Dent

[Sherif]

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is Medical school really hard like every one is saying and that you do not get any time to socialize or do anything in your med school life. How many hours a day do you need to put in studying?. i was also thinking about dentistry to become an orthodontist. how many years of specializing in ortho to become qualified because i read in a site that you need 22 years?? is that right. in dentistry do you still have time to socialize and do regular activity or is it like what i hear in med school. study till the day you retire. Give all the comments you have. i need to make a decision, all i know is i want to be a doctor. Tell me too what it was like in all your years in college till you became a dentist

 

[thisisit]

How old are you? Are you still in High-school or are you in college?

Any professional school that you attend would require a lot of hard work and loooooong hours of studying. Did I socialize when I was in school? A little more than I should have 😀 , but not as much as Fresno State students (are they still considered the biggest party school?)

My advice to you is not concentrate on if you can socialize or not. First decide what profession you want to go into, medicine, dentistry, etc. . Then work really hard in college to earn a good GPA (3.5) and ace your entrance exams (MCAT, DAT, LSAT, etc.).
Once you get in, you will realize that you will find time for socializing. Probably not as much as you like, but more than you thought.

 

[Sherif]

i am in my last year in high school. Which is better in both money and free time. Dentistry (Ortho) or Med

 

[gryffindor]

Years to become an orthodontist:

Kindergarten to 12th = 13 years
Undergrad College = 4 years
Dental School = 4 years
Ortho School = 3 years

13 + 4 + 4 + 3 = 24 years to become an orthodontist.

If you're a senior in high school, you need to get out there and go shadow some MD/DO physicians and some dentists (general dentists, not just orthodontists). Both professions can bring in a lot of money and both can provide you with lots of free time. You can work 1 day/week as an MD or a DDS if you want and have loads of free time, or work 6 days/week and earn more money. It's up to you which one you could see yourself doing b/c the money will only be worth it if you're happy. Dental school is a brutal pain if you're only going to go thinking you'll be rich - you'll hate every minute of it. Same goes for med school & medical residency. Also, orthodontics is incredibly tough to get into - you have to get amazing grades in dental school (which is not easy to do) to get into ortho school. So you have to look at general dentistry & medicine first and decide if you like that rather than setting your hopes as a high school senior to be an orthodontist versus a radiologist (one of the tougher medical specialties to get into).

Will you have free time? Again, if you want it. College & dental school aren't too much different from high school. There are students who put in little time & get straight As, those who put in little time & get Cs, and those who work very hard and get As and those somewhere in the middle getting Bs. You find the same types of students in college & dental school so it's up to you and what kind of student you are as to how much free time you want to have in med/dent school. The difference is that even if you get all Cs in med/dent school, you're still going to be a doctor and work as one. No patient will every ask you what your grades were in med/dent school when they walk into your office in pain.

 

[MarkFitzsimmons]

To become an orthodontist, you will need to spend the following time.

You will be in undergrad until you get accepted to dental school. This can be done in as little as two years but the normal amount of time is four years.

You will then go to dental school. All but one US school is a four year program, the exception is the university of the pacific and it is a 36 month program. Don't forget to be at the very top of your class, ace the boards, and throw in a few extra curriculars.

You will then do an ortho residency, some are two years, most are three, there may even be programs longer.

I shame anyone who goes to dental school with the sole intention of becoming a specialist. Many apply each year to specialty programs and not get in, spots are limited. The orthodontist that did my treatment spent five years after dental school trying to get accepted to the ortho residency.

General dentists are licensed to practice all dental procedures they feel confident in doing. So a GP can still do ortho if he chooses. Although that GP will be held to the same standards as a specialist and can not advertize themself as an orthodontist.

Good luck.

 

[thisisit]

So let me get this right, you want to work as little as possible but make the most? It's normal for someone in your age group to think that way. But I encourage you to look at it differently.

Set goals for yourself and sacrifice to reach those goals. If you need to have a little less "free time" for a few years to be able to live and provide comfortably for yourself and your future family, I say do it.