gpa in D3 and D4

[gegogi]

Hello, Do you think it is easier to get a good gpa in d3&d4 than in d1&d2? I am good at hand skills and not good at science classes that I am taking now, so I didn't do well on d1&d2. But, I am not sure if I can boost up my gpa in d3&d4...

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[K Niner]

Hello, Do you think it is easier to get a good gpa in d3&d4 than in d1&d2? I am good at hand skills and not good at science classes that I am taking now, so I didn't do well on d1&d2. But, I am not sure if I can boost up my gpa in d3&d4...

I was wondering this as well. To me it seems that GPA the first two years is more of a sure-bet scenario. Where if you study hard and know the material, you are fairly likely to get the higher GPA (your GPA is more in your hands). But 3rd & 4th year, it seems more subjective. You are judged by how it looks and other factors that are not cut & dry, quantitative measures that you would see on an exam.

I suppose it depends on the grader during 3rd & 4th years. Also, I think they determine your grade by how many "points" you get overall, which allows you to do extra work/more cases to recieve more "points." It might also depend on the dental school, I'm not sure.

So, if any current dental students have any insights, personal or broad in scope, about how GPA is determined in 3rd & 4th years, that would be interesting to know.

 

[mmasurf]

the 3rd/4th yrs are based mostly on what you do in clinic so good hand skills and working with patients really helps, but dont forget you will still have didactic classes so its not all hand skills.

 

[Doc Smile]

the 3rd/4th yrs are based mostly on what you do in clinic so good hand skills and working with patients really helps, but dont forget you will still have didactic classes so its not all hand skills.

Curious, what are the didactic courses in D3&D4? I know we take operative courses similar to those in first and second year bench lab, and we take endo and perio, fixed prosth, etc in second year. Can you give some examples?

 

[dentalWorks]

I am confused... I can underestand how D1 and D2 would play into your GPA & class rank... but how can D3 and D4 (during clinic) do that? You either do a good job on your patient on your re-do your works (isn't it just pass/fail at this point)?

 

[DrReo]

Curious, what are the didactic courses in D3&D4? I know we take operative courses similar to those in first and second year bench lab, and we take endo and perio, fixed prosth, etc in second year. Can you give some examples?

Depends on school, of course, but may be oral surgery, advanced perio, ethics, business courses, ortho, etc

 

[yappy]

A dental student once told me they received a C in a class because they didnt see enough patients to do a particular procedure. The problem was they couldnt get enough patients who needed that procedure; therefore, their grade was kinda out of their hands. 😕

 

[mmasurf]

in 3rd yr, you take adv- perio, endo, ortho, operative, pathology, and various pass/fail courses. you also have your clinic class of comprehensive care. Yes you can get a C if u fail to get all the procedures done even though you dont have the patients, its actually your fault if you dont get the work done. In clinic u have to do what you have to do to get that rpd or bridge done so keep that in mind.

 

[jjohnny1185]

It is pretty common at our school for 3rd year students to end up with a 70 in certain clinics for the year because they did not meet the full number of requirements.

 

[HupHolland]

Ditto. Grades during your clinical years are dependent on your patient management skills (90%) and luck (10%). Those that bitch about how they just have bad luck thus can't finish requirements honestly just don't know how to manage patients!

 

[Doc Smile]

Ditto. Grades during your clinical years are dependent on your patient management skills (90%) and luck (10%). Those that bitch about how they just have bad luck thus can't finish requirements honestly just don't know how to manage patients!

Managing pts meaning having good chair-side manners? Or scheduling, choosing whom to treat, what tx plan, keeping up with charts, sending post cards, making phone calls, etc?

 

[HupHolland]

Managing pts meaning having good chair-side manners? Or scheduling, choosing whom to treat, what tx plan, keeping up with charts, sending post cards, making phone calls, etc?

Both - it's a delicate balancing act.

 

[KunZon3]

How important is it in to keep your G.P.A. high?

 

[mmasurf]

u always want to maintain a high gpa. you will be applying for gpr or a specialty so its in your interest to have a good gpa. in reality if your just going to graduate and get a job no one cares what your grades were, for instance when was the last time you asked your dentist or physician what did u get in systems pathology.

 

[Doc Smile]

or instance when was the last time you asked your dentist or physician what did u get in systems pathology.

Yesterday. Twice. He got a B - I fired him.

 

[gegogi]

So there is no need to submit any transcript after graduation unless I applied to PG? Then, why people want to maintain high gpa?
I haven't found any interest on basic science courses, yes, I understand it's a nut and bolt, but I can't find any point to get high GPA like undergrad.
Do you think it's okay just to pass by with all Cs?

 

[DrReo]

So there is no need to submit any transcript after graduation unless I applied to PG? Then, why people want to maintain high gpa?
I haven't found any interest on basic science courses, yes, I understand it's a nut and bolt, but I can't find any point to get high GPA like undergrad.
Do you think it's okay just to pass by with all Cs?

Sure, it's okay... But it all depends on the type of person you are. Some dental schools have minimum GPA requirements. I paid way too much money to just settle for C's... and plus I wanted to do the best I can.

 

[KunZon3]

A follow-up questions for graduated dentists:

Do you put your G.P.A. on your resume when applying to jobs?
If so, do you think it plays a huge role in the hirer's decision?

 

[HupHolland]

A follow-up questions for graduated dentists:

Do you put your G.P.A. on your resume when applying to jobs?
If so, do you think it plays a huge role in the hirer's decision?

No way.

If you do then you're a douche.
And if it's a deciding factor for them, then you don't want to work there anyways.

 

[KunZon3]

If you do then you're a douche.

Wait. If I put my G.P.A when I apply for a dental-related job I'm a douche? Why?!

Many of business professions look at the G.P.A. when they hire, is it because this is a health profession?

 

[DrReo]

No way.

If you do then you're a douche.
And if it's a deciding factor for them, then you don't want to work there anyways.

Even for the PASS application??

 

[Regmata]

A reasonable amount of your grade the last 2 years will have to do with the number of procedures that you do. That being said, students who are very involved in extra curricular activities and/or go on a lot of interviews may find themselves having difficulty maintaining their GPA.

On the flip side, students with less than wonderful hand skills can sometimes bolster their grades simply by doing a lot of procedures.

Grades in dental school can be very deceiving.

 

[wodehouse]

Maybe it's nitpicky of me to point this out, and if it's assumed then I'm sorry, but your actual gpa doesn't matter. It's how you do relative to your classmates that counts. A 3.5 might be terrible if it puts you in the bottom half of your class, or it might be something to brag about if everyone else did worse, but only your class rank gives an outsider a sense of what the number actually means.

So, my question is, do you put your class rank on your CV?

 

[KunZon3]

Grades in dental school can be very deceiving.

Would you also agree that DAT grades are also deceiving?

 

[HupHolland]

Even for the PASS application??

Pass receives a copy of your transcript directly from your school and will be forwarded to programs, so no need to put on CV.

 

[DodgeCaravan]

Maybe it's nitpicky of me to point this out, and if it's assumed then I'm sorry, but your actual gpa doesn't matter. It's how you do relative to your classmates that counts. A 3.5 might be terrible if it puts you in the bottom half of your class, or it might be something to brag about if everyone else did worse, but only your class rank gives an outsider a sense of what the number actually means.

So, my question is, do you put your class rank on your CV?

Ranking information isn't available to students at our school, it's only given to grad schools, and it's only thru them you might find out. Otherwise who cares, you're all trained professionals. People skills are way more important than grades.

 

[HupHolland]

Wait. If I put my G.P.A when I apply for a dental-related job I'm a douche? Why?!

Many of business professions look at the G.P.A. when they hire, is it because this is a health profession?

Put simply, dental school GPA doesn't correlate to how successful you will be as a practitioner!

Yes, for post-grad programs it is a factor for selection no doubt, but in the real world the employer could care less, and if they did care I wouldn't want to work for them. What they do care about is your personality and ability to do procedures proficiently and quickly.

Your CV should be simple and contain only pertinent information. A fresh graduate would be better off listing CE courses taken instead of GPA.

Hup