Hello dental students. I have a difficult scenario, and I sincerely want some advice. I have been admitted to UW dental school, and I am currently a graduate student, working on a masters degree that I can complete over the summer (June-August, depending on how quickly I can complete my thesis).
I am married, and my wife and I have three children. They are my life! I have the opportunity of completing my masters degree, but it will be done at the expense of family time and time to prepare for dental school.
My brother is a D1 at UW, along with several of my friends. They have the books and notes from their first year of dental school, and they have offered that material for me to study. They have even offered to tutor me, with such topics as waxing and dental anatomy. This is very appealing, since I would like to have the option to specialize after dental school, and it would give me a leg up when I start dental school. Do you all think that it would have been helpful to have covered this material prior to dental school? What are your recommendations?
On the one side, I have the opportunity to complete my masters degree; I have never quit anything, and I am having a difficult time allowing myself to consider the idea of withdrawing. On the other side, I have an opportunity to prepare for dental school and improve my chances of securing a place among the top of my dental class, not to mention family and relaxation time.
As things currently stand, I see my family only occasionally, and that is really tough for me. Some days, I don't even see my children. I understand that there will be days like this in dental school, but there is a strong and meaningful purpose behind that sacrifice, which doens't exist in my current degree - dentistry is my future career, and my investment in dentistry will untimately open doors for increased time with my family. I love what I am studying, but I am having a tough time justifying my current commitments to this degree. In large part, I started this degree to improve my dental application, in hopes that I would be accepted to dental school.
For the past two quarters, I have been under the impression that I needed to complete this degree, since my application indicated that I would, and one of my interviewers said that I needed to complete the degree to begin dental school.
I have a good relationship with the UWSOD director of admissions. I e-mail pictures of the kids to her from time to time. I recently e-mailed her and in the e-mail I mentioned that school was really stressful and family time was limited; in response to my e-mail she said that it was not necessary that I complete my masters degree. Since then, two days ago, I have been completely consumed by this decision, and I have struggled to think about anything else.
Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I am married, and my wife and I have three children. They are my life! I have the opportunity of completing my masters degree, but it will be done at the expense of family time and time to prepare for dental school.
My brother is a D1 at UW, along with several of my friends. They have the books and notes from their first year of dental school, and they have offered that material for me to study. They have even offered to tutor me, with such topics as waxing and dental anatomy. This is very appealing, since I would like to have the option to specialize after dental school, and it would give me a leg up when I start dental school. Do you all think that it would have been helpful to have covered this material prior to dental school? What are your recommendations?
On the one side, I have the opportunity to complete my masters degree; I have never quit anything, and I am having a difficult time allowing myself to consider the idea of withdrawing. On the other side, I have an opportunity to prepare for dental school and improve my chances of securing a place among the top of my dental class, not to mention family and relaxation time.
As things currently stand, I see my family only occasionally, and that is really tough for me. Some days, I don't even see my children. I understand that there will be days like this in dental school, but there is a strong and meaningful purpose behind that sacrifice, which doens't exist in my current degree - dentistry is my future career, and my investment in dentistry will untimately open doors for increased time with my family. I love what I am studying, but I am having a tough time justifying my current commitments to this degree. In large part, I started this degree to improve my dental application, in hopes that I would be accepted to dental school.
For the past two quarters, I have been under the impression that I needed to complete this degree, since my application indicated that I would, and one of my interviewers said that I needed to complete the degree to begin dental school.
I have a good relationship with the UWSOD director of admissions. I e-mail pictures of the kids to her from time to time. I recently e-mailed her and in the e-mail I mentioned that school was really stressful and family time was limited; in response to my e-mail she said that it was not necessary that I complete my masters degree. Since then, two days ago, I have been completely consumed by this decision, and I have struggled to think about anything else.
Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
