Dentists who had B/C average in dental school, how are you faring now?

[HaiDukken]

Hi guys! So I'm sure this question is asked all the time, but I'm curious, is the saying of "The students who get C's make the most money and are the most successful", true? I know it's a generalization, but I ask because i'm currently a 2nd year dental student, and I'll be honest, these are some of the worst grades I've made in my life. I'm not trying to make this a pity party or anything, but I would like to hear the experiences of people who are out in the field, who may have not done so well academically in school, and how life is for them. Maybe you guys could give me insight into what has made you successful, or maybe not successful, outside of school. Is there something you wish you did differently while in school, to prepare you for the future, be it didactically, or in the lab? I appreciate all of the feedback and answers!

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[Screwtape]

Hi guys! So I'm sure this question is asked all the time, but I'm curious, is the saying of "The students who get C's make the most money and are the most successful", true? I know it's a generalization, but I ask because i'm currently a 2nd year dental student, and I'll be honest, these are some of the worst grades I've made in my life. I'm not trying to make this a pity party or anything, but I would like to hear the experiences of people who are out in the field, who may have not done so well academically in school, and how life is for them. Maybe you guys could give me insight into what has made you successful, or maybe not successful, outside of school. Is there something you wish you did differently while in school, to prepare you for the future, be it didactically, or in the lab? I appreciate all of the feedback and answers!

I really hate that saying. I swear some people just use it to justify not succeeding in school. Overall, aptitude and hard work translates to good grades which also translates to success in other areas. However, if you are a C student you aren’t guaranteed to be a below average dentist or make a below average salary. Nor does being a C student mean that “you’ll make the most money”. Success on the outside is different than in school but it really does take talent, hard work, determination, etc— the same characteristics that you need to succeed in school. You can be a successful dentist no matter your class rank, but my money will always be on those with a track record of highly achieving.

 

[kingme23]

I really hate that saying. I swear some people just use it to justify not succeeding in school. Overall, aptitude and hard work translates to good grades which also translates to success in other areas. However, if you are a C student you aren’t guaranteed to be a below average dentist or make a below average salary. Nor does being a C student mean that “you’ll make the most money”. Success on the outside is different than in school but it really does take talent, hard work, determination, etc— the same characteristics that you need to succeed in school. You can be a successful dentist no matter your class rank, but my money will always be on those with a track record of highly achieving.

Some people get straight A's and are rockstars, but in my experience those people are few and far between. Dental school exams measure one thing: your ability to memorize a large volume of minutae from lectures and notes. It has no translation in my experience to all the skills, and the confidence, needed to succeed in actual clinical practice. Is there really that much of a difference between people whose grades are separated by a few extra questions on exams? But I see your point, getting straight C's does not put you in a better position to succeed lol.

 

[Screwtape]

Some people get straight A's and are rockstars, but in my experience those people are few and far between. Dental school exams measure one thing: your ability to memorize a large volume of minutae from lectures and notes. It has no translation in my experience to all the skills, and the confidence, needed to succeed in actual clinical practice. Is there really that much of a difference between people whose grades are separated by a few extra questions on exams? But I see your point, getting straight C's does not put you in a better position to succeed lol.

I would argue that the majority of dental school is NOT “memorizing a large volume of minutiae”. A strong didactic background is important, but the majority of dental school comes down to work ethic, organization, ability to excel under pressure, clinical skills, ability to get patients to come back and complete treatment, getting professors to like you/grade you well, etc. Rank in dental school is a lot more soft skills than people think.

 

[PaulS]

Grades dont matter at all unless you want to specialize. My brother had below average GPA and right now he is making bank working as GP and his other classmate who barely made it through dental school has multiple practices and makes more than an oral surgeon. Real life is a different beast than dental school. Focus on clinical and pass theory!

 

[kingme23]

I would argue that the majority of dental school is NOT “memorizing a large volume of minutiae”. A strong didactic background is important, but the majority of dental school comes down to work ethic, organization, ability to excel under pressure, clinical skills, ability to get patients to come back and complete treatment, getting professors to like you/grade you well, etc. Rank in dental school is a lot more soft skills than people think.

I would have loved to have attended that school. Ours involved lots of LUCK first and foremost, and some brown-nosing, shady moves, etc thrown in to get high marks in 3rd and 4th year. The people with the "soft skills" were not the ones at the top.

I agree with the previous poster, if you aren't specializing your time will be much better spent learning the practice ownership side of dentistry, and learning as much as you can about procedures and the most efficient ways to do them with high quality.

 

[TanMan]

Hi guys! So I'm sure this question is asked all the time, but I'm curious, is the saying of "The students who get C's make the most money and are the most successful", true? I know it's a generalization, but I ask because i'm currently a 2nd year dental student, and I'll be honest, these are some of the worst grades I've made in my life. I'm not trying to make this a pity party or anything, but I would like to hear the experiences of people who are out in the field, who may have not done so well academically in school, and how life is for them. Maybe you guys could give me insight into what has made you successful, or maybe not successful, outside of school. Is there something you wish you did differently while in school, to prepare you for the future, be it didactically, or in the lab? I appreciate all of the feedback and answers!

I wasn't the best, but I think the mindset matters the most. When I realized I didn't want to specialize anymore, I did the bare minimum to pass the class. Doing well academically says nothing about how well you're going to do in the real world. Is there a correlation or inverse relationship to grades and success in the real world? Not necessarily. It has to do with putting your energies and efforts into something that matters. B's and C's tend to be more relaxed and personable. Maybe that's why C's are seen as the ones that succeed. They are the feel-good success stories. I got B's and C's, but I didn't care as long as I never had to see that material ever again. The most tortuous thing was to have to learn the material all over again. Personally, I am terrible at OPath, TMJ/occlusion, and dentures but I think my brain never wanted to cooperate since I didn't see the profitability in it. As long as I can screen it and send it to the right specialists, it doesn't matter.

GP Priorities:
Things that matter (in dental school): Not getting kicked out, graduate early.
Things that don't matter (in the real world): Pre-clinic, research, lab work, most basic science courses, going to class (unless it counts as part of your grade)
Things that matter (in the real world): Clinic, speed, execution, talking to patients, planning to make money and retire.

Only study and remember things that matter in the real world. Unfortunately, in dental school, most of what you learn is just to pass the boards to become a licensed dentist. You have to learn irrelevant material for the boards to get your license. Afterwards, you get to indulge in CE's which pertain more to our profession (or last minute CE's to meet licensure renewal requirements)

Grades dont matter at all unless you want to specialize. My brother had below average GPA and right now he is making bank working as GP and his other classmate who barely made it through dental school has multiple practices and makes more than an oral surgeon. Real life is a different beast than dental school. Focus on clinical and pass theory!

Exactly... Those who are truly smart will put the least amount of effort to receive the maximum amount of gain. The C student that tries their hardest and barely makes it in clinical and didactic are probably the ones to most likely do poorly in the real world, but the C student that has the insight that grades are a waste of time (if you're doing GP) and they would rather focus their energies elsewhere are the ones that are more likely to be successful. They have the insight on where to allocate their time and effort to maximize their productivity. Do the bare minimum to get by in dschool if you're a GP. Just make sure that you don't push it too much where you might fail. Got one or two of those 69.6-70.0 that were thankfully considered passes!

Edit: Seems to be that they censor the R-word... LOL

 

[oralcare123]

If you don't know the theory, you can't be a good dentist. You can make a nice living by doing an ok job- thank god few people know what is really happening

 

[DrJeff]

More often than not, in the mind of patients, the things that constitute a "good" dentist are as follows? #1 Did it hurt #2 Did I like, personality wise, how my dentist interacted with me #3 Does my dentist seem to understand what he/she is doing both as he/she works on my mouth and interacts with the staff #4 Did the work done break quickly?

Patients in general don't care about what your GPA was or where you went to dental school. The vast majority of patients want to be treated comfortably with a decent/pleasant office experience. If a dentist can do that, very often regardless of if they were #1 in their class or last in their class, they will be viewed as a better dentist than someone with less chairside interaction skills with their patients.

 

[aggie-master]

I was a B student in dental school. I even failed operative lab second year and got the honor of getting set back at least 150-200k in net worth by repeating a year. It was pretty much the worst thing that ever happened to me.

I am six years out of school now and have averaged 200k per year in income. I do not include the 48k per year of principle that I paid down on my practice note or any of the 18k per year in interest paid on my practice note as part of my income.

Recently I hired a consultant to help negotiate better fees from insurances and I got pretty good offers that would raise my income by almost 100k if I just maintain the level of production I am already at. I am currently in the process of getting switched over to these higher fee schedules which will take another six months but once it happens I will be pretty happy with my income. When my practice note is paid off eight years from now I will get another 66k per year raise. I am thinking about using some of the current raise in pay to pay down my practice note faster... an extra 30k per year would probably knock three years off of the time remaining.

 

[frozenicecreamDMD]

I was a B student in dental school. I even failed operative lab second year and got the honor of getting set back at least 150-200k in net worth by repeating a year. It was pretty much the worst thing that ever happened to me.

I am six years out of school now and have averaged 200k per year in income. I do not include the 48k per year of principle that I paid down on my practice note or any of the 18k per year in interest paid on my practice note as part of my income.

Recently I hired a consultant to help negotiate better fees from insurances and I got pretty good offers that would raise my income by almost 100k if I just maintain the level of production I am already at. I am currently in the process of getting switched over to these higher fee schedules which will take another six months but once it happens I will be pretty happy with my income. When my practice note is paid off eight years from now I will get another 66k per year raise. I am thinking about using some of the current raise in pay to pay down my practice note faster... an extra 30k per year would probably knock three years off of the time remaining.

your dental school made you repeat en entire year for just failing second year's operative lab?

that is a bit extreme. when you repeat you just repeat that single class?

 

[setdoc7]

I do not think it has as much to do with who works harder, or who is smarter. I think it is really a personality issue. Lievens, Dilchert, and Ones wrote an article in 2009 describing a study of medical students in Belgium. Over the multi year study, it was interesting to see that the more introverted students did better in the basic sciences and the more extroverted students performed better clinically. It makes sense. Patient interaction in a clinical setting will be better handled by the extroverted clinician. It also emphasized that the introverted student would spend more time studying, which is why their basic science grades are higher. That is not to say that this is a hard and fast rule, and the article is long, but it is something to consider.It

 

[aggie-master]

your dental school made you repeat en entire year for just failing second year's operative lab?

that is a bit extreme. when you repeat you just repeat that single class?

All classes for the whole year and I got to pay full tuition again too.

 

[frozenicecreamDMD]

All classes for the whole year and I got to pay full tuition again too.

that is just simply terrible. you didn't appeal or sue the school?

were you performing poorly in other classes too?

but now in dental school, I realize nothing is fair.

 

[aggie-master]

that is just simply terrible. you didn't appeal or sue the school?

were you performing poorly in other classes too?

but now in dental school, I realize nothing is fair.

I struggled in fixed lab but passed. That was the only class I ever failed in my life and I only failed by a little bit. With that being said I know several people that repeated a year and got screwed over much worse than me. I think I would have done fine if they just let me remediate in the summer and I would have graduated with about 65k less in debt and a year earlier. That extra amount takes a long time to pay down.

I know one person that got held back because a patient no showed one of their in clinic practicals on the last day of the deadline. I know someone else that got held back because a bridge wouldn’t seat on the last day of clinic. They probably have much more of a reason to hate the school administrators than me. At least I was weak in something that is important for dentistry but these other people just had bad luck.

 

[spicyfish]

How well you build rapport with patients and your skills as a clinician will play the biggest roles in your career and less to do with your GPA. I've had friends from all spectrum of the class rank ladder who are doing great. That said, I was straight A and I'm doing fine as well.

 

[DentalDegree3]

I struggled in fixed lab but passed. That was the only class I ever failed in my life and I only failed by a little bit. With that being said I know several people that repeated a year and got screwed over much worse than me. I think I would have done fine if they just let me remediate in the summer and I would have graduated with about 65k less in debt and a year earlier. That extra amount takes a long time to pay down.

I know one person that got held back because a patient no showed one of their in clinic practicals on the last day of the deadline. I know someone else that got held back because a bridge wouldn’t seat on the last day of clinic. They probably have much more of a reason to hate the school administrators than me. At least I was weak in something that is important for dentistry but these other people just had bad luck.

What school did you attend?

 

[frozenicecreamDMD]

I struggled in fixed lab but passed. That was the only class I ever failed in my life and I only failed by a little bit. With that being said I know several people that repeated a year and got screwed over much worse than me. I think I would have done fine if they just let me remediate in the summer and I would have graduated with about 65k less in debt and a year earlier. That extra amount takes a long time to pay down.

I know one person that got held back because a patient no showed one of their in clinic practicals on the last day of the deadline. I know someone else that got held back because a bridge wouldn’t seat on the last day of clinic. They probably have much more of a reason to hate the school administrators than me. At least I was weak in something that is important for dentistry but these other people just had bad luck.

that just sounds terrible. =__________= i cant even believe this happened to you. One of my classmate failed operative second semester and the school make him repeat a year with only taking that 2 operative classes, which imho a huge waste of time.

your clinic actually have clinic practicals that rely on dental school's patients? the most unreliable patients (for majority). I thought most dental school did competency where you can challenge on different days and school understand patient is an unpredictable factor thou.

Judging the time frame he said he graduated, it must be one of the private institution.

 

[321931]

Hi guys! So I'm sure this question is asked all the time, but I'm curious, is the saying of "The students who get C's make the most money and are the most successful", true? I know it's a generalization, but I ask because i'm currently a 2nd year dental student, and I'll be honest, these are some of the worst grades I've made in my life. I'm not trying to make this a pity party or anything, but I would like to hear the experiences of people who are out in the field, who may have not done so well academically in school, and how life is for them. Maybe you guys could give me insight into what has made you successful, or maybe not successful, outside of school. Is there something you wish you did differently while in school, to prepare you for the future, be it didactically, or in the lab? I appreciate all of the feedback and answers!

Running a successful dental business has ZERO correlation with how good OR bad of a student you are. You won't know until you are in the mix of it.

I know plenty of "A" students and "C" students who are doing extremely well...and plenty of "A" and "C" students that are doing bad.

A students can be go-getters...on top of their game and extremely hard working...but at the same time they can be "cautious" and "risk adverse." They pursue perfection, and want to minimize risk, so they opt to drag their feet into ownership or high debt situations.

C students can be lazy and not want to go into the process of ownership as it is hard work...but at the same time they can be "risky" and just "go for it" because they aren't afraid of failure. An A student strives for A, a C student says "meh I'm ok with an A,B,C whats the worst that can happen."

So there's no real correlation to business and dentistry, but you can see how both A and C students can have their pluses...and negatives.

 

[DentalDegree3]

I struggled in fixed lab but passed. That was the only class I ever failed in my life and I only failed by a little bit. With that being said I know several people that repeated a year and got screwed over much worse than me. I think I would have done fine if they just let me remediate in the summer and I would have graduated with about 65k less in debt and a year earlier. That extra amount takes a long time to pay down.

I know one person that got held back because a patient no showed one of their in clinic practicals on the last day of the deadline. I know someone else that got held back because a bridge wouldn’t seat on the last day of clinic. They probably have much more of a reason to hate the school administrators than me. At least I was weak in something that is important for dentistry but these other people just had bad luck.

What school did you attend?

Are you going to respond? Feel like there is more to this story. I highly doubt they made you repeat by failing one class just by a little and did what they did to others because of “bad luck”. If I had to guess, sounds like you were failing many classes and had bad handskills. Would be nice to know the school because maybe can confirm that school has such a philosophy? I think people here would appreciate to know.

But on the plus side, you’ve made it and are good now. That’s all that matters.

 

[aggie-master]

Are you going to respond? Feel like there is more to this story. I highly doubt they made you repeat by failing one class just by a little and did what they did to others because of “bad luck”. If I had to guess, sounds like you were failing many classes and had bad handskills. Would be nice to know the school because maybe can confirm that school has such a philosophy? I think people here would appreciate to know.

But on the plus side, you’ve made it and are good now. That’s all that matters.

Sorry... didn’t want to hijack the thread. I was just telling exactly what happened to me. I was not a strong student in my first second year. I made a C in Pathology, C in Oral Path, C in Fixed lab, and F in Operative Lab and good grades in the other easier classes. When I asked my associate dean why they wouldn’t let me remediate the class I failed in the summer she said “you wouldn’t want to limp into third year would you”. I made a B or better in all of those classes the second time around. I was pretty much an A/B (more Bs than As) student for my second DS2 year and my third and fourth year but I had lots of Cs in my first few years on campus.

I went to San Antonio. The original class I started with of just under 100 students had everyone become a dentist and maybe 6 or 7 that had to repeat a year. The class that started a year before me and the one that started a year after me had between 15 to 20 that either never became a dentist or had to repeat a year. There was even a person that started two years after me that failed Biomaterials (a pretty worthless class IMO) and then failed the summer remediation and was kicked out. One of the Biomaterials profs was a real jerk with the way he asked questions and I remember every question was trying to trick you instead of just seeing if you knew the material or not.

I was really not trying to hate on my school but the true feelings come out the more I talk about it.

I really just mentioned repeating a year to show that you can be that guy and still have some success when you get out. I joined a busy practice as an associate and have been building up my own patient base in that time. Eventually I bought half the practice and like I said I am doing okay (low 200s) right now and expect to be in the high 200s next year and 300s when I get my practice note paid off.

It still sucks having all that extra debt from repeating. I currently spend around 55k of my pretax income on student loans and that knocks them twenty something thousand a year. The extra lap around dental school added over 60k to my debt so you can see how much time it sets you back on repayment.

 

[aggie-master]

"Sounds like you were failing many classes and had bad hand skills." This attitude is one of many that is contributing to students repeating years or being expelled. I am not sure why you have a hard time believing this when most dentists I talk to know someone that was catered to or treated unfairly. Dental schools are not an equal playing field and studnets contribute to that.

This is still occurring in many of our schools and the overall attitude needs to shift from blaming students to putting the onus on schools. Dental school is extremely subjective and students are too scared to express themselves. I doubt any faculty sat down with the OP before recommending such a drastic life change. It's very sad. Other schools are doing the same. If you are nice, they will take your money if you dont fight back. I'm curious to know if any international students ever had to remediate or was expelled. Since I graduated less than a decade ago, the climate has become much tougher for students to succeed in and out of school. Y Are we forgetting that dental school is the most expensive out there? To the OP, did you ever consider suing? Why and why not?

A friend recently graduated from here and claims nothing has changed.... SDN won't let me post links but google " Denver Post on CU School admitting perception adverse to blacks." They even did an internal investigation which is in the article and it agreed. I was told any changes outlines in that audit were never made.

Suing would have been a bad idea for me. They could have just said they didn’t feel comfortable letting me put a drill in someone’s mouth if I failed to meet their standards on a dummy patient. Also I would have been a target for the rest of my time in school and likely never made it to graduation.

I failed the class. I was not screwed over in failing the class but like I said I barely failed. I just think a little one on one help in the summer would have corrected things for me and saved me a ton of money. I honestly take all of the blame for failing the class.... I decided to wait for clinic to buy a headlight and we had crappy overhead lights in pre-clinic lab. Before repeating I bought a headlight for my loupes and was amazed at how much better I could see with them. Seeing better meant much better preps and much better grades. I wish I could go back in time and just buy the headlight sooner.

 

[deleted659902]

Note to all future dental students. Don't fail handskill courses.

 

[frozenicecreamDMD]

Suing would have been a bad idea for me. They could have just said they didn’t feel comfortable letting me put a drill in someone’s mouth if I failed to meet their standards on a dummy patient. Also I would have been a target for the rest of my time in school and likely never made it to graduation.

I failed the class. I was not screwed over in failing the class but like I said I barely failed. I just think a little one on one help in the summer would have corrected things for me and saved me a ton of money. I honestly take all of the blame for failing the class.... I decided to wait for clinic to buy a headlight and we had crappy overhead lights in pre-clinic lab. Before repeating I bought a headlight for my loupes and was amazed at how much better I could see with them. Seeing better meant much better preps and much better grades. I wish I could go back in time and just buy the headlight sooner.

Hey aggie-master,

thanks for sharing your story in full details and so honest about it. it shed a lot of light on how it happened. I am glad you are a dentist now while I still have have half a prison sentence to serve before becoming one.

For me, I have also see many unfair things happening at school

 

[aggie-master]

I think the context is also important here. An F in light of As and Bs is much more different than that amongst a slew of Cs. Didn't you also get a D in your first year? I'm sure that factored in as well.

I sure did get one but don’t remember posting that here. I definitely talked about it with people that were in my gpg. You sure know a lot about what was going on in San Antonio in the fall of 2007 for someone that claims to be a pre-dent.

 

[2TH MVR]

Gunning to get A's is not just wrote memorization, but also developing strategies for thinking outside of the box. High achievers tend to be good at time allocation and multi-tasking. I played golf and tennis and had a part time job in DS (Gold's Gym). High achievers do not like to be average at anything. This will carry forward in your professional and personal life. To this day .... I hate to be average at anything. Gave up tennis since I wasn't improving. I still play golf (single cap). I can still outrun my kids in a race. I'm just competitive by nature.

The point is if you are that straight A student (braniac nerd) studying every second with no time for anything else ... you may not be able to handle the complex and changing business side to dentistry. But my money is still on the high achievers.

 

[cloth_alert00]

Getting C's because you aren't giving your best effort and being lazy is different than getting C's because the course was difficult and you studied and worked as hard as you possibly could but just weren't able to get an A...poor attitude, and a lack of genuine passion and work ethic even if you got A's in dental school will eventually catch up to you in the real world. Whereas a student who had a 2.8 GPA in dental school but really is passionate and just struggled with didactics due to being a non-science major or being a bad test taker or whatever will have a better career IMO. Dental school is 4 years. Your career can last 40+ years.

Also, failing handskill courses, lab courses/clinical courses is not the end of the world as long as you're putting the time in, and learning WHY you failed, and then seeking help to fix the errors. Eventually everyone will become competent, and your speed will get better. If you spend time on something, you'll get better. Everyone progresses at different rates, but most ppl will generally plateau and everyone ends up being clinically competent. I've seen hardworking dentists who are amazing at cosmetic procedures now in their practices but told me they failed their Class IV practical and had to remediate 1st year operative, but stayed active after graduating, took CE courses, kept studying, kept improving. Nothing beats genuine passion and hard-work. Don't let a scantron or a practical define you.

 

[tooth knockn]

BUMP
Come on Dr.'s

Not all you reading this were "A" grade students!


What are y'all thoughts/experiences ?

 

[free99]

BUMP
Come on Dr.'s

Not all you reading this were "A" grade students!


What are y'all thoughts/experiences ?

You're back? Did you get into DS?

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said. I can't stand the phrases you hear all the time "C's get degrees" "What do you they call the last person in your class? Doctor" "B students work for corps, A students work for C students" "C students make the most money" It's all nonsense meant to prop up those who are doing poorly.

What IS true, in my opinion, is that people don't sue doctors they LIKE. People also tend to recommend doctors they like to other people. If you're personable and you can explain things in an understandable, motivating way, you will do fine.

I know plenty of "A" students and "C" students who are doing extremely well...and plenty of "A" and "C" students that are doing bad.

When you say they're doing bad, what do you mean?

 

[Rambunctious]

If you're going GP then grades literally mean nothing. If you are producing high in school then you will most likely continue that outside of school which means $$$ for you.

 

[tooth knockn]

You're back? Did you get into DS?

I don't have much to add that hasn't already been said. I can't stand the phrases you hear all the time "C's get degrees" "What do you they call the last person in your class? Doctor" "B students work for corps, A students work for C students" "C students make the most money" It's all nonsense meant to prop up those who are doing poorly.

What IS true, in my opinion, is that people don't sue doctors they LIKE. People also tend to recommend doctors they like to other people. If you're personable and you can explain things in an understandable, motivating way, you will do fine.


When you say they're doing bad, what do you mean?

Yes got into TUFTS. . . . Finally .. . Someone Saw the hidden GEM ! ;-)
TUFTS saw How ' personable and motivating ' I am ;-) X2

But Hey ... The B and C students do RUN the show !

 

[DMDWANNABEE]

Solid B student. I do ok.
The A students specialize and make 2 or 3 times as much as me though.

 

[Afterhoursdentist]

Hi guys! So I'm sure this question is asked all the time, but I'm curious, is the saying of "The students who get C's make the most money and are the most successful", true? I know it's a generalization, but I ask because i'm currently a 2nd year dental student, and I'll be honest, these are some of the worst grades I've made in my life. I'm not trying to make this a pity party or anything, but I would like to hear the experiences of people who are out in the field, who may have not done so well academically in school, and how life is for them. Maybe you guys could give me insight into what has made you successful, or maybe not successful, outside of school. Is there something you wish you did differently while in school, to prepare you for the future, be it didactically, or in the lab? I appreciate all of the feedback and answers!

I had an average to below average work ethic. Didactly, dental school was a walk in the park, I never went to lectures, and outperformed the “gunners”. Clinically, I strived for Cs, both in precliniic and clinic because it really didn’t matter for me and my future. I work for my dad and has always planned to do so. Practicing wax ups and preps on a typodont will get you the grades to get into a competitive specialty residency even if your work sucks. Think about it.. professors who view your daily work see you endlessly practicing for a wax up/typodomt prep practical. They know whose work is whose just by looking at it no matter how anonymous the practical grading process is. If you need to make the high grades to get into the residency you want then stay in the lab late at night and show professors you care.. if you want to be a GP then do the bare minimum required and enjoy your time in dental school. For the most part , the people I graduated with that had Bs and Cs are doing much better than the people who stressed about straight As, most of whom are specialists

 

[321931]

I had an average to below average work ethic. Didactly, dental school was a walk in the park, I never went to lectures, and outperformed the “gunners”. Clinically, I strived for Cs, both in precliniic and clinic because it really didn’t matter for me and my future. I work for my dad and has always planned to do so. Practicing wax ups and preps on a typodont will get you the grades to get into a competitive specialty residency even if your work sucks. Think about it.. professors who view your daily work see you endlessly practicing for a wax up/typodomt prep practical. They know whose work is whose just by looking at it no matter how anonymous the practical grading process is. If you need to make the high grades to get into the residency you want then stay in the lab late at night and show professors you care.. if you want to be a GP then do the bare minimum required and enjoy your time in dental school. For the most part , the people I graduated with that had Bs and Cs are doing much better than the people who stressed about straight As, most of whom are specialists

I like to view dental school learning as high school learning. Remember all the crap you learned in high school? About trignometry, about european history, and french 101? The basis of school is to get you to form and complete thoughts. Dental school sorta get's you in a mentality to think like a dentist, but there is no correlation with how well you know the krebs cycle, physio response, how well you know your cusp of carebeli/tooth morphology, your cavosurface line angle whatever and how well you will do outside dental school.

There is absolutely zero correlation between how well you do in school and how well you will do outside dental school. Business is a wildcard and it always makes me laugh to hear or see dentists getting a "masters" in business to "own their own business" and be successful. That crap doesn't matter either.

 

[lowkeydr]

Bottom 5 in my class
2018 350k
2019 on track for 400k+

 

[lemoncurry]

B/C student for the most part. 6 years out, working at an FQHC, averaged about 250k the past couple years.

 

[321931]

Bottom 5 in my class
2018 350k
2019 on track for 400k+

Same

 

[B4SS]

Hi guys! So I'm sure this question is asked all the time, but I'm curious, is the saying of "The students who get C's make the most money and are the most successful", true? I know it's a generalization, but I ask because i'm currently a 2nd year dental student, and I'll be honest, these are some of the worst grades I've made in my life. I'm not trying to make this a pity party or anything, but I would like to hear the experiences of people who are out in the field, who may have not done so well academically in school, and how life is for them. Maybe you guys could give me insight into what has made you successful, or maybe not successful, outside of school. Is there something you wish you did differently while in school, to prepare you for the future, be it didactically, or in the lab? I appreciate all of the feedback and answers!

How does the quote go? What do you call the person that graduated last in their class in med school? Doctor.

I'm not a dentist yet, but I've always been the guy that people go to with questions on material and then proceed to be out scored by those same students on the exam. I've always attributed it to rushing through exams and not putting enough attention to details necessary for successful scores; even though 9 times out 10 I knew the specific details. I don't think scores always correlate to success in a particular field, especially in a field like dentistry. You can have a 28 DAT and 4.0 GPA, but if you're unable to make a patient comfortable and learn how to serve each person individually, then what does the score even matter. It's a marginal yardstick for success to me.

 

[deleted659902]

B/C student for the most part. 6 years out, working at an FQHC, averaged about 250k the past couple years.

you don't do any endo or implants, correct?

 

[lemoncurry]

you don't do any endo or implants, correct?

I don't do molar endo (with a few exceptions) and I don't place implants. I do everything else, though.

 

[theleatherwalle]

I was a slightly average student and make a slightly average income.

We had a class clown who was an econ major/ business major. He owns two dental practices and makes 400k a year. Oh he only works twice a week.

I know some of our gunners who still associates struggling to make 100k due to their "perfection habits"

Very few in my class own their own practice currently. I would guess less than 10. I would say most are associates making 120-150k.

I am a 2015 graduate. Your mileage might differ, but income seems to be based more on location than anything else.

 

[321931]

I was a slightly average student and make a slightly average income.

We had a class clown who was an econ major/ business major. He owns two dental practices and makes 400k a year. Oh he only works twice a week.

I know some of our gunners who still associates struggling to make 100k due to their "perfection habits"

Very few in my class own their own practice currently. I would guess less than 10. I would say most are associates making 120-150k.

I am a 2015 graduate. Your mileage might differ, but income seems to be based more on location than anything else.

Change "location" to "business." Business business business puts everyone on the same playing field. If you know how to run a business and have a lil luck on your side, you can easily be that 400k dentist working 4 days a week.

 

[InformMe123]

How much does hand skills matter in private practice success, I am currently dont have the best hand skills in d school

also what is the best way to learn business

@Rainee

 

[321931]

How much does hand skills matter in private practice success, I am currently dont have the best hand skills in d school

also what is the best way to learn business

@Rainee

Hand skills matter minutely. You obviously have to be good enough to perform a consistent good filling but it doesn’t have to be a masterpiece.

You learn business in your first 1-2 years out working for other people. It’s not hard but you need life experience to learn it. Think of it like trial by fire. Finally business doesn’t have to be that hard. Trim all the fat off your practice. Keep your overhead low, get rid of all the salesman in your life and do good unto people and you will attract their friends and family.

Word of mouth is better then advertising on yelp.

 

[zriceman]

B student dds. Worked a few years, now in endo.

 

[doktorinprogres]

Bottom 5 in my class
2018 350k
2019 on track for 400k+

keys to success? Were you bottom 5 b/c of didactic courses but had great hands? If not great hands what did you do to mitigate that?

 

[Cold Front]

How does the quote go? What do you call the person that graduated last in their class in med school? Doctor..

Typical “A” student = Becomes a respected academic. They also specialize and become over methodical in their careers.

Typical “B” student = Becomes a great clinician and are your typical “great” dentist who most patients show off their work.

Typical “C” student = Becomes the outlier - the most social, financially risk taker and focuses on the money side of dentistry.

This is a real world message. You can be a bit of both, but you can’t benefit the most from each.

 

[321931]

keys to success? Were you bottom 5 b/c of didactic courses but had great hands? If not great hands what did you do to mitigate that?

This is a people business, the more you can attract people, and or relate to people. The better off you will be. I'm sure you have classmates who skate by in dental school by flirting...or by being super friendly...and honestly they suck as dentists...but they still make it. We had a few of those in our class. And guess what? I'm willing to bet they will be extremely successful. It's all about people skills that's it. You have to get your staff to like you and patients to like you. Everything else is second.

 

[Someoneelse30]

Typical “A” student = Becomes a respected academic. They also specialize and become over methodical in their careers.

Typical “B” student = Becomes a great clinician and are your typical “great” dentist who most patients show off their work.

Typical “C” student = Becomes the outlier - the most social, financially risk taker and focuses on the money side of dentistry.

This is a real world message. You can be a bit of both, but you can’t benefit the most from each.

I’m definitely a b student and my goal is to be a great clinician. Thank you for this. I hate it when faculty members look down on you just because you’re not an A student in your didactic courses. But my hand skills. Can’t wait to get out of dental school.

 

[ToothJockey]

Typical “A” student = Becomes a respected academic. They also specialize and become over methodical in their careers.

Typical “B” student = Becomes a great clinician and are your typical “great” dentist who most patients show off their work.

Typical “C” student = Becomes the outlier - the most social, financially risk taker and focuses on the money side of dentistry.

This is a real world message. You can be a bit of both, but you can’t benefit the most from each.

I know this is the typical “C students become CEO’s” but I don’t think that’s a fair way to put it. I would argue the A student is more likely to become successful financially than the C student only because the A student has a great work ethic. On top of that, a lot of A students have a relentless drive to be at the top. Your average gunner in school won’t stop gunning in the real world. For example big time CEO’s in the real world, they rarely work less than 60 hrs a week, their jobs are tough. Who is more likely to put in that commitment, the A student who has always been on top, and is willing to work 80+ hrs a week to achieve their goals as evidenced in school, or the C student who would rather be on his couch watching Family Guy?

I know Im generalizing too, I’m just playing devils advocate.