Might be held back!

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
D

Dr2BSoon

Member
10+ Year Member
5+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2004
Messages
124
Reaction score
0
I accidentally got 2 Ds last semester at UDM (in addition to several As) and now I have to go before our Academic Performance Committee where they will determine whether I will repeat DS1 year or continue on with my class. One of the Ds was a 69% and the professor wouldn't bump me up :(

We have already started our DS2 classes, and everything is fine so far. Does anyone have any advice on how to approach a committee like this, what to say, how to act, what things to do NOT to get held back??? I am freaking out a lot! Has anyone done this or heard how to do this or know anything at all about this horrible, evil process?
Members don't see this ad.
 
Sorry friend, best of luck to you!:scared:
 
Dr2BSoon said:
I accidentally got 2 Ds last semester at UDM (in addition to several As) and now I have to go before our Academic Performance Committee where they will determine whether I will repeat DS1 year or continue on with my class. One of the Ds was a 69% and the professor wouldn't bump me up :(

We have already started our DS2 classes, and everything is fine so far. Does anyone have any advice on how to approach a committee like this, what to say, how to act, what things to do NOT to get held back??? I am freaking out a lot! Has anyone done this or heard how to do this or know anything at all about this horrible, evil process?
Click to expand...

i don't get how its horrible or evil.... how hard was it to get a C in those classes?....
 
Members don't see this ad :)
Dental school is hard and is meant to be hard. While you are trying your hardest, you have clearly fallen short of your own standards. Maybe a single bad exam/quiz made it impossible to rebound within the term of the semester. Then mention any possible personal issues affecting your ability to study.

Do not complain about the professor, the difficulty of the exams, or how everyone else in your class has a PhD in Health Sciences. You made some mistakes, have learned from them, and are making the corrections necessary to succeed. It would also help to speak with the professors of the classes at issue.
 
Be honest with them, point out the better grades you received in other courses, point out that you are doing fine in the D2 coursework. Ask them if you can remediate in some way other than having to repeat the D1 year. Be honest and they'll appreciate it. Above all, don't make excuses about your poor grades. Let them know that you worked hard, but not hard enough, and accept responsibility for the low grades.
 
ItsGavinC said:
Be honest with them, point out the better grades you received in other courses, point out that you are doing fine in the D2 coursework. Ask them if you can remediate in some way other than having to repeat the D1 year. Be honest and they'll appreciate it. Above all, don't make excuses about your poor grades. Let them know that you worked hard, but not hard enough, and accept responsibility for the low grades.
Click to expand...

:thumbup: This is the best advice. Be honest and humble - don't get defensive or point fingers.
 
i have a question...how did you accidentally get D's. you either studied or you didnt....I would say it is going to be hard to defend your situation but good luck i hope that you dont have to repeat if it was some random class but if it was something like dental anatomy or something else important it might be good for you.
 
jackbauer! said:
You're not even in dental school....

jb!:)
Click to expand...

ha... whats with this new surge of pre-dents who haven't matriculated yet claiming they know more than dental students, residents, and dentists lately?
 
MnBr63 said:
ha... whats with this new surge of pre-dents who haven't matriculated yet claiming they know more than dental students, residents, and dentists lately?
Click to expand...

Not sure.

But to the OP: Portray your poor marks as a learning experience, and back this up by your excellent marks this semester and last. As others said, under no circumstances blame your crappy grades on anyone else but yourself!

Best of luck to you! I'm sure everything will turn out just fine.

jb!:)
 
MnBr63 said:
ha... whats with this new surge of pre-dents who haven't matriculated yet claiming they know more than dental students, residents, and dentists lately?
Click to expand...

Louiville D12? You haven't matriculated yet either. :smuggrin:

Plenty of people here have learned lots of good information without ever having applied to dental school yet. You learn from history and you spread the word. :)
 
jackbauer! said:
You're not even in dental school....

jb!:)
Click to expand...

no duh! thank you captain obvious!

even though im not in dental school, i know from stories that dental school is hard, but if you put forth the effort and study more and go out less...i think maintaining a C in the course wouldn't be a problem. i'm not telling the OP to get straight A's across the board....

remember...there are two sides to every stories...
 
Members don't see this ad :)
MnBr63 said:
ha... whats with this new surge of pre-dents who haven't matriculated yet claiming they know more than dental students, residents, and dentists lately?
Click to expand...


who's claiming to know more? i think you're in the wrong thread buddy. all i said was that maintaining a C shouldn't be too hard if you spent less time going out and more time studying....(yes, maybe that includes studying everyday)

IMHO...when you study a little bit everyday you are actually learning...and when you procrastinate you are just trying to finish the work without learning....
 
dr.rex said:
i have a question...how did you accidentally get D's. you either studied or you didnt....I would say it is going to be hard to defend your situation but good luck i hope that you dont have to repeat if it was some random class but if it was something like dental anatomy or something else important it might be good for you.
Click to expand...


BINGO!! :thumbup:
 
Mistakes happen. Only answer the questions they ask. Do not divulge or discuss anything they do not ask. Be humble and willing to do whatever they ask.

For people who can't understand low grades, Grow up. I saw the top students of my class fail national boards, I also saw top students not able to pass regional boards. Failure of one thing does not make a person a loser.

While in dental school I received a grade of C- in physiology. I had an F the first half of the semester and then a D the second half and picked it up on the final exam. I cried over that course.

I also receieved a D for my last class in dental school because the instructor and I had a verbal fight and he had it in for me.

I have been out of dental school and highly succeffull for many many years. I have taught hygiene at a hygiene school, taught dentists at a dental school, and taught dentists at national CE events. I have managed to make more money than most dentists in the nation and can retire comftorable any time I want.

Don't let the small setbacks get to you. The school has too much money invested in you to throw you out. Sometimes they will make you feel bad and threaten you, but they almost always keep you. After you graduate you will look back on this and laugh.
 
desert rat said:
Mistakes happen. Only answer the questions they ask. Do not divulge or discuss anything they do not ask. Be humble and willing to do whatever they ask.

For people who can't understand low grades, Grow up. I saw the top students of my class fail national boards, I also saw top students not able to pass regional boards. Failure of one thing does not make a person a loser.

While in dental school I received a grade of C- in physiology. I had an F the first half of the semester and then a D the second half and picked it up on the final exam. I cried over that course.

I also receieved a D for my last class in dental school because the instructor and I had a verbal fight and he had it in for me.

I have been out of dental school and highly succeffull for many many years. I have taught hygiene at a hygiene school, taught dentists at a dental school, and taught dentists at national CE events. I have managed to make more money than most dentists in the nation and can retire comftorable any time I want.

Don't let the small setbacks get to you. The school has too much money invested in you to throw you out. Sometimes they will make you feel bad and threaten you, but they almost always keep you. After you graduate you will look back on this and laugh.
Click to expand...

Words of wisdom.:thumbup:
The threshold is to graduate dental school it may not be a pretty sight on how one goes about it. If a person struggles but manages to pass it doesn't make him/her any less of a dentist. Having a great personality will be king in the long run. I doubt the struggles of dental school for desert rat at this point of the career have any significance.
 
D grade has little significant in your career as how successful you will be as a dentist. I witness first hand how the most meticulous perfectionist professor failed regional board. I work with dental students and a student who repeated a year is much smarter and a better dentist than a straight A student and an ortho wanna be. Those straight A, ortho-to-be kids obviously look good in the eye of the "performance committee". But in my eyes, the guy who repeats a year is obviously will be the most successful dentist of the class 1 yr from now. I agree with desert rat and seriously, those classes in dental school sometimes are so poorly taught, questions are not written correctly confuse students. Don't let that set you back. Fight hard for it and continue to work hard. There is light at the end of the tunnel. You are not the first one in history of your school with 2 Ds.
 
Dr2BSoon said:
I accidentally got 2 Ds last semester at UDM (in addition to several As)...
Click to expand...

This really stinks...especially the 69%. Hopefully, they'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Care to share which classes these were?

Good luck!
 
desert rat said:
Mistakes happen. Only answer the questions they ask. Do not divulge or discuss anything they do not ask. Be humble and willing to do whatever they ask.

For people who can't understand low grades, Grow up. I saw the top students of my class fail national boards, I also saw top students not able to pass regional boards. Failure of one thing does not make a person a loser.

While in dental school I received a grade of C- in physiology. I had an F the first half of the semester and then a D the second half and picked it up on the final exam. I cried over that course.

I also receieved a D for my last class in dental school because the instructor and I had a verbal fight and he had it in for me.

I have been out of dental school and highly succeffull for many many years. I have taught hygiene at a hygiene school, taught dentists at a dental school, and taught dentists at national CE events. I have managed to make more money than most dentists in the nation and can retire comftorable any time I want.

Don't let the small setbacks get to you. The school has too much money invested in you to throw you out. Sometimes they will make you feel bad and threaten you, but they almost always keep you. After you graduate you will look back on this and laugh.
Click to expand...

:thumbup::thumbup: Another great posting by "desert rat".
 
Biochem (a large part of the class got Ds in biochem) and Head and Neck Anatomy (which at least I didn't fail, some people did).
 
tinman831 said:
Louiville D12? You haven't matriculated yet either. :smuggrin:

Plenty of people here have learned lots of good information without ever having applied to dental school yet. You learn from history and you spread the word. :)
Click to expand...


I know I haven't matriculated yet....thats why I don't tell dental students what is easy and what is not. I'm not being hypocritical.

This forum is a great place for people to learn what dental school is about, but its not like you can read it and know more than having first hand experience in dental school. Obviously dental students are smart enough to get where they are. Its not my place to tell them that its easy.:) I know I still have a month before I start school... so I am still a predent.
 
TempleDMDKrazd said:
who's claiming to know more? i think you're in the wrong thread buddy. all i said was that maintaining a C shouldn't be too hard if you spent less time going out and more time studying....(yes, maybe that includes studying everyday)

IMHO...when you study a little bit everyday you are actually learning...and when you procrastinate you are just trying to finish the work without learning....
Click to expand...

I never claimed to know more about dental school than any of the dental students. I have no experience in just how difficult the class in question is, and therefor have no idea about how hard it is to get a C. I know grades aren't just handed out in dental school and classes are harder for some than others. I know my place because I'm not chastising the OP for grades in classes that I've never taken.
 
Dr2BSoon said:
Biochem (a large part of the class got Ds in biochem) and Head and Neck Anatomy (which at least I didn't fail, some people did).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. Everyone I've spoken with thus far (at Mercy) has indicated that Biochem was by far the hardest of their classes. It seems like they would change things up a little if that many people were having difficulty. Once again, good luck on your situation...see you in the fall.
 
Hah.....I wish you the best of luck in dental school. You will certainly need it. Not meaning this in a facetious way by any means. To quote one of my professors, "dental school is like drinking water through a fire hose"
 
Hey Temple and the rest of you pre-dent maggots. . . Shut your fat mouths on this board until you get into dental school. I'm #1 in my class but I have friends that struggle. . . its freaking difficult. You know nothing about this topic.
 
UtahDent said:
Hey Temple and the rest of you pre-dent maggots. . . Shut your fat mouths on this board until you get into dental school. I'm #1 in my class but I have friends that struggle. . . its freaking difficult. You know nothing about this topic.
Click to expand...

On this anonymous board everyone is #1....:laugh:
 
Sorry my fellow utahan, I'm the real deal. I strive to be the best at everything I do, and in this part of my life I succeed.
 
UtahDent said:
Hey Temple and the rest of you pre-dent maggots. . . Shut your fat mouths on this board until you get into dental school. I'm #1 in my class but I have friends that struggle. . . its freaking difficult. You know nothing about this topic.
Click to expand...

omg...you're pathetic....did you read the OP's original post? That he "accidently" got D's in a few class. How do you accidently get D's? My advice to the OP was to probably spend less time going out and probably more time studying so he spend less time "accidently" getting bad grades. I know dental school is hard, but not from experience (mainly from friends and SDN). You might want to read my posts again sir.
 
Give the guy a break. We had 12 classes spring semester. Many of which had two exams that determined the final course grade. Slip on one...you're in a world of hurt.

Dental school is tough. I imagine it to be easy for certain circumstances to cause problems. In the midst of finals week where I had about 10 finals in a weeks time I completely spaced a Pros written exam when I thought we were only having a practical. **** happens.

Gavin and desert said it best.

On a side note, we had a guy that had to go in front of a committee for a different reason (an ethical undertone/student code violation) and while I believe he should have been kicked out, he was honest with the committee and was allowed to start again as a first year. In that sense, even if you do need to repeat 1st year, it could be a lot worse.
 
I have to concur with the fact that pre-dents really have no business commenting on the dental school experience. Dental school is nothing like college.

This reminds me of the thread where this sniveling little brat was ridiculing the difficulties of a first year dentist based on his own "experience" shadowing at a dental office.:rolleyes:
 
If they were lab courses like operative or occlusion, you should want to get held back/remediated because it means your hands suck.
 
YAY, I get to move on to DS2 year!
 
Dr2BSoon said:
YAY, I get to move on to DS2 year!
Click to expand...

Congrats. I'm sure you're on a path now to good grades through out the rest of dental school after this scare.
 
Devil Doc said:
Good news- you're going to be a D2.

Bad news- D2 year is 10x harder academically and laboratorically.
Click to expand...

Reading that is depressing.

Like the OP, I made a D in one of my classes in first year, but my school is okay with one as long as your GPA is above a certain mark. Still, the fact that I came close to failing a class already when it's only going to get tougher has me worried about next year.
 
don't worry, everyone gets through it. yes, D2 is a whole new level, more intense in general due to more lab classes, other classes, boards...but, the whole shock value goes down. nothing will phase you anymore, academically hehe. this is actually a good thing because it teaches you to just take it all as it comes, you literally won't have time to worry, just gotta do it
 
UtahDent said:
Hey Temple and the rest of you pre-dent maggots. . . Shut your fat mouths on this board until you get into dental school. I'm #1 in my class but I have friends that struggle. . . its freaking difficult. You know nothing about this topic.
Click to expand...

Nice brag post. That part really helped make your point, lol. That humility will go over great when you apply to ortho (I presume).
 
^ UtahDent may be a braggart, but he absolutely has a point about the pre-dents running their mouths on topics they know nothing about.

Every time a dental student posts about the difficulties of dental school, some spoiled little know-nothing shows up with a condescending remark based on his own vast experiences as a junior Psych major.

It gets to be pretty damn annoying.
 
Devil Doc said:
Good news- you're going to be a D2.

Bad news- D2 year is 10x harder academically and laboratorically.
Click to expand...

At VCU D2 is supposed to be harder "laboratorically ;) " but easier than 1st year academically. We took 38 credits last semester including micro, physio, pathology, histology, perio, clinical skills, operative lab and lecture, lit review... list goes on. I think it depends on the school.

And VCU prepares you to take the boards summer after first year so most rising D2s are taking their boards before D2 classes start.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Next unread thread

Similar threads

F
Paying Back Loan during Dental School
Replies
15
Views
2K
Alpha Centauri
Alpha Centauri
Mycoalwin
Asking for a friend: Back to Ortho Residency?
Replies
7
Views
2K
charlestweed
charlestweed
P
  • Locked
certiphi background check
Replies
2
Views
992
prestigiousitem
P
G
What are some good back up options if dentistry doesn't work out?
Replies
29
Views
4K
Molar Whisperer
Molar Whisperer
Life of Pablo
  • Poll
When has your school said they'll try to get you back by?
Replies
13
Views
3K
deleted972255
D
Top