D-school vs pre-dent question

[SCDP]

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Many people say getting A's in dental school is very tough but getting B's and especially C's is easy. But is getting B's and C's actually "easy"?

Like is getting an A in a dental school class equal to getting an A in pre-dental course like chem or bio or is getting a B in dental school like getting an A in pre-dent?

Because if getting B's/C's in dental school is like getting A's/B's in pre dent, I wouldn't consider it "easy to get b's/c's in dental school because a's/b's in pre dent is no piece of cake and you do have to commit a good chunk of time to studying, not to mention the insane course load in dental school...

 

[cacazor]

...wut?

 

[SCDP]

A in dent school = A in pre dent or B in dent school = A in pre dent

 

[656851]

I don't have direct experience, but my readings suggest that the courses are, on the whole, comparable to upper level undergrad. So maybe A = A-

The main reason the courses are harder, apparently, is simply that you have more of them.

 

[irishmom]

Its not the courses that are harder per se, it is that you are taking 27 hours of said classes each sementer. With preclinical lab work due at the same time you have 4 tests in the didactic classes.

 

[cacazor]

Now switch dental with college and pre-dental with high school. And then tell me if this is a legit question.

 

[SCDP]

Now switch dental with college and pre-dental with high school. And then tell me if this is a legit question.

Easy, getting an A in a high school class is like getting a D in a college class.

Getting an A in ONE college class is like getting an A in SIX high school classes

 

[tortelliniboy]

you're over thinking it man, just wait until you start; you're going to psyche yourself up too much. But I do get what you're saying; it is easy to pass but exponentially more difficult to excel.

 

[free99]

I just want to mention that I think the ease of Dental school, even if your intention is to get straight Cs and pass, is a little overstated. I have many friends who have no intention to specialize and still put in serious hours just to get Cs. Obviously it'll be easier for some than others, but I think it's worth mentioning that everyone works hard in dental school, regardless of what they want you to think.

To respond to the OPs question, I think there is too much variability in undergrad schools and classes to try to compare to dental school. There is probably a correlation between undergrad GPA and dental school GPA (otherwise why would admissions use this as a metric?), but I can think of just as many underachievers in undergrad that are now top of my class as those ~4.0 students. Ultimate how you do in school comes down to how motivated you are and how willing you are to spend hours memorizing minutia that may, or may not, end up on an exam.

 

[jmh018]

The classes aren't too hard. Maybe the individual classes are equivalent to upper level biology/chemistry classes but if getting an A in dental school classes is as easy as an A in undergrad, everyone would have almost all A's. We all got A's in undergrad or we wouldn't be in dental school. The trick is the number of classes and the preclinical/clinical work on top of three times as much lecture time as undergrad. That being said, getting straight C's would be easy.

 

[beingaunicorn]

In my experience, the courses aren't harder than undergrad. In fact, some of my undergrad courses were tougher because the exams were ridiculous/unfair. However, you're taking a lot of courses at a time, so you have a big courseload on your hands. It's not hard to get As. It's not hard to get Bs. It's very doable, BUT know how you study. Know what works for you. I am a really slow studier, so I have to put in a whole ton of hours. Yet I still have a social life and a good amount of free-time.

 

[arlmay]

I don't know if any dental students have answered yet, it seems to be a bunch of speculation by pre-dents.... anyways to answer your question people tend to make this generalization that its not hard to slide by in dental school which I would consider to be true. Anyone who has been admitted has some level of academic ability to be able to at least get C's, for some it will be easy and yet others will study night after night to get by. Comparing dental school to undergrad is like comparing high school to college, it just doesn't work out. You will be expected to learn more material, move quicker through material, as well as balance 7-10 classes at a time on top of lab work. So now that I've clarified things, what do you think is dental school easy or hard? If its still fuzzy look forward to August when things become crystal clear.

 

[swindoll]

My friend who's a dental student says that the material is actually EASIER to understand, it's just that there's a lot of it.

 

[irishmom]

I haven't been to dental school yet, I start this August, but I have been to hygiene school and got all A's and B's, made Dean's List and had Academic Honors (3.8 GPA) at gradution. Some of the stuff I learned is the same as D1, so in my opinion, it's not the material that is hard, it just goes into way more depth. All the muscles of the face insetad of the major ones, all the sutures of the skull, all the foramens, etc.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

My dentist (and other dentists) have told me that getting in is the hard part. They said that if you just plan on being a general dentist, it is easy to just slide on by. Just put in the hrs to get through the basic sciences and put the rest of your time with your clinical skills. However, if you plan on specializing...lol good luck. Just their two cents.

 

[SCDP]

My dentist (and other dentists) have told me that getting in is the hard part. They said that if you just plan on being a general dentist, it is easy to just slide on by. Just put in the hrs to get through the basic sciences and put the rest of your time with your clinical skills. However, if you plan on specializing...lol good luck. Just their two cents.

Well I do hope that is the case because that is my plan, just get by on the sciences and work hard on hand/clinical skills.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Well I do hope that is the case because that is my plan, just get by on the sciences and work hard on hand/clinical skills.

I'm not in dental school yet but I think having the mentality of "I busted my ass to get into dental school. I'll just do my best. If I get an A, great. If I get a C, it's okay." would help keep you sane.

 

[SCDP]

I'm not in dental school yet but I think having the mentality of "I busted my ass to get into dental school. I'll just do my best. If I get an A, great. If I get a C, it's okay." would help keep you sane.

Yea then you can't really fail with that attitude, but when you need to take it easy, it's not a big deal, settling for c's every once in a while don't matter. I could be ranked 200/200 and still be a DDS!(not what I am aiming for by that way)

 

[irishmom]

What do they call the person who graduates last in his medical/dental school class?.........Doctor.

 

[Daneosaurus]

I'm not in dental school yet but I think having the mentality of "I busted my ass to get into dental school. I'll just do my best. If I get an A, great. If I get a C, it's okay." would help keep you sane.

This is my exact mindset entering d school in August.

 

[doc toothache]

The OP may be referring to the percentage range required for a particular grade.

 

[DentalLonghorn2014]

Yea then you can't really fail with that attitude, but when you need to take it easy, it's not a big deal, settling for c's every once in a while don't matter. I could be ranked 200/200 and still be a DDS!(not what I am aiming for by that way)

Exactly man. Plus, there are tons of resources that are provided to help you if you are struggling. As long as you stay on top of your game, I would think all would be okay. I'm just a predent though. Wh

This is my exact mindset entering d school in August.

Congrats on getting in! Good luck Dr 😉