Hello all first year Dental Students,
You have worked hard to get where you are today and you should be proud of what you have achieved. You are in the right path to this exciting and stellar career. I am going to offer some tips that make your dental school experience as rewarding and exciting as possible.
Dos:
1. Plan ahead.
One thing about Dental school is that once you are behind, it will be very difficult to catch up as exams and lab work will be piled upon you mercilessly. Look at your schedules for exams, lab work due dates and start preparing for them from day one. Do NOT wait until the night before since there were some who tried this method had failed miserably in my dental class!
2. Set up a scheduled time to study.
Give yourself at least two hours each day to review the notes taken in class. You will see that reviewing the notes after the lectures will make your studying for the exam much easier later on. This is especially true for classes with enormous lecture notes. An hour worth of lecture should not require more than 20 minutes reviewing if you do it right away. If you wait a week later on, it will take you much longer since you have already forgotten what was explained in class.
3. Take notes even if you have note taking service.
Note taking service is an adjunct to your own notes and NOT the substitute. Do you rely on the person who takes the notes to give you what was said in class with complete faith? When I taught at UT, I reviewed and made addendum to the notes submitted by the taker. I can tell you that there were excellent takers who got everything (including my jokes and coughs) and there were some who had no clue what I was rambling about.
4. Ask for clarifications right after class.
Nothing more frustrating than reading lecture notes that dont make sense. A simple half a page note can take hours to decode if you have no understanding what it means. Dont wait a week later but ask them right after the lecture when the massive confusion is still fresh in your mind. It is better to have it explained right there and then rather than be confused and have nobody to call at midnight before the morning exam!
5. Get your hands on old examinations.
Some professors release old exams and that will give you the idea of the questions style. Look and see how closely the questions are related to what is covered in class. That way you can see how closely the professors follow what he lectures in class. In some rare cases, many professors will give exact questions and answers that you can score easily (I call these freebies) if you had them beforehand to review. Some may even use the exact same released examination without changing a single word. Surely you dont want to miss out on this one!
6. Be respectful to your professors.
Nothing more insulting than to show up to class late or talking or sleeping while the professors are lecturing. Putting together a lecture is an enormous task and it will show them great insult if you act like you prefer to be somewhere else. Sure we all have that moment but please dont act like you were just handed a thirty year sentence fresh. It is better not to show up at all than to show up late. Trust me, if at the end you are a single point away from the next grade, the ones who are courteous and grateful will have the benefits of the doubt than ones who didnt care.
7. Be respectful to your classmates.
The team players will have good karma coming to them if they once helped others. Try to help your struggling classmates and be willing to share notes with others. You will see that in time of need, you will have heavenly sent coming to you. You are going to live with your classmates in the next four years so dont be an outcast.
8. Dress appropriately.
You are no longer college bound surfing bushy bushy blond hair dude but a professional to be. That mentality should start from day one until the day you graduate into your career. It reflects on your class, yourself and the impression that the professors will have on you.
9. Develop a clean working habit.
In the laboratory sessions, soon your bench will be littered with wax, carving instruments, i pods and anything in between. Clean organized work stations will yield better work results. It is the same as in the car repair shop. Would you feel comfortable taking your car to a repair shop that looks like a junk yard for repair?
10. Put your name on everything!
First year students are always looking for their missing instruments. With hundreds of exactly looking mirrors and explorers, you can see anything is for anyone to claim. I used to put a red tape on all my laboratory instruments and I could see the agony on those who didnt.
Donts:
1. Dont procrastinate.
The first few weeks in Dental school will be a breeze. But this is the calm before the storm. Dental school work is completely different from college. The later allowed you to pick and choose your schedule but in DS, you are given a task to complete whether you like it or not. Sure you maybe the one who can score an A by an all nighter studying but I can assure you that there are plenty who cant. Dont learn the hard way. Once you are behind, it is really tough to catch up. There is only so much you can stuff in your brain.
2. Dont tell others of your specializing plan.
There are too many aspects of dentistry that are still unknown to you and waiting to be discovered. A year or so from now, you may not have the intention to do what you had planned. You by then may not even have the grades to do what you told others you would do. That would be down right embarrassing you think? If you do want to get a spot in your schools orthodontic program four years from now, built up your credentials quietly and then deliver when ready! Dont advertise yourself to a jealous classmate who wants the same thing. Nobody wants to have a competitor for that coveted spot so dont expose yourself.
3. Dont try to be a teachers pet.
If you want to get that oral surgery spot in your school, you certainly want to get to know your oral surgery faculty better. How? By paying extra attention to them? Giving them complements? Telling them your ultimate goal? Giving them high fives ten times a day? Spending fives hours a day in program directors office? No, that is not the way I say. Professors can spot butt kissers easily as well as from your classmates. You get noticed by working hard, show respect to you teachers, classmates and do well in your classes. Now, thats the way.
4. Dont sweat with your grades.
Remember that at the end, a dentist is a dentist regardless of your class rank. Dont let a small setback affect your future tasks. There are so many opportunities to make up for that poor grades so yes, it will be always next time. The thing to know here is that next time is not unlimited. Use your supply wisely! Always try to do your best. Who knows you may want to specialize at the end and wish you could have done a little bit better.
5. Dont challenge your professors.
There are times that you may want to do him in the parking lot that but my advice to you is to suck it in. Trust me; you do not want to be on your professors black list. He maybe wrong but he still gives you the grades. Until you graduate, be smart and dont put yourself in a place that you cant get out. If he asks you to jump, then say How high?, then once done say May you ask me that again please?
6. Dont pick and choose your professors.
You need to work with as many of them as you can. Utilize what they have to offer. The students who only want to work with easy professors (who sign off anything) will no doubt put you at a disadvantage when you face clinical boards. You may then realize you had it too easy in dental school and that did not prepare you enough for passing the clinical tests. I personally have seen this happened.
7. Dont cheat!
Academic dishonesty is a big No No and that will get you dismissed in a hurry leave alone the embarrassment to your family and generations to come. In such a high pressure environment, sometimes you may want the easy way out but I can tell you that it aint worth it. So please dont even think about this one.
8. Dont always accept an answer without proper explanations.
If you are not satisfied with the answer, dont be afraid to ask for guidance or help. If you feel what is asked of you is unreasonable, by no means ask the professor to give you a small demonstration. This shows that you are not willing to accept without reason and this also will help you learn. Everything procedure you do MUST have a reason behind it and you need to question TACKFULLY if what youre instructed to do does not agree with your thinking.
9. Dont be mean to your dental assistant.
These people are pros at what they do and they can make or break your clinical experience. Treat them with respect and dont feel offended to hear them offering you advice. You are here to learn and the patient knows that. Ones who stop listening are ones who stop learning.
10. Dont struggle.
If you feel overwhelmed with school work, by all means ask for help. Loosing a student is the last thing the administration wants to happen. It reflects badly on the school not to mention the loss of revenue. If you find difficult to complete a project, ask upper class members or the professors to help you. Dont just sit there and repeat the mistakes over and over. Go over there and ask for help even after school. Any professor who loves to teach will go the extra miles to help you pass the class and complete the project on time.
There you have it. Enjoy the ride! DP
will go a long way protecting your senses.
