Help!! Thinking about dental school

[techconsultant]

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Hello Everyone,
I currently work as a technology analyst for a firm such as Deloitte, Accenture, PwC. I studied Information Technology in college. However, I'm not happy with the type of work I'm doing. I want to help people and I'm just not passionate about sitting in front of a computer all day. The only thing that keeps me going at the moment is the salary. I was lucky enough to be able to make over 80K salary after graduating undergraduate.

I have been thinking about Dental school but I'm not sure if its for me or not. I would have to do at least two years to do my prerequisites and take my DAT before I can apply. I'm currently 23.

- What is the average salary for recent graduates from dental school?
- I was thinking about knocking out my chemistry GenEd at a community college. Would that be ok with most dental schools?
- What is the average age of someone in dental school?
- Is it true that while in Dental school you have no life?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

 

[Apollonia]

1. This has been discussed many times here on the forums. The salary of a new grad is between 90K - 120K.
2. You should look up which dental schools you might be interested in attending and research what their requirements are. Start with your state school. Some accept pre-req courses from community colleges and some won’t.
3. http://www.adea.org/publications/Pages/2009-Applicants-and-Enrollees.aspx Click on Table 13. The data is five years old but it gives you an idea.
4. It depends who you ask. I expect to have very little free time. It all comes down to time management and what your priorities are.

Good luck on your new endeavor.

 

[techconsultant]

Thanks for the respond. I greatly appreciate it. If you could go back in time and decide, would you still have pursued dentistry?

 

[fayevalentine]

Hi techconsultant, I think that question would get more responses on this forum: Dental residents and practicing dentists. This is just a pre-dental forum 🙂 not many dentists that I know of are lurking around here. Best of luck to you! I would definitely suggest you do some job shadowing btw. That will REALLY help you decide if dentistry is right for you, and anyway it's a requirement at pretty much all dental schools that I know of.

 

[sgv]

Financially, this might not be worth it. If money is less of an issue then go right ahead with dentistry. What's your state school option? Unless you have a military scholarship, you're going to be in debt for a long time. Dental schools can run you $400K. Then you gotta buy a practice which will cost you another several hundred grand.

This is worth reading.
http://www.dentaltown.com/MessageBoard/thread.aspx?s=2&f=109&t=217723&v=1

This is worth watching.

 

[techconsultant]

Hi sgv, I'm currently living in the state of Virginia. So the only dentals school available in my state is VCU Dental School and I know quiet a few people that attend Howard Dental School. It would be a disappointment to work so hard and go to dental school and not make at least 150K out of dental school? Its just I don't see myself climbing the corporate ladder. However, even if I went into finance I would be climbing the coporate ladder or working to get my CFA. I just am really stressed and not sure what to do.

 

[Dentalguy8621]

I'm gonna answer some of your questions and try to give your some reasonable advice.

"I have been thinking about Dental school but I'm not sure if it's for me or not"

Great start. Dentistry is a great field. However, you need to know a few things before you delve yourself into this field.

For one, get in there and shadow. Shadow. Shadow. I cannot stress this enough. You have to understand there are thousands of applicants each year that WANT this more than life itself. Your concern should not be about salary. Just like the job you have today. If you choose it for salary, you WILL be miserable.

Also, before you venture, you must understand dental school is very expensive. More expensive than medical school (in my state at least). My state school (yes, one public school for the state) will run you about 50-65 k a year in debt (including living). If you manage to get in state then you are golden. Private schools these days run over 400k. Unless you come from very wealthy parents, or you have been saving from your job now then this is no golden road of easy loans. Students (including myself) want it that much in order to invest in this career. This is our career for life. Looking up the average salary is fairly simple. 100k is the figure.

Chemistry is the first step and the basics. Schools also require orgo, biochem, physics, biology, (genetics, psychology in the program I'm interested in). I understand community college is cheaper, but unfortunately many Dental schools want to see pre reqs at an established four year institution. I agree this is bullocks but it's just the way it is. Look up schools you are interested in specifically to see what they say.

Age is not a factor. Many people from different stages of life decide they want to pursue dentistry. I would guesstimate 24-25 is a typical average. Age doesn't matter. What matters is your interest in the field and why you want to pursue dentistry.

No offense but your last question is a bit naive. Dental school is professional school. It's not about having a life, it's about learning and obtaining the necessary knowledge, skills and expertise to become a successful dental professional. School is your full time job and you have to be willing to make sacrifices. Studying full time and school full time is a commitment you have to be willing to make.

I hope I gave you some insight and opened your eyes to this field. From what I gathered, you are very concerned about money and let me emphasize this one last time. If you decide to pursue this field for the money, then you will be sadly misled into another pathway similar to your situation now. Shadow, shadow, shadow and see if you really love teeth as much as you think.