Not Your Average Predent

[N1264d]

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All,

I currently work full time in an unrelated field. I enjoy my job and will be eligible to retire in 10 yrs. with a pension. The other day I was in the dentists office and had a very enjoyable experience. I have never pretended to enjoy going to the dentist but I received superior customer service. Since that time I have been looking into dental schools and careers almost obsessively. I never thought I would say it but I want to be a dentist!

My current job is very self satisfying and service oriented. The money as a dentist would be comparable for the first few years without the overtime that I would usually put in, after that I would do better as a dentist. I like the idea that as a dentist I would have more time to spend with my family, less stress (sounds funny but true), less chance of injury and the opportunity to help people out while making a very good income.

I still have some classes to finish before being able to apply to schools and want to attend UOP. I believe their professionalism and 3 yr. program would fit me well. I am studying for the DAT, although some concepts in biology, chemistry and math I am still learning. I am self learning those concepts and plan to score very high to boost my score. Did I forget to mention I have a family with a handful of kids?

Am I crazy? Have I lost my mind? Is my plan even possible? If all goes to plan I would be entering dental school at 33 or 34 and I plan on doing plenty of shadowing before admission to make sure this is what I want to do. I also have a long history of volunteering in non-dental related fields.

Has anyone else run into similar circumstances, and if so, how did or is it working out?

Thanks,

Hopeful D1

PS: If you tell me I can't do it and to just give up, it might just motivate me even more to prove you wrong!

 

[Lethstang]

You arent crazy. There are a handful of us untraditional applicants applying this cycle. Life is short - youve mastered one field, why not master another?

Steve

 

[minotaur9]

I'm currently 32 and if accepted this cycle, would be 33 when I enter dental school. I don't have a handful of kids to take care of but I don't think you're crazy at all. If you are truly committed to your goal, just be prepared to have perserverence and hang in there. I didn't expect it but it's take me a year and a half to get this far, but it has, and if I don't get in this cycle, I will be applying again next year and working to strengthen my app in the meantime. Perserverence and committment is the name of the game. Can you do it!?! (a little challenge for ya 😉)

 

[DrDDSman]

So by your post, you're around 31-32 years old? Out of curiosity, what kind of job will let you retire with pension at the age or 42, unless you've been working at the same company that lets you retire after 20 years of service? You seem to have a pretty successful career at the moment, and since you've looked into schools, you probably have noticed that the cost of education is very high.

But to answer your question, no you will not be too old for dental school! If this is what you want to do (and you should be sure), then do it. I would definitely shadow a dentist or two so you get an idea of the things they do and make a decision from there.

 

[r2thekesh]

I'm not going to say that you couldn't become a dentist but I will say that its not a smart idea. So you're 10 years away from pension (ie. a life of doing nothing but be happy and enjoying life). Let's say you switched to devoting your life to a dentist. The quickest way is to quit your job, start studying and taking all of the required classes at a four year university and studying for the DAT. You would have to use up your savings to do that. Then assuming you get into UOP (one of the harder schools to get into and one of the most expensive) you would use up 3 years and 300k if not 400k (assuming they continue to raise prices) by the time you get into school. Then you've used up at the minimum 4 years and lets assume you use all your further income to get out of debt.

Then you're finally a dentist, 10 years later and out of debt. You've got the possibility of a good life but you have to assume your body won't give out on you the whole time. So really do you want to take a $300,000 risk of loans plus all the money you will spend on the university classes, living during these 10 years, and all of this time? And how much is the fun and free time you will have during these 10 years worth to you?

 

[MMAGS]

You're not crazy. Many before you have had success taking the same path you are taking now, but if you need someone to tell you that you can't do for extra motivation then... you can't do it.

 

[TwentyTwelve]

Thats an interesting situation...while im not going to question your motivation or ability to complete dental school and become a practicing dentist I feel there are some points to be made. I would have to agree with r2thekesh on multiple points regarding the time and monetary investment in dentistry. Being that you do enjoy your job I would say it is not worth the risk of giving up your current job and pension with a posh retirement at age 40 which every working professional dreams about. Not knowing your financial situation, dental school will run you 200k to 400k depending on the school of choice plus the immense time investment associated with pre-reqs, DAT prep, and the four years of dental school. That may eat up a majority of your savings thus, you would end dental school at age 36 with no savings. This situation in just my opinion would not be ideal only because you already enjoy your job and derive satisfaction from your situation. So comparing the two potential outcomes, one retiring comfortably at age 40, or two, starting a new line of work at age 36 and working for another 20-30 years and retiring at age 60. Not only that, but you would be giving up 10 years of family time, vacations, going our with friends etc. that you may take for granted now. Im currently 24 and HATE my current job after graduating from VT in 2008. I got an CT scan done a while back and fell in love with radiology. However, after pursuing this track and doing due diligence on the field, I realized that Dentistry was the proper path as it engaged more of my interests and abilities. Where im going with this is I would really investigate the field of Dentistry and not let a brief moment of awe or inspiration distract you from your ultimate goal or current satisfactory job situation. Im not trying to be a downer or deter you from a goal if Dentistry is your true destiny but it seems like you are content, successful and have a very bright future in your job...something that I would hate for you to give up....just my 2 cents...

 

[DentStudent2010]

All,

I currently work full time in an unrelated field. I enjoy my job and will be eligible to retire in 10 yrs. with a pension. The other day I was in the dentists office and had a very enjoyable experience. I have never pretended to enjoy going to the dentist but I received superior customer service. Since that time I have been looking into dental schools and careers almost obsessively. I never thought I would say it but I want to be a dentist!

My current job is very self satisfying and service oriented. The money as a dentist would be comparable for the first few years without the overtime that I would usually put in, after that I would do better as a dentist. I like the idea that as a dentist I would have more time to spend with my family, less stress (sounds funny but true), less chance of injury and the opportunity to help people out while making a very good income.

I still have some classes to finish before being able to apply to schools and want to attend UOP. I believe their professionalism and 3 yr. program would fit me well. I am studying for the DAT, although some concepts in biology, chemistry and math I am still learning. I am self learning those concepts and plan to score very high to boost my score. Did I forget to mention I have a family with a handful of kids?

Am I crazy? Have I lost my mind? Is my plan even possible? If all goes to plan I would be entering dental school at 33 or 34 and I plan on doing plenty of shadowing before admission to make sure this is what I want to do. I also have a long history of volunteering in non-dental related fields.

Has anyone else run into similar circumstances, and if so, how did or is it working out?

Thanks,

Hopeful D1

PS: If you tell me I can't do it and to just give up, it might just motivate me even more to prove you wrong!

#1. You havn't even shadowed a dentist, who are you to say it is less stressful than what you do for a living?

#2 less chance of injury? You do know that we work on Hepatitis and AIDS patients right?

#3 your crazy, dont go to dental school.

Once I was very pleased that the garbage men picked my trash up right when I took it outside, that experience didn't make me want to be a garbage man!

 

[DentStudent2010]

Thats an interesting situation...while im not going to question your motivation or ability to complete dental school and become a practicing dentist I feel there are some points to be made. I would have to agree with r2thekesh on multiple points regarding the time and monetary investment in dentistry. Being that you do enjoy your job I would say it is not worth the risk of giving up your current job and pension with a posh retirement at age 40 which every working professional dreams about. Not knowing your financial situation, dental school will run you 200k to 400k depending on the school of choice plus the immense time investment associated with pre-reqs, DAT prep, and the four years of dental school. That may eat up a majority of your savings thus, you would end dental school at age 36 with no savings. This situation in just my opinion would not be ideal only because you already enjoy your job and derive satisfaction from your situation. So comparing the two potential outcomes, one retiring comfortably at age 40, or two, starting a new line of work at age 36 and working for another 20-30 years and retiring at age 60. Not only that, but you would be giving up 10 years of family time, vacations, going our with friends etc. that you may take for granted now. Im currently 24 and HATE my current job after graduating from VT in 2008. I got an CT scan done a while back and fell in love with radiology. However, after pursuing this track and doing due diligence on the field, I realized that Dentistry was the proper path as it engaged more of my interests and abilities. Where im going with this is I would really investigate the field of Dentistry and not let a brief moment of awe or inspiration distract you from your ultimate goal or current satisfactory job situation. Im not trying to be a downer or deter you from a goal if Dentistry is your true destiny but it seems like you are content, successful and have a very bright future in your job...something that I would hate for you to give up....just my 2 cents...

 

[N1264d]

Thank you for all of the replies and motivation. I don't plan on rushing into anything. In the meantime I am working on my pre-req's so that I can go that way if I choose to. As for the questions on stress I work in law enforcement and and subject to recall 24 hours. 20 hr. days at least once a week are fairly common. I generally don't get my days off also due to recall. I don't plan on being in debt for 10 yrs due to dental school. Alaska has a plan due to needing dentists and not having a dental school. If accepted, and 1 in 11 are, then I would receive tuition and fees along with a $1,200 a month stipend while in school. My commitment afterward would be the same years I had paid in school in an underprivileged area (read public health). Not a problem for me as I like working in those areas. Running some basic numbers it seems dentistry would be a good option. Even after retirement I would still have to work as my pension would only be 45% of my salary. If I plan on working until 55 under the dentistry plan I would make almost twice as much and still receive a percentage of my pension based on years in service and other retirement accounts. I have thought a lot about it and am working towards being a dentist but I am not going to do anything drastic until I have done a lot of job shadowing with various dentists. I can' chase bad guys forever and know that even after retirement I will have to work so I am exploring my options. Thank you for all the input and please keep up with more. The motivation is working. 🙂

 

[TwentyTwelve]

haha ouch dentstudent...yall are vicious on here lol...would 'became intersted in the field' or 'was facinated by the results' be better??

and yeah we are not trying to deter you in anyway, I know through experience that when one becomes enamored with a field, they tend to overlook some glaring obstacles or get into a 'the grass is always greener on the other side' mode and dont look how good they currently have it...

good luck with whatever path you choose!!

 

[bjhath]

All,
Am I crazy? Have I lost my mind? Is my plan even possible? If all goes to plan I would be entering dental school at 33 or 34 and I plan on doing plenty of shadowing before admission to make sure this is what I want to do. I also have a long history of volunteering in non-dental related fields.

Has anyone else run into similar circumstances, and if so, how did or is it working out?

Thanks,

Hopeful D1

PS: If you tell me I can't do it and to just give up, it might just motivate me even more to prove you wrong!

Hello from a fellow nontraditional student. I am 34 and am a D1 at UoP. Married, but with no kids.

Hopefully I can shed some light on your situation. First, yes, you are crazy.😉 And, yes it is possible. But you will have to work your tail off.

I fell into dentistry in a similar fashion. I was working as an engineer and was 12 years away from a pension. But, I did not like my job, nor any other prospective engineering jobs. I wan’t 100% sure I wanted to make the career change at first. The idea of giving up a great job (wrt pay and benefits), starting over, and taking on $400k in debt made the decision to switch careers difficult. However, I began the process by taking prereqs while working. I shadowed a family friend/golf buddy who is a dentist and liked what I experienced. It wasn’t long before I wholly embraced dentistry as a great career fit for me and wished I had found dentistry when I was younger! I applied in 2007 with low DAT scores (I hadn’t taken ochem or bio yet) and got rejected. I improved my application (shadowing, community service, and prereqs), applied in 2008, and got accepted!

Dental school is tough. Trying to balance school and home life makes school difficult and I don’t even have any kids! But, I am doing it and loving it. Additionally there are 5-6 classmates who are older than me, married, and have 2-4 kids. We are all surviving and a couple are near the top of the class.

My suggestions are as follows. Be committed to switching careers so that you give yourself the best chances of getting accepted. Make sure you get As in your prereqs, do extremely well on the DAT (you need >20 on all sections to have a good chance at UoP), shadow a dentist(s) for at least 50-60 hours, have plenty of community service, and write a strong personal statement.

UoP is a great school and there is nowhere else I would rather be. We are treated like adults and we are a friendly bunch. You will work hard (d-school is one of the hardest things I have ever done), but it is worth it. UoP is older student friendly (we have at least 10 people in the class that are 30 or older and the oldest is 46). With your background in public service, and future in public health, I think you have a realistic chance of getting into UoP. Just make sure you are 100% committed to becoming a dentist, have solid grades, and exceptional DAT scores.

My one caution is to be careful about your projected income, especially working in public health. Make sure you know the facts about what public health pays (it is usually much lower than ADA average income numbers), but Alaska may be different. Do your homework and be honest with yourself.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck!

Brian

P.S. Nevermind, it is impossible to do, you are crazy, and you should give up now. Now, prove me wrong!

 

[g23armani]

I just wanted to make sure you knew the scholarship you are talking about is only valid if you are Native American. IHS does offer a loan repayment program but the full ride scholarship + stipend is for members of federally recognized tribes going to dental school.

Thank you for all of the replies and motivation. I don't plan on rushing into anything. In the meantime I am working on my pre-req's so that I can go that way if I choose to. As for the questions on stress I work in law enforcement and and subject to recall 24 hours. 20 hr. days at least once a week are fairly common. I generally don't get my days off also due to recall. I don't plan on being in debt for 10 yrs due to dental school. Alaska has a plan due to needing dentists and not having a dental school. If accepted, and 1 in 11 are, then I would receive tuition and fees along with a $1,200 a month stipend while in school. My commitment afterward would be the same years I had paid in school in an underprivileged area (read public health). Not a problem for me as I like working in those areas. Running some basic numbers it seems dentistry would be a good option. Even after retirement I would still have to work as my pension would only be 45% of my salary. If I plan on working until 55 under the dentistry plan I would make almost twice as much and still receive a percentage of my pension based on years in service and other retirement accounts. I have thought a lot about it and am working towards being a dentist but I am not going to do anything drastic until I have done a lot of job shadowing with various dentists. I can' chase bad guys forever and know that even after retirement I will have to work so I am exploring my options. Thank you for all the input and please keep up with more. The motivation is working. 🙂

 

[N1264d]

It all depends on the programs you are looking at. I guess being born and raised in Alaska doesn't make me an Alaska Native, too bad. 🙂 I have fought that one my whole life. I was actually referring to the scholarship info found here http://nhsc.hrsa.gov/scholarship/apply.htm and not the one offered by IHS. Honestly if I go this route I will take whatever I can get as Dental School isn't cheap and the faster it gets paid off the better.

Brian, thanks for the enlightening info. I am planning on shadowing a dentist this week with followup visits to other dentists. If all looks good then I will continue to study and take the DAT this Summer with the goal of obtaining a slot at UOP starting 2011. My goals may be a bit lofty but if I do this then I want to get it done. I have already started studying for the DAT and am enjoying every bit of it. The most difficult part on the DAT will be science as a lot of the classes I am self teaching. As of now I only have Bio I taken in 2000 and didn't do that well. The good thing is I am more motivated when I am dedicated to the task. I am also going to try and attend the Dental Lab Sim this year at UOP.

Thanks again and I will probably PM you with some questions if that is ok.

 

[N1264d]

Calling dentists offices today around town. I know I should not be nervous but for some reason it is taking a bit to make the calls. I already have one shadow set up for next week at a private practice and am hoping to schedule at least one more private practice and then one at a public clinic. After that I may check into areas of specialization and away we go.

 

[Lethstang]

yo bro,

i just started shadowing at the VA clinic. Its easy. the best way is to call the clinic directly, ask to speak who is in charge of shadowing, ask them, and then go through volunteer services to set it up. if you go thru volunteer services first, u may get lost in the red tape as well as forgotten.

 

[yuppers]

If you tell me I can't do it and to just give up, it might just motivate me even more to prove you wrong!

You can't do it so just give up. And don't even try to prove me wrong... because you can't do that either.

😉 enough motivation. Good luck.

 

[bjhath]

Calling dentists offices today around town. I know I should not be nervous but for some reason it is taking a bit to make the calls. I already have one shadow set up for next week at a private practice and am hoping to schedule at least one more private practice and then one at a public clinic. After that I may check into areas of specialization and away we go.

Glad to hear it. Good luck!

 

[DentSchools]

I think you should go for it man. I was in ur shoes last year. Although, I am still in my twenties, I have an MS in a completely unrelated field and worked in it for about 3 yrs before thinking about dentistry and I am married. On top of that I did not have any science courses as an undergrad. But I went back to school finished all the requirements and took the DAT (twice, in fact I have a post here that states my DAT experience) and I interviewed at 4 schools of the 6 I applied to and got accepted to 2. And will be starting this fall, YES. But yeah, research it some more and start by taking some science classes at night to see if you like it and all the luck to you. You can do it.

 

[Mudfever]

You are not too old. I had a buddy while I was in my post bac who was 42 and retired military. He is now in his second year of Pharm school.

As far as the pension and retirement thing goes, I will give you some advice one of my accounting professors gave me. The term is "sunk cost". Once you have researched and fully decided on a different direction to take, You should make the change. His advice was concerning changing majors 3 years into a degree. But it works here as well. You could ride out the next 10 years to reach your pension and possibly regret not going to Dental school, or even then decide to start your journey and be 16+ years from now doing what you want. Or you could start now and in 6 years, be a dentist and doing what you love. The pension and time you have put towards it become a sunk cost.

All of this being said, you first have to research and be fully certian dentistry is what you want AND your wife (and kids) understands the sacrifices, agrees and is supportive.

 

[Major Groove]

I'm not going to say that you couldn't become a dentist but I will say that its not a smart idea.

Absolutely!

Deciding to go to Dental school is a HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE idea...

Unless you are one of the very very very few for whom it is right. It's similar to throwing clothes in a suitcase, buying a beat up Stratocaster at the pawn shop and heading to LA in hopes of the big time.

You only do that if you are either A) insane or B) called from some place deep in your heart and/or on a mission from God.

It so happens I was B (I think) and am indeed headed to OU this year. But had I not made it?

Ouch!!

The effort is very expensive and trying. I had to give up pretty much everything I was to become who I am/am going to be.

It's a tough road only worth it if you are truly serious.

 

[New2Philly]

Calling dentists offices today around town. I know I should not be nervous but for some reason it is taking a bit to make the calls. I already have one shadow set up for next week at a private practice and am hoping to schedule at least one more private practice and then one at a public clinic. After that I may check into areas of specialization and away we go.

I am a older and non-traditional married student as well, and I know how goofy it can feel to to into a dental office and ask to shadow when your not the traditional college student. My advice is to use your family dentist, and be straight forward and clear with what you want to get out of the experience. I have found most dentists to be extremely open to students of any age.

I don't know your situation personally but if your wife is 100% behind you, and you really want to become a dentist I think you should go for it. Especially if you don't have any kids.

 

[Major Groove]

I am a older and non-traditional married student as well, and I know how goofy it can feel to to into a dental office and ask to shadow when your not the traditional college student. My advice is to use your family dentist, and be straight forward and clear with what you want to get out of the experience. I have found most dentists to be extremely open to students of any age.

I don't know your situation personally but if your wife is 100% behind you, and you really want to become a dentist I think you should go for it. Especially if you don't have any kids.

2nd 👍