current med student looking into dentistry

[ljg]

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Hello All!

(Urgently looking for some answers) I am currently a first year osteopathic medical student seriously, and I mean seriously, considering switching into dental school. One of the reason is because I honestly cannot see myself going through residency down the road. I am looking into dentistry because it is also a great health profession, allows for autonomy of practice, better hours, financial stability, and less years in training. However, my question is will the dental schools look UNDESIRABLY upon my one term at medical school and my decision to leave? I have yet to take the DAT and I will certainly take it with the utmost seriousness but with what I have, am I at a disadvantage, advantage, or neutral?

Thank you

 

[kiggar4l2000]

Hello All!

(Urgently looking for some answers) I am currently a first year osteopathic medical student seriously, and I mean seriously, considering switching into dental school. One of the reason is because I honestly cannot see myself going through residency down the road. I am looking into dentistry because it is also a great health profession, allows for autonomy of practice, better hours, financial stability, and less years in training. However, my question is will the dental schools look UNDESIRABLY upon my one term at medical school and my decision to leave? I have yet to take the DAT and I will certainly take it with the utmost seriousness but with what I have, am I at a disadvantage, advantage, or neutral?

Thank you

In the dental application, they do ask if you have ever been in a professional school (not all but some schools ask) and I think if you don't have good enough of an answer to that question then you'd definitely be at a disadvantage.

I think it's a tough question to answer because if your answer even slightly indicates that 1) you are a type of person to do identistry for financial reasons as opposed to "nobler" reasons 2) you are a type of persn who does not carefully consider his professional/career choices then you gonna have hard time earning an interview.

But!

If your grades and DAT score and rec letters (esp for a dentist) are stellar then they can't but accept you. That is if you don't say dumb thing on your personal statement (e.g. I like dentistry because I could make good $$).

Good luck. If you're smart enough to get into med school, dental school would be not be that much more difficult.

 

[Rezdawg]

My road was headed towards medicine and then I switched. In the application, it asks if you have applied to previous graduate programs, so I had to say that I had applied to medical schools. My essay was basically about how I went from medicine to dentistry. Never got asked about it in an interview (I dont think).

You may even want to try to contact an admissions person at a school and get their opinion. I think you should be okay though, as long as you are honest. And as far as the switch is concerned, I would definitely advise going into dentistry.

 

[Bifid Uvula]

Hello All!

(Urgently looking for some answers) I am currently a first year osteopathic medical student seriously, and I mean seriously, considering switching into dental school. One of the reason is because I honestly cannot see myself going through residency down the road. I am looking into dentistry because it is also a great health profession, allows for autonomy of practice, better hours, financial stability, and less years in training. However, my question is will the dental schools look UNDESIRABLY upon my one term at medical school and my decision to leave? I have yet to take the DAT and I will certainly take it with the utmost seriousness but with what I have, am I at a disadvantage, advantage, or neutral?

Thank you

What you need to do is work on this, but stay focused on what you've got going on for you now. Its an honor and a privelage to get into any medical or dental school... just think about how many people are on the other side of the fence looking in and wishing they could be in your shoes.

Take your DATs. Make sure you can document that you have spent AMPLE time volunteering with dentists. Its imperitive that you do that. You'll need letters of recommendation as well. If you can find enough mentorship in one of your current profs at med school who would keep things confidential and be supportive of you, then you should also get a letter from him.

Dental school is a lot harder than you probably think. Its got a large portion of "residency" built into the 4 year curriculum so that you can graduate and go straight to practice. You may see however that you still might want to do at least another year or 2 of additional training before entering general practice.

 

[SuperTrooper]

Hello All!

(Urgently looking for some answers) I am currently a first year osteopathic medical student seriously, and I mean seriously, considering switching into dental school. One of the reason is because I honestly cannot see myself going through residency down the road. I am looking into dentistry because it is also a great health profession, allows for autonomy of practice, better hours, financial stability, and less years in training. However, my question is will the dental schools look UNDESIRABLY upon my one term at medical school and my decision to leave? I have yet to take the DAT and I will certainly take it with the utmost seriousness but with what I have, am I at a disadvantage, advantage, or neutral?

Thank you

I don't think you're at a disadvantage at all. But definitely don't say that you're looking into dentistry only because "it allows for autonomy of practice, better hours, financial stability, and less years in training." Like bifid uvula said, you've got to get dental volunteering, and be able to prove that you really are interested in dentistry for reasons other than lifestyle, money, etc. One thing i noticed at interviews is that schools are always trying to determine your sincerity about dentistry. Cause if you're not really interested in dentistry, you will crash and burn. Good luck.

 

[DIRTIE]

Hello All!

(Urgently looking for some answers) I am currently a first year osteopathic medical student seriously, and I mean seriously, considering switching into dental school. One of the reason is because I honestly cannot see myself going through residency down the road. I am looking into dentistry because it is also a great health profession, allows for autonomy of practice, better hours, financial stability, and less years in training. However, my question is will the dental schools look UNDESIRABLY upon my one term at medical school and my decision to leave? I have yet to take the DAT and I will certainly take it with the utmost seriousness but with what I have, am I at a disadvantage, advantage, or neutral?

Thank you

I think that you can get admitted without a problem, its just I doubt they will let you skip a whole lot of classes. Even if they do let you skip a few classes, like they do at Columbia I believe, it will take you 4 more years after you get in to graduate, you will just go part time your first two years, then full time your last two. By then could have done your first two years of your residency.

 

[JawBreakerGTP]

Call the University of Michigan's D school. It's obvious you know what you want and the office will be more than happy to help you figure things out. Also, since you've taken admissions tests, maybe they can make exceptions.

 

[drhobie7]

Hello All!

(Urgently looking for some answers) I am currently a first year osteopathic medical student seriously, and I mean seriously, considering switching into dental school. One of the reason is because I honestly cannot see myself going through residency down the road. I am looking into dentistry because it is also a great health profession, allows for autonomy of practice, better hours, financial stability, and less years in training. However, my question is will the dental schools look UNDESIRABLY upon my one term at medical school and my decision to leave? I have yet to take the DAT and I will certainly take it with the utmost seriousness but with what I have, am I at a disadvantage, advantage, or neutral?

Thank you

I'd say you are at a disadvantage because dental schools will wonder if you'll drop out of dental school after the first year. You need to have a rock solid history of dental experience that demonstrates your passion for dentistry. Like one of the other posters said, this means getting tons of exposure to the profession. It'll be hard to do while in med school.

You can have a great life as a physician. You can work 35 hours a week if you want. You can have a private practice. Financial stability is more about managing the money you make. You're not going to be strapped to $50K/yr as a physician.

As for the years of training, you're kinda late in the admissions cycle to apply now so ideally you'd be entering after your 2nd year of med school. 6 years vs 7 for med school + residency. I wouldn't worry about the time involved. That seems like a pretty even comparison. And yes, that doesn't take into account dental residency, which many graduates do.

You've only been in med school a few months. I'm not sure dentistry is the answer if you're so displeased this soon. Maybe a profession outside health care is better.

 

[ljg]

In the dental application, they do ask if you have ever been in a professional school (not all but some schools ask) and I think if you don't have good enough of an answer to that question then you'd definitely be at a disadvantage.

I think it's a tough question to answer because if your answer even slightly indicates that 1) you are a type of person to do identistry for financial reasons as opposed to "nobler" reasons 2) you are a type of persn who does not carefully consider his professional/career choices then you gonna have hard time earning an interview.

But!

If your grades and DAT score and rec letters (esp for a dentist) are stellar then they can't but accept you. That is if you don't say dumb thing on your personal statement (e.g. I like dentistry because I could make good $$).

Good luck. If you're smart enough to get into med school, dental school would be not be that much more difficult.

-------------------------------------------

In response to some of the latter helpful advices and comments, another honest to goodness personal reason is that I have come to realize that I not only cannot expect to get through the mentally and physically demanding residency period, but also that I want to be closer to home. I am currently 7 hours away from home and if I do apply to dental school I will apply to only ones in my state or within close driving distance. Hence, is that a reason I should point out to the admissions office and interviewer?

 

[SuperTrooper]

-------------------------------------------

In response to some of the latter helpful advices and comments, another honest to goodness personal reason is that I have come to realize that I not only cannot expect to get through the mentally and physically demanding residency period, but also that I want to be closer to home. I am currently 7 hours away from home and if I do apply to dental school I will apply to only ones in my state or within close driving distance. Hence, is that a reason I should point out to the admissions office and interviewer?

I think you're going about this the wrong way. You shouldn't admit to your short-comings. DO NOT mention that you don't think you can make it through a medical residency, DO NOT mention that you can't handle the stress of being away from home. A lot of professional school is about having the personality to be able to manage your stressors. I personally think that this is more relevant long-term to dentistry than medicine. ADCOMS are looking for this.

P.S. I haven't seen you mention once that you're interested in oral health, teeth, etc. You have to describe that you weren't always sure about which path to pursue, you chose medicine, and once getting to medical school you realized you made a mistake. There's nothing wrong with making a mistake, but make sure you emphasize how you learned from this. Good luck.

 

[ljg]

I think you're going about this the wrong way. You shouldn't admit to your short-comings. DO NOT mention that you don't think you can make it through a medical residency, DO NOT mention that you can't handle the stress of being away from home. A lot of professional school is about having the personality to be able to manage your stressors. I personally think that this is more relevant long-term to dentistry than medicine. ADCOMS are looking for this.

P.S. I haven't seen you mention once that you're interested in oral health, teeth, etc. You have to describe that you weren't always sure about which path to pursue, you chose medicine, and once getting to medical school you realized you made a mistake. There's nothing wrong with making a mistake, but make sure you emphasize how you learned from this. Good luck.

Thank you for your honest comments and advice and I have certainly taken them to mind. I am quite certain I will not practice medicine but what I do not know is ultimately what I should and will practice. Dentistry is on top of my list because it may allow me to still help improve the health of others while not taking every ounce of life left in me - I think. I do not expect dental school to be much easier than medical school and in terms of academic stress probably on par, however, if I do enter a dental school close to home I may have less stressors to deal with. That is my very personal and honest thoughts and thank you for advising me to think about what to say. Regarding dentistry, I am interested in pediatric dentistry and I think if I do decide to apply I will certainly observe or preferrably find a position at a dental office.

By the way can you tell me what ADCOMS is? Thank you.

 

[ljg]

My road was headed towards medicine and then I switched. In the application, it asks if you have applied to previous graduate programs, so I had to say that I had applied to medical schools. My essay was basically about how I went from medicine to dentistry. Never got asked about it in an interview (I dont think).

You may even want to try to contact an admissions person at a school and get their opinion. I think you should be okay though, as long as you are honest. And as far as the switch is concerned, I would definitely advise going into dentistry.

Hello, I noticed you are studying dentistry at BU. Do you like it there? Is it a good school and environment? Can you also tell me about their admissions process and preferences? Thanks

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I don't think that you're at a disadvantage at all, assuming that you do a few things. I would try, like Bifid said, to get some exposure to the field of dentistry before kicking med school and applying for dental. There are two reasons for this.

One, you've already delayed the completion of your education by starting medicine and finding out that it's not for you. Starting something else will set you back in the time sequence. For your own benefit, you should get some exposure to dentistry to make sure that you don't run into the same situation over again (i.e. finding out in your second year of dental school that you do not enjoy dentistry).

Two, not to say that it's fair or right, some interviewers may have reservations about your interest in dentistry after seeing that you became uninterested in medicine. It will important to be able to demonstrate to them that you have made a more informed choice this time around. It's certainly OK to like the hours, the salary, and the location closer to home that you mentioned. However, if you state these things as your primary reasons for entering dentistry, it will look as though you are again making an uninformed decision, thereby hurting your chances. If you spend some time around dentistry, you will gain a clearer understanding of what you want and why you want it.

Keep your grades up while in medical school--I believe that this could help you. You will have already demonstrated that you can successfully pass through a curriculum of higher learning. There will be little room, then, to question your ability to perform in dental school.

Hope that helps.

 

[Bifid Uvula]

Thank you for your honest comments and advice and I have certainly taken them to mind. I am quite certain I will not practice medicine but what I do not know is ultimately what I should and will practice. Dentistry is on top of my list because it may allow me to still help improve the health of others while not taking every ounce of life left in me - I think. I do not expect dental school to be much easier than medical school and in terms of academic stress probably on par, however, if I do enter a dental school close to home I may have less stressors to deal with. That is my very personal and honest thoughts and thank you for advising me to think about what to say. Regarding dentistry, I am interested in pediatric dentistry and I think if I do decide to apply I will certainly observe or preferrably find a position at a dental office.

By the way can you tell me what ADCOMS is? Thank you.

Not only will taking dental classes be stressful, some classes in particular will literally suck the life (and common sense) out of you... cough:: periodontology :: At some point while sitting through a biomaterials class you'll proably slit your wrists!

As far as pediatric dentistry, you haven't even learned how to count pediatric teeth properly, let alone had to wrestle one of those little boogers to the ground in order to place a sealant. Trust me, you aren't interested in ANY specialty yet. By the way pediatric dental residencies are 2-3 years in length, and most involve additional hospital training as well.

Look, being close to home for less stress is also something you should not mention. My father passed away my last semester of undergrad, I was wait-listed for my home-state and ended up being accepted to 4 different out of state schools. I tried like a mad-man to get accepted to my in-state school for most of my first year in order to be closer to home for support of my widowed mother. I even contemplated taking a year off and reapplying. But i came to the realization that although i did well that year and was accepted, it might not happen again. The only way it was offered to me so I could be close to home was to have to re-take my first year all over-again. By that point, I decided it wasn't worth all the bull-$#(+. You just have to suck it up.

Being close to home will not relieve your stress, trust me. Dental school, especially Second Year (and to a similar extent 2nd year of med school) will turn you into a BITTER, OVER-WORKED, FRUSTRATED, EMMOTIONAL bag of mush. You'll snap at friends & family, you'll really start to doubt whether this is the right choice, and you'll start to contemplate the idea of going to law school.

We had 2 people in my first year class "drop out" by the 2nd month of school. They did it in such a way that they "deferred" their education for a year. One came back the following year with the new class. They guaranteed him a spot. U might want to explore this option with your school... this way you can spend time with the different dentists/specialists.

enough said.... quit playing on SDN and go study.

 

[Rezdawg]

Hello, I noticed you are studying dentistry at BU. Do you like it there? Is it a good school and environment? Can you also tell me about their admissions process and preferences? Thanks

Check your messages.

 

[jk5177]

You've only been in med school a few months. I'm not sure dentistry is the answer if you're so displeased this soon. Maybe a profession outside health care is better.

To OP (while chiming off DrHobie):
School-wise, your first semester of med is similar to dent school. So if the classes bug you right now and making you feel like you don't want to do it for the next 6, 7 or whatever years, then Dr. Hobie is right, "maybe a pofession ouside health care is better."

 

[ljg]

To OP (while chiming off DrHobie):
School-wise, your first semester of med is similar to dent school. So if the classes bug you right now and making you feel like you don't want to do it for the next 6, 7 or whatever years, then Dr. Hobie is right, "maybe a pofession ouside health care is better."

I shall consider a wide spectrum of career possibilities now and I cannot afford to be wrong this time around. However my interest in dentistry is certainly there. Honestly, the work load is heavy but still manageable personally. However, realizing that medicine may not be right for me, realizing that I should be home, and various other unfortunate and otherwise avoidable stressors has caused me to perform under my optimal ability. I do not expect dental school to be easier than medical school, certainly not years 1,2. However, as I said before, I do like the fact that there will not be any 30 hr oncall rotations. Basically, its not the present workload that turns me away but the future practice of medicine. That is why I am on the network asking and seeking to find out if dentistry is a possible and good alternative. Thanks

 

[drhobie7]

I shall consider a wide spectrum of career possibilities now and I cannot afford to be wrong this time around. However my interest in dentistry is certainly there. Honestly, the work load is heavy but still manageable personally. However, realizing that medicine may not be right for me, realizing that I should be home, and various other unfortunate and otherwise avoidable stressors has caused me to perform under my optimal ability. I do not expect dental school to be easier than medical school, certainly not years 1,2. However, as I said before, I do like the fact that there will not be any 30 hr oncall rotations. Basically, its not the present workload that turns me away but the future practice of medicine. That is why I am on the network asking and seeking to find out if dentistry is a possible and good alternative. Thanks

Yeah, unless you do OMS, you probably won't have any days longer than 12 hours, unless you have some removable labwork (that you're doing yourself) to complete by the next morning. Good luck.

 

[Slash]

I shall consider a wide spectrum of career possibilities now and I cannot afford to be wrong this time around. However my interest in dentistry is certainly there. Honestly, the work load is heavy but still manageable personally. However, realizing that medicine may not be right for me, realizing that I should be home, and various other unfortunate and otherwise avoidable stressors has caused me to perform under my optimal ability. I do not expect dental school to be easier than medical school, certainly not years 1,2. However, as I said before, I do like the fact that there will not be any 30 hr oncall rotations. Basically, its not the present workload that turns me away but the future practice of medicine. That is why I am on the network asking and seeking to find out if dentistry is a possible and good alternative. Thanks

I read your posts, and I'm sorry to say that if I were on the dental admissions committee I would see right through your BS and wouldn't offer even an interview. You know nothing about dentistry (no shadowing experience), and you appear to be a person who is unstable---in other words, a HUGE risk, and a person not worthy of taking a dental seat from another deserving dental applicant. You were probably a premed in undergrad for four years, and that entire time you believed medical school was the greatest thing on earth. You applied and got into an osteo school and within a few months of attending med school you've had a complete change of mind? BS. You had four years as an undergrad to have that change of mind. Fact is, osteo classes are probably kicking your butt right now and you're ready to bail like a dog with his tail between his legs. And worst of all, you want to run into the dental profession because somehow you think it will actually be easier for you. Well if you think your med school classes are kicking your butt right now, the dental school classes will run you through the meat grinder and you'll be running off to law school or at least wished you had stayed in med school. And what is this that you are interested in pediatric dentistry? Look, you don't know what you're interested in at this point and least of all a dental specialty. You cited one reason you like dentistry is that it requires less years of training---Well, let me break the news to you, dental school is 4 years and any specialty beyond that could be anywhere from 2 to 6 additional years of training. And let's not even mention how competitive getting a pediatric dental residency is. You really have to excel and be near the top of your dental class to get a pediatric dental residency. At this point, I'm inclined to believe you are not of that caliber. Which means that you'd be an unhappy general dentist and would start pondering law school after graduating dental school---if you graduated. This is not a personal attack on you, but it is a healthy injection of reality into this thread. I'd consider a career outside the health professions if you aren't happy with your place in med school.

 

[Rezdawg]

I read your posts, and I'm sorry to say that if I were on the dental admissions committee I would see right through your BS and wouldn't offer even an interview. You know nothing about dentistry (no shadowing experience), and you appear to be a person who is unstable---in other words, a HUGE risk, and a person not worthy of taking a dental seat from another deserving dental applicant. You were probably a premed in undergrad for four years, and that entire time you believed medical school was the greatest thing on earth. You applied and got into an osteo school and within a few months of attending med school you've had a complete change of mind? BS. You had four years as an undergrad to have that change of mind. Fact is, osteo classes are probably kicking your butt right now and you're ready to bail like a dog with his tail between his legs. And worst of all, you want to run into the dental profession because somehow you think it will actually be easier for you. Well if you think your med school classes are kicking your butt right now, the dental school classes will run you through the meat grinder and you'll be running off to law school or at least wished you had stayed in med school. And what is this that you are interested in pediatric dentistry? Look, you don't know what you're interested in at this point and least of all a dental specialty. You cited one reason you like dentistry is that it requires less years of training---Well, let me break the news to you, dental school is 4 years and any specialty beyond that could be anywhere from 2 to 6 additional years of training. And let's not even mention how competitive getting a pediatric dental residency is. You really have to excel and be near the top of your dental class to get a pediatric dental residency. At this point, I'm inclined to believe you are not of that caliber. Which means that you'd be an unhappy general dentist and would start pondering law school after graduating dental school---if you graduated. This is not a personal attack on you, but it is a healthy injection of reality into this thread. I'd consider a career outside the health professions if you aren't happy with your place in med school.

You make so many assumptions that your post is completely worthless.

Fact is, there is a solid majority of dental students who were at one time "pre-med". Switching out of the "medicine" mentality and into dentistry is very common. Nothing wrong with that.

 

[Slash]

You make so many assumptions that your post is completely worthless.

Fact is, there is a solid majority of dental students who were at one time "pre-med". Switching out of the "medicine" mentality and into dentistry is very common. Nothing wrong with that.

Yes, but they weren't first semester medical students when they made the switch. Big difference. The original poster spent years dreaming of getting into medical school then it's only taken two months for the original poster to do a complete 180 turn on the medical profession? Something isn't right about that and the dental admissions committee should be able to sniff that one out right away.

 

[adamlc18]

Yes, but they weren't first semester medical students when they made the switch. Big difference. The original poster spent years dreaming of getting into medical school then it's only taken two months for the original poster to do a complete 180 turn on the medical profession? Something isn't right about that and the dental admissions committee should be able to sniff that one out right away.

There is a DDS4 at our school who did a year and a half of med school before deciding to go dental. You can actually decide to switch.

 

[12YearOldKid]

Yes, but they weren't first semester medical students when they made the switch. Big difference. The original poster spent years dreaming of getting into medical school then it's only taken two months for the original poster to do a complete 180 turn on the medical profession? Something isn't right about that and the dental admissions committee should be able to sniff that one out right away.

I disagree here. Many, many students vascillate between career decisions during their last years of college. Some of us are able to make a definite, hard and fast decision about which path to take and some just have to make a really good guess and hope they end up happy. It sounds like he was one of the vascillators ( somehow that sounds naughty) who ended up guessing wrong. Now is the perfect time for him to change his mind if he really knows that medicine is not for him. He has only committed a year of his life and a few thousand dollars at this point. If he waits too much longer the opportunity costs of changing professions are going to multiply to the point where the switch is all but impossible.

I know after I got my acceptance letter to dental school, I really questioned if I had made the right decision and wondered often that first year if I should have gone to med school. Now when I am forced to sit through just an hour of pharmacology or physiology I want to stick a hot poker through my eye. Yes, we need to know that stuff as dentists, but it doesn't define our profession the way it does so many medical specialties. There is no doubt in my mind that I made the right decision. I LIKE TO CUT TEETH, BABY! 😀

 

[Rezdawg]

Yes, but they weren't first semester medical students when they made the switch. Big difference. The original poster spent years dreaming of getting into medical school then it's only taken two months for the original poster to do a complete 180 turn on the medical profession? Something isn't right about that and the dental admissions committee should be able to sniff that one out right away.

I was one month away from starting medical school, decided to make the switch right then. There really isnt that much of a difference between someone in my shoes and the OP. I could have just as easily started medical school and then decided to make the switch.

 

[Slash]

I was one month away from starting medical school, decided to make the switch right then. There really isnt that much of a difference between someone in my shoes and the OP. I could have just as easily started medical school and then decided to make the switch.

I applaud you having the foresight to debate your future and make a decision before starting medical school, even if it was one month prior to starting med school. I'm sure the person who was your replacement in the class is happy to be in med school. My problem with the original poster is that he/she has labelled him/herself a huge risk in the eyes of many. Who's to say the original poster doesn't flake out on dental school two months into the first semester? The precedent has been set.

 

[ljg]

I applaud you having the foresight to debate your future and make a decision before starting medical school, even if it was one month prior to starting med school. I'm sure the person who was your replacement in the class is happy to be in med school. My problem with the original poster is that he/she has labelled him/herself a huge risk in the eyes of many. Who's to say the original poster doesn't flake out on dental school two months into the first semester? The precedent has been set.

Slash made a very good point and I am glad it was made. It is certainly a huge change and I would question someone in my situation too if I was on the dental school admissions committee. My reasons for looking into dental school has been stated and I do not expect the 1st and 2nd year to be easier than med, however from the little I know the practice of dentistry may suit me better in the long run, I do not know for sure. You are correct I do not know enough about dentistry but I would like to find out more about it and see if it is truly a suitable alternative.

 

[ljg]

I applaud you having the foresight to debate your future and make a decision before starting medical school, even if it was one month prior to starting med school. I'm sure the person who was your replacement in the class is happy to be in med school. My problem with the original poster is that he/she has labelled him/herself a huge risk in the eyes of many. Who's to say the original poster doesn't flake out on dental school two months into the first semester? The precedent has been set.

Slash made a very good point and I am glad it was made. It is certainly a huge change and I would question someone in my situation too if I was on the dental school admissions committee. My reasons for looking into dental school has been stated and I do not expect the 1st and 2nd year to be easier than med, however from the little I know the practice of dentistry may suit me better in the long run, I do not know for sure. You are correct I do not know enough about dentistry but I would like to find out more about it and see if it is truly a suitable alternative to medicine, which is something I do not think I can practice.

 

[jk5177]

My reasons for looking into dental school has been stated and I do not expect the 1st and 2nd year to be easier than med, however from the little I know the practice of dentistry may suit me better in the long run, I do not know for sure. You are correct I do not know enough about dentistry but I would like to find out more about it and see if it is truly a suitable alternative to medicine, which is something I do not think I can practice.

Sometimes we are so caught up with what our families, friends, and society tells us to do that we forget what it is we really want to do. I think slash's point may be rashful, but it follows a certain psychological rationale which I agree. ljg. Why did you go through all those years of pre-med and successfully gain entrance to a school and then want to leave so suddenly? Yes, you state that you feel dentistry is better suited for you in the long run, but did you not know that in the past four years or so?

Do you not like osteopathic school? You say you are not being optimum because you can't see yourself in the profession. How were you able to be so optimum in the past four years? Were you honest with yourself about med profession? What if a adcom did accept you, but then you realize that dental profession isn't what you wanted? The damage isn't to the adcom, instead it would be to you.

You mentioned "find out more about" dentistry. How do you plan to go about it?

 

[ljg]

Sometimes we are so caught up with what our families, friends, and society tells us to do that we forget what it is we really want to do. I think slash's point may be rashful, but it follows a certain psychological rationale which I agree. ljg. Why did you go through all those years of pre-med and successfully gain entrance to a school and then want to leave so suddenly? Yes, you state that you feel dentistry is better suited for you in the long run, but did you not know that in the past four years or so?

Do you not like osteopathic school? You say you are not being optimum because you can't see yourself in the profession. How were you able to be so optimum in the past four years? Were you honest with yourself about med profession? What if a adcom did accept you, but then you realize that dental profession isn't what you wanted? The damage isn't to the adcom, instead it would be to you.

You mentioned "find out more about" dentistry. How do you plan to go about it?

The thought of looking into dentistry as a better alternative profession came as a result of much thinking and introspection. To answer your question, I went into premed because I want to help people. I also want to enter a respectable profession where I can interact and communicate with people. However, I fear that I may have been too goal oriented during my premed undergraduate years, seeing medical school as the only target and goal in mind and giving very little thought to what life may be like once I attain it. As a result I did not give enough consideration about the practice of medicine and did not consider myself doing anything else but med. So, unfortunately, I did not consider dentistry, let alone think that it may be better suited for me. The school and the curriculum are not the main reason why I am considering a switch. It is namely thinking about the practice. However, the fact that the school is located far from home doesnt help. Again, I never knew the importance of a school's location until now.

To find out if dentistry is for me I want to observe a dentist (work at a dental office if possible), discuss about dental education and the profession with dentists, and see if I would enjoy practicing and have a knack for it. ( I enjoy working with my hands and I tend to be more of a visual learner/person ) Basically, I want to find out what I like and want to do.

Do you enjoy the education and look forward to practicing? What do you like about it?

 

[OffAngleHatchet]

Dental school is a lot harder than you probably think. Its got a large portion of "residency" built into the 4 year curriculum so that you can graduate and go straight to practice. You may see however that you still might want to do at least another year or 2 of additional training before entering general practice.

I've talked to many med students about my life in dschool. Their replies usually start with, "Man, I thought my life sucked..."

 

[PreDentJennifer]

I know of dschools out there that are very stressful and some that really aren't. I won't name any but the OP is more than welcome to PM me. About your message, I can see what you're saying that you don't want to deal with residency and the stress in medicine but think about 10 years from now and not the next few years. In 10 or 15 years, will you be happy as a dentist? or as a physician? Work hard now, and when you look back it will be worth it. It seems from your original message, in the long run you'd be happier as a physician. And if you have the business skills to be financially successful in dentistry, you can do the same in medicine. There is a lot of money to be made in medicine - just not traditional medicine. So if your goal has always been medicine, just stick it out and think about 20 years from now. The 3 years of residency will be a small amount of time spent and well worth it.

 

[jk5177]

Being close to home will not relieve your stress, trust me. Dental school, especially Second Year (and to a similar extent 2nd year of med school) will turn you into a BITTER, OVER-WORKED, FRUSTRATED, EMMOTIONAL bag of mush. You'll snap at friends & family, you'll really start to doubt whether this is the right choice, and you'll start to contemplate the idea of going to law school.

My roommate is a second year law student. And I swear I'm at school more often than he is. I don't know if I would want to go through what he's going through because I heard their student body isn't that great - but that's a tangential topic.

 

[toofache32]

My roommate is a second year law student. And I swear I'm out of the place more often then he is. I don't know if I would want to go through what he's going through because I heard their student body isn't that great - but that's a tangential topic.

Law school sounds painful....especially the part where they remove your spine.

 

[TeethVader]

Hello All!

(Urgently looking for some answers) I am currently a first year osteopathic medical student seriously, and I mean seriously, considering switching into dental school. One of the reason is because I honestly cannot see myself going through residency down the road. I am looking into dentistry because it is also a great health profession, allows for autonomy of practice, better hours, financial stability, and less years in training. However, my question is will the dental schools look UNDESIRABLY upon my one term at medical school and my decision to leave? I have yet to take the DAT and I will certainly take it with the utmost seriousness but with what I have, am I at a disadvantage, advantage, or neutral?

Thank you

Dentistry is more of an artistic profession than a scientific one, make sure your hand-skills are good; otherwise, you'll regret having gone to the dental profession