COVID GAP YEAR?

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Japo237

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I am a current applicant to dental schools and have had 4 interviews at UF, UPenn, Pitt, and UK. I have a 4.0 GPA and 23 AA/23 PAT/ 23 Science average on my DAT. The covid-19 pandemic looks like it will be continuing on for at least the next year. Dental school is extremely expensive and I want to get the most out of it as possible. With four interviews and strong stats I think it is reasonable to say the odds are in my favor that I will get into at least one of those schools. However, Schools are really struggling with patient flow and some schools are even limiting the amount of time dental students can be in lab. I have even heard how schools like NYU are only allowing D4's to see patients. That being said I am considering the route of taking a gap year to work as an assistant and wait till COVID has hopefully chilled out. What are y'alls thoughts on this path? Should I not be worried and just matriculate into dental school anyways or should I put more thought into a gap year?

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I would enroll. I dont think Covid will have that large of an impact next fall (considering vaccine timelines and 1.5 years worth of experience for schools running their clinics and labs during Covid), I also dont think the extra practice you'll get by postponing a year is worth the foregone salary considering you'll make up the procedure volume/training in a few months in private practice or a GPR.
 
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First two years of dental school are mostly didactics with some lab and preclinical work so I wouldn’t worry about patient flow right now. We are getting slightly less time in lab than previous classes did, but that’s because the classes above us have priority to make up for lab work they missed when they had to transition online earlier this year. Plus, at Penn at least, our clinics are apparently seeing more patients than normal. A gap year seems unnecessary imo
 
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I have even heard how schools like NYU are only allowing D4's to see patients.
...No.

There are definitely more restrictions in doctor-patient interactions (PPEs and shizzle) now, but by the time you get into a dental school, it'll most likely be OK by then.

If anything, you'll be attending your didactic courses online and labs at the school.
 
ENROLL! This is the best time to be in school. By the time you are a D3, things will be clear.

First two years of dental school are a drag. Better to get them finished ASAP. Remote doesn’t matter.
 
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the way I see it every year you delay could cost you 200k+ in income.

D1 especially can almost all be done online. I don't think this is a reason to defer.
 
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some people are talking about "potential lost income" thats not really my thing. If your concern is that covid will get in the way of you seeing patients, well by the time you will actually to see patients (usually d3) covid should not be around like it is now, and you'd have waited for nothing. But if you're doing something you'd rather do with your time during your gap year, then you can do that too.
 
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If you are slightly burnt out from undergrad, I would take a gap year to rejuvenate and earn a little income. I am in my gap year working in a Microbiology Lab and it has been a great decision for me. I was slightly burnt out my senior year of undergrad, but now I feel refreshed and ready to take on dental school. It will make your first year of dental school much easier. Otherwise, definitely enroll.
 
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