If you were to go back...

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drawingdentist

Dental Student
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Hi everyone!

I am a freshman in college, currently working towards a biology major and a minor in studio art. I am in a 3+4 dual admission program and will be taking the DAT in the summer of 2018.

I have a quick question regarding dental school applications/ being a pre-dental student!

If you were to go back to your freshman year of college, what is something you would have done differently?

All advice is welcome and appreciated :)

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haha will definitely keep that in mind! Although being on student doctor is making me stressed out about the DAT lol!
Don't worry about that, the DAT is really not that hard. It's feels like just a college test. Except the PAT part.
 
Don't worry about that, the DAT is really not that hard. It's feels like just a college test. Except the PAT part.
I looked at several practice questions, definitely not what I expected at all! I thought it would be easy for me since I am an art minor, but it was still pretty challenging
 
I looked at several practice questions, definitely not what I expected at all! I thought it would be easy for me since I am an art minor, but it was still pretty challenging
After you study for it, those questions will be easy.
 
After you study for it, those questions will be easy.
How long before the exam do you think I should study? Most posts I have read talked about studying a month or two months before the DAT. I was thinking of starting like 6 months before the exam but I don't know if that's a good idea. Most people I spoke to told me that I would be overwhelming myself.
 
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How long before the exam do you think I should study? Most posts I have read talked about studying a month or two months before the DAT. I was thinking of starting like 6 months before the exam but I don't know if that's a good idea. Most people I spoke to told me that I would be overwhelming myself.
I studied for about 2 and a half months, ended up in a top percentile. I did do well in those science classes covered on the DAT though, so it was like I was re-remembering most stuff. I think 6 months is probably too much, because you might forget some of that information you started to review at the beginning of those 6 months. One thing that may help, though, is buying some PAT software whenever you want (even now) so that you can do practice problems with a few minutes for each day. Because that section is more like building a skill.
 
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I studied for about 2 and a half months, ended up in a top percentile. I did do well in those science classes covered on the DAT though, so it was like I was re-remembering most stuff. I think 6 months is probably too much, because you might forget some of that information you started to review at the beginning of those 6 months. One thing that may help, though, is buying some PAT software whenever you want (even now) so that you can do practice problems with a few minutes for each day. Because that section is more like building a skill.
Thats great advice! Thank you so much!
 
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Hi everyone!

I am a freshman in college, currently working towards a biology major and a minor in studio art. I am in a 3+4 dual admission program and will be taking the DAT in the summer of 2018.

I have a quick question regarding dental school applications/ being a pre-dental student!

If you were to go back to your freshman year of college, what is something you would have done differently?

All advice is welcome and appreciated :)
Take harder classes. Getting the GPA required to get into most dental schools (3.7+ish) isn't extremely hard, so I would have taken a few more challenging courses to feel more confident going into d school instead of worrying as much about GPA.
 
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Get involved with campus activities and what your school has to offer. In particular, I'd suggest looking into organizations that interest you and get to know your peers from these organizations. From my experience, not only can you make great friends, you also make great connections with people outside your field of study this way. It can also be a great distraction from the typical stress and workload from classes. Join the pre-dental club at your school if it has one or be a founding member of it if your school doesn't. My school didn't have a pre-dental club in my freshman year and an acquaintance of mine ended up being the founder and president of the organization in sophomore year. Definitely a missed opportunity on my part. Lastly, I'd suggest trying to find a good study buddy, preferably a close friend with similar goals in mind to you to keep you on track as well. One of my closest friends is doing optometry and since the OAT is pretty much the same material as the DAT for 5 of the 6 sections, we were able to study together with a pool of resources between us. It helped to get a different perspective of things when I couldn't understand some material and our individual strengths were able to cover the other's weaknesses in some subjects. It definitely also helped to rant to each other when the stress felt overwhelming, even up to the day before I took the DAT. Having friends and a support group like that did wonders for me. I sincerely wish I had that from freshman year. Might not have screwed up my GPA as badly from the beginning but it is what it is. Hope it all works out!
 
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-Studied abroad
-Joined student organizations that traveled/did cool trips
-Had more fun
 
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I would major in business, while also knocking out the prerequisites for dental school. You won't have too much time in dental school to learn about managing a practice, so it's best to start now.
 
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Make sure you're going to college, not just school. By this I mean don't be just a book worm. You'll regret it once you get your acceptance


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wouldve probably eaten less orange chicken
 
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Get to know your professors and take summer courses! (your gpa will thank me later)
 
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I probably had too much fun early on.
 
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Built better relationships with professor//picked a school with class sizes that werent 150+
 
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also major in engineering instead of my practically useless biology degree
 
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I would have planned courses better from the beginning and gotten things done quicker. I transferred schools after my freshman year (and changed major, though I had only taken generals). This made it so I couldn't graduate until a half semester later than originally planned so I couldn't apply for dental school until a year later
 
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I would major in business, while also knocking out the prerequisites for dental school. You won't have too much time in dental school to learn about managing a practice, so it's best to start now.
Exactly what I'm doing, but I'd say that most business classes don't teach you any knowledge about running a small practice. It's mostly common sense classes that in my honest opinion are a complete waste of time and another way to milk me for tuition and the practical knowledge only applies to large corporations. The ONLY real knowledge that can be applied for a future dentist is accounting. My main reason for majoring in accounting isn't to gain business sense for dentistry though. That's more of a minor secondary factor. It's my plan B in case dentistry doesn't work out. Accounting sounds nothing like dentistry, but like dentistry it offers you the opportunity to eventually become self employed as a CPA.
 
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Don't crap out your last semester after you've been accepted. I didn't mess up but I have added a ton of extra stress to my last couple weeks.
 
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Hi everyone!

I am a freshman in college, currently working towards a biology major and a minor in studio art. I am in a 3+4 dual admission program and will be taking the DAT in the summer of 2018.

I have a quick question regarding dental school applications/ being a pre-dental student!

If you were to go back to your freshman year of college, what is something you would have done differently?

All advice is welcome and appreciated :)
As a biology major, chem and studio art minor, I always say that if I could go back I would double major in bio and studio art instead of just a minor. My studio art classes have been the best part of my college experience. I wish I would have taken more than just 6 (a minor in my school). This is my last semester, I'm taking my last 2, and it's now that I finally discovered my style... now that I'm graduating...
 
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If you were to go back to your freshman year of college, what is something you would have done differently?

Realize that your GPA defines you beginning first semester freshman year. Don't get too hungover for Friday classes. Don't skip class. Be productive with your time. If you do poorly, seek help.

I neglected all of those things, and more, for the first two years of college and I regret it every single day. You don't want to be a re-applicant or be forced into a two year masters program to salvage your GPA. It's the hard truth, but I wish someone would have told me earlier. And when I was finally told, I wish I would have taken it more seriously.

Best of luck.
 
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In no particular order:

- I wish I wasn't oblivious to the signals this cute girl was giving me
- got academic help when I needed it
-gotten more involved on campus
 
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Get involved with campus activities and what your school has to offer. In particular, I'd suggest looking into organizations that interest you and get to know your peers from these organizations. From my experience, not only can you make great friends, you also make great connections with people outside your field of study this way. It can also be a great distraction from the typical stress and workload from classes. Join the pre-dental club at your school if it has one or be a founding member of it if your school doesn't. My school didn't have a pre-dental club in my freshman year and an acquaintance of mine ended up being the founder and president of the organization in sophomore year. Definitely a missed opportunity on my part. Lastly, I'd suggest trying to find a good study buddy, preferably a close friend with similar goals in mind to you to keep you on track as well. One of my closest friends is doing optometry and since the OAT is pretty much the same material as the DAT for 5 of the 6 sections, we were able to study together with a pool of resources between us. It helped to get a different perspective of things when I couldn't understand some material and our individual strengths were able to cover the other's weaknesses in some subjects. It definitely also helped to rant to each other when the stress felt overwhelming, even up to the day before I took the DAT. Having friends and a support group like that did wonders for me. I sincerely wish I had that from freshman year. Might not have screwed up my GPA as badly from the beginning but it is what it is. Hope it all works out!
Thank you for the great advice! :)
 
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Thank you everyone for taking the time to give such helpful advice! I really appreciate it! :)

I have a question regarding research, how important is it to have research on your application when applying to dental school? In other words, will you be at a disadvantage if you did not participate in any research in undergrad ?
 
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People who've made it to dental school will probably tell you they should've had more fun. Those that haven't yet will say they should've worked at it harder and earlier. In retrospect, I think I just wish I'd have done more things in general. I spent a lot of nights just playing video games and chilling when I could've been out making memories. I just wish I had more stories to tell.
 
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People who've made it to dental school will probably tell you they should've had more fun. Those that haven't yet will say they should've worked at it harder and earlier. In retrospect, I think I just wish I'd have done more things in general. I spent a lot of nights just playing video games and chilling when I could've been out making memories. I just wish I had more stories to tell.
100% agree
 
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People who've made it to dental school will probably tell you they should've had more fun. Those that haven't yet will say they should've worked at it harder and earlier. In retrospect, I think I just wish I'd have done more things in general. I spent a lot of nights just playing video games and chilling when I could've been out making memories. I just wish I had more stories to tell.
That's actually really good advice! Thank you :)
 
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Not decide on dentistry in the first place. Keep in mind that those working at McDonald's are at least creating wealth while those in dental will be in the negative for decades to come. :claps:
 
Not decide on dentistry in the first place. Keep in mind that those working at McDonald's are at least creating wealth while those in dental will be in the negative for decades to come. :claps:
Are you telling me you'd rather be working at McDonald's than be a dentist...?
 
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If there was one thing I could do differently, it would be to get out of healthcare immediately and do something different.

My recommendation right now is to pick up a personal finance book before you touch that calculus book.
 
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Thank you everyone for taking the time to give such helpful advice! I really appreciate it! :)

I have a question regarding research, how important is it to have research on your application when applying to dental school? In other words, will you be at a disadvantage if you did not participate in any research in undergrad ?

I would just say research is another nice accomplishment to list on your application, but its not a requirement. Keep decent stats, shadow, and paricipate in clubs, volunteering, or work and you should be good. I had no research experience at all and got a bunch of interviews. Basically get involved in research if you are interested in it, but if not do something else that will look good on your application!
 
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If there was one thing I could do differently, it would be to get out of healthcare immediately and do something different.

My recommendation right now is to pick up a personal finance book before you touch that calculus book.
Even though you're doing HPSP and won't have debt?
 
If there was one thing I could do differently, it would be to get out of healthcare immediately and do something different.

My recommendation right now is to pick up a personal finance book before you touch that calculus book.
I'm gonna call your bluff then and tell you to get out. It's never too late for you to leave. The world doesn't need more dentists that are apathetic about the profession and regretting their life choices. That won't benefit the patients or dentist. Didn't you tell all your interviewers that you wanted to be able to serve and help other people? Making a lot of money is definitely possible, but that shouldn't be the number one driving factor.

If all you care about is money, then by all means drop your seat somewhere. There are many many people that would be more than happy to take your spot.

Edit: did not realize that you were HPSP. That makes me question even more why you went down this long path knowing that debt wouldn't be an issue.
 
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I'm gonna call your bluff then and tell you to get out. It's never too late for you to leave. The world doesn't need more dentists that are apathetic about the profession and regretting their life choices. That won't benefit the patients or dentist. Didn't you tell all your interviewers that you wanted to be able to serve and help other people? Making a lot of money is definitely possible, but that shouldn't be the number one driving factor.

If all you care about is money, then by all means drop your seat somewhere. There are many many people that would be more than happy to take your spot.
Never mind. Saw your edit.
 
I'm gonna call your bluff then and tell you to get out. It's never too late for you to leave. The world doesn't need more dentists that are apathetic about the profession and regretting their life choices. That won't benefit the patients or dentist. Didn't you tell all your interviewers that you wanted to be able to serve and help other people? Making a lot of money is definitely possible, but that shouldn't be the number one driving factor.

If all you care about is money, then by all means drop your seat somewhere. There are many many people that would be more than happy to take your spot.

Edit: did not realize that you were HPSP. That makes me question even more why you went down this long path knowing that debt wouldn't be an issue.

Given the already incurred debt I think dropping out would put him in a pretty tough spot. And if apathy towards one's profession is reason enough to leave the field, a huge majority of the working population would be out of their job.

Also, you really can't "take the spot" of somebody that's already started dental school.
 
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Are you telling me you'd rather be working at McDonald's than be a dentist...?

You want fries with that, sir?






Jake-Gyllenhall-Point-and-Laugh-Nightcrawler.gif
 
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