from med school to dental school

[lealf-ye]

I just decided to withdraw from medical school. I did well in the medical school for the first 2 years, but I did not feel like to be a doctor any more after I went to clinic. Will I have a chance to be accepted to dental schools assuming my DAT and GPA is good?

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[issa]

a dentist is also a doctor. i heard that dental schools are harder than med schools, except the national boards. if you volunteer for at least 200 hours and show that you want to be a dentist then you will get accepted to dental schools.

 

[mspaic]

I just decided to withdraw from medical school. I did well in the medical school for the first 2 years, but I did not feel like to be a doctor any more after I went to clinic. Will I have a chance to be accepted to dental schools assuming my DAT and GPA is good?

why from med to dental? what makes you think dental school is right for you?

 

[LIer2010]

Columbia has a program for people like you ... where you don't have to take most of the first two year courses.
You don't even have to take DAT!!

http://dental.columbia.edu/education/physicians_meds.htm

 

[KOM]

I just decided to withdraw from medical school. I did well in the medical school for the first 2 years, but I did not feel like to be a doctor any more after I went to clinic. Will I have a chance to be accepted to dental schools assuming my DAT and GPA is good?

You don't like clinical work? Yeah...dentistry will be a perfect fit for you then. Haha.

 

[Notoriousjae]

You don't like clinical work? Yeah...dentistry will be a perfect fit for you then. Haha.

I was thinking the same thing...

 

[996tt]

i think that you are not going to be too atractive to a dent school, especially when you tell them that you left because you don't like clinical work. i think that you should have sucked it up and finished med school-at least get a degree that you could have earned a living with. i think that you made a very bad decision.

 

[LIer2010]

i think that you are not going to be too atractive to a dent school, especially when you tell them that you left because you don't like clinical work. i think that you should have sucked it up and finished med school-at least get a degree that you could have earned a living with. i think that you made a very bad decision.

Why continue study to medicine if he's certain it's not for him? That would be masochistic and entirely pointless, not to mention dumb for having debt for education that you don't particularly care for. I know many med students who realized during med school that medicine isn't for them, and they end up working in other fields such as public health or consulting.
Besides, we don't even know in detail as to what the OP's main problem with medicine is, so we aren't in the position to judge his/her motives and thoughts.

To the OP: if you haven't done so, you should shadow a dentist for at least 50-60 hours just to get a feel as to what dentist's clinic work is like, before you make this decision to apply. From what I gather, dental clinic work is no cakewalk either.

 

[fleur delacour]

I just decided to withdraw from medical school. I did well in the medical school for the first 2 years, but I did not feel like to be a doctor any more after I went to clinic. Will I have a chance to be accepted to dental schools assuming my DAT and GPA is good?

OMG!! Planning on quitting after the second year, after putting in all that hard work. Think twice before taking such a major step.

 

[996tt]

Why continue study to medicine if he's certain it's not for him? That would be masochistic and entirely pointless, not to mention dumb for having debt for education that you don't particularly care for. I know many med students who realized during med school that medicine isn't for them, and they end up working in other fields such as public health or consulting.
Besides, we don't even know in detail as to what the OP's main problem with medicine is, so we aren't in the position to judge his/her motives and thoughts.

To the OP: if you haven't done so, you should shadow a dentist for at least 50-60 hours just to get a feel as to what dentist's clinic work is like, before you make this decision to apply. From what I gather, dental clinic work is no cakewalk either.

are you kidding me? this guy broke his gonads to get into med school, then spent 2 years attending a med school, now figures out that the clinical aspect isn't for him. and you advise him to shadow a dentist-i would advise him to get his head strait. all he had to do was to finish his last 2 years, then after giving himself a way to earn a living, evaluate his options (teach, practice after a residency, get a job in industry, or then go to dentistry school if he wants to). but quit, and try to go to dent school because he doesn't like the "clinical" aspect of it? give me a break. all he looks like now to a dental adcomm is a mixed up kid who can't finish what he started. and you think that shadowing a dentist is going to be the answer-that's because you have no experience yourself. give him good advice, not sugar coated nonsense.

 

[RockstarDMD]

To the OP. I think you need to take a step back and ask yourself why you chose medicine to begin with. Then ask yourself how is switching to Dentistry going to help your situation.

 

[LIer2010]

are you kidding me? this guy broke his gonads to get into med school, then spent 2 years attending a med school, now figures out that the clinical aspect isn't for him. and you advise him to shadow a dentist-i would advise him to get his head strait. all he had to do was to finish his last 2 years, then after giving himself a way to earn a living, evaluate his options (teach, practice after a residency, get a job in industry, or then go to dentistry school if he wants to). but quit, and try to go to dent school because he doesn't like the "clinical" aspect of it? give me a break. all he looks like now to a dental adcomm is a mixed up kid who can't finish what he started. and you think that shadowing a dentist is going to be the answer-that's because you have no experience yourself. give him good advice, not sugar coated nonsense.

Why finish last two years if you're certain that you don't want to be a medical doctor? And take out additional 80k for loans? That must be the dumbest "advice" I've ever heard. Besides, the OP hasn't specified what aspect of medical clinical work that he/she doesn't find appealing. Perhaps there's something in dental clinical work that he/she may find more appealing. That's something that YOU don't know.
Besides, there are programs at schools like Columbia where many of the preclincial class credits can be transferred from med school to dental school, so you don't have to start from scratch as D1. Why do you think there are such programs if it isn't recognized that there may be genuine reasons why people switch from medicine to dentistry.
Lastly, you're not a dentist, you've never attended dental school, you don't have any experience in this area either!!

 

[devin_62]

Wow, there are some pretty aggressive responses to this thread. Seriously, if a student decides medicine isn't for him/her, then shouldn't they think about what they would like to do instead? I believe this speaks to this person's character. He or she is working toward a career they can enjoy, instead of just a paycheck. Dental schools will notice this, and they will respect it. The OP says the GPA and DAT is good, so why would the dental schools look down on this? Let's try to be a little more encouraging than discouraging. Remember, one day we could all be colleagues.

 

[L8DYV]

I just decided to withdraw from medical school. I did well in the medical school for the first 2 years, but I did not feel like to be a doctor any more after I went to clinic. Will I have a chance to be accepted to dental schools assuming my DAT and GPA is good?

really think about your decision thoroughly please. i cant believe what im hearing. anyhow, i too have my moments of hardship and dislikes of my career goals, but there are also many positives that those goals will bring. just the other weekened i had one heck of a trying time of moving all the way to los angeles from nor-cal and it got me a little sad. but hey, a few days later i got over it and its reallly not so bad. things could be worse and hey, you got it good, believe it or not. good test scores and dats, cmon now. thats a no brainer--of course its good!

 

[Rezdawg]

You don't like clinical work? Yeah...dentistry will be a perfect fit for you then. Haha.

Clinical work in medical school is different than clinical work in dental school. Just because he didnt like his medical school clinic doesnt mean he wont like the dental school clinic.

 

[996tt]

Why finish last two years if you're certain that you don't want to be a medical doctor? And take out additional 80k for loans? That must be the dumbest "advice" I've ever heard. Besides, the OP hasn't specified what aspect of medical clinical work that he/she doesn't find appealing. Perhaps there's something in dental clinical work that he/she may find more appealing. That's something that YOU don't know.
Besides, there are programs at schools like Columbia where many of the preclincial class credits can be transferred from med school to dental school, so you don't have to start from scratch as D1. Why do you think there are such programs if it isn't recognized that there may be genuine reasons why people switch from medicine to dentistry.
Lastly, you're not a dentist, you've never attended dental school, you don't have any experience in this area either!!

no-you are right. you know more than i do. you are yet to graduate college, and i have been teaching at a med school for 25 years, and have sat on a med school adcom. your advice is worth more.

 

[jkh1886]

play nice, boys. play nice.

 

[996tt]

play nice, boys. play nice.

this isn't a personal issue. the kid has already spent the money and time to get himself thru 2 years of med school. who knows why he has decided why the final 2 clinical years aren't for him-there could be a multitude of causes. if he can just hold it together for 2 more years, he gives himself a way to earn a living. there are over 100 ways he can do it-everything from a plastic surgeon to a radiologist, all the way to utilization director for an insurance company. i have seen various medical students go thru crisis-advising them to quit and go to dental school is rarely the answer. his best course is to finish med school, then if he is still convinced that he wants to go to dent school, then go ahead. maybe he will want to be an ent or a facial plastic surgeon. but quit now after 2 years-i woudn't advise a med student or a dent student to do it.

 

[EngDentist]

Case Western has a program that might interest you.
http://dental.case.edu/dmdmd/
It is a dentist/physician program.