I blew off my freshman year of college, and really know nothing about general chemistry. Is this going to come back to haunt me in DS, or does nobody care about gen chem anymore?
While knowledge of chemistry has some application in classes like bio-materials etc, it will not come back to haunt you. Don't plan on doing stoichiometry. That said, my school had biochem as a pre-req, so we didn't have to take it. If whatever school you go to has you take biochem, it might bite you.
Did you ever have a roommate in DS? Thoughts on roommates?
I would definitely recommend having a roommate, 100%. First and foremost you can save some solid money. Secondly, living with someone in your class can be helpful when it comes to having someone to bounce ideas off of, someone to remind you of when things are due, someone to give you a hand with lab work should you need it. I had a roommate the last 2 years, saved about $700 each month, and got better grades. With that said I had a great roommate who was never home. I have a friend that got stuck rooming with a kid that I consider intolerable to be around, and that made his life hell. A lot of kids lived alone at first, made some friends, then roomed with one of them - which is what I did.
Were there many students with pets? Do you believe it would be manageable to take care of a dog (older, not a puppy) during the school year?
A lot of kids had pets from home or bought pets during school. It was definitely hard for them. A lot of them would run home during lunch (they lived walking distance to the school) to take their pet out. If they lived too far from school, it would be impossible. Keep in mind sometimes you may need to be at school for all 3 clinical sessions, meaning 0845-1930....some pets can't last that long alone. It would be an added difficulty to have to book your patients around your pet. Maybe get a hedgehog?
What undergraduate degree would you recommend? Does a biology degree help much in dental school since you've taken some form of the same science classes before or would a business degree be more beneficial in the long run to help open your own practice?
A biology degree will help a ton. I was a biology major/biochemistry minor and felt totally prepared. The kids that really suffered were the kids that had non-traditional majors and took just the necessary pre-reqs. One guy in my class was valedictorian from his undergraduate program with a non-applicable major, and he would regularly spend maybe twice as much time as other people to get the same grades. That said, he was more of a hard worker than a naturally smart guy, but it definitely helps if you're mostly reviewing information versus learning it for the first time.
Classes kids struggled with/failed: Pathology, Oral Pathology, Neurology. For me these weren't any more difficult than other classes because I took microbiology and physiology in college.
A business degree sounds good, but I can't speak to it's usefulness. I feel like you could learn everything you needed to know to open your own practice by working for someone else's practice and reading books/forums. Maybe someone with a MBA would have a novel take on business model, but I'm not sure if the "juice is worth the squeeze." Side note: I'm a guy doing a career in the military, part of the reason why is because I like only having to think about doing great dentistry, not how to make more money in my dental practice, so take my comments on business with a grain of salt.
Do you agree with the notion that it is easier to get into certain specialties if one serves in the military through the HPSP?
Every specialty is competitive anywhere, however military specialty boards take into account more things than just grades/board scores. Those things still matter in the military, as well as how well you get along with people, but in addition to that things like leadership ability/how good of an officer you've been. Specialists often assume more leadership roles as well, and if you're not a good leader, it would be a hard sell to get into a specialty program. Also, the number of military specialty spots fluctuates with what the mission requires. Maybe this year 3 orthodontists retire/separate, so they'll open an extra spot in the ortho program. Maybe more orthodontists than expected stay on, so they only accept 2 people instead of 8. Also realize that specializing incurs more time in the military, so if you're trying to 'do your time and get out,' it's a bad idea. So bottom line: it depends on what kind of candidate you are.
Side note: Some specialties require an AEGD to even apply. I forget which ones but endo sticks out. A lot of career guys work as a general dentist for like 10 years, apply to a specialty, and get it. People like that are going to get a good amount of preference over an HPSP fresh out of dental school because a) they've paid their dues and b) they will probably stay in for another 10+ years, giving the military more time to retain a specialist.
