How are the classes like?

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I was wondering what the classroom environment/curriculum was like in dentistry schools. Is it straight one way lecturing by the prof, or is it more interactive as in discussions, required participation, presentations, seminar like group sessions, small group, active learning exercises etc? I am actually in law school right now and feel kind of uncomfortable with all the interaction and public speaking i have to do in front of 20 to 100 students. That coupled by my dislike of the study content is making seriously thinking of switching to dentistry which is something that I have always wanted to do. (I know I've kind of put myself into a whole but its better now than later to know what I really want to do) I really enjoy interacting one-one or in small groups like 5-6 people but after that it kind of gets uncomfortable for me. I prefer the straight lecture methods. I guess I am rather shy and not fond of speaking in large crowds. Can someone who is currently in dentistry or has some experience please give me some feedback. Thanks, I really need to make some serious decisions and so some information will be greatly appreciated Thanks Again.

 

[spamtoit]

I suppose it would depend a lot on the school, but for the most part it has been prof lectures. We've had some classes that were in small discussion groups but no big presentations really. But there are other situations in dental school that can make you anxious, esp if you're on the shyer side, like someone observing/testing you on how you do procedures or when you first start having patient interactions. I know because I'm a bit shy as well and am not a good speaker. Also, I made a career change to dentistry so I know a little how you are feeling. I finished undergrad and worked for a number of years partly because I always wanted to continue my education but wasn't sure in what. It's better to figure it out now rather than after working 10 years as a lawyer. Have you shadowed or spoken to dentists? That might help. You might also consider if you have to do your prereqs for applying to dental school. But in the end you should do what you'll enjoy most.

 

[jackbauer!]

to answer your question: some schools are mostly lecture while others are problem-based case studies. either way, you will need to be comfortable speaking in front of others. my school is almost exclusively lectures, but we are still required to do cases and presentations in front of medium sized groups. in addition, we have ethics cases which are group presentations/discussions.

switching to dentistry b/c of your fear of public speaking should not be your main reason for the switch. i'm assuming that if you really enjoyed dentistry, then you would have chosen it over d-school initially.

i'm not questioning your desire to enter this field...it really is a wonderful profession. just make sure you are entering for the right reasons. dental school is HARD. you will work much harder than you are in law school, and probably just as hard or harder than med students.

good luck with whatever you choose!

jb!🙂

 

[2quik]

dental school is HARD. you will work much harder than you are in law school, and probably just as hard or harder than med students.

jb!🙂

I could not agree more w/ that statement anymore! You know how everyone says dental school is hard work and blah blah? But you think yeah, if he/she can do it, i can too...well, IT REALLY REALLY IS HARDDDD Work! I'm starting to get used to this 8-5 thing though... just need coffee.

 

[jackbauer!]

I could not agree more w/ that statement anymore! You know how everyone says dental school is hard work and blah blah? But you think yeah, if he/she can do it, i can too...well, IT REALLY REALLY IS HARDDDD Work! I'm starting to get used to this 8-5 thing though... just need coffee.

haha...i couldn't agree with you more. i started drinking coffee when i started school. i just bought a 2.5 lb bag of starbucks coffee from sams club... sad thing is that it will prolly only last me a month!😱

jb!🙂

 

[armorshell]

The most difficult part of dental school in my opinion is getting used to the pre-clinical dental classes. It's unlike anything you're used to, so there's a pretty steep learning curve.

The pre-clinicals in my opinion are business as usual, except for the fact that you're taking twice as many as you normally would.

So in conclusion, dschool is a b*$(@ 🙂

 

[spamtoit]

I've managed to not do the coffee thing mostly because I think it tastes disgusting. It's just a bit of green tea for me. Of course, not drinking coffee is practically sacreligious in Seattle. You can't throw an umbrella with out hitting a coffee shop here. 😛