Importance of Grades

[mdub]

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How much do grades matter for dental students who want to become general practitioners?

 

[ou_jay]

Probably not much.

If you want to work for someone else or if you want to do AEGD you need to do decently.

You know what they call the person who graduates at the bottom of the class? "Doctor"

 

[duh?]

Well! pls do me a favor and PM me your name and a picture. I'll make sure I keep my loved ones very far away! 😱

 

[crazy_sherm]

Grades probably don't matter too much, but it's your decision whether you want to sell yourself short. Why not do the best you can do?

 

[mobius]

How much do grades matter for dental students who want to become general practitioners?

it matters a lot.... you must get a 70 or higher in every class!!!! 😀

 

[ItsGavinC]

Well! pls do me a favor and PM me your name and a picture. I'll make sure I keep my loved ones very far away! 😱

Oh geez, you're one of those guys (who hasn't even started dental school yet) that believes that somebody who passes every class will be a poor clinician.

 

[Dukie]

Oh geez, you're one of those guys (who hasn't even started dental school yet) that believes that somebody who passes every class will be a poor clinician.

I've got to agree with Gavin here. I'm not advocating just sliding by in each class, but there is no reason to believe that someone who gets an 85 will be a better clinician than someone who gets a 75 in basic science class. Wait until you are in dental school to make such claims. That being said, I don't think doing the minimum in a clinical setting is a good idea, but your professors won't let that happen.

 

[Dynomite]

Duh? is getting owned in this thread. 😀

 

[Biogirl361]

i completely agree that the grades themselves don't make a person a good or bad dentist, but i think the attitude of not wanting to try hard and just wanting to pass is what is objectionable and could translate into taking shortcuts as a clinician.

 

[duh?]

Hey people, don't get me wrong. I don't believe top grades make a person a better clinician, neither do I believe that newer technology = better education like I said in another thread. From the post before mine (i think the 2nd one) I got the impression that the author believes that students don't need to work very hard to get good grades just because they want to be general practitioners and I dont believe that is a good attitude for any health professional to have. That's the reason why I posted that comment. Yes I know I have not started D-school yet but won't student grades include BOTH regular class work and clinicals/hand work? May I not assume that a terrible grade requires poor performance in both areas or at least abysmal 🙂 performance in one of the two? Is that the kind of GP I want treating my family? NO!
I wasnt trying to judge anyone. I guess I could have worded my 'disagreement' differently. 😀 ou_jay, i apologize if I offended you but I still do not agree with you.
Cheers! 😀

 

[duh?]

Duh? is getting owned in this thread. 😀

LOL! Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[Rezdawg]

Since your pre-clinic classes are basically based upon a couple instructors handing out grades based on their opinions, its pretty hard to guess what the bare minimum to do would be. Therefore, in classes that have to do with the actual work of a dentist, you almost automatically have to do your best since you have no clue what grade the instructor is going to give you. If you are able to "get by" in these classes, then you are doing work that is clinically acceptable.

 

[superchris147]

Since your pre-clinic classes are basically based upon a couple instructors handing out grades based on their opinions, its pretty hard to guess what the bare minimum to do would be. Therefore, in classes that have to do with the actual work of a dentist, you almost automatically have to do your best since you have no clue what grade the instructor is going to give you. If you are able to "get by" in these classes, then you are doing work that is clinically acceptable.

yeah the fact that your grade is someone's opinion makes a big difference in my book too. you can have a wax up that meets all the measured requirements and so forth but one professor can like and another can think it looks bad. and sometimes that's all the feedback you get (ie: it doesn't look good). so i agree with rezdawg that if you are getting by in these classes then you are doing clinically acceptable work.

as for basic sciences I could really care less if my dentist got an F in neuroanatomy, histology, etc etc

 

[ItsGavinC]

i completely agree that the grades themselves don't make a person a good or bad dentist, but i think the attitude of not wanting to try hard and just wanting to pass is what is objectionable and could translate into taking shortcuts as a clinician.

You are correct that that attitude certainly could, but if I recall the OP didn't mention whether he was going to attempt to merely pass, or whether he was worried that he would only be able to merely pass.

Those are two different items. What if the OP is married, has a couple of kids, is working towards a masters degree, is class president, and is trying to run SDN in his sparetime?

That paragraph describes me. I never tried to merely pass, and always did much better than that, but I understood going into it that I had lots on my plate.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Since your pre-clinic classes are basically based upon a couple instructors handing out grades based on their opinions, its pretty hard to guess what the bare minimum to do would be. Therefore, in classes that have to do with the actual work of a dentist, you almost automatically have to do your best since you have no clue what grade the instructor is going to give you. If you are able to "get by" in these classes, then you are doing work that is clinically acceptable.

Excellent point. A perfect waxup is often less than perfect, depending on whether or not the grading instructor has heartburn from lunch, etc., etc.

 

[HITMAN]

Well! pls do me a favor and PM me your name and a picture. I'll make sure I keep my loved ones very far away!

Childish.

May I not assume that a terrible grade requires poor performance in both areas or at least abysmal 🙂 performance in one of the two? Is that the kind of GP I want treating my family?

No, you may not. Even a low passing grade implies that the student has sufficient knowledge of the subject to continue on with his/her education. Regardless of how "terrible" of a passing grade the student earns, his/her performace is still at least satisfactory and never "poor" or "abysmal". And yes, your statement implies that the "terrible" grade was still a passing grade, because if it wasn't passing, the hypothetical student would never become a GP who could possibly treat your family.

I got the impression that the author believes that students don't need to work very hard to get good grades

All passing grades are at least good grades, though not all will be "top" grades. You cannot dispute this, as you have already stated:

Hey people, don't get me wrong. I don't believe top grades make a person a better clinician

Therefore, by your own reasoning, it is not more important to earn "top" grades than passing grades, because "top" grades will not make someone a better clinician. So what exactly is your "disagreement" with ou jay's post?
He stated:

(How much do grades matter for GP's?)
Probably not much.
(FACT)
If you want to work for someone else or if you want to do AEGD you need to do decently.
(FACT)
You know what they call the person who graduates at the bottom of the class? "Doctor"
(FACT)

You have NO reason to believe that the OP thinks he can make passing grades without working hard. There is no mention of work ethic anywhere in the post.

Before you criticize someone else's post, first try to fully understand your own position.

 

[mdub]

I got the impression that the author believes that students don't need to work very hard to get good grades just because they want to be general practitioners

Actually, I was just asking a question. Have you never asked a question out of curiosity?