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hrs/wk for d1
Started by frd88
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~2-4 hours on non-test studying days.
~4-6+ hours 1-4 days before tests.
However, 2nd semester has so far been 2-3 tests + multiple quizes a week. So it has pretty much been 4-6 hours everyday lately 🙁.
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Well, as someone who has been out of dental school for nearly 30 years, I will just say it takes as long as it takes. It is hard to generalize for each student, since everyone has their own capabilities. You will have to work as hard as you need to get the grade you want. Try not to get hung up on what grade you will earn...try to concentrate on what you will LEARN. Anyone (well, lots of students) can study hard enough to get an "A", but the question is....Will you retain it...or even be able to use that knowledge to solve problems you are going to have in practice?
I'm troubled by this sometimes and it frequently comes up amongst classmates. It's easy to get caught up in the grade above all else. It's an understandable thing, especially if you have a history of doing well (I've seen tears when someone got their first C ever) or you're really focused on specializing. But I hate coming across something we have already covered and I hardly remember it. Sometimes it's just the name of some kind of disorder or something that I recognize. Not too useful. Maybe I'll never need a lot of it, but for the price I'm paying and the fact I'm going into the healthcare field, I wish I focused more on understanding and retaining rather than making it through the next test. Hopefully, review for boards and maybe some repeated exposure later will help the most relevant material stick more long-term. End of sob story.
Original question...I spend a lot of time studying, but it's always last minute and just poor study habits on my part. No wonder I have trouble with retention. The general saying is that the gap from B to A is a lot of work. But this all varies by student and by school - not that any are much easier, just might be better formatted to your learning style.
Part of the problem is that there is so much information, you have almost no choice but to be cramming for each test. This greatly affects the amount of material you can retain in the long term. But I do find myself studying differently for things I feel I should be retaining, mostly the dental related classes and not stuff like genetics and such.
True. I'm probably too hard on myself about it. I do know people that do the bare minimum to pass basic sciences and focus on dental. Whatever. Less thinking about it. More studying. Maybe less SDN.
I wanted to update on this.
2nd semester has been busier overall, more so because of labs, but the didactics are a bit easier.
In short, more work, slightly less difficulty.
If you have the time and ability to get As, then go for it. If you are compromising a healthy sleep schedule, social life, and stress level, then reevaluate your priorities. My grades probably put me pretty close to the middle of my class, but I'm confident in my ability to apply what I've learned when I treat patients, which is more important for the GP-track student.
In every quin-tile of my class, you will find those that study almost every waking hour, and others who procrastinate and barely put in any time outside of class. Develop an individual study schedule and work ethic works best for you.
In every quin-tile of my class, you will find those that study almost every waking hour, and others who procrastinate and barely put in any time outside of class. Develop an individual study schedule and work ethic works best for you.
