How much do you guys study????

[deleted341012]

Alright I just got done with my freshman year at USC.
This summer my mom's been driving me crazy about how much I have to study to get into a good dental school. I've already started studying for the DAT and because of my mom's obsession with research, have done a lot of it on dental schools and everything else about dentistry. I'm also shadowing two dentists. I feel like I'm doing a lot but my mom says that kids who want to be dentists study hours after hours everyday and do not have any kind of social life. Sure, I know kids in dental school study hard but as a rising sophomore in college?! How much do/did you guys really study?
Please help me!!!

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[Predoctalk]

Alright I just got done with my freshman year at USC.
This summer my mom's been driving me crazy about how much I have to study to get into a good dental school. I've already started studying for the DAT and because of my mom's obsession with research, have done a lot of it on dental schools and everything else about dentistry. I'm also shadowing two dentists. I feel like I'm doing a lot but my mom says that kids who want to be dentists study hours after hours everyday and do not have any kind of social life. Sure, I know kids in dental school study hard but as a rising sophomore in college?! How much do/did you guys really study?
Please help me!!!

Lol I didn't study much in undergrad as evidenced by my less than stellar undergrad gpa. A social life is important for your sanity

 

[tayloreve]

Tell your madre to take a chill pill. I also just finished up my freshman year and have been lurking SDN for about 2+ years now. I already have most of the books people use on here to study for the DAT ordered (Cliffs, Barrons, Campbell, Crack DAT, etc) but I haven't started studying yet. In my opinion, it's WAY too early to start. I would shadow the dentists still, but wouldn't worry about studying for the DAT until your junior year. Just focus and pay attention in the classes you're going to be taking in the fall, study and make good grades. Your mother just wants the best for you, but don't let her stress you out! There is still plenty of time.

 

[sacapuntas]

I always have studied the least amount necessary to get whatever grade I want. My first degree I usually aimed for a B+, and thus didn't study much at all. Now that I am only getting A's in my post-bacc, and in science classes specifically, I have found it takes a lot more effort to get an A than a B+ and have adjusted accordingly.

I treat it like a full-time job, studying from 8 am - 5 pm every day, and probably once a week for a few hours in the evening. Before a major test I will study on the weekend, but that is the exception.

 

[Sunspear]

My last semester of college at Berkeley I pulled straight A's in all my classes (mostly science, with some Spanish classes for my minor as well) and it was very hard work. Then again, the science classes I was taking were all very interesting, so that helped. I've found that it's much easier for me to study for classes that I was genuinely interested in (such as Physiology and Embryology). I wish I could go back and put more time into the classes I struggled with (namely Chemistry and Physics)... but I can't.

So, I'd recommend studying to make sure you get at least a B in every science class. Aim higher, of course, but don't put studying off too much.

 

[bye bye greasy]

do you live at home? if so, you should move out and get the real college experience. i think your going waay overboard this early in college. why are you studying for the dat if you havent even taken all the required classes yet. wait till after your sophmore year at least to study for the dat, it only takes a few months to get a really good score, not years. yea work hard in classes but dont overdue it, you WILL burn out fast. as for the amount of time studying, it really all depends on how efficient you are. 10 hrs of studying for person A can be like 3 hrs studying for person B. learning how to study efficiently is very important and comes naturally with the harder classes as you progress in undergrad. i dont think i really learned how to study properly until my junior year of college then i started doing really well in my classes. you know the saying "all work and no play makes johnny a dull boy" has truth to it.




work hard, party hard- my motto

 

[chippy]

not gonna lie, I study a lot. That's what it takes to be a chem major/math minor and keep up a GPA good enough to get into dental school and retain scholarships. Here's the way I think about it...you're paying a TON of money for your education, so why PAY for anything but the best grades? why would you wanna PAY for a B when the same amount of money can get you an A?

ha that being said, I also have a "no homework/studying on friday nights and all day saturday" rule. Gotta keep yourself sane, you know.

That's a great idea to start shadowing now though!!

 

[Dusk]

not gonna lie, I study a lot. That's what it takes to be a chem major/math minor and keep up a GPA good enough to get into dental school and retain scholarships. Here's the way I think about it...you're paying a TON of money for your education, so why PAY for anything but the best grades? why would you wanna PAY for a B when the same amount of money can get you an A?

ha that being said, I also have a "no homework/studying on friday nights and all day saturday" rule. Gotta keep yourself sane, you know.

That's a great idea to start shadowing now though!!

I abide by said rule religiously, except when midterm/finals week rolls around.. haha

 

[Smilemaker12]

Alright I just got done with my freshman year at USC.
This summer my mom's been driving me crazy about how much I have to study to get into a good dental school. I've already started studying for the DAT and because of my mom's obsession with research, have done a lot of it on dental schools and everything else about dentistry. I'm also shadowing two dentists. I feel like I'm doing a lot but my mom says that kids who want to be dentists study hours after hours everyday and do not have any kind of social life. Sure, I know kids in dental school study hard but as a rising sophomore in college?! How much do/did you guys really study?
Please help me!!!

After you get into the rhythm of A's/B's then you will know what you have time for and what you dont have time for. This is something you will have to experiment on your own. Some take 5 times to read over everything and memorize while others 4 or 10 times (these are real numbers from ppl i know ). You should study the DAT when you've built a solid foundation of your pre-req sciences. It will be easier to understand the DAT material and you will save time. Also, volunteer with one dentist and a community service non-dental related. Dental schools like students who are well-rounded. You can also get involved with your pre-dental club or create one .

 

[reely989]

The key is simply figuring out how much effort it is going to require to pull an A in the class. Some classes take next to nothing (This isn't just for low level undergrad sciences, I've taken graduate level science classes that I could spend less than 3 hours per test on), while some require huge levels of devotion (I spent probably 20-30 hours on just my Biochemistry final). But, it just depends on your professor, your ability to soak up the information, your ability to apply the information (if needed), and your ability to retain the information for the final. It is a huge waste of time (valuable time at that), to overstudy for these classes. Especially if you have a tough semester, being able to "trim the fat" study wise is essential.

There is no set rule. My first two years, I didn't study a huge amount, but I studied enough to get A's. There were exceptions to that rule, like my Organic 1 final that I put in a ton of time for. Some people could come on here and tell you that you don't have to study a lot for straight A's, some people may say you have to study a TON for straight A's. It just depends. My junior year was a bit more difficult. I started getting into classes with much larger amounts of information, and labs that were very time consuming.

As far as studying for the DAT goes, I'd say it's a waste of time Freshman year. To me, the ideal time to take the test is the summer after the semester you finish Organic 2. I also highly recommend taking a genetics course in this time frame. The chemistry will still be fresh in your head, and that will all be reviewing rather than relearning. Biology is nothing groundbreaking on the DAT. Memorizing Cliff's, while knowing some solid background from Bio 1/2 and genetics will make the volume of material somewhat manageable. By pulling mid 20's scores on General Chem and Organic, you can afford an 18 on the Biology anyway (but there is no reason you couldn't get higher). I also found that Junior year, with classes picking up a bit difficulty wise, the ability of me to consistently study during the semester was hampered drastically. The summer between sophomore and junior year is also a much more relaxing time to do it. You won't be stressing over getting it over with early summer to make AADSAS and all that.

 

[amdrocks]

I studied very hard for the first two years of my college (tons of credit hours, summer classes, undergraduate researches, and part-time jobs).
For the last one and half years (I graduated a semester early), I studied just enough to maintain a decent GPA, joined fraternity and clubs, become a Teaching Assistant, shadow dentists, hang out/party more with friends... basically more social life.

As long as you can maintain a decent GPA and score a solid DAT, you should have no problem getting into dental school. However, you do need some social life to build up your personality though...

 

[slm266]

I didnt study much at all (hense the 3.3 sGPA 3.5 cGPA).

 

[BizzyV]

College happens once buddy. Don't let your mom ruin it. You have an idea of what numbers it takes to do what. Study accordingly. Get involved in stuff. I have way too many friends who are up there in med school but wish they had actually gone to college.

First off- WAaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too early to worry about the DAT. Start next summer at the earliest.

Shadowing this summer is a great idea. Keeps you motivated and gets it out of the way so you dont need to sweat it later. Maybe do some community service too.

Study for school during school. Study as much as you need to. Personally during the school week 8-5 I was either in class or studying. After that I had meetings/practices/etc. Friday night and Saturday give yourself a break. Go to a USC game. Throw a frisbee, pick up golf, go talk to a lady or two.

Finally, take my advice with a grain of salt, considering my GPA.

Your mom is wrong. Kids who want to go to dental school can have a life. I have no regrets about my college experience. I did alot of fun stuff and I've got alot of great stories and friends that will follow me for the rest of my life. I'm very competetive to get in this cycle and if not, a Post Bacc won't kill me. In a few years I'll be a DDS... just like that kid who never left his parents house and studied every day at the whip of his parents.

 

[youknowthedrill]

Don't study for the DAT yet. Its great that you are shadowing dentists this summer. Grades and DAT alone won't get you into dental school- they just open the door and get you noticed. You also need to be a well rounded applicant with community involvement and some non-academic hobbies. Be respectful to your mom- she only wants the best for you. But let her know you've done your research and you need to work on your manual dexterity and community involvement and maybe she'll give you a break. To keep your mom happy, spend some time volunteering to help round out your application- volunteer as a coach, tutor, find a community dental clinic, homeless shelter, etc. Also, you could find a hobby that shows you have manual dexterity- take an art class, build models, etc. Good luck!

 

[Bereno]

I studied my ass off because I took all the prereqs for dental school in 2 years... Plus I landed a 3.92 GPA. Could I have studied less and gotten a 3.5. Absolutely lol. If you are on the usual 4 year plan, just take it easy; no rush.

Your going into your sophomore year, so just ease up and relax. Keep up the shadowing though!

 

[carabelli3]

A bigger question than how much a person studies is what is their GPA. I was also living at home at the beginning of undergrad and also had a mother who would say she didn't see me studying enough. Well, when I pulled down a 3.0 the first semester she was right. But, even after second semester when I got a 3.7, she would still say it. As stated by some others here, efficient and effective studying is much more important than time spent studying. For me, effective studying turned out to be about 3 hours of studying per day, starting a week before the test. That was maximum. There were classes where I was able to adjust that down.

And a note on dental students having a social life. Yes, they do have one. Even when doing the interview for my school's prehealth committee I was asked what I do for fun. I should also mention that the committee member conducting the interview was a person from my school's dental school. She said it is important to have some kind of hobby and that the best student in the class was never the person who was in the books 24/7. I think it was even brought up in the dental school interview. You should not be out partying 4 days a week or anything like that, but it is good to maybe be in some kind of bar league playing a sport once a week.

 

[iralex801]

The amount you need to study depends on the individual. Some people have to study more than others.