Dental student wanting to go to medical school

[mimesx]

So I am a 2nd year dental student seriously considering the switch to medical school. I believe I went into dental school because of the lifestyle, pay, etc. However, since being in school I find the dental classes so uninteresting that it pains me, and I find the medical classes so fascinating and exciting. I no longer care about the lifestyle; I care about being happy with my life and what I do. I feel medical suits me more as I love problem-based learning and would love applying analytical skills to diagnose patients. Dentistry on the other hand, involves a lot more manual labor with an emphasis on speed and efficiency, none of these being strengths of mine. I feel I have made a huge mistake here. I do not have a passion for dentistry, and my grades have suffered a bit because of this.


I've read several other posts from people with similar situations and many people say you need to finish your graduate degree for them to even consider you. Would US MD/DO schools even give me a shot if I took the MCAT and applied without finishing the degree? If I feel I'll be unhappy in this profession, would it even be prudent to finish this degree and amass over $100K more in debt? I'm wondering if it's a better idea to apply DO and Caribbean MD to see if I can get in, to avoid the additional debt and opportunity cost of 2.5 more years. I'm going to think this over in painstaking detail before I make any drastic decisions, but I would really appreciate some advice from anyone out there... What should I do?

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[mimesx]

btw, has anyone actually known someone who successfully left before their degree was finished and got into med school? I've read several of these posts and haven't been able to find someone who eventually accomplished this

 

[phltz]

Do you have any interest in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery? I think many OMS programs involve first finishing dental school and then doing some additional MD studies. You should take a look at some information to see if this is appealing for you.

 

[zebalong]

No at our school it is full dental school then 3 years of medical school if you want to do oral surg. Dental students apply after they graduate and apply for both their position in medical school and residency at the same time (hence if you get in you are set for both med school and your placement afterwards)

 

[mimesx]

OMFS is a good option, but it's extremely competitive to get in. I can't really depend on being able to get into that residency since I don't have grades that high.. Very good suggestion though

 

[deck]

I am 2nd year dental student, too. I want to apply medical school, but not sure if it's worth or not. I already finished my board I, and almost half way of dental school; however, I still keep thinking about medical school. I tried to prepare for MCAT, but I forgot a lot of science already, feel so discourage
It's great to know that u feel same way as me!

 

[PharMed2016]

I am 2nd year dental student, too. I want to apply medical school, but not sure if it's worth or not. I already finished my board I, and almost half way of dental school; however, I still keep thinking about medical school. I tried to prepare for MCAT, but I forgot a lot of science already, feel so discourage
It's great to know that u feel same way as me!

Don't let life get yourself down. I'm in pharmacy school but I've pretty much decided to finish my degree instead of dropping out. I've posted in a previous thread in response to a similar situation but with regards to PharmD --> MD/DO. A person in my class actually dropped out and pretty much wasted time/money and a degree she could've gotten. She will make it into medical school the same time I will providing she makes it next year.

 

[jl lin]

Do you have any interest in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery? I think many OMS programs involve first finishing dental school and then doing some additional MD studies. You should take a look at some information to see if this is appealing for you.

This was exactly my thought. The DMD/MD that did my daughter's orthognastic surgery was excellent, and you can bet the farm he is making an incredible living. So, he is helping people with all kinds of oral, jaw, surgeries, and living high at it. Something you might want to consider.

 

[mimesx]

I am 2nd year dental student, too. I want to apply medical school, but not sure if it's worth or not. I already finished my board I, and almost half way of dental school; however, I still keep thinking about medical school. I tried to prepare for MCAT, but I forgot a lot of science already, feel so discourage
It's great to know that u feel same way as me!

Yeah it is really good to hear about someone else in a similar situation. Just take it one day at a time and do LOTS of research, get lots of opinions, do some shadowing, etc. before making any kind of drastic decision. That's what i'm trying to do now. PM me if you'd like to talk further about it. Keep your head up!

 

[mimesx]

Don't let life get yourself down. I'm in pharmacy school but I've pretty much decided to finish my degree instead of dropping out. I've posted in a previous thread in response to a similar situation but with regards to PharmD --> MD/DO. A person in my class actually dropped out and pretty much wasted time/money and a degree she could've gotten. She will make it into medical school the same time I will providing she makes it next year.

When are you applying to med school? And it sounds like you would recommend the path you have taken, am I right? I am definitely considering the value of a professional degree to fall back on if things don't work out as planned, but that is still a couple years lost and over $100K more in debt. Not to mention, an increased probability of burnout by spending all your time doing something you don't really enjoy. I'm sure you considered this, so what eventually made you decide to go the way you went?

 

[fahimaz7]

btw, has anyone actually known someone who successfully left before their degree was finished and got into med school? I've read several of these posts and haven't been able to find someone who eventually accomplished this

Finish dental school. If you still decide that you want to go back to school and forfeit 2-3 milion in income, feel free to do so. If you go that route, you would atleast be able to pay your way through medical school.

On a side note, check this guy out...

http://www.mcg.edu/som/surgery/faculty/JYu.htm

Plastic surgery badass at my school.

Has a MD, MS, DDS, and medical illustration degree. Does physics in his part time. Supposed to be top 100 in the world in cranial facial reconstructions.

 

[fahimaz7]

Don't let life get yourself down. I'm in pharmacy school but I've pretty much decided to finish my degree instead of dropping out. I've posted in a previous thread in response to a similar situation but with regards to PharmD --> MD/DO. A person in my class actually dropped out and pretty much wasted time/money and a degree she could've gotten. She will make it into medical school the same time I will providing she makes it next year.

We have two PharmD's in my class. One graduated in May 09 and started medical school in August. The other one graduated in May 07.

Both are very happy and working as well to pay the bills.

 

[hopefuldoc97239]

Don't drop out of dental school until you're accepted to med school.

Either wait until after graduation or apply while in school, but definitely don't give up one seat until you're guaranteed a different one!

Personally, I don't know if this will help, but my tactic would be to get someone from your dental school to write you a letter of rec for med school. "This person is in good standing and has all the makings of an excellent dentist. However, after getting to know Mr/Ms _____, it is clear that his/her interest in health is not being adequately served by the dental profession."

If your dental school has any classes in common with a med school then it would be even easier to write this letter, because it helps to explain why you're leaving one for the other.

Good luck!

 

[drgioiadds]

So I am a 2nd year dental student seriously considering the switch to medical school. I believe I went into dental school because of the lifestyle, pay, etc. However, since being in school I find the dental classes so uninteresting that it pains me, and I find the medical classes so fascinating and exciting. I no longer care about the lifestyle; I care about being happy with my life and what I do. I feel medical suits me more as I love problem-based learning and would love applying analytical skills to diagnose patients. Dentistry on the other hand, involves a lot more manual labor with an emphasis on speed and efficiency, none of these being strengths of mine. I feel I have made a huge mistake here. I do not have a passion for dentistry, and my grades have suffered a bit because of this.


I've read several other posts from people with similar situations and many people say you need to finish your graduate degree for them to even consider you. Would US MD/DO schools even give me a shot if I took the MCAT and applied without finishing the degree? If I feel I'll be unhappy in this profession, would it even be prudent to finish this degree and amass over $100K more in debt? I'm wondering if it's a better idea to apply DO and Caribbean MD to see if I can get in, to avoid the additional debt and opportunity cost of 2.5 more years. I'm going to think this over in painstaking detail before I make any drastic decisions, but I would really appreciate some advice from anyone out there... What should I do?

Although I don't regret graduating from Dental school, I would say make the switch - I have found out that you can't grow to love dentistry. I am 10 years post grad and just took the mcat and applied to DO schools. If all goes well I'll be starting an new career @ 41! LOL

 

[mimesx]

Although I don't regret graduating from Dental school, I would say make the switch - I have found out that you can't grow to love dentistry. I am 10 years post grad and just took the mcat and applied to DO schools. If all goes well I'll be starting an new career @ 41! LOL

So I'm assuming you were having the feelings of doubt while you were in dental school as well, is that right? I feel like it may be a bad choice to just drop out without any safety net, even if I am having a rough time. There's no guarantee of getting in right away, and I'd have to start paying huge student loans with a mediocre job. Why do you say you don't regret graduating from dental school?

And I wish you good luck, that's awesome that you're going for what you want regardless of age.

 

[UW11]

medicine?

 

[mimesx]

Hey guys,
I'm a predent right now with an acceptance to a dental school. Lately, I've been wondering why I didn't pursue medicine instead. I've always been deeply interested in it but kind of defaulted to dentistry due to lifestyle and pay.. (oddly similar to OP). I realized that totally ignoring something just based on lifestyle is foolish. I've regretted not checking out medicine more before I applied to dschool. Would you reccomend that I pass up this acceptance to explore medicine first or to start dschool and hope for the best?

Reading about dental students in their 2nd year regretting their decision really makes me worried. In the worse case scenario, I'd be in the same position.. Any advice?

Also, are there many dental students who have switched to medicine?

If you're having doubts already, that could be a bad sign. I would immediately put all of your effort into finding out if you really want to pursue dentistry. Go shadow dentists and physicians and talk to both of them. Do plenty of research on the subject, search for inspiration, and choose what will really make you most happy and feel fulfilled. Lifestyle is only part of the equation.

Choose the career that makes you excited to go to school. If you don't wake up most days excited at the prospect of being a dentist, but rather you're excited at the prospect of lots of money, vacation and free time, then maybe you should reconsider.

I've read lots of threads about these career switches from dental and it sounds like there's plenty of people who do make it to med school, but most already have a DDS. As for you, work hard to figure out if this is what you really want. It's a long and expensive road both ways, so try to make the right choice at the beginning. But DON'T just go to Dschool because it's less time lost and less hassle since you're already accepted. A year or two lost in order to get to where you really want to be, will mean nothing in the long run. Best of luck to you

 

[RootcanalT12]

Although I don't regret graduating from Dental school, I would say make the switch - I have found out that you can't grow to love dentistry. I am 10 years post grad and just took the mcat and applied to DO schools. If all goes well I'll be starting an new career @ 41! LOL

DrGioiadds,

I was so glad to read your post. I graduated 2 years ago from dental school, and practice in private practice as an associate. Although I love doing dentistry, its the other stuff that is very hard to cope with. I am thinking about applying to med school. Can you tell me if you had to take MCAT, or were you considered advanced standing student. Is it hard to go back to school at this age (im also in same age group as yourself). Do you have someone else supporting your family finanacially, I am the sole provider. Although I sometimes feel it is too late, but then I come across so many other people who change career later in life, which is very encouraging.