Need Help From A Current Pitt Student!!!

[caffeinehigh]

Can you please answer the following questions for us??? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

1) Name of Your Dental School

2) What is your examination schedule like? Block Schedule (midterms and finals week) or several every week?

3) What is the hardest class? Why?

4) What is the easiest class? Why?

5) Are your classmates generally gunners and try to sabatoge each other? If not, is the culture one where everybody tries to help everybody out?

6) Are the class notes based primarily on textbooks? or based on lecture powerpoints made up by professors?

7) Are there any classes taken with medical students? If so, which ones?

8) What is the grading system? Pass/Fail/Honors? Letter Grades? Percentages?

9) Is there a notetaking service for lecture available?

10) Is class attendance mandatory?

11) In general, are teachers approachable for questions? Or are they for the most part very busy and unreachable (research, etc...)?

12) Is there a big brother/big sister program that pairs you with an upperclassman or professor who "mentors" you?

13) What is the % first time board pass rate? What is the average score?

14) When do you take the NDBE? 1st year or second year?

15) Do you get a block of time off before boards to study? If so, how long? If not, do you have to study simultaneously with classes?

16) Do most people study in the University Library? Or does the place clear out right after school and everybody studies on their own?

17) Are patients readily available to fulfill clinical requirements or do you have to do a lot of work to get them in?

18) Is it a hassle to get a chair once you get patients in? In your opinion, does your school have enough chairs?

19) What are the clinical requirements to graduate? (number of crowns, fillings, etc...) Is it reasonably attainable or pretty difficult?

20) Are there opportunities for different off-site dental clinic rotations? If so, what are they?

21) Are there opportunites for outreach trips to underserved areas or countries? If so, what are they and for how long?

22) Is there sufficent preparation for practice management? What career placement opportunites does your school offer?

23) What is the dress code at your school? Scrubs? For what years?

24) Where do a majority of students live?

25) What is one thing you wish you knew before you started attending the school?

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[Golddanboy]

Well I'm only a first year at Pitt so I really can't answer everything

Can you please answer the following questions for us??? THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

1) Name of Your Dental School
Pittsburgh School of Dental medicine

2) What is your examination schedule like? Block Schedule (midterms and finals week) or several every week?
We have mid-terms throughout the year and then a finals week. In the case of Histology and Biochemistry I; the classes ended mid semester and another class took its place (Oral Histology and Biochemistry II).

3) What is the hardest class? Why?
I'm only a first year although the hardest class we had so far is probably dental anatomy. Theres quite a bit of material to know and the questions are multiple choice with some questions having 7 or 8 choices.

4) What is the easiest class? Why? Professionalism, we were given extra credit so even if someone bombed the tests they could still easily get an A.

5) Are your classmates generally gunners and try to sabatoge each other? If not, is the culture one where everybody tries to help everybody out?

In the first year there are people that are thinking about specializing but few people that are dead set on it. The general environment is that everyone tries to help each other. I know our class and the class above us have yahoo groups in which we give each other useful files and information. The only element of 'sabatoge' I saw so far is that things get stolen sometimes if you leave them out in the open overnight. Most people carve their student number in their equipment for that very reason.

6) Are the class notes based primarily on textbooks? or based on lecture powerpoints made up by professors?

At least in the first year, pretty much all the teachers have powerpoints that are available on blackboard. Although getting the textbooks is generally a good idea.

7) Are there any classes taken with medical students? If so, which ones?
None i had so far.

8) What is the grading system? Pass/Fail/Honors? Letter Grades? Percentages?
Depends on the class. You either get Pass/fail in some or a letter grade. Your rank is based on the avg of the letter grades. Theres an academic warning if you get 2 C's or 1 D and you need to keep your GPA at a 2.6 or higher at all times.

9) Is there a notetaking service for lecture available?
Nope, you could pay a student to do it although generally most notes are covered in the given powerpoints. People in our class occasionally post their typed notes on the yahoo group.

10) Is class attendance mandatory?
Yup, most classes have a sign in sheet although I have no idea how strictly its enforced. Missing a class or two isn't the end of the world and each class handles it differently. For instance heres a quote from my oral histology syllabus: "If a student fails to attend 85% of the class contact ours, he/she may be given an incomplete grade which can be removed upon satisfactory completion of a graded written assignment given by the course director."

11) In general, are teachers approachable for questions? Or are they for the most part very busy and unreachable (research, etc...)?
I never really tried contacting any teachers outside of class. The only time i needed a teacher so far was in Intro to dentisty where there was always an instructor in the modules to look at any projects I had.


12) Is there a big brother/big sister program that pairs you with an upperclassman or professor who "mentors" you?
Yup, someone from the year above you. I don't know of anyone that really takes advantage of their big brother but its a cute idea. Although my big brother was pretty nice and invited me and some other 1st years to a party of his.

14) When do you take the NDBE? 1st year or second year?
Second year, probably around this time no less.

15) Do you get a block of time off before boards to study? If so, how long? If not, do you have to study simultaneously with classes?
The second years have their finals end on Dec 14th and Classes Start again on Jan 7th. I don't know the possible dates for the boards but I get the feeling most students are studying now.

16) Do most people study in the University Library? Or does the place clear out right after school and everybody studies on their own?
We have quite a few people in the Library but its not the University Library. Theres a really nice Library in the med school called the fishbowl that people go to.

23) What is the dress code at your school? Scrubs? For what years?
Scrubs and lab coat for all 4 years. Not too many people wear the white coat since it gets dirty and during this time a good number of students are wearing sweaters over their scrubs.

24) Where do a majority of students live?
Shadyside, squirrel hill and oakland.


On a side note, we get some clinical experience starting first semester. We don't do much, just suction other assistant duties for 3rd and 4th years but its something I rather liked about pitt.

 

[Anatomy Fanatic]

Thanks so much for filling this out! I am pretty sure I'm heading to Pitt next fall, and its great to hear a little bit about the school. Does Pitt require you to buy a laptop, and if so do you have to buy it from them or do they just require that you own one?

 

[Golddanboy]

Thanks so much for filling this out! I am pretty sure I'm heading to Pitt next fall, and its great to hear a little bit about the school. Does Pitt require you to buy a laptop, and if so do you have to buy it from them or do they just require that you own one?

Thats awesome that your so interested in Pitt. They don't require that you get a laptop or even own one although its a pretty good idea to get one anyway. You don't really need anything fancy; my 2yr old $400 InspironB120 is more then enough. Although the person that sits next to me has a touch screen laptop which she writes her notes in directly to the powerpoints (soooo cool). There is a computer lab thats open pretty much anytime although its a pretty terrible place to study before 5pm on weekdays since all the computer have speakers (after that its one of the best places since nobody is around).

On a side note, you get a program called tooth atlas the first year which contains about 75% of what you need to know for dental anatomy. Its on some computers in the lab but I rather like studying at my apt.

 

[Anatomy Fanatic]

Thanks for the info about the laptop! Maybe I'll get a tablet like that girl you sit next to has while they are cheap around the holidays!

Also, I noticed you all wore embroidered scrubs. Are these scrubs provided by the school as part of your fees or do you have to buy them on your own? I'm curious, since people have been asking me what I want for Christmas and I thought scrubs could be a good gift!

And any advice about housing? Should I stay away from any areas? Are some areas better than others? How much should I be spending for a 2 bedroom apartment fairly close to the school?

 

[ColdFish]

Golddanboy,
hey iwas also wondering, some schools require an externship as part of the curriculum. like at a vetrans hospital or at a prison. is there anything like that which is part of the 3rd or 4th year standard curriculum