How much do you study?

[Eggs n Coffee]

How much do you or your classmates study in dental school?

1. to pass?

2. to be at the top of your class?

Also, is your amount of work highly dependent on the school you attend?

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[cjb04]

I spend on weeknights 4-5 hours studying, and weekends I study 8+ hours. This is MUCH more than I ever studied in undergrad, and the reason is that there is no time to procrastinate. There are quizzes in lab every week, a full exam on basic sciences every week, case study presentations and exams every 2 weeks, lab practicals, etc. I also spend time outside of class working on lab projects so I don't fall behind. I do not currently plan on specializing, but 1) I want to get my moneys worth out of my education 2) I want to be the best dentist I can be 3) I take pride in my work and my achievements 4) It took me 2 application cycles to get into dental school, so I feel blessed to be here and do not take it for granted. All schools will be very similar because there is a LOT of material that we get tested on for boards, so all schools have to prepare us equally for that. That is another reason why I study so hard: I want to be reviewing material when I'm studying for boards, not learning it. I made that mistake in undergrad. with my math and my gen. chem classes, and my DAT scores in those sections reflected my lack of mastery. I hope that answered youir questions, best of luck!

 

[small]

1. Enough (it varies with the person, but this usually involves just paying attention in class and cramming for 4-5 hours the night before. Of course, this depends on the class; Anatomy was 3-4 hours every night for the duration of the course. Now lab work is another story. . .)

2. Too much!

(3.) I think when you average out study time for all classes, it's probably pretty even between schools.

 

[jay47]

1. To pass, I would probably have to study 3 hours per exam (total). For one, I pay attn in class so I learn IN class. Two, I study effectively and don't try to waste time.

2. To do this (lets say... 94+ avg, I would estimate since I don't know for sure) I think you are gonna have to study around 10-15 hours per exam, depending on course.

Here would be about how much I study per exam per class

Dental Anatomy= 5 hours (granted, we have literally ~9 exams)

Biochem= 12 hours (4 exams)

Histology= 15 hours (3 exams)

Physiology=10 hours (4 exams)

(funny, went back and read it again, and they all add up to about 40-45 hours per class; just exams though, not including quizzes etc...)

Lab work/practicals= who knows...probably around 30 hours by the time the practical actually roles around, although only 2 practicals.

Other classes-it varies, 4-8, mostly easier classes.

Granted, I have had every class this first semester in undergrad, so I may be an exception.

I think from school to school, the number is probably about the same. Some "easy" schools may study a little less, and some more "difficult" ones may study more, but they are gonna be around the same no matter where you go.

 

[TJNova2011]

It's all relative.

There will be students who walk in almost late to the exam and have read the material once to end up acing the exam.

On the other hand, there will be people who work extremely hard and end up "average." It's all relative.

At Nova, however, we are ranked by percents. So every point counts.

 

[marcusnasland]

For me:

- probably around 2 - 3 hours a night during week nights (more if there is a big exam and less if I have a big break from exams).

- Put in a good chunk of studying Saturday afternoon then I try and go out and do something on Friday and Saturday nights.

- Sunday I play sports then spend 3 - 4 hrs in the sim lab practising various things and take that night off (Unless big exam that week or something)

--- I can't learn in class so I rarely go and just have to put more time in on my own ---

 

[Simiam]

First semester at Temple...

Biochem about 4 hours per exam. 20min per quiz
Materials about 2hours per exam 1 hour per quiz
Histology about 1 hour per quiz (mini exam every week)
Restorative about 5 hour per exam
Preventative about 3hour per exam
Behavioral 2 hour per exam


No idea where I am in class but I haven't gotten a B on a test yet.

 

[OG1]

It completely depends. Two people can study the same amount, and one will get a B or C on a test while the other will ace it. The bottom line is: how good are you at memorizing facts and spitting them out on a test? If you want to be at the top of your class, the bottom line is: how disciplined are you at making yourself memorize useless facts and trivia that will get you a few extra points on the exam? Naturally the people who memorize the best and work the hardest will be at the top, not just the people who work the hardest.

Another consideration is how your school determines rank. My 1st year I thought my rank was based on percentages, so I went balls to the wall and studied 24/7 to get the highest possible percentage on every test. Then I found out rank was purely based on GPA, so I hit the brakes a little and got low 90s in every class. Figure this out so you can plan accordingly. It was more stressful skating around the grade border, though.

The difference between an A and a B in dental school is pretty big, and it involves lots of minutiae. Some people who scored B's or even C's on tests in dental school grasped the information better than I did because they looked at the big picture and were thinking in terms of clinical application rather than "I must memorize every fact and number possible."

Also, is your class a bunch of gunners? That will make your life harder if you're trying to be at the top.

 

[TJNova2011]

It completely depends. Two people can study the same amount, and one will get a B or C on a test while the other will ace it. The bottom line is: how good are you at memorizing facts and spitting them out on a test? If you want to be at the top of your class, the bottom line is: how disciplined are you at making yourself memorize useless facts and trivia that will get you a few extra points on the exam? Naturally the people who memorize the best and work the hardest will be at the top, not just the people who work the hardest.

Another consideration is how your school determines rank. My 1st year I thought my rank was based on percentages, so I went balls to the wall and studied 24/7 to get the highest possible percentage on every test. Then I found out rank was purely based on GPA, so I hit the brakes a little and got low 90s in every class. Figure this out so you can plan accordingly. It was more stressful skating around the grade border, though.

The difference between an A and a B in dental school is pretty big, and it involves lots of minutiae. Some people who scored B's or even C's on tests in dental school grasped the information better than I did because they looked at the big picture and were thinking in terms of clinical application rather than "I must memorize every fact and number possible."

Also, is your class a bunch of gunners? That will make your life harder if you're trying to be at the top.

So how many hours a day were you guns blazing, my friend?

Were you also on fire in the waxing labs (where the 1st yrs live now)?

 

[DVA]

I probably study about 1 hr/3 days a week. And weekends probably around 4-5 on saturday/sunday. I spend more time than most in lab tho, sigh. I have B to B+s in all my classes, so no real studying for finals. holla.

David

 

[219122]

I probably study about 1 hr/3 days a week. And weekends probably around 4-5 on saturday/sunday. I spend more time than most in lab tho, sigh. I have B to B+s in all my classes, so no real studying for finals. holla.

David

I'm about the same, Saturday is usually the most productive day because I'm not burnt out from being in class all day so I can focus properly. I do go into lab on the weekends to practice waxups, it makes for a nice break between memorizing histology and biochemistry.

 

[OG1]

So how many hours a day were you guns blazing, my friend?

Were you also on fire in the waxing labs (where the 1st yrs live now)?

Assuming your questions are serious - during first year, probably 4-6 hours a day counting lunchtime and classes skipped and 8-10 hours a day on weekends. About 2/3 of that time 2nd year and probably even less third year. I found practicing waxing or prepping teeth to be relatively low yield in terms of grades compared to studying.

Did life suck? Yes. Did I achieve my goals? Yes.

It doesn't really matter, though, because all you need to know is that if you want to be top of your class, just work as hard as you possibly can. If you don't care about your grades, you'll have a decent amount of free time in dental school.

 

[Eggs n Coffee]

Assuming your questions are serious - during first year, probably 4-6 hours a day counting lunchtime and classes skipped and 8-10 hours a day on weekends. About 2/3 of that time 2nd year and probably even less third year. I found practicing waxing or prepping teeth to be relatively low yield in terms of grades compared to studying.

Did life suck? Yes. Did I achieve my goals? Yes.

It doesn't really matter, though, because all you need to know is that if you want to be top of your class, just work as hard as you possibly can. If you don't care about your grades, you'll have a decent amount of free time in dental school.

Damn...

How much do you study these days, and are you still at the top of your class?

 

[jay47]

Damn...

How much do you study these days, and are you still at the top of your class?

Lol, he's a resident. There are probably like 8 other people in his "class" so to speak. You can't really go much higher than that, unless you are shooting for national awards or research based awards.

 

[Lurchdubious]

Are we talking about BEFORE or AFTER Call Of Duty:Modern Warfare 2 was released???