bother to pay it off since they can lock in with a so low interest rate. They'd rather use the money and continue on with their investment.

msf41 said:

You make an important point BadVibes. Many pre-dents who have not had the experience of making payments on loans (car loans, mortgage, etc) may be in for a shock when they get out of dental school. Interest never sleeps and those loan payments are coming due every month after you graduate. I was talking to a dentist who graduated back in 2000 and he said he still owes $100,000+. He advised me to work for a few years before buying a practice, because he said he didn't like the stress of feeling like he had to be a mega producer right out of dental school to make payments on student loans, mortgage, practice, etc.

I know another example of a D4 who is in the process of buying a practice right out of dental school for about $500,000 (imagine the monthly payment on that! 20 year payments are around $2000/mo). Then consider on top of that he has $200,000 in student loans (monthly payment to pay off in 10 years about $1700/month). Now add in the payments for a mortgage on a $200,000 house (about another $1,500/mo). Now add in some car payments at about $500 per month.

Here's your monthly budget:

Practice loans: $2,000
Student loan payment: $1,700
Home mortgage pmt: $1,500
Car payments: $ 500
Total payments/mo $5,700

Or in other words $68,000 a year is in payments that come due each month. If you have never had to make payments like this before it can be very stressful. Just something to think about.

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You make a good point, but speaking for myself, I have absolutely no intention of paying $1700 a month on my student loans, nor $500 for a car. It's not *quite* as dire as you're suggesting.

ISU_Steve said:

I can't speak for anyone but myself, I'm not looking for a goldmine and I don't expect one. I'm just seeking a steady paycheck and a challenge. Also, I'm not going to start my own practice. I'm going to go into an established one with a client base already there. I have no interest in having to run my own business on top of the clinical duties. Let someone else do that.

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Word! I'm totally doing the same thing

I think a lot of it depends on where you work. I shadowed 3 dentists in the Houston area, none of which make less than 500K. We also have a few family friends that are dentists, and they make much more than I could ever imagine making (they are specialized though). However, I also know a dentist in the St. Louis area that makes 200K.

Also, smart financing is a big part of the equation. If you focus on your work and paying back loans early on in your career, then you will be able to avoid some problems down the road.

Another thing to keep in mind is that most business owners are in debt. Its just part of the process. Therefore, being a dentist and having to owe money, is not a big deal. Its something that everyone in the business world has to go through. Just because you are making loan payments doesnt mean that you cant have a nice home, a nice car, go on amazing trips, eat at the best restaurants, etc...

most of you who are saying that paying loan bills is not that bad.... probably never had to pay one yet.

Looking for a steady pay check and challenges????
ok.. u re right about challenges, but steady pay checks are going to go for those who went to a cheap school(like UCLA SF students that pretty much get paid to go to school by taking our tax money)... Gabriel the USC dude forget about getting a steady pay check for a while

Paying bills is a biach and paying so much for education is bullcrap (everyone in the whole world will agree with me except for some students that dont mind paying student loans for the next 30 years)

do you think that most of those students that do the army thing are doing it cause they want to join the army to treat soldiers....No it is because most of them dont want to pay those damn student loan for 10-30 years

aceking said:

most of you who are saying that paying loan bills is not that bad.... probably never had to pay one yet.

Looking for a steady pay check and challenges????
ok.. u re right about challenges, but steady pay checks are going to go for those who went to a cheap school(like UCLA SF students that pretty much get paid to go to school by taking our tax money)... Gabriel the USC dude forget about getting a steady pay check for a while

Paying bills is a biach and paying so much for education is bullcrap (everyone in the whole world will agree with me except for some students that dont mind paying student loans for the next 30 years)

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Of course paying all that money for education is bullcrap and paying the bills is a biach...however, its something that is part of the deal. If you go into it prepared, then its not as bad as you are making it seem, having to pay loans for 30 years. Even if you are extending your loan repayment over a span of 30 years, the payment will be so minute compared to your income level, that you can still live an extremely comfortable lifestyle. Dont manage your money like an idiot and you will be fine.

By the way, business tip...extending your repayment over 30 years is a bad move.

Don't worry guys, it is not as bad as a situation as a lot of people want to believe. Sure you are going to owe a buttload of money but you should be making decent money as well. The first 5 or 6 years will be tight but once you start getting some things paid off you will be in good shape. I would say that by the age of 35 for most of you, you will have the lifestyle that you are imagining now. After 5-10 years in practice many of your loans will be payed off and you will start taking those vacations that you want, you just have to work your ass off for those years.

Also for those that don't think you will have a 1500/month house payment or a 550/month car payment think again. 1500 would buy you about a 200K loan for a house plus taxes and insurance. That doesn't buy much in a lot of the country. And 550 will buy you a nice new passat or pathfinder. I think a lot of you guys say that is more than you need but I want to see how you are actually living in 5 or 6 years after you start making money.

Rezdawg said:

Of course paying all that money for education is bullcrap and paying the bills is a biach...however, its something that is part of the deal. If you go into it prepared, then its not as bad as you are making it seem, having to pay loans for 30 years. Even if you are extending your loan repayment over a span of 30 years, the payment will be so minute compared to your income level, that you can still live an extremely comfortable lifestyle. Dont manage your money like an idiot and you will be fine.

By the way, business tip...extending your repayment over 30 years is a bad move.

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everyone has their own style to running thier business.... good luck with yours.
take care

Who cares if dentists complain, everyone complains. Look at the facts and decide for yourself if the complains are valid at all.

Using msf41's friend example, he/she would be making $168,000 (since he/she have their own practice, I would guess they can hit the average). Payments $68,000, what are you gonna do with the other $100,000??? taxes? I dont think they can be much worst than here in Canada at 40%, you still have more than a few thousands to throw arround, have fun , eat and live a good life in general. You want to show me any profession that allows you to do that after 4 years, go ahead impress me.

DB#1 said:

Who cares if dentists complain, everyone complains. Look at the facts and decide for yourself if the complains are valid at all.

Using msf41's friend example, he/she would be making $168,000 (since he/she have their own practice, I would guess they can hit the average). Payments $68,000, what are you gonna do with the other $100,000??? taxes? I dont think they can be much worst than here in Canada at 40%, you still have more than a few thousands to throw arround, have fun , eat and live a good life in general. You want to show me any profession that allows you to do that after 4 years, go ahead impress me.

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Exactly. Now, Imagine if that salary eventually reaches 250,000 (which is attainable)...then you are living a freakin solid life, regardless of if you are paying loans at the time. The fact of the matter is that the loan repayment will not hinder you from living a bad ass life.

In one of our pre-dent club presentations, a really old pediatric dentist warns the pre-dent that if we are going into dentistry mainly for the money and comfort, we will continously taint the profession with bad name. Maybe that's why the public potrays dentists as rich doc who suck patient's money away every visit. Money should be the last thing in our mind when the patients visit us else we are just like "trade worker". But it can be hard for some who go to expensive school with large debt to have the right mindset after graduation. I surely don't want to spend many yrs of my life thinking I need to work to pay back my debt when my patients visit me. I want to work b/c i care about the patients, not the $ in their pocket to pay my debts. Our quality of care will be minimize if we are ensalved by $. So I think pre-dents (esp. the one going to expensive school) should consider this point before they decide to pursue dentistry. Just my 2 cent.

Dentist, n.: A prestidigitator who, by putting metal in one's mouth, pulls coins out of one's pockets. -Ambrose Bierce

I think we all understand that Dr. BadVibes, as always you have a point, but I think a lot of us have a screwed up definition of a "comfortable lifestyle"- I make about $50K a year as it is and that's a very comfortable lifestyle to me; I don't need the BMW (I prefer trucks), the huge house, my own practice, and have no desire to eat filet mignon every night (personally a large supreme pizza is much better). Like has been said before: review your priorities.

ISU_Steve said:

I think we all understand that Dr. BadVibes, as always you have a point, but I think a lot of us have a screwed up definition of a "comfortable lifestyle"- I make about $50K a year as it is and that's a very comfortable lifestyle to me; I don't need the BMW (I prefer trucks), the huge house, my own practice, and have no desire to eat filet mignon every night (personally a large supreme pizza is much better). Like has been said before: review your priorities.

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i am sure everyone has some kind of ambition even in a screwed up way like you said, but you sound like you will be happier delivering Domino's with a Dodge Ram cutting it close to 50K/ yr.

Dr.BadVibes said:

concept is simple people:

less money you spend on school = less time you are in debt = more money you have to live your comfortable life

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No doubt...but at the same time, it doesnt mean that you wont live a comfortable lifestyle because you go to an expensive school. Paying off an extra 150,000 over 15 years isnt a big deal. Obviously, preference should be to go to a school that is cheap, however, there are limited spots, not everyone can go to a school that costs 15,000 a year. There are a handful of schools that will cost about 300K over 4 years. There is a reason they never have problems filling up...its because it will be worth it in the end.

aceking said:

i am sure everyone has some kind of ambition even in a screwed up way like you said, but you sound like you will be happier delivering Domino's with a Dodge Ram cutting it close to 50K/ yr.

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Actually I drive a Dodge Dakota and I've never delivered a pizza. Just because I'm not gunning for money like some people (*cough, cough*) and that I focus on taking care of my patients first and foremost I somehow warrant your derision and discouragement. I'd be happy doing dentistry if I made far less money. My grandfather told me: Pick a career that you would pay to do, and then go do that. That's why I'm going into dentistry.

It's not that I would be happier making less money, it's just that the money is not necessary for me to be happy. You just missed that point.

Dr.BadVibes said:

It is a big deal if you are Canadian!!!

Cant open a practice, higher interest rates, with the exchange rate the debt goes even higher!!!

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True. Then that sucks.

In that case, move to Texas

Dr.BadVibes said:

Just to let you know reza that when I bash BU for being expensive, its mostly geared towards Canadian students cause most of them are Canadian.

As a Canadian, their options are quite limited of what they can do.....by going to an expensive AMERICAN school, they limit their options even further.....but that guy DB#1 is a tool and he doesnt seem to get it.....

Isnt one of the cool things about dentistry is the freedom of having so many options??? Why limit yourself if you can help it??

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I gotta admit that I wasnt thinking about Canadian students when discussing this whole thread. You are right, it totally sucks and may not be worth it. In that case, every penny counts. Practicing in America definitely makes it easier to endure the debt and thats the stance I was taking. But, I see your point now.

How much on avg do dentists make out of dental school? More than likely they will be working for someone right?

Dental916 said:

How much on avg do dentists make out of dental school? More than likely they will be working for someone right?

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In speaking to my dentist, he told me to expect to make $600/day as an associate out of dental school if I plan to work in Houston.

So about $156K a year before taxes. Isn't Houston an expensive place to live? But then again Texas doesn't have income tax do they?

ISU_Steve said:

So about $156K a year before taxes.

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I think he was basing it on 4 days a week...so it should come out to something like 120,000 before taxes. But keep in mind that its 1st year out and that pay will increase along with skill and speed.

EDIT

of course, you could also find a place where you can work 5 days a week and get closer to the figure you presented.

Dr.BadVibes said:

As a Canadian, their options are quite limited of what they can do.....by going to an expensive AMERICAN school, they limit their options even further.....but that guy DB#1 is a tool and he doesnt seem to get it.....

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Listen buddy, you call me a tool???
Let me know when you are in Toronto, will me meet and I will show you who is the tool.

Rezdawg said:

Of course paying all that money for education is bullcrap and paying the bills is a biach...however, its something that is part of the deal. If you go into it prepared, then its not as bad as you are making it seem, having to pay loans for 30 years. Even if you are extending your loan repayment over a span of 30 years, the payment will be so minute compared to your income level, that you can still live an extremely comfortable lifestyle. Dont manage your money like an idiot and you will be fine.

By the way, business tip...extending your repayment over 30 years is a bad move.

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So repaying a low-interest student loan over 30 years, at 2.77% interest currently (even less yet after making 3-4 years of timely payments), while placing the extra money in higher-yield investments, is a *bad* thing, is it? Let's investigate.


Scenario 1: $100,000 in student loan debt paid in 10 years

$100,000 in student debt principal, for 10 years, locked in at current 2.77% APR = $955.03 per month

Total interest paid on this loan = $14,603.18

After repaying loan debt, loan payment money is placed in an investment averaging 6% yearly return for remainder of 30-year term.

$955.03, for 20 years, at 6% annual yield, with all dividends reinvested = $446,857

So, in this scenario you've earned $217,657 in interest on $229,200 in capital, for a total of $446,857



Scenario 2: $100,000 in student loan debt paid in 30 years

$100,000 in student debt principal, for 30 years, locked in at current 2.77% APR = $409.30 per month

Total interest paid on this loan = $47,348.64

Difference in interest between Scenario 1 & Scenario 2 = $32,745.46

Difference in monthly loan payment between Scenario 1 & Scenario 2 = 545.73

Put that difference into the same 6% APY investment as above, and you get...

$545.73, for 30 years, at 6% annual yield, with all dividends reinvested, less $32,745.46 in additional loan interest = $516,072

So, in this scenario you've earned $352,347 in interest on $196,470 in capital, for a total of $516,072

Final difference between Scenario 1 & Scenario 2 = $69,215



So, by taking the long-term repayment, you've spent $32,730 less on investmental capital (which by itself completely offsets the additional interest paid on the 30-year loan) and earned $69,215, or 15.5%, more on your investment.

This difference further assumes a 6% investment yield, which anyone who knows anything about investing will tell you is pretty darned conservative. Plugging more realistic return values for a long-term investment window like 30 years will only further enlarge the difference. I'll take a "bad move" like that 8 days a week.

You were saying something about "managing your money like an idiot," now...?

Dr.BadVibes said:

It is a big deal if you are Canadian!!!

Cant open a practice, higher interest rates, with the exchange rate the debt goes even higher!!!

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Or just pray that you will find a American citizen to marry with while associating with a dentist in US.

aphistis said:

You were saying something about "managing your money like an idiot," now...?

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Agreed.

Money isn't everything, but since we're on the topic.... My bring home right now is about 30K and my debt is around 150K (thats house, car, ect) so thats a 1:5 ratio, and we (my wife and two kids) tend to live what we feel is comfortable, sure some months are a little tighter than others, but over all we live okay, don't get me wrong we are not livin' it up by any means.

My point is that if my bring home after dental school is 100K than the same ratio means we could be 500K in debt and it wouldn't be any diferent.

I agree with most on this it completely depends on the person and how they want to live and what there used to.

Just spend less that you make

Dr.BadVibes said:

The thread about paying back your loans is the reason for starting up this new thread. People who think that dentistry is a goldmine and that it doesnt matter how much you spend in dental school, because dentists are loaded will seriously be in for a suprise after graduation. On top of talking to dentists in your area, goto DentalTown and you can search on a ton of topics such as the life of a dentist after graduation.

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You press this issue way too much.

Dentistry, while not making you a billionaire (or millionaire) overnight, IS an excellent investment in your future.

You WILL come right out of school making AT LEAST twice as much as the average American makes. Your income WILL only go up and up.

Spankin' new graduates here in Arizona are making $600/day the moment they are out of school. Sure, the hours are the ideal hours they would like, but they are still able to bring home over $100,000 after taxes for their FIRST year out of school.

There's no suprise there. And you're right, students who spend more have more to pay back. That's no surprise either. I'll have a nice hefty student loan payment to make, but I'll STILL have more money left over for disposable income each month than I ever have had in my life. Right now we live on $1700 a month. I should have that much left in disposable income each WEEK my first year out of school.

Is it a surprise? Nope. Does it suck? Sure, but those loan payments also allowed me to achieve the earning power I'll have. I could have easily NOT gone to dental school, but I wouldn't be doing what I love and I wouldn't have the earning power that I will have.

Go to the Leisure thread on DentalTown and see how those same dentists complaining about student loans are buying Aston Martins, homes over 9k square feet, and taking lavish vacations 4-5 times a year. They're complaining because they hate "throwing money" at student loans each month, not because they don't enjoy the lifestyle they have.

Aphistis, first off, Im discussing 300K in loans...Dr. BV mentioned, in his original post, doubling a 150K loan...basically, making the total 300K...in other words, what I will be dealing with in going to a school like BU. As a result, your scenario isnt as true due to the natural fact that you will see a hike in interest as a result of the larger loan amount. Try your scenario with a higher interest rate and get back to me. (The interest rates for student signature loans are based on the Prime Rate which is currently at 5.75%).

My comment was purely in regards to the total interest paid in the loan. Obviously, investing properly is a major part of finance. The purpose of this thread is discussing paying back the loans after dental school and living a debt free life as quick as possible.

And now, to the charts and pie graphs that you displayed. Here is the problem with your scenario....you assume everything will go smoothly for 30 years. I got news for you, thats not the case the majority of the time. The fact of the matter is that life throws you surprises. Heck, you may be dead in 10 years. Why do you think we have retirement plans and life insurance? With all the other money, live it up, buy a nice car, sleep in a sweet house, buy a dog, eat some chocolate, sip on a martini...Dont sit there and calculate your little scenario, because that ONLY works if you know everything will be gravy for 30 years. One little, unexpected twist in the road and your cookie cutter scenario will be completely useless. No thanks, but I'd rather use my income to live in the present and use my retirement money to live in the future.

Rezdawg said:

Aphistis, first off, Im discussing 300K in loans...Dr. BV mentioned, in his original post, doubling a 150K loan...basically, making the total 300K...in other words, what I will be dealing with in going to a school like BU.

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Then all you had to do was say so. Fortunately for my argument, it doesn't really matter, as I'll get to below.

As a result, your scenario isnt as true due to the natural fact that you will see a hike in interest as a result of the larger loan amount. Try your scenario with a higher interest rate and get back to me. (The interest rates for student signature loans are based on the Prime Rate which is currently at 5.75%).

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Sure, go ahead and hike the loan interest rate up. Like I said, you can hike the investment APY up too, especially when you're considering long-term investment periods rather than short-term. You can play with the numbers all you want, but you still come out ahead by putting your money where the highest interest rates lie--and if you can't come up with an investment strategy that yields higher 30-year returns than a batch of student loans charges in interest, you really ought to consider hiring someone else to make your financial decisions for you.

My comment was purely in regards to the total interest paid in the loan. Obviously, investing properly is a major part of finance. The purpose of this thread is discussing paying back the loans after dental school and living a debt free life as quick as possible.

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That's all well and good, but conveniently enough for you, the total interest paid in the loan doesn't even come close to describing the entire picture. If I'm allowed to ignore the rest of the situation the way you're doing, I could make any given financial decision look smart too.

And now, to the charts and pie graphs that you displayed. Here is the problem with your scenario....you assume everything will go smoothly for 30 years. I got news for you, thats not the case the majority of the time. The fact of the matter is that life throws you surprises. Heck, you may be dead in 10 years. Why do you think we have retirement plans and life insurance? With all the other money, live it up, buy a nice car, sleep in a sweet house, buy a dog, eat some chocolate, sip on a martini...Dont sit there and calculate your little scenario, because that ONLY works if you know everything will be gravy for 30 years. One little, unexpected twist in the road and your cookie cutter scenario will be completely useless.

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Nice attempt at distracting the issue with ominous predictions of debilitating vagaries, but no dice. Go take a look at stock charts and show me a 30-year period this century where the stock market return hasn't exceeded the interest rates we're talking about with loans. The longer you leave your money in, the more closely your returns will approximate the long-term average of the market. That's not an opinion or a belief--it's an established fact.

No thanks, but I'd rather use my income to live in the present and use my retirement money to live in the future.

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Er, ok, whatever that's supposed to mean. I'd sure like to know where you plan on getting that retirement money, though, if you're not taking it out of your "income in the present."

CJWolf said:

My sister graduated with her MD in 2000 with 84,000 in student loans. The past 5 years she's been in her general surgery residency making 30-44k per year. On top of that she's bought a house and whatever else she needed.

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That's great! Congratulations to her.

I can't imagine making twice as much money right out of school and still not being able to make ends meet.

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If that happens, you really don't have anyone to blame but yourself. Fortunately, however...

I don't see how's near as bad as this thread makes it sound.

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...It's not. Not even close.

Aphistis, do your scenario with 300K loan and 5.75% interest rate.

As far as your retirement money, that comes from your present income...no need to take more money out of your present income to give yourself a slight boost 30 years from today to slightly supplement your retirement money.

Anyways, get to work on that financial plan with the numbers from above. I'll check up on this thread either late night tonight or early tomorrow to check the results.

CJWolf said:

I don't see how's near as bad as this thread makes it sound.

My sister graduated with her MD in 2000 with 84,000 in student loans. The past 5 years she's been in her general surgery residency making 30-44k per year. On top of that she's bought a house and whatever else she needed.

I can't imagine making twice as much money right out of school and still not being able to make ends meet.

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Just a thought...

When my wife and I were in school our budget was about $1200 a month and our income was about $1200 a month. It sucked because every dime we had was budgeted to insurance, food, car, rent, or something. There was no wiggle room. So we couldn't afford to miss even one day of work, or take vacations, or spend money on anthing extra. We were slaves to our bills.

After my wife graduated 2 years ago and started making more money, our expenses went up to around $1500 a month, but we were bringing in about $2500. So now every month we have an extra $1000 a month that we can blow on whatever we want, or save. We have options. Last summer we went on a cruise. We take several 3 day weekend trips and time off of work witht the little bit of extra income. Life is great with a little wiggle room.

The point i was trying to make earlier by adding up the monthly payments is that if you have loan payments, mortgage payments, car payments that are so heavy that you start to feel like you have to hold on to every dollar, and must count every cent, well than in my opinion living like that is stressful.

The original thread was talking about "the reality of dentistry after graduation" and I'm just saying that paying the bills is the reality.

Oh, and this comment...

Nice attempt at distracting the issue with ominous predictions of debilitating vagaries, but no dice.

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Yeah, umm, thats called life here on earth...it throws you screwballs. Get out of your fantasy world.

hey guys! It was really insightful to read all you guy's posts. I now have more grip of the reality if I end up in one of expensive schools in eastern US. I am very concern at the same time. What would be a manageable amount of debt for a single graduate (esp. for a Canadian) ?

Rezdawg said:

Oh, and this comment...



Yeah, umm, thats called life here on earth...it throws you screwballs. Get out of your fantasy world.

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those screwballs are def not needed! i am soo sick of them even tho i have only been thrown like 3 at hte most

Rezdawg said:

Oh, and this comment...



Yeah, umm, thats called life here on earth...it throws you screwballs. Get out of your fantasy world.

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My "fantasy world" consists of real numbers and the math & statistics backing them up. So far you've offered nothing. If comments like that make you feel more macho about being wrong, though, then by all means continue.

"What you all need to do is, Canadian or American:

1. Sell any cars or other useless (for dental school) things you have and
2. Get your parents to make some sacrifices and help pay off at least your intrest or more before you graduate.

Take public transport during dental school and live in ****ty apartments or on-campus housing for 4(3) years and your debt will be managble. Too many kids live like dentists during dental school and then pay for it latter."

-Quote; University of Louisville Fin.Aid Advisor (the "ample" woman)