How do you guys study?

[DrDientes]

In undergrad I played soccer, surfed competitively, and played drums for a band that performed locally. So in all honesty I studied little to nothing at all, because I was usually able to get a B or C, with a couple A's here in there, without it. I never really thought about going to dental school or anything like that for my first 3 years of college. When I decided on Dentistry I found out I had to take the DAT so I put in 3 solid weeks of the most studying I had ever done in my life and I did well, but it wasn't until then I realized I didn't ever develop any study habits. I am going to dental school in the fall and I want to do really well.
I guess I want to hear about what study habits most of you guys have or any tips on how to study effectively. Thanks in advance

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Angle Jr.]

If I were you I wouldn't worry about anything at all. Dental school will make you study. If you want to do well, you have no other choice than to study hard. Some of my friends who did very well in dental school say they never really studied on a daily basis before coming to dental school. If you dedicate your energy, time, and concentration to studying in the same way you did for playing competitive sports, I'm sure you will do extremely well.

I think the most important thing is to stay on top of everything. Don't think "I'll do this tomorrow" if you can do it today. I recommend reviewing what you learned in each lecture on the same day, ideally right after the lecture. Dental school wouldn't be difficult if you had infinite amount of time to study the material. Dental school is hard because you have to memorize so much information in the very limited time you have.

I didn't do very well in undergrad, but I studied really hard in dental school and did very well (my final class rank is in the top 4%; I got into ortho residency). The only exams in which I didn't do well were the ones for which I just didn't have enough time to study the material and I didn't feel prepared. I think the key to success is not to procrastinate, so that you don't run out of your time before exams. Good luck.

 

[DrReo]

do you guys study all the time you are awake on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday?

No. You need some type of hobby. I usually take Friday nights off.

 

[allstardentist]

Doing well in school is a combination of the amount of time studied + concentration + good resource + intelligence + efficiency.

 

[David1991]

You got mostly B's and C's for you're first 3 years, then only studied 3 weeks for the DAT and got into dental school?

If you don't mind me asking what was your GPA and DAT score when you applied?

 

[daniely]

You got mostly B's and C's for you're first 3 years, then only studied 3 weeks for the DAT and got into dental school?

If you don't mind me asking what was your GPA and DAT score when you applied?

Lol my question exactly.

 

[Simiam]

Studying is for gunners. Don't do it! resist temptation.

 

[DrDientes]

If I were you I wouldn't worry about anything at all. Dental school will make you study. If you want to do well, you have no other choice than to study hard. Some of my friends who did very well in dental school say they never really studied on a daily basis before coming to dental school. If you dedicate your energy, time, and concentration to studying in the same way you did for playing competitive sports, I'm sure you will do extremely well.

I think the most important thing is to stay on top of everything. Don't think "I'll do this tomorrow" if you can do it today. I recommend reviewing what you learned in each lecture on the same day, ideally right after the lecture. Dental school wouldn't be difficult if you had infinite amount of time to study the material. Dental school is hard because you have to memorize so much information in the very limited time you have.

I didn't do very well in undergrad, but I studied really hard in dental school and did very well (my final class rank is in the top 4%; I got into ortho residency). The only exams in which I didn't do well were the ones for which I just didn't have enough time to study the material and I didn't feel prepared. I think the key to success is not to procrastinate, so that you don't run out of your time before exams. Good luck.

Thanks alot man, this post was really helpful. I am looking forward to d-school, but am also a little nervous at the amount of material I am going to have to know.

 

[Innulja]

How many hours did you guys study after classes on weekdays? Is it rue that a dental student only sleeps for about 5 hours? i can see this being true before the exams but as an everyday thing it would deff. make me go crazzzy.

 

[Simply_Unique]

How many hours did you guys study after classes on weekdays? Is it rue that a dental student only sleeps for about 5 hours? i can see this being true before the exams but as an everyday thing it would deff. make me go crazzzy.

For the most part, yes. Most days study time > sleep time because of the long school hours and the amount of the material/lab practicing that you have to keep up with. Some people may get more sleep...it depends on how well you can manage your time.

 

[David1991]

For the most part, yes. Most days study time > sleep time because of the long school hours and the amount of the material/lab practicing that you have to keep up with. Some people may get more sleep...it depends on how well you can manage your time.

hm...so no time to workout I guess?

 

[1992Corolla]

I studied ALL THE TIME.

 

[David1991]

I studied ALL THE TIME.

Is it that hard if someone wanted to just get B's throughout? I mean if someone did that (not that I plan to) they could still be dentists correct?

 

[1992Corolla]

Is it that hard if someone wanted to just get B's throughout? I mean if someone did that (not that I plan to) they could still be dentists correct?

Of course. It does make it easier. I wanted to pursue other goals though so my priorities were elsewhere.

I still had a lot of fun though. Balance your time, I studied hard 4-6 days a week and played 1-3 days of the week. Midterms and Finals = more studying.

There is no secret formula. You study your notes and then on the test bubble in the answer that was from your notes.

 

[David1991]

Of course. It does make it easier. I wanted to pursue other goals though so my priorities were elsewhere.

I still had a lot of fun though. Balance your time, I studied hard 4-6 days a week and played 1-3 days of the week. Midterms and Finals = more studying.

There is no secret formula. You study your notes and then on the test bubble in the answer that was from your notes.

How many hours would you say you did school related work/studied on "hard" days? I guess I won't know until I get there but I'm usually studying 6 hours or so per day right now in my freshmen year of undergrad but apparently medical/dental school is much harder. Like today, I woke up at 9:30am and will probably be going to sleep around 2:00am, taking away time that I ate, worked out, etc.. and I'll probably be working 8 hours or so today

 

[TheWiredNerv]

Class 8 - 5. Study from 6-10. Video Games 10-12. Sleep.
Friday: class 8-5. Study 5 - 8. Fiancee.
Weekend: Study 1/2 the day, chill for the other 1/2.

 

[David1991]

Class 8 - 5. Study from 6-10. Video Games 10-12. Sleep.
Friday: class 8-5. Study 5 - 8. Fiancee.
Weekend: Study 1/2 the day, chill for the other 1/2.

Hm, that actually seems like less than I'm doing now lol. Maybe I'm just an inefficient worker. Technically the time I workout could probably be spent on video games but both are basically "free time" anyway.

 

[Flipper405]

Studying is for gunners. Don't do it! resist temptation.

I tried this for the first month or so... didn't work out that well lol

 

[Flipper405]

How many hours of studying per day are necessary in order to do well in Gross Anatomy?

This varies a lot between individuals, and it also depends what you consider 'doing well'. There's a difference between getting A/Bs or getting Hs (95%+).

...then again, I'm just trying to at least get a C in dissection at this point, so you might want to wait for someone else's answer.

 

[David1991]

If someone is just trying to be a general dentist does it matter if they graduate with an A or a C? Could they get into the same practices or whatever either way?

 

[DrReo]

How many hours of studying per day are necessary in order to do well in Gross Anatomy?

Depends how you study AND if you study before you go to lab, which helped me tremendously.

Our exams were are clinical situations- so doing well varies for everyone and how they interrupt these cases....

We had 2 exam days (lecture then lab). First exam was 40% of grade and head/neck was 60%.

 

[DrDientes]

Class 8 - 5. Study from 6-10. Video Games 10-12. Sleep.
Friday: class 8-5. Study 5 - 8. Fiancee.
Weekend: Study 1/2 the day, chill for the other 1/2.

Crazy seems like alot of studying, but at the same time I had like three months where I didn't have school work, I wasn't playing on a sports team anymore, and had a small part time job and I can honestly say sometimes it starts getting boring when you aren't busy. Granted that is still a lot of studying (and it will probably be stressful), but you can only work out for so long among other things and I would take the life of a student over working with how things are in the economy for graduating with a Biology degree.

 

[Simiam]

I studied ALL THE TIME.

Liar! You never studied!

I tried this for the first month or so... didn't work out that well lol

Isn't it awesome!?

For the most part I have read over the lecture notes before class, went to class, read over lecture notes again after class. About a week before finals I would start studying about 15 hours per day until finals ended. My first year at temple was pretty much 9-3 most normal days. IMO the best thing you can do is review before and after lecture, but that's only if you're a gunner!!

Procrastinate and go have fun, you'll live longer

 

[Simiam]

Depends how you study AND if you study before you go to lab, which helped me tremendously.

Our exams were are clinical situations- so doing well varies for everyone and how they interrupt these cases....

We had 2 exam days (lecture then lab). First exam was 40% of grade and head/neck was 60%.

Study BEFORE you go to lab. If you know what you're looking for you can optimize your time there and actually learn something. Then later studying for it is a breeze!

 

[DrDientes]

My first year of dental school is just around the corner and I have been reading a lot of posts in the Dental section where everyone talks about how hard d-school is. So now that some of you dental students are done with either 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year in d-school, what advice would you give us entering 1st years? Other than time management what was key in your success or doing well? Whether it was lab work or didactic courses?

 

[dmitriyivanov]

My first year of dental school is just around the corner and I have been reading a lot of posts in the Dental section where everyone talks about how hard d-school is. So now that some of you dental students are done with either 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year in d-school, what advice would you give us entering 1st years? Other than time management what was key in your success or doing well? Whether it was lab work or didactic courses?

bump bump

 

[andreww]

Hi, I study 5 hours in a day.,.I also love to play cricket and soccer. I manage my time according to the requirements.

Thanks!

 

[DrRoxy]

I guess I want to hear about what study habits most of you guys have or any tips on how to study effectively. Thanks in advance[/QUOTE]

Start your study from the very beginning, not necessary intense at first but whatever topics, case studies, etc you are lectured on during your class time, read up on it after school hours. Hope you will find this helpful

 

[playa2652]

I would say I studied a lot more than most of my classmates, but that's because I wanted to know more information so that studying for boards wouldn't be as bad. I did forget some of the material, but most of it I still retained. I would suggest being very organized throughout first year and get exercise whenever you can. I didn't really exercise as much during first year and it really affected my mood sometimes, but when I did started exercising, I was able to think more clearly and my handskills were sharper.

 

[FutureDent020]

Study BEFORE you go to lab. If you know what you're looking for you can optimize your time there and actually learn something. Then later studying for it is a breeze!

Yea, but it becomes difficult to study the material before the next lab/ lecture when you are busy studying the lecture material from the day before. It comes down to whether you want to keep up or play catch up.
Anatomy is not hard. Go to class, takes notes, (I even record lectures), come home and study the notes. Use lots of visual images to aid with memorization. Refrain from cramming. It's pointless.

 

[DrReo]

Yea, but it becomes difficult to study the material before the next lab/ lecture when you are busy studying the lecture material from the day before. It comes down to whether you want to keep up or play catch up.
Anatomy is not hard. Go to class, takes notes, (I even record lectures), come home and study the notes. Use lots of visual images to aid with memorization. Refrain from cramming. It's pointless.

Cramming isn't pointless, for short term memory!

Best way to learn anatomy is to draw it out. It is essentially a hiway system. Just learn the "roads" to get from one area to the next.

tip: Study anatomy before the dissection. Know those anatomical locations and landmarks stone cold. Otherwise the locations will get knotted up real quick and you will not have as an efficient dissection period.

 

[Mojo027]

I studied super hard in undergrad, because I knew it was my ticket into Dentistry and that is all I've ever wanted to do with my life. I've never been the type to study constantly though, even in undergrad I never studied every single night or reviewed my notes (save for 1 or 2 classes) after lecture. I did put a ton of time into conquering the tests though, I use to study 20 hours for every midterm in the days leading up to it. I did rather well, finishing with 4.20/4.30 GPA for my undergrad career.

In dentistry, I have found that studying that amount is simply not required. I also feel like I've missed a piece of my life that I want to experience, as I have more friends that like to go out and such now. I still study before midterms and exams, and put a ton of time into projects. But I don't study every night after school (which is 8am to 5pm every day of the week), its very difficult to come home from a long day and still be able to concentrate and really assimilate material at that point. By the time my girlfriend and I eat and clean up it's usually 7pm, and that only leaves a 3-4 hours before bed. I'd rather get a good sleep at night, and be ready to be attentive and alert during class the next day. Most of my class brings their laptop and just goes on facebook or random websites while lecture is happening... I never bring mine, and always try to get something out of lecture. I still get *good* marks, I've had almost all A's in Dentistry so far (starting year 3 in August) and am at 3.77/4.30 GPA. And I've had infinitely more fun doing it, I was almost a nervous wreck after undergrad.

If you go to a clinical intensive school like me, all you really need to do is make sure you know what you are doing in the chair with a patient... review the procedures the night before until they become 2nd nature, and you will learn well from those experiences. Dentistry is not difficult, you just need to have a conscience that tells you how to respond to deviations from the ideal sequence of a procedure.

If you can study for 3 weeks for the DAT, without really studying a lot in undergrad, and still do well, then you obviously can absorb a lot of information in a short time. Just read your notes and stuff before midterms, and you will be fine.

 

[David1991]

I studied super hard in undergrad, because I knew it was my ticket into Dentistry and that is all I've ever wanted to do with my life. I've never been the type to study constantly though, even in undergrad I never studied every single night or reviewed my notes (save for 1 or 2 classes) after lecture. I did put a ton of time into conquering the tests though, I use to study 20 hours for every midterm in the days leading up to it. I did rather well, finishing with 4.20/4.30 GPA for my undergrad career.

In dentistry, I have found that studying that amount is simply not required. I also feel like I've missed a piece of my life that I want to experience, as I have more friends that like to go out and such now. I still study before midterms and exams, and put a ton of time into projects. But I don't study every night after school (which is 8am to 5pm every day of the week), its very difficult to come home from a long day and still be able to concentrate and really assimilate material at that point. By the time my girlfriend and I eat and clean up it's usually 7pm, and that only leaves a 3-4 hours before bed. I'd rather get a good sleep at night, and be ready to be attentive and alert during class the next day. Most of my class brings their laptop and just goes on facebook or random websites while lecture is happening... I never bring mine, and always try to get something out of lecture. I still get *good* marks, I've had almost all A's in Dentistry so far (starting year 3 in August) and am at 3.77/4.30 GPA. And I've had infinitely more fun doing it, I was almost a nervous wreck after undergrad.

If you go to a clinical intensive school like me, all you really need to do is make sure you know what you are doing in the chair with a patient... review the procedures the night before until they become 2nd nature, and you will learn well from those experiences. Dentistry is not difficult, you just need to have a conscience that tells you how to respond to deviations from the ideal sequence of a procedure.

If you can study for 3 weeks for the DAT, without really studying a lot in undergrad, and still do well, then you obviously can absorb a lot of information in a short time. Just read your notes and stuff before midterms, and you will be fine.

That's nice to hear, but so difference from what most say. And what is this GPA above 4.0? I've never seen a college do that. What's the top, 4.5? 5.0?