not doing well after first semester, thoughts

[Dent001]

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Im struggling way more than the typical student in my class. i feel like i study a lot for exams and know the material, but then i get the grades back and im consistently on the 65-78 range. im really dissapointed with myself. i was pretty smart in undergrad, but this is a different ball game. its as if its not even about understanding the material, but rather memorizing massive amounts of random facts, old tests, and regurgitating it. i really struggle with straight memorization

 

[Daurang]

You made too far to give up so don't. I almost flunked out my first year too. It gets much easier and more comprehensible after the first year.

 

[7 Iron]

You'll need to adapt your studying practices for each different class/professor you have. For instance, my first quarter was probably 75% studying for anatomy with the rest going to the other 4 classes I had. It took much more effort to get a good grade in that class, even though the class wasn't weighted that much more than any other.

It takes some time but you will learn what sorts of things are most important and what is not so important. Since there's so much material (so much so that you need to be a computer to learn it all), concentrate on what you think is the MOST important information. Don't get bogged down by the most trivial details that probably won't show up on the exam.

Also do you have a productive study group? These help me solidify my understanding of things after I have gone through material myself.

 

[persenmi]

(78+65) / 2 = 71.5. 71.5 > 70. 70 = passing. What's the problem? If you understand the material but get a bad (but passing) grade, you win. If you don't understand the material but get a good grade (rote memorization and regurgetation) you lose. Take the letter grade with a grain of salt. Just pass and be confident that you learned the material to the best of your ability 😉.

 

[HillsNayyr]

You have to realize that dental school pretty much made up of that top 5% or so of students you had in each class of undergrad. You're not going to have a bunch of idiots getting 40% on every exam and a professor that will curve so they pass. The majority of your class is probably getting a C. C's in dental school aren't bad at all.

 

[Dent001]

i have tried working in study groups. i have found that some types of ppl i cannot learn with while others i learn well. i have a few groups that i float through so i get a good amount of variety in resources. i am considering making an appointment with academic services to figure out how i can do better than i am.

 

[gryffindor]

...its as if its not even about understanding the material, but rather memorizing massive amounts of random facts, old tests, and regurgitating it. i really struggle with straight memorization

You already know what's wrong with your study technique and what you have to do. You wrote it above. Now do it. It is all about memorizing and regurgitating. Just do it. It took me some time to get used to it as well. College was all about concepts and writing essays. I don't remember writing any essays in dental school, maybe we wrote a group paper in Community Dentistry. Dental school was about memorizing and then being able to locate the correct answer out of 4 or 5 choices. I used to take the entire time allotted for exams, reading the questions over and over trying to remember that little detail to get the right answer and sometimes it would work for me.

 

[YaoMingBU]

Try pre-reading the lecture material before the actual lecture. You'll learn 10x as much during the lecture and make studying much easier.

 

[HM-boss]

if you are not looking to specialize then don't even stress it!! this is the only time i agree with the saying "Cs get degrees" i mean who cares what your grades are if your going to graduate a dentist. if your looking to specialize however its a different story then

 

[ncide]

if you are not looking to specialize then don't even stress it!! this is the only time i agree with the saying "Cs get degrees" i mean who cares what your grades are if your going to graduate a dentist. if your looking to specialize however its a different story then

6 year old thread bro.

If you are borderline 65-70, and fail a course, you are at risk of getting dropped from the class so it's good to stay away from that level regardless of interest in specializing.

 

[vk223]

Try to organize your thoughts even for the memorization stuff. Make concept maps, tables, study guides, etc. Sometimes I close my eyes and try to recall info as much as possible then compare that with my notes.
For me the harder part is physio. Our lecture sucks, and I swear I watched at least 100+ Khan academy videos...

 

[Tooth Ferry]

Flow charts rule