Bad grades in dental school

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Cheeriocerio

Membership Revoked
Removed
Joined
Nov 3, 2020
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
Hello, Im a D1 and my grades have been pretty low this first semester, my GPA in undergrad was a 3.7 and my DAT was a 23, so i wasnt really expecting these struggles. These low scores, and always being a little below the average of the class is really hurting my self esteem. In addition to low didactics, im even getting low practical scores (70-80) Should i be concerned over this?

Members don't see this ad.
 
Think of it this way. Out of several hundred/thousand that applied you were one of the top applicants. Your class is full of the top of the top students. You happen to be in the lower half of the top applicants in dental school. If you’re comparing yourself to your classmates it’s understandable you would be disappointed in yourself. If you compare yourself to the rest of the dental applicants that didn’t make it you’re actually quite exceptional.

Being a D1 is a whole new experience for you. I don’t know what your school is like but for me, I had never taken a 7000 level class or 24 credit hours in one semester before. It was a hard adventure that took some getting use to. Give yourself some time. Don’t compare yourself to the other students. Living up to your own expectations is hard enough, don’t think you have to be like those gunners who have amazing didactic skills. As long as your understanding the concepts and improving from month to month you’ll be fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 7 users
You’re being way too hard on yourself. Dental school isn’t undergrad. Everyone will struggle together. Don’t expect all A’s. They’re never going to come. You’ll excel at some things and fail others. It comes with the territory.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
Members don't see this ad :)
Hello, Im a D1 and my grades have been pretty low this first semester, my GPA in undergrad was a 3.7 and my DAT was a 23, so i wasnt really expecting these struggles. These low scores, and always being a little below the average of the class is really hurting my self esteem. In addition to low didactics, im even getting low practical scores (70-80) Should i be concerned over this?
What do you call the person who graduates dental school last in their class?

Doctor.

Your grades don’t correlate to how good of a dentist you will be. You will not use a lot of the info you learn. Your restorations will not look like typodont preps on real patients. Neither will your crown preps. Your assistant will pack cord for you and make your temps. Endo is meticulous though. In real life the lab will do most of your denture work. Don’t stress, just do your best.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 8 users
I got a 70 on a class V practical, so i feel that i am not going to be a good dentist. Especially when the average was an 86
 
I got a 70 on a class V practical, so i feel that i am not going to be a good dentist. Especially when the average was an 86
did you pass? then move on. ask for feedback from your course instructors and practice some more.

don't get hung up on comparison with your classmates etc, esp if a 70 is a passing score as that is all that matters. My first wax-up in sim clinic the instructor told me I never had the skills to be a dentist and should drop out. such is dental school. I am a 4th year now and have won many awards at my school for excellent work. you can always achieve more and become better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
Doesn't matter. Just don't fail. Pre-clinic/sim labs mean nothing in the real world. What you're demonstrating right now is clinical acceptability. Once you see real patients in the real world, you'll realize that none of it mattered, laugh about it, and never want to go back to the hell known as dental school.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 11 users
I had a 3.89 undergrad GPA...my dental school GPA has remained less than a 3.0...and guess what? It feels good. Like all others have said, you will be a competent dentist. I will not be posting my dental school GPA in my office, neither will you. Have fun and relax!
 
  • Like
  • Care
Reactions: 9 users
I got a 70 on a class V practical, so i feel that i am not going to be a good dentist. Especially when the average was an 86
You should chill, dude. A Class V in real life takes less than 5 minutes. You will have different and better materials to choose from. Numb-excavate-bond-fill-polish. Boom. You don’t need a prep that GV Black would be proud of, like TanMan says, clinically acceptable.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3 users
I got many « just passing » grade which were 65% in sim labs. I even failed my first crown prep course.... i sucked in the lab because i was too nervous. BUT i was great in clinics, my patients loves me in practice rn, and i even got into perio with my average grades! It’s really no big deal; don’t worry, keep practicing but don’t beat yourself either :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I got many « just passing » grade which were 65% in sim labs. I even failed my first crown prep course.... i sucked in the lab because i was too nervous. BUT i was great in clinics, my patients loves me in practice rn, and i even got into perio with my average grades! It’s really no big deal; don’t worry, keep practicing but don’t beat yourself either :)
Hey! I am a D1 and am average in grades in terms of didactics, not sure about sim lab yet. What would you say I should be doing now to be somewhat competent for perio?
 
Be careful - you are working on your reputation now. Low scores are not helping. You don't want to be known as a weak student - faculty talk and it might hurt you later. Talk to upper classmates on strategies to improve practicals and work harder on theory
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
Be careful - you are working on your reputation now. Low scores are not helping. You don't want to be known as a weak student - faculty talk and it might hurt you later. Talk to upper classmates on strategies to improve practicals and work harder on theory

I'll agree with you on that to a certain extent. Creating a positive first impression is important. That way, you will tend to be graded with a positive bias. However, once the reputation is set, it's hard to work against a negative bias (unless you are an attractive student that needs "tutoring/assistance" from creepy instructors - it's crazy how much of the work is done for them). I find that this bias existed a lot on pre-clinic and clinical scenarios. I think that's what made my life easier in dschool. When I first started, I cared and got high marks. Same with clinic, when I first started, I made sure to know as much as I can so I can demonstrate strong clinical proficiency, then when that positive bias was set, I could just coast through and finish with minimal supervision, then just hide under the radar till graduation. Don't think that once you finish your graduation requirements that they can't arbitrarily add more. They can and will most likely do it for your class and/or future classes. Don't let your speed hurt future classes. Also, it's pointless to go beyond graduation requirements since you're just taking procedures from other colleagues that might need them and learning the dental school way is not very useful in the real world.

For the OP, don't worry about it now, as you still have clinic to shine. That's when things matter more rather than ivorine teeth.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2 users
I had a 3.89 undergrad GPA...my dental school GPA has remained less than a 3.0...and guess what? It feels good. Like all others have said, you will be a competent dentist. I will not be posting my dental school GPA in my office, neither will you. Have fun and relax!
At my dental school you won't graduate with less than a 3.0.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
My postbac GPA was 3.9 and I was in the middle "avg" student in dental school. You have to be easy on yourself. As others said, best students are there. Unless you are trying to specialize, move on and focus on the next project. I've seen "top ten" student and was clinically awful and wondered how the f this person is going to be a dentist. Grades don't correlate your success as dentist or as business person. You will be fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
You should chill, dude. A Class V in real life takes less than 5 minutes. You will have different and better materials to choose from. Numb-excavate-bond-fill-polish. Boom. You don’t need a prep that GV Black would be proud of, like TanMan says, clinically acceptable.

Im just curious how receiving a low passing grade on a practical doesnt resemble how you will do in real world dentistry. I feel like the people receiving the higher grades in the practicals are going to be better with their skills as a dentist then the ones that pass with lower scores.
 
Im just curious how receiving a low passing grade on a practical doesnt resemble how you will do in real world dentistry. I feel like the people receiving the higher grades in the practicals are going to be better with their skills as a dentist then the ones that pass with lower scores.
And I’m telling you that’s not true.
You get graded on making an ideal prep, but to make an ideal prep you need ideal decay. In real life your axial walls will be deeper because that’s where the decay is. This is where you need to use your head, because you’re not going to school to be a mindless tooth mechanic robot.
You will choose what burs you are most comfortable with. You will also choose how you do your restoration. For example, for crowns I was taught to make depth cuts and then make my margins first, breaking my contacts as I do so all with a chamfer. I dont like doing it that way so now that I am practicing I break my contacts first with a carbide, then I reduce occlusally, then I create my margins in a continuous motion. And I get good results this way. The key is I understand the foundation of WHY things are done, this will help you be a better dentist. Scores mean nothing.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5 users
just hang tight and make real sure you don't fail anything. failure is not an option! but other than that don't beat yourself up about grades.

I just include the warning about failing, because some students are allowed to remediate 2-3 times, while I have known others who start to get the admin's boot after 1 failure so be careful
 
Top