Helpful Classes

[ricegirl]

Hi,

I'm applying to dental school for entrance in the fall 2002 class, and I'm finishing up my last year in college. I have a pretty tight schedule to finish up for graduation, but I'm caught between a couple of classes --

1- immunology - is this something I'm going to see again?
2- medical terminology/vocab - important or not?
3- also, what type of bio lab did you find helpful - ie, microbio, etc.
4- neurobio - I think this is a good class to take.

Thanks!
ricegirl

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[ricegirl]

Whoops, I forgot to ask my question, silly me.

Which classes would be useful to take in preparation for dental school? Other than the ones on the list, which classes do you wish you had taken before entering dental school?

thanks again!
ricegirl

 

[Dentalski37]

Hi Ricegirl,

The immunology and neurobiology courses you mentioned above are definitely going to help you in dental school. Other courses that would help you are physiology, biochemistry, histology, and anatomy. With a solid foundation in any of these courses, your time in dental school will be a little easier.

Dentalski

 

[ricegirl]

dentalski,

thanks for the input! i was trying to get by with only taking 12 hrs next semester, but with immuno and neurobio, it's going to be pretty full. i'm also going to be taking p chem (fun fun fun) and a bios lab to fulfill my requirements.

I've already taken biochem, anatomy, physiology, but no histology. one of the down sides of going to a small school - not much course selection as compared to larger schools.

Thanks again for the advice - I really appreciate it!


ricegirl

 

[sunwoongc]

Hi ricegirl...

my suggestion would be to take as much science classes as possible. immuno and microbio will help greatly. But don't try to do too much as dental school will cover a wide variety of medical sciences. It's not realistic for one graduating from undergraduate institution to go in to dental school 100% ready. Remember, not all people are that well prepared, and you seem pretty prepared from the classes you have taken. Just chill and everything will be fine. Enjoy the free time now....there's a lot of studying to be done in dental school

 

[ricegirl]

steve, thanks for your thoughts.

I am falling behind in most of my classes (partially due to senioritis, secondaries, and this board. ). I was told by an OMFS that if I am interested in specializing (and I think I am), I'll have to send them my college transcripts. Is my last year going to be important? I'd expect around 3.4, 3.5 this semester.

I know, I sound like one of the pre-meds! I'm having a good time this semester, too.

ricegirl

 

[sunwoongc]

you are welcome ricegirl...

I know EVERYONE wants to specialize....more money, prestiege etc.. and I think you should try your best to make you application the best possible. However, from what I've gathered from people at USCSD is that it's your board scores and dental school GPA that counts the most....in fact, in that order. You need to get AT LEAST 90 percentile on your first national boards to apply. I am not sure how much of a role your undergrad plays in getting you into specialty, but if it's good enough to get you into dental school, it should be OK. You just need to study hard for the national boards...Hope this helps..

SC

 

[ricegirl]

Yeah, I've heard it's everyone and their puppy vying for the top 10%. but at least they're aiming high, right? I thought the whole 'specialization fever' went down after the first year, though, since class rankings are important. ? maybe. anyway, I know it's far far away for me.

How do you like USC? How is dental school holding up to your expectations? Would you rank it as much more difficult that your undergrad? etc.

toodles,
ricegirl

 

[preludexl]

Ricegirl,
Geez, you silly wabbit. If you are taking P chem then you should not be taking hard classes. USC recommends embryology, histology, vertebrate anatomy. Neurobiology sounds relevant since it is affiliated with the jaw and its nerves. Immunology is more related to medicine. I've taken all these classes myself except for Neurobio. All I have to tell you is that P Chem is the hardest class you will ever take. Microbio lab should be a prerequisite if you are a bio major already, if not take the class. It's fun and pertinent to dental school. It pretty much is a good class for any health field. For in depth info on what classes you should take, look up the respective dental school's websites. It should gie you a phlanx of info on what classes they require and like. Cheerios.
-riceboy

 

[sunwoongc]

I would have to agree with preludexl! P chem is THE HARDEST class I have EVER taken in my life. ****, I barely passed in fact...I would have never taken that but if UCLA requires you take it if you are a biochem major....like I was. Anyhow, immuno and microbio are topics you will encounter early on in dental school...well at least at USCSD. I would also recommend neurobio as you will need to know cranial nerves and etc...
As for USC...hmmm you do know that USC is PBL curriculum right? So let me tell you the pros and cons of PBL...

PROS:
1. Because you are learning in group, and you research ALL of your learning needs by yourself and with the group, the stuff you learn will stick with you a lot longer than if you are just spoon fed the material in a lecture envt.
2. Because there are NO lectures, you have A LOT of free time in which you can study, take naps, drink etc.... But that does not mean that you cannot study, BUT it gives you the option to actually having a life outside of schoo. My gf goes to BU dental and she's in class 8-5 while I am in class from 8-12pm!! So you use the 'free' time after school to research your learning needs and share it with your group members.
3. Because PBL is cased based, that is they present the material through various medical and dental cases, you tend to retain the knowledge better (related to #1 above). You tend to think of scientific facts by remembering the cases not the fact itself...so again you retain it longer.

CONS
1. There are no books that USC issues. There are no formal professors, only facilitators. Sometimes you feel like you are not being guided at all.
2. Because you are separated into groups, you tend to know only a certain percentage of people in your year. In fact I am still meeting people that I haven't seen before, and I am half way through my first semeter already!
3. USC does not have the necessary facilities (rooms, computers, library books) to handle 144 PBL students needs. Well, at least right now...hopefully they'll do something about this...

OVERALL, I like the PBL program. It's more kickback but I feel like the things that I am learning are really sticking with me. If you didn't like the whole lecture setting in undergrad, or you think you are one of the people who like to procrastinate, you might want to give PBL some serious thought. The program is structured in such a way that you MUST study as you are held accountable for your group member's learning as well. It sounds fishy, I know, but you must experience it for yourself to fully appreciate it. I have to be honest, not everyone is happy with the PBL curriculum, especially in the beginning, but it grows on you. And I would say that the people who dont like PBL are in the minority. Hope this helped!

Steve

 

[ricegirl]

preludexl and steve,

thanks for the advice and input on PBL. I know p chem will be... challenging. it's a req for biochem at rice as well. anyway, it'll be my last semester and over the last couple of days I've come to my senses and realized that it's my senior year, no biggie. after all, I have all of dental school to freak out about my grades, NB, class ranking, specialization, loans, etc some more.

ricegirl