Honestly, I almost flunked out first year in dental school and probably graduated near the bottom of my class in ranking. I passed all my boards first time in the 90%ile anyhow. I then opened my own practice with zero experience immediately after getting my license. Twelve years later I'm kind of semi-retired and working part-time cause I haven't figured out what to do with the next 40 years of my life.
Remember...A students make the best teachers, B students make the best clinicians, C students make the best money. 🙂