How on EARTH did you do it!?

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DMD-2-B

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So I am a first year student who ofcourse has(d) my hopes on making top 10 and keeping the option of competitive specialty open. Here I am after 1 mo with an average of approximately 86% (absolutely no knowledge of my class rank bc its not available at my school).

I study about 4 hours a day Mon-Thu and 8 hours Sat and Sun. I take Friday night for some personal time. I'm used to studying and getting A's. :(

I must be studying inefficiently or SOMETHING!

What were your study techniques to memorize the massive amounts of knowledge thrown at you during dental school???
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Welcome to dental school. I want to tell you that it's ok and you'll be fine, but no. Dental school is hard, it's non-stop, and I don't think you can possibly put in more hours than you already are. This whole keep in the top 10% thing is great if you can do it. Just think about all the 100 others in your class who got A's in ugrad. I don't know how your class plays out, but i can tell you that most people when i was a D1 at michigan did very very well their first semester. It only gets harder after your first semester. When class rank is sorta revieled in the end of second year they throw a banquet an invite the top 20% I think the lowest GPA of anyone I knew there was a 3.78. Good luck with the endevour but don't lose sight of reality. That's the danger of this coming into dental school wanting to be an ortho etc. mentality. If you don't hit that level you're going to fee as if you have failed. Don't kill yourself with trying so hard. That may be half of your problem. Your study regimine is extremely intense for this early in the semester. Things don't really pick up until say thanksgiving break. You've studied for what 4+ years of college now. You know what it takes to get the grade or what works for you in particular. Understand that you just may not have what it takes to compete at this level. Harsh, but don't kid yourself.
 
Brownstain said:
Welcome to dental school. I want to tell you that it's ok and you'll be fine, but no. Dental school is hard, it's non-stop, and I don't think you can possibly put in more hours than you already are. This whole keep in the top 10% thing is great if you can do it. Just think about all the 100 others in your class who got A's in ugrad. I don't know how your class plays out, but i can tell you that most people when i was a D1 at michigan did very very well their first semester. It only gets harder after your first semester. When class rank is sorta revieled in the end of second year they throw a banquet an invite the top 20% I think the lowest GPA of anyone I knew there was a 3.78. Good luck with the endevour but don't lose sight of reality. That's the danger of this coming into dental school wanting to be an ortho etc. mentality. If you don't hit that level you're going to fee as if you have failed. Don't kill yourself with trying so hard. That may be half of your problem. Your study regimine is extremely intense for this early in the semester. Things don't really pick up until say thanksgiving break. You've studied for what 4+ years of college now. You know what it takes to get the grade or what works for you in particular. Understand that you just may not have what it takes to compete at this level. Harsh, but don't kid yourself.
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You're right - it may just be my ability. But I think that this early there are also options I can explore. A very important point is #hours studying is not the bottom line in determining performance. I majored in mechanical engineering in undergrad, and I think that I am using unfitting engineering study techniques in dental school. I want to learn the "non-engineering" dental school approach to studying. I think I may see some improvement if I change gears towards that direction.
 
DMD-2-B said:
You're right - it may just be my ability. But I think that this early there are also options I can explore. A very important point is #hours studying is not the bottom line in determining performance. I majored in mechanical engineering in undergrad, and I think that I am using unfitting engineering study techniques in dental school. I want to learn the "non-engineering" dental school approach to studying. I think I may see some improvement if I change gears towards that direction.
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Not everyone in the entering class has the same head start. Those who had a lot of biology courses as undergraduate definitely are at an advantage since the first year classes cover similar materials such as molecular, cell biology, anatomy, physiology and biochem, etc. Part of your problem might be that you have to learn all of these now. All of us have our own strengths and weaknesses. Some are better are memorization than others. Do be too hard on yourself. Dental school is hard anyway. Just do your best. Don't worry too much about how others do in your classes. It is also a good idea to talk to upper classman as how to approach certain classes. The main thing about dental school is time management, prioritizing and how to maximize your time to have highest yield possible while still be able live a reasonable life. Good luck.
 
Yang said:
Not everyone in the entering class has the same head start. Those who had a lot of biology courses as undergraduate definitely are at an advantage since the first year classes cover similar materials such as molecular, cell biology, anatomy, physiology and biochem, etc. Part of your problem might be that you have to learn all of these now. All of us have our own strengths and weaknesses. Some are better are memorization than others. Do be too hard on yourself. Dental school is hard anyway. Just do your best. Don't worry too much about how others do in your classes. It is also a good idea to talk to upper classman as how to approach certain classes. The main thing about dental school is time management, prioritizing and how to maximize your time to have highest yield possible while still be able live a reasonable life. Good luck.
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I'll ditto that, many people have laready taken most of these early classes. Stuff gets a little more difficult when you get inot systems etc.

My advice is learn to memorize everything
 
Brownstain said:
I'll ditto that, many people have laready taken most of these early classes. Stuff gets a little more difficult when you get inot systems etc.

My advice is learn to memorize everything
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Right. I agree.

What I need to do is make the shift from the engineering mindset (understand everything) to the dental school mindset (memorize everything).

I just don't know what the study techniques are best for maximum memorization. :confused:
 
study techniques? anyone?
 
DMD-2-B said:
Right. I agree.

What I need to do is make the shift from the engineering mindset (understand everything) to the dental school mindset (memorize everything).

I just don't know what the study techniques are best for maximum memorization. :confused:
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I understand your pain. When I was in undergrad I was in two very technical/problem solving based engineering/science majors, where I was taught to understand concepts and then when test time came I used my store of formulas to problem solve. There was little to no memorization necessary, just the ability to critical think. Dental school was also the first time since high school (other than the DAT) that I have taken multiple choice tests. So, that is another challenge. Now in dental school I have had to change my study habits considerably to compensate for the rote memorization necessary. One thing that has really helped me is to read a page and then close my eyes and recite what I just read out loud. I read over the material and recite it three times for each test and so far it hasn't failed me once. But just remember that people like us do have an advantage because we can actually think through the problems on the test when they indirectly ask for information. It makes me laugh when some of the people in my class freak out over questions on tests where they have to critically think to come up with an answer as opposed to barf up the information they memorized off of the powerpoints the night before.
 
Count Orlok said:
It makes me laugh when some of the people in my class freak out over questions on tests where they have to critically think to come up with an answer as opposed to barf up the information they memorized off of the powerpoints the night before.
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:laugh: I can completely relate!

I know most of the posters here that are responding with things like "just accept it and move on, etc." mean well, but they also don't come from the same background as I do.

Thanks for sharing your triple repetition technique. I can see how closing my eyes would help w/visual reinforcement too! Will definitely try that! So... do/did you rewrite powerpoint slides as well? If so, did you memorize off your notes or the ppts?
 
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I was a Bio major (who can memorize pretty well) but the first year of dental school was still a big adjustment for me. I think that conceptual learning is the most interesting part of science but that type of thinking doesn't really get rewarded in the first two years of dental school. But later on, critical thinking is ESSENTIAL for making diagnoses.

You will figure out how to study efficiently, don't worry about it so much. It helps to do study groups, too (AFTER you have already gone over everything).

I think that your engineering background is going to be an advantage when it comes time to design cavity and crown preps, analyze occlusion, and figure out how and where to apply just the right amount of force with your forceps to remove a tooth. :)
 
Soflex said:
I was a Bio major (who can memorize pretty well) but the first year of dental school was still a big adjustment for me. I think that conceptual learning is the most interesting part of science but that type of thinking doesn't really get rewarded in the first two years of dental school. But later on, critical thinking is ESSENTIAL for making diagnoses.

You will figure out how to study efficiently, don't worry about it so much. It helps to do study groups, too (AFTER you have already gone over everything).

I think that your engineering background is going to be an advantage when it comes time to design cavity and crown preps, analyze occlusion, and figure out how and where to apply just the right amount of force with your forceps to remove a tooth. :)
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haha I hope my engineering background will be of some use here! In all seriousness, I think engineering can be very useful in all fields, either directly or indirectly. But apparently it can also be a hurdle at times!

I am glad that I am open to change though. I am really going to play around with new study techniques to increase my memorization ability.

Does anyone else care to share their study techniques?
 
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DMD-2-B said:
haha I hope my engineering background will be of some use here! In all seriousness, I think engineering can be very useful in all fields, either directly or indirectly. But apparently it can also be a hurdle at times!

I am glad that I am open to change though. I am really going to play around with new study techniques to increase my memorization ability.

Does anyone else care to share their study techniques?
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I think for memorization, flash cards can be very good, but not necessarily time efficient to make sometimes. I found for anatomy that Netter's flash cards helped a lot in that particular subject. I also like small study groups.

In all honesty though, there is no easy way to study to get in the top 10% of the class. I would say for many of those people that it is natural gift than anything else. Dental school is tough, but I know there are plenty of people that study every free second, and still barely pass. What I am trying to say is that hard work ethic in dental school does not necessarily mean you are going to be in the top 10%. It sucks, but it is reality.
 
thedudeabides6 said:
I think for memorization, flash cards can be very good, but not necessarily time efficient to make sometimes. I found for anatomy that Netter's flash cards helped a lot in that particular subject. I also like small study groups.

In all honesty though, there is no easy way to study to get in the top 10% of the class. I would say for many of those people that it is natural gift than anything else. Dental school is tough, but I know there are plenty of people that study every free second, and still barely pass. What I am trying to say is that hard work ethic in dental school does not necessarily mean you are going to be in the top 10%. It sucks, but it is reality.
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This really makes me look at top-teners with a whole new found respect!

It's still early in the game, and I have no idea where I will wind up. But I can say that I am willing to constantly re-examine my study methods and work ethic. Hopefully I can reach that level...
 
In the immortal words of Joe Dirt "How does positraction on a Plymouth work? It just does"

My method of memorization:

Read over your ppts
take a 30 tv break or to surf the web and find out what slutty thing Megan Fox did this week
read over your ppts
eat a sandwhich, baconator, big mac, whatever you have time to consume in 30 minutes
read over your ppts
shower because you are probably sweating by now and don't want to stink up your sheats
then read over your ppts while trying to fall asleep.
 
Brownstain said:
In the immortal words of Joe Dirt "How does positraction on a Plymouth work? It just does"

My method of memorization:

Read over your ppts
take a 30 tv break or to surf the web and find out what slutty thing Megan Fox did this week
read over your ppts
eat a sandwhich, baconator, big mac, whatever you have time to consume in 30 minutes
read over your ppts
shower because you are probably sweating by now and don't want to stink up your sheats
then read over your ppts while trying to fall asleep.
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Sounds like noone writes notes off their slides like I do. Takes more time, but helps info stick better, however that would have to be "less info stick better".

Ummm... can I borrow your brain guys? :laugh:
 
DMD-2-B said:
Sounds like noone writes notes off their slides like I do. Takes more time, but helps info stick better, however that would have to be "less info stick better".

Ummm... can I borrow your brain guys? :laugh:
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It's hard to say what is the 'best' way to study, because there's no such thing. Each person has their own best way. If I'm studying for a multiple choice test, I usually just read over slides/readings once or twice to get a good idea of the intricacies of the subject matter. It usually doesn't matter too much that you know everything down to the minute detail because the answer is right there on the page, you just have to pick the right one. Some of my classmates get great grades on tests by straight word association i.e. "If the question says sternocleidomastoid the correct answer will probably be lymph node chain, anterior/posterior triangle or etc..."

If I have to memorize a chart or something highly specific (eruption sequences), I just read it, close my eyes and visualize it and repeat it to myself, then repeat until I have it.
 
Regarding the previous suggestion of study groups....that's the worst use of time and resources I can think of even though many people do it. I tried it a few times and it seems like I always spent my time explaining things to others in the group, instead of learning stuff. I thought it was incredibly inefficient. Don't feel like you have to study in groups just because everyone else does.
 
DMD-2-B said:
Sounds like noone writes notes off their slides like I do. Takes more time, but helps info stick better, however that would have to be "less info stick better".

Ummm... can I borrow your brain guys? :laugh:
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I used to do this a lot as a Bio major in college. For dental school, however, it took a lot of time and there isn't enough time in dental school given all the classes you have to constantly memorize for. I'd still do the notes rewriting for the classes that required more memorization or that I had messy notes for and skip it for the "easier" ones. I got more used to memorizing directly off the powerpoints and handouts. It really is all about memorization if you want to score high. You can shove your engineering critical thinking skills away until after graduation. I studied similarly to what Brownstain described. I almost never studied in a group because the group discussions were never at a level that would help me earn an A. They were more at the "what should we memorize to pass" level and so they were not helping me.
 
DMD-2-B said:
haha I hope my engineering background will be of some use here! In all seriousness, I think engineering can be very useful in all fields, either directly or indirectly. But apparently it can also be a hurdle at times!

I am glad that I am open to change though. I am really going to play around with new study techniques to increase my memorization ability.

Does anyone else care to share their study techniques?
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What worked for me is I took colored paper and hand wrote everything that I need to know on "cheat sheets" of different colored paper. I tried to condense every test to about 3-4 pages front and back. Less if possible. The key is that you then review only these handwritten notes, make sure you write big enough, and vary the way to write the material down. After going over your cheat sheets 3-5 times, you will have memorized everything on the page. When you go into the exam you will remember what color paper the info was on, and what your hand-writing looked like on that page. Copying the notes takes the longest, but you've memorized half the work once you've done that. The way you get in trouble is if you leave info out of your cheat sheets.
 
Thanks guys for posting your study techniques! I can say that as an engineer I have a tendency to want to take whatever I am looking at and dissect every detail to form a comprehensive understanding.

It seems that studying for dental school is more about reducing concepts to their simplest form for quick memorization. completely different approaches indeed!!!

So I am going to switch gears in my brain... wish me luck!!! lol
 
All I can say: it's a gift. Either you have it or you don't. Some people are just better at memorizing things than others. I can tell that people in my class who worked harder and studied for longer hours did NOT end up at the top 10%. Meanwhile, some of the slackers ended up scoring the highest. :bow:Conclusion: intelligence beats hard work.
Sorry to say that but it's the truth.
 
This is a great thread. I'm in a similar situation as the OP. I'm really surprised how competitive my class is. I had no idea until our first couple tests came back. I severely underestimated my classmates. There are people getting perfect scores.

I'm convinced people in my class are generally doing well by studying all night, as opposed to innate "smartness". But who really knows. It's too early to tell.

Here's one study method I need to employ: stop surfing the internet! I spend way too much time on here! I'm out!
 
DMD-2-B said:
So I am a first year student who ofcourse has(d) my hopes on making top 10 and keeping the option of competitive specialty open. Here I am after 1 mo with an average of approximately 86% (absolutely no knowledge of my class rank bc its not available at my school).

I study about 4 hours a day Mon-Thu and 8 hours Sat and Sun. I take Friday night for some personal time. I'm used to studying and getting A's. :(

I must be studying inefficiently or SOMETHING!

What were your study techniques to memorize the massive amounts of knowledge thrown at you during dental school???
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Just work as hard as you can and don’t worry about the smart guys in your class who study less than you. If studying for 4hrs/day is not enough to help you get A in every class, then you need to spend more time. The best technique to memorize things is to spend a lot of time studying….there are no other shortcuts. When I was a student (both undergrad and dental), to get A’s, I always had to study a lot harder than others.
 
makushin said:
I'm convinced people in my class are generally doing well by studying all night, as opposed to innate "smartness". But who really knows. It's too early to tell.
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Just wait until you get 5 or 6 tests in one week and you will quickly differentiate between effort and intelligence.

You can only stay up for so long.
 
Count Orlok said:
Just wait until you get 5 or 6 tests in one week and you will quickly differentiate between effort and intelligence.

You can only stay up for so long.
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I agree with this generally. But organization and planning ahead can also even out the planes a bit...
 
This method works for me:

After I study a good chunk of info, I look away from the material and in my mind I play out a scenario that I'm teaching the subject to someone else. I even pretend them asking questions and me answering them. That really drives it home for me.

Although if you saw me in the library doing this, you'd think I was a nut case, it works really well. :)

Just my 2 cents
 
PDizzle said:
This method works for me:

After I study a good chunk of info, I look away from the material and in my mind I play out a scenario that I'm teaching the subject to someone else. I even pretend them asking questions and me answering them. That really drives it home for me.

Although if you saw me in the library doing this, you'd think I was a nut case, it works really well. :)
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That's funny. I did the exact same thing all through grad school, although when I did it, I would sit in my car while out in the parking lot and talk out loud to myself. Sometimes when the windows were rolled down people thought I was a loony.

Really though, once you start talking through a subject (mentally or out loud) you will easily find out where you get tripped up or need more clarification.
 
DDS-2-B

I'm a tutor at UMICH and in the top 10 of my class and here are the study tips I give to my tutorees:
For IMS: there's no way to know everything, but they aren't going to test everything either. First off go to ALL lectures and stay awake/take notes. The profs will usually emphasize what they want you to know and test on that info, I know that is not ALWAYS the case, especially in the 1st semester of IMS. What worked for me was to re-type the lectures only including the information I thought was relative for the exam. I would BOLD things and HIGHLIGHT them in multiple colors but my main goal was to condense the enormous amounts of info into like 1/2 to 1 pg per lecture. I'm a firm believer that its not how hard you study but the NUMBER of times that you see material for you to really know it. My number was usually 3 times, it may be different for you. I'm very visual (I could remember what location the info was on the cheat sheets i made during a test), others do better when they hear or say something, you should kjnow what works for you. But rogue memorization will be important right now. Use mnemonics for things, make up stupid analogies to remember something, use anything that will trigger a memory during a test cuz that's all you need.

PM me if you want some advice for other classes but i'm sure IMS is the one your worried about, good luck and remember its not quality, its QUANTITY
 
or rote memorization for that matter...

I have my first midterms coming up next week, and I still don't feel nervous. Since undergrad, my study method has been to make sure I understand the overall concepts as much as possible, so that when faced with a specific example, I can apply what I know of the concept to figure out the specifics. It works well for me because I don't have to rely on straight memorization (at least so far).
 
PlaqueAttack said:
DDS-2-B

I'm a tutor at UMICH and in the top 10 of my class and here are the study tips I give to my tutorees:
For IMS: there's no way to know everything, but they aren't going to test everything either. First off go to ALL lectures and stay awake/take notes. The profs will usually emphasize what they want you to know and test on that info, I know that is not ALWAYS the case, especially in the 1st semester of IMS. What worked for me was to re-type the lectures only including the information I thought was relative for the exam. I would BOLD things and HIGHLIGHT them in multiple colors but my main goal was to condense the enormous amounts of info into like 1/2 to 1 pg per lecture. I'm a firm believer that its not how hard you study but the NUMBER of times that you see material for you to really know it. My number was usually 3 times, it may be different for you. I'm very visual (I could remember what location the info was on the cheat sheets i made during a test), others do better when they hear or say something, you should kjnow what works for you. But rogue memorization will be important right now. Use mnemonics for things, make up stupid analogies to remember something, use anything that will trigger a memory during a test cuz that's all you need.

PM me if you want some advice for other classes but i'm sure IMS is the one your worried about, good luck and remember its not quality, its QUANTITY
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You really recommend that people highlight? Blech.
 
armorshell said:
You really recommend that people highlight? Blech.
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There are people in my class that before every class get out their rainbow of highlighters and by the end of class every single word on every page of notes/slides is highlighted a different color. It looks like Joseph's Technicolor dreamcoat. Just looking at it makes me want to have a seizure.
 
Count Orlok said:
There are people in my class that before every class get out their rainbow of highlighters and by the end of class every single word on every page of notes/slides is highlighted a different color. It looks like Joseph's Technicolor dreamcoat. Just looking at it makes me want to have a seizure.
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Same here. I don't understand how highlighting every word except "the," "and", "if", "a", "of", and "when" counts as studying.
 
armorshell said:
Same here. I don't understand how highlighting every word except "the," "and", "if", "a", "of", and "when" counts as studying.
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I used to love highlighting, and I had a color coded system of what I was highlighting. :oops: I had all sorts of sets of colored pens. If I happened to lose one pen out of the set, I gave the rest away and went and bought a new set otherwise I wouldn't be able to get through my notes during my study time. Call me neurotic (my friends did, haha), but it worked for me. I think it helped me get through the notes the first round during study time with all the highlighting/underlining, and then kept me focused on the paper when I'd review it for repetition. I tried studying without the colors and I found that I just couldn't focus on a white piece of paper and memorize as effectively.

I don't have to study as intensely for ortho anymore. I kinda miss my highlighter and pen routines. They are scattered around my apartment drying up from lack of use.
 
hindsight is 20/20. maybe you should of attended a school with no GPA/rank.;) takes a load off the mind a bit.
 
I'm an engineer too (and I'm pretty sure I want to do endo)...but I'm definitely getting kicked in the butt due to my way of studying...though I think I'll catch on soon-ish.

I have a family member who is a chairman/director of an endo department and he told me that if someone wants to specialize and has the skills--even if they are lacking in the gpa department--a program will notice and eventually let them in...they may just have to wait a few years. So...keep your head above water, learn as much as you can to become the best dentist you can be, and try not to think about the percentage...you'll be a happier person for it and will be able to relax and learn even more :).

Good luck!
 
I take old fashioned paper and pen notes during class without even considering what's up on the screen (unless it's a picture) -- if it's important the prof will say it if not it's filler. I highlight new concepts or definitions while I'm taking notes. On the weekend I try to review all my notes and rewrite them while using the text, ppts, class notes, etc to pull together a full yet condensed summary of each concept. When I'm a week out from the test I'll read over the ppts once and my notes once and I'm usually good.

My wife highlights everything with 5 different highlighters and does best pulling all-nighters before the exam. She's in Vet school and the material is harder and there's more of it and she performs just fine -- she's #2 in her class only behind someone with a PhD in immunology...

Different styles for everyone. But in both our cases our study styles in D/V-schools are COMPLETELY different than they were in undergrad. Experiment and you'll catch on soon.
 
I usually just memorize the powerpoint lectures for the exam, which can vary from 7-10 lectures. I'll highlight important points while studying. I'll go through all the lectures about 3 additional times after I have memorized them. Then, finally a few hours before the test, I'll just review the important highlighted points. The night prior to an exam I'll sleep 2-3 hours only. If I don't sleep at all, I can't think straight. I need some sleep to refresh my mind. I usually don't make flashcards b/c it takes too long. I feel like I'm losing valuable study time. I also try to memorize the lectures from the start. In other words, I don't read through all the lectures first prior to beginning to memorize. I start off memorizing lecture 1 completely b4 going to lecture 2. Anyways, this is what I do. I think it's interesting hearing about other people's study methods. It helps to improve or try new techniques.
 
Imanee said:
I usually just memorize the powerpoint lectures for the exam, which can vary from 7-10 lectures. I'll highlight important points while studying. I'll go through all the lectures about 3 additional times after I have memorized them. Then, finally a few hours before the test, I'll just review the important highlighted points. The night prior to an exam I'll sleep 2-3 hours only. If I don't sleep at all, I can't think straight. I need some sleep to refresh my mind. I usually don't make flashcards b/c it takes too long. I feel like I'm losing valuable study time. I also try to memorize the lectures from the start. In other words, I don't read through all the lectures first prior to beginning to memorize. I start off memorizing lecture 1 completely b4 going to lecture 2. Anyways, this is what I do. I think it's interesting hearing about other people's study methods. It helps to improve or try new techniques.
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I try to get the important information first, then learn and relearn the details. That way if they test on anything (and I mean anything), I'll have an idea of how to approach the question and can at least remove the completely nonsense multiple choices (usually bump it down to 2 choices, with one better than the other).
 
i wrote upwards of 30,000 flashcards for myself - basically the rewriting of class notes in flashcard form. sometimes, i did not have time to review them - but the act of writing it all out was often enough for me. yikes - but it worked.

then somewhere around the first part of second year (where i went anyways) you realize you are going to have to get really good with your handpiece, waxing, etc etc. and your time spent changes as you get through the crazy maze.

overall what i did was have a group of 5 wonderful friends who i studied at the library or worked in the labs with nearly every weeknight for the better part of 4 years. i made my flash cards (for a 1-2 years), people re-write their notes (which is just a less accessible version of flashcards for the same amount of work, if you ask me). others highlighted their pages in a rainbow of neon. there are a hundred ways. i find that the more organized people did the best. but then into your third year, you learn to memorize things the first time you see them. it hurts, but its good for you. everyone is really smart, so feel blessed everyday to be included amongst them.

best of luck - you have nothing to lose:)
 
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charlestweed said:
Just work as hard as you can and don’t worry about the smart guys in your class who study less than you. If studying for 4hrs/day is not enough to help you get A in every class, then you need to spend more time. The best technique to memorize things is to spend a lot of time studying….there are no other shortcuts. When I was a student (both undergrad and dental), to get A’s, I always had to study a lot harder than others.
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Dr. Tweed is right. You need to put in whatever amount of effort works for you. However there are right ways to study and wrong ways to study. If you are studying the wrong way, no amount of work will help you succeed.

There are two keys. First you must believe you can succeed and that your actions willlead to your success. People who don't believe in themselves tend to handicap themselves and tend to avoid behaviors that lead to success.

Second your motivation should be learning not grades. If you truly learn the material, you will do well on tests, you will do well on boards, you will do better in preclinic and clinic, and you will be a better dentist (most important).

Finally, go to your school's student counseling office. In addition to training in managing psychopathology, psychologists are trained in helping people achieve maximum cognitive performance. They can be like personal trainers for your brain helping you to maximize the efficiency of your study time.
 
ou_jay said:
Finally, go to your school's student counseling office. In addition to training in managing psychopathology, psychologists are trained in helping people achieve maximum cognitive performance. They can be like personal trainers for your brain helping you to maximize the efficiency of your study time.
Click to expand...

Be very careful with the above advice. When you are applying for disability insurance once you graduate they will screen your health history to the nth degree. If there is any possible mention of mental health issues you will not be able to get coverage or your coverage will be crap and cost 3x as much. This happened to someone I know who was on an antidepressant for I think 3 weeks and now can't get disability insurance. Throw the patient-doc thing out the window...they will still see in your records that you were seen by psych and it will put a permanent red flag on you that every carrier will see.
 
dmd-2-b said:
so i am a first year student who ofcourse has(d) my hopes on making top 10 and keeping the option of competitive specialty open. Here i am after 1 mo with an average of approximately 86% (absolutely no knowledge of my class rank bc its not available at my school).

I study about 4 hours a day mon-thu and 8 hours sat and sun. I take friday night for some personal time. I'm used to studying and getting a's. :(

i must be studying inefficiently or something!

What were your study techniques to memorize the massive amounts of knowledge thrown at you during dental school???
Click to expand...



welcome to dental school.

You are now average and not the best.

It will make you humble.



The only way to get better grades is old exams!!!!
 
capisce? said:
Be very careful with the above advice. When you are applying for disability insurance once you graduate they will screen your health history to the nth degree. If there is any possible mention of mental health issues you will not be able to get coverage or your coverage will be crap and cost 3x as much. This happened to someone I know who was on an antidepressant for I think 3 weeks and now can't get disability insurance. Throw the patient-doc thing out the window...they will still see in your records that you were seen by psych and it will put a permanent red flag on you that every carrier will see.
Click to expand...



what!

THEY ABSOLUTELY WILL NOT SEE HIS RECORDS!

if he is really worried about that then go to a doctor off campus and pay cash.

those records will never be discovered!!!
 
i was shocked at the information my disability company dug up on me. other states, years ago, school clinics, private clinics, etc etc. lucky I had nothing to hide, but they would have found it if I did. i think they do a better job than the dental licensing boards on background search. sheesh.
 
ou_jay said:
Dr. Tweed is right. You need to put in whatever amount of effort works for you. However there are right ways to study and wrong ways to study. If you are studying the wrong way, no amount of work will help you succeed.

There are two keys. First you must believe you can succeed and that your actions willlead to your success. People who don't believe in themselves tend to handicap themselves and tend to avoid behaviors that lead to success.

Second your motivation should be learning not grades. If you truly learn the material, you will do well on tests, you will do well on boards, you will do better in preclinic and clinic, and you will be a better dentist (most important).
Click to expand...

We will see if this works next year...
 
great thread, alot of interesting info thanks!!!
 
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