Ask me anything: Current first year

[yihaej12]

Hey guys, Im a current first year at the University of Washington.
We just finished the first week of Fall quarter and prior to this we had a month of summer courses. So I have a pretty decent idea of the "adjustment period" or the "vibes" of dental school so far.

If you guys have any questions about dental school in general, or study habits, whatever, just let me know. Id be glad to get back to ya.

Ive also interviewed at Western and Colorado. So let me know if you wanna know why I chose UW over said schools.

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[cacajuate]

How many hours a week are you alotted for working on hand skills? What wax up have you completed already?

 

[bwc]

What is the transition from college to dental school like? Is the difference in workload large? Is it still possible to pick up a part-time job to financially support yourself?

 

[super frank]

Do you miss Hawaii?

 

[Dr. Anonymous]

Appreciate you doing this dude! Few questions, transitioning from undergrad to dental school what study habits have you found to work best? Whats are some things you like about your dental school that you're at now and things you dislike? Lastly, curious how the "vibes" of dental school are as well?

 

[8_man]

Ive also interviewed at Western and Colorado. So let me know if you wanna know why I chose UW over said schools.

I'd like to know this. Since UW tuition is pushing ~$490k now, I'm looking for reasons to choose this school over others that charge $350k tuition.

 

[yihaej12]

How many hours a week are you alotted for working on hand skills? What wax up have you completed already?

for the hours per week spent on hand skills, its really up to you. However much time YOU are willing/want to spend. We've had wax up exams on 9, 7, and 11 so far. In my class, there seems to be quite the variation in terms of how much time people spend practicing waxing. I know people who practice for hours on end for multiple days before the wax up exam, and many others like myself also just like to do one wax up the night before. So it just depends. There is plenty of time to go into the clinic to wax on your own time. You can also wax at home too. So it varies.

 

[yihaej12]

What is the transition from college to dental school like? Is the difference in workload large? Is it still possible to pick up a part-time job to financially support yourself?

For me, the transition wasn't that bad. I almost feel like its the same as UG. The only difference is that the material actually matters. haha. and the days are just longer. we're in school from 8-5:30 most days so its already like a full time job. Of course if you REALLY wanted to, I guess you could work night shift , but that would leave you with far less time to study/wax/drill than your non working classmates.
I don't think the difference in workload is all that huge to be honest. I feel like sdn gave me the impression that dental school was a completely different ball game. It is, but that doesn't necessarily translate to it meaning thats its a lot harder. So far its just been lots of human anatomy, dental anatomy, and we are just getting into pharmacology. It sounds like a lot but I feel like the material is spaced out in a fair manner which allows me to organize and divide up my time sufficiently.

If Im going to complain about one thing, it would be that everything is highly disorganized. Multiple faculty members have conflicting info than what is being given to us by the school, class locations change w/o much clarity, etc etc. But these are all trivial things. You just have to stay organized and know whats coming up during the next week. You'll all be fine. Just take it week by week!

 

[yihaej12]

Do you miss Hawaii?

Nope. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE hawaii but I grew up there and Im ready for something new

 

[Michael_Scott]

What is the transition from college to dental school like? Is the difference in workload large? Is it still possible to pick up a part-time job to financially support yourself?

you have to be a genius to be able to work part time in D1 or D2 ...

 

[yihaej12]

Appreciate you doing this dude! Few questions, transitioning from undergrad to dental school what study habits have you found to work best? Whats are some things you like about your dental school that you're at now and things you dislike? Lastly, curious how the "vibes" of dental school are as well?

You're going to hear this again and again, but the study habit that works for you is going to different so it all varies. I have a tendency to cram because I just am not the type of person to come home after a 9-10 hour school day, and then open up my books and start reviewing/studying again. So I don't study everyday. During the weekdays, I just am about getting thru the week. Then on the weekends, I study. If I know i have a quiz/exam coming up, then I divide up all the material that is going to be covered on the exam, and do a couple sections (read/take notes) leading up to a couple days before the exam. Then I always try to leave the night before the exam to memorize everything Ive reviewed/made notes for. For wax ups, I just do the tooth one time the night before. I feel like repeatedly waxing the same tooth will only take you so far. Also, in the beginning since we will al suck at waxing, I feel like its also partly luck. I can do the same tooth twice in a row and it won't be exactly the same. So I don't believing mindlessly waxing all day everyday. What I DO recommend is that you really learn and recognize the traits of each tooth, whats on the grading criteria, etc and then mindfully/purposefully just do a single wax up. Evaluate it and see the errors.

Ive gotten 88-94 on all my wax ups so far and Ive received nothing lower than a B for any of my exams/quizzes. But honestly, what works for one person doesn't work for another. There is someone in my class who studies literally every single day and reads every page of every reading assignment while another person likes to skim the end notes of the chapter before an exam. I know people who are in the clinics waxing well into the night. Some people like to only study during the weekdays and party it up all weekend. It all varies, so you just gotta do what you want. In the end, we'll all make it.

 

[yihaej12]

I'd like to know this. Since UW tuition is pushing ~$490k now, I'm looking for reasons to choose this school over others that charge $350k tuition.

My decision came down between colorado and seattle. For me it would have made more financial sense to attend Colorado because their out of state tuition is less than UW's. UW's cost of attendance is 530k without interest for the 4 years. So my decision wasn't about money, but rather about the connections I had in seattle (friends, other dentists) and about where I could really see myself living. After dental school I want to practice in WA so for me, it made more sense to practice in the state in which I went to school in because of the networking I will accrue throughout my four years of education. On a lesser note, UW has a greater aura of prestige, clinical excellence, as well as faculty who really are the best in their field/research etc. ex, the sonicare toothbrush was developed at UW. If you really care about labs and clinics, Colorado wins on this one. Their school is nearly brand new and everything was updated and modern. UW's clinics weren't as nicely polished.

Perhaps my decision was a bit easier since I was an out of state student, so I knew that where I went I would be spending the crap ton of cash anyways.

 

[SDDDAT]

How much free time do you have every week? With classes from 8-5, it doesn't sound like you get much time for other stuff

 

[yihaej12]

How much free time do you have every week? With classes from 8-5, it doesn't sound like you get much time for other stuff

I don't know the exact hours, but I can say that I am comfortable enough to never feel like Im pressed for time (unless its because I procrastinated). After classes, I come home and relax/eat/netflix/go out with friends for dinners etc quite comfortably before maybe studying for an hour or two if necessary. There are people in my class who workout everyday either before or after class, drink (on weekdays), teach yoga etc. So we have enough free time to still be a human. haha. Its just the right amount of free time in my opinion.

 

[SDDDAT]

I don't know the exact hours, but I can say that I am comfortable enough to never feel like Im pressed for time (unless its because I procrastinated). After classes, I come home and relax/eat/netflix/go out with friends for dinners etc quite comfortably before maybe studying for an hour or two if necessary. There are people in my class who workout everyday either before or after class, drink (on weekdays), teach yoga etc. So we have enough free time to still be a human. haha. Its just the right amount of free time in my opinion.

Wow, definitely sounds better than what I had in mind! Also, do you have any advice for how to do well on MMIs?