Pitt Dental Students who just finished first semester, ask us anything about Pitt or Dental school

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Basically what the title said. @Daneosaurus had a great idea to have a sort of AMA after our first semester ended, so here we are. Feel free to ask us anything you want about Pitt Dental, dental school in general or anything else!

There's really no Pitt presence here on SDN, so we figured we'd pop in to answer some questions 🙂
 
1. What numerical grades correspond to what alpha grades? (i.e. what does an 80 etc. translate to in letter grades?)
2. Do you get both numerical and letter grades on your transcript? or only one?
3. Is the class ranked?
4. How hard is it to achieve a 3.8+ GPA?
 
Also,

5. how much time off do you get in the summer after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year?
6. How much do you expect to pay in total after 4 years? (including food, board, tuition, fees). I know the numbers the schools put out are usually a bit higher.

Thanks :joyful:
 
zammyd said:
1. What numerical grades correspond to what alpha grades? (i.e. what does an 80 etc. translate to in letter grades?)
2. Do you get both numerical and letter grades on your transcript? or only one?
3. Is the class ranked?
4. How hard is it to achieve a 3.8+ GPA?
Click to expand...

I guess @Daneosaurus and I will just answer every question if we can!

1. Depends entirely on the teacher. Some do 90-100 = A, some 90-92=A- and 93-100=A, etc. It's up to the teacher.
2. You only get a letter grade.
3. Class is ranked, however you have to ask to see your ranking.
4. All dependent on the person. It's definitely possible, but the coursework is a little more strenuous than other schools since we take our boards after D1.
5. 99.9% certain we have Fall, Spring and Summer terms 1st, 2nd and 3rd year but we do not have summer term after 4th year since, you know, you graduate. You get roughly a month off between Summer and Fall terms, two weeks off between Fall and Spring terms and then one week off between Spring and Summer.
6. If you take out max loans and are OOS, you'll take ~$360,000 over the four years. However, I took out max loans this semester (since I had to move to Pitt, etc.) and I had ~$5k left after the first semester. I expect to have the same amount left after Spring, so I plan on taking $10-11k less in loans next year.
 
thank you for this!!
1) when should an incoming student start looking for apartments? Do you recommend living on campus or off campus if you're not from the region?
2) what schools did you have to decide on?
3) looking back, why did you choose Pitt and do you feel it met all your expectations?
4) where did you move from and how was the transition?
5) do students use the school health insurance or typically get their own from the marketplace?
 
7. Would you say class textbooks are a must-buy? Or can you do equally as well with lecture slides/notes and internet sources?
 
Confused1617 said:
thank you for this!!
1) when should an incoming student start looking for apartments? Do you recommend living on campus or off campus if you're not from the region?
2) what schools did you have to decide on?
3) looking back, why did you choose Pitt and do you feel it met all your expectations?
4) where did you move from and how was the transition?
5) do students use the school health insurance or typically get their own from the marketplace?
Click to expand...

No problem!

1. I looked for apartments near the end of March during my spring break. Some people looked earlier, some people looked much later. I highly recommend living off-campus in the Shadyside/Oakland area
2. I decided between a few schools... Pitt, Kentucky, MWUs, Nova, CWRU and a few others that tbh I can't remember right now
3. I chose Pitt because 1) it was cheaper, 2) it has a reputation for being a bit more rigorous, which I appreciate. I'd rather do more than less so Pitt was perfect for me. I feel like it met every single one of my expectations, for better or worse (it really is a lot of work... doable, but a lot. Worth it though.)
4. Moved from Florida, turns out it's not to bad... although we had our first snow of the season on Friday and that's not the usual trend lol
5. Most of us have our own insurance, but a few do use the schools. I mooch off my parents #ThanksObama
 
zammyd said:
7. Would you say class textbooks are a must-buy? Or can you do equally as well with lecture slides/notes and internet sources?
Click to expand...

7. I did not buy a single textbook. The D2's gave us PDF versions of all the books, and I'm sure our class will give you all PDF versions of every book. Pitt matches up D2's and incoming D1's into "Bigs" and "Littles" so it's easy to learn the ropes and figure your way around the first year of dental school.

That being said, I never opened a book once.
 
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Confused1617 said:
thank you for this!!
1) when should an incoming student start looking for apartments? Do you recommend living on campus or off campus if you're not from the region?
2) what schools did you have to decide on?
3) looking back, why did you choose Pitt and do you feel it met all your expectations?
4) where did you move from and how was the transition?
5) do students use the school health insurance or typically get their own from the marketplace?
Click to expand...
1. I started in May. Worked out fine, but I needed 3 bedrooms. On the FB, page, some of your classmates will likely say they're in need of roommates, and we received those messages well into August.
2. Pitt, LECOM, and MWU-AZ. The choice was easy.
3. I chose Pitt because it was the best school I got into. Also, my wife got into grad school here as well, so it really worked out for us.
4. Virginia. The transition was miserable, but that has nothing to do with the school.
5. I'm on the student health plan, as it was the best option for me and my family.
 
Are there a lot of gunners in the class? Do a significant portion have plans to specialize?
 
zammyd said:
Are there a lot of gunners in the class? Do a significant portion have plans to specialize?
Click to expand...

Not at all, everyone is pretty great. There are maybe two really focused people, but I wouldn't even classify them as true "gunners" (i.e. I don't think anyone in our class would purposely ruin your project.)
 
PittStudentC/O2019 said:
7. I did not buy a single textbook. The D2's gave us PDF versions of all the books, and I'm sure our class will give you all PDF versions of every book. Pitt matches up D2's and incoming D1's into "Bigs" and "Littles" so it's easy to learn the ropes and figure your way around the first year of dental school.

That being said, I never opened a book once.
Click to expand...
So you didn't use as much of the estimated book supplies budget?
 
Confused1617 said:
So you didn't use as much of the estimated book supplies budget?
Click to expand...

I used that money to buy an above average laptop. So yeah, turns out that's another $1k I didn't really use for it's intended purpose that I won't be using in the future.

Thanks for reminding me that I'm gonna have an extra $1k waiting for me this next semester 😛
 
8. Can you get scholarships during 2, 3, 4 years for doing well academically? How much can you get and how well do you have to do?
 
zammyd said:
8. Can you get scholarships during 2, 3, 4 years for doing well academically? How much can you get and how well do you have to do?
Click to expand...

No idea on the specifics, but I know the top two students are given a huge scholarship every year (Dean's Scholarship) and they are reevaluated every year. If you don't get it D1, you could get it D2, D3 or D4 if you manage to fit into those top slots.
 
9. If I lived a 5 hour drive away from home, is it feasible to go home maybe once every 2 weeks for a weekend? or will I not have much time to do that?
 
zammyd said:
9. If I lived a 5 hour drive away from home, is it feasible to go home maybe once every 2 weeks for a weekend? or will I not have much time to do that?
Click to expand...

Is it feasible? Yes. Would you want to? Probably not. You'll be pretty busy your first semester and I assume you'd want to spend most of your free time making new friends.
 
zammyd said:
9. If I lived a 5 hour drive away from home, is it feasible to go home maybe once every 2 weeks for a weekend? or will I not have much time to do that?
Click to expand...
Yes. There are people in our class who make similar trips at about the same frequency. Just remember, we have a lot of exams, but you will know about them well in advance.
 
10. What's you class schedule like Mon-Fri?

*PS I love you guys for doing this.
 
zammyd said:
10. What's you class schedule like Mon-Fri?

*PS I love you guys for doing this.
Click to expand...

Basically 8-5 every day, but some days you get off early and other days you have groups/rotation stuff so if you don't have anything that day you're free to go/come in later (rare at first but extremely common near the end of the year).

Next semester we get 8-4 every day with no relief. Yay.
 
PittStudentC/O2019 said:
Basically 8-5 every day, but some days you get off early and other days you have groups/rotation stuff so if you don't have anything that day you're free to go/come in later (rare at first but extremely common near the end of the year).

Next semester we get 8-4 every day with no relief. Yay.
Click to expand...

How many of hours of the day is straight lecture? Is it hard to pay attention throughout the whole day? I feel like I would be falling asleep in class waking up that early!
 
zammyd said:
How many of hours of the day is straight lecture? Is it hard to pay attention throughout the whole day? I feel like I would be falling asleep in class waking up that early!
Click to expand...

Majority of it is straight lecturing. It's basically like high school all over again. And yes, it's extremely difficult to pay attention and I personally can never keep up. @Daneosaurus does a much better job of staying focused though, and I know a lot of others who do it. I don't learn through lectures though, so it's ultimately pointless for me.
 
PittStudentC/O2019 said:
Majority of it is straight lecturing. It's basically like high school all over again. And yes, it's extremely difficult to pay attention and I personally can never keep up. @Daneosaurus does a much better job of staying focused though, and I know a lot of others who do it. I don't learn through lectures though, so it's ultimately pointless for me.
Click to expand...

How many of your classes are recorded?

Also do they keep track of attendance?
 
zammyd said:
10. What's you class schedule like Mon-Fri?
Click to expand...
8-5 on Monday and Friday, with an hour for lunch. Tuesday and Thursday we have clinical rotations: 9-12 T, 1-4 Th. We get out at 5 most days of the week.
 
zammyd said:
How many of your classes are recorded?

Also do they keep track of attendance?
Click to expand...

Once again, all dependent on the professor. Most classes are recorded, but some aren't. When there's mandatory attendance, it's normally a few lectures a year are mandatory and the rest are optional. Highly recommend showing up though, because in a class of 80, that's where you make all your friends.
 
zammyd said:
How many of your classes are recorded?

Also do they keep track of attendance?
Click to expand...
A lot of our classes are recorded. I found it helpful for biochem and micro. Though they'll tell you otherwise, attendance is mostly optional in the lectures.
 
PittStudentC/O2019 said:
Once again, all dependent on the professor. Most classes are recorded, but some aren't. When there's mandatory attendance, it's normally a few lectures a year are mandatory and the rest are optional. Highly recommend showing up though, because in a class of 80, that's where you make all your friends.
Click to expand...
Pretty much this. Definitely show up. Everyone will know if you are habitually missing.
 
PittStudentC/O2019 said:
Basically 8-5 every day, but some days you get off early and other days you have groups/rotation stuff so if you don't have anything that day you're free to go/come in later (rare at first but extremely common near the end of the year).

Next semester we get 8-4 every day with no relief. Yay.
Click to expand...
None. It looks brutal. The afternoons are all anatomy.
 
Would you say study every day? How hard is it to balance studying/meal preps/fun stuff? I think if I had to wake up at 6:30 everyday I would be in bed by 10pm, which doesn't give you much time after class to do all those things?
 
zammyd said:
Would you say study every day? How hard is it to balance studying/meal preps/fun stuff? I think if I had to wake up at 6:30 everyday I would be in bed by 10pm, which doesn't give you much time after class to do all those things?
Click to expand...

I study almost everyday. Take Fridays off and most Saturdays as well... unless, of course, we have an exam early the following week but most of them are scheduled for Wednesday-Friday. Meal prep isn't that bad if you don't cook elaborate meals everyday, but the night before an exam I'll almost always eat out or eat something super quick. For fun stuff, about 45% of the class goes out to bars, clubs, casino, etc. every weekend. I personally have to go out at least once every week in order to stay sane.
 
Not to scare anyone away, but be prepared to work. Dental school is very fast paced, with a ton of information. The exams are usually staggered throughout the semester, except in October and December, due to midterms and finals. I try to study a bit everyday, but some days I can't study as much, due to family obligations. I haven't gone to bed before 11:30 once this semester.
zammyd said:
Would you say study every day? How hard is it to balance studying/meal preps/fun stuff? I think if I had to wake up at 6:30 everyday I would be in bed by 10pm, which doesn't give you much time after class to do all those things?
Click to expand...
 
PittStudentC/O2019 said:
I study almost everyday. Take Fridays off and most Saturdays as well... unless, of course, we have an exam early the following week but most of them are scheduled for Wednesday-Friday. Meal prep isn't that bad if you don't cook elaborate meals everyday, but the night before an exam I'll almost always eat out or eat something super quick. For fun stuff, about 45% of the class goes out to bars, clubs, casino, etc. every weekend. I personally have to go out at least once every week in order to stay sane.
Click to expand...
How frequent are exams and do they give you independent study to practice on drilling and waxing?
 
Do most people use public transportation to get to the school, and if so how is it?
 
Confused1617 said:
How frequent are exams and do they give you independent study to practice on drilling and waxing?
Click to expand...

I think we had like 27 +/- 1 this semester? Something like that it was pretty intense. For waxing, you have like two-ish hours every Friday plus the waxing lab is open until 11 PMish every day + weekends. You actually don't drill much your first semester due to all the Biochem/Microbio/Science classes you have to take. They do do some intro to the drills, but not as much as other schools (NYU, Case, etc.) do their first semester.
 
Thank you guys for doing this again!
Last question, will a regular laptop suffice or do we need a Mac? Do they gives us any software? I know Pittstudent2019 mentioned we don't need a fancy one 🙂
 
Confused1617 said:
Thank you guys for doing this again!
Last question, will a regular laptop suffice or do we need a Mac? Do they gives us any software? I know Pittstudent2019 mentioned we don't need a fancy one 🙂
Click to expand...

You need certain requirements because they have an exam software some teachers use, but you don't need anything too special. I have a Lenovo, so Macs aren't necessary even though most people have one.
 
You can use any computer - I use an iPad mini 2 for almost everything.
 
PittStudentC/O2019 said:
No problem! You all can ask about Pitt, or about first year of dental school in general. It's been less than 48 hours since I left Pittsburgh and I'm already bored lol
Click to expand...

How many final exams did you have? how did they go?
 
This is an awesome thread.

1. What's the lowdown on the extra programs like the Public Health or the Dental Education program? Do you guys have enough time to consider doing these or are these programs only for those who don't like sleep?

2. I'm on a gap year and have almost forgotten how to read and write. Any subjects I should brush up on before school starts? Also I did some review for the DAT of course but my bio background is weak. I've never taken A&P or microbio. Do you think that would put me behind going in?

3. With the boards in the first year does the program seem a little front loaded? In other words, does it seem to get a little easier as you progress into D-2,3,4?

4. Areas around Pitt seem pretty reasonably priced. Has anybody bought a condo/house instead of renting?

5. Would you say most people take the buses? Are there many people who buy parking passes and drive in?

6. How are the school facilities? (cafeteria, gym, library etc.)

7. Do you guys interact much with the pharmacy / medical people?

Thanks again.
 
Last edited:
hajin said:
This is an awesome thread.

1. What's the lowdown on the extra programs like the Public Health or the Dental Education program? Do you guys have enough time to consider doing these or are these programs only for those who don't like sleep?

2. I'm on a gap year and have almost forgotten how to read and write. Any subjects I should brush up on before school starts? Also I did some review for the DAT of course but my bio background is weak. I've never taken A&P or microbio. Do you think that would put me behind going in?

3. With the boards in the first year does the program seem a little front loaded? In other words, does it seem to get a little easier as you progress into D-2,3,4?

4. Areas around Pitt seem pretty reasonably priced. Has anybody bought a condo/house instead of renting?

5. Would you say most people take the buses? Are there many people who buy parking passes and drive in?

6. How are the school facilities? (cafeteria, gym, library etc.)

7. Do you guys interact much with the pharmacy / medical people?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
1. I will not be doing either of these programs. However, from what I understand, they are pretty competitive and there is only a handful of spots. One reason I won't be doing it is they are extra courses in your 3rd and 4th years, that I really don't need to add on. I assisted a 4th year who is in the combined MPH program and she speaks really highly of it.
2. It's hard to say what subjects you need to brush up on. Basically, the faculty will teach you everything you need to know for their exams, for which the emphasis varies from year to year, even with the same professor. I can't speak for A&P, as we are doing that this coming semester and it was really stupid in my undergrad. However, the microbiology is relatively straight forward and is not more difficult than undergrad micro (can't say the same for biochem; same professor as micro but significantly more difficult). I took microbiology in undergrad and I definitely think it helped as the content was very similar, but the students in our class who didn't take it previously didn't seem to struggle with it either.
3. Yes. Definitely seems front-loaded. I think they prepare us to take boards after year 1 so they can push the clinical aspect a bit more going forward.
4. I considered buying, but I don't know if we're going to stay in the area after I graduate. There are places in surrounding neighborhoods that are a bit cheaper, but I chose a 3 BR within walking distance of Salk Hall and I pay out the butt for it.
5. Pittsburgh has a pretty robust mass transit system, which you get to utilize fare-free with your student ID. Many people take city buses to school everyday, but as I have said before, I walk ( <10 minutes). I don't know if any of my classmates drive in.
6. The cafeteria closest to us is across the street in the med school/UPMC. It's pretty decent in price and quality. Next door is the Peterson Event Center ("The Pete") and it has a few fast-food type places that are open during the day. I haven't been to the gym (which I should, I know), but a lot of gym rats in my class go daily. IIRC, there are 3 or 4 UPitt owned gyms right near Salk Hall. The Health Sciences library is across the street in the med school. There are quite a few libraries on Pitt campus.
7. We share Salk Hall with the pharmacy school. I barely have enough time to interact with my classmates, much less pharmacy or med students. Remember - I'm married (my wife is also in grad school here) and have 2 kids, so my experience will likely be very different than yours.
 
hajin said:
This is an awesome thread.

1. What's the lowdown on the extra programs like the Public Health or the Dental Education program? Do you guys have enough time to consider doing these or are these programs only for those who don't like sleep?

2. I'm on a gap year and have almost forgotten how to read and write. Any subjects I should brush up on before school starts? Also I did some review for the DAT of course but my bio background is weak. I've never taken A&P or microbio. Do you think that would put me behind going in?

3. With the boards in the first year does the program seem a little front loaded? In other words, does it seem to get a little easier as you progress into D-2,3,4?

4. Areas around Pitt seem pretty reasonably priced. Has anybody bought a condo/house instead of renting?

5. Would you say most people take the buses? Are there many people who buy parking passes and drive in?

6. How are the school facilities? (cafeteria, gym, library etc.)

7. Do you guys interact much with the pharmacy / medical people?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

1. I know one of the guys in our class is doing the Public Health program. He's pretty damn smart though, and I never see him studying so take that for what it's worth. I personally wouldn't do these programs because they don't interest me, but they definitely make it accessible for the students to consider/join in.
2. Honestly, my suggestion would be to just rest. I did nothing all summer and I was still exhausted by the time winter break came. You know how in undergrad you burn-out a little at the end of every semester? It's basically the same thing except you take more exams and study longer hours. Relax now, and you'll thank me in the future. If you really want to study, look at Biochem stuff, not Microbio.
3. Definitely top loaded. Second year is still tough during your fall semester (you take Oral Pathology, etc.) but I heard it clears up very nicely after that.
4. I know some classmates whose parents are dentists and they had previously purchased condos/apartments in the area and the kids live in them... other than that, nope.
5. I'd say most people (including myself) take the bus. If I'm ever running late/want to sleep in early, I just Uber. Splitting that ride with a classmate makes it only $3-4 per person, which isn't bad at all as long as you don't depend on it every day.
6. Salk Hall (the dental school) got a nice renovation last year where there's a coffee/food shop on the same floor that the D1's have all their classes in. The cafeteria in the hospital is across the street and it's actually pretty good. Like @Daneosaurus said, the basketball stadium (also across the street) has a ton of fast food places you can eat. There's also a gym at the basketball stadium that's pretty nice, and a bunch of us play football in a nearby field every Friday (or we use Pitt's Indoor Practice Facility). The library is also in the hospital, and if you like libraries I heard it's pretty nice (I can't study in a library to save my life).
7. The school tries to put on a lot of interprofessional mixers, so you end up interacting with med/pharm students a good bit (unless you are like @Daneosaurus and have kids). I will say that I know more med students than pharm students however.
 
How are the sim labs, are there screens to watch instructors demonstrate like waxing?

The lab was closed on my interview day so I wasn't able to see it.
 
Confused1617 said:
How are the sim labs, are there screens to watch instructors demonstrate like waxing?

The lab was closed on my interview day so I wasn't able to see it.
Click to expand...

Yes, there are screens/computers at every station. They've renovated one half of the sim lab (it's split in two) and they're renovating the second half as soon as the company sends them the parts. You don't wax in the sim lab though, you wax in the waxing lab and you don't really need to have any screens there... every two rows (10ish people) has a lab instructor who helps you out and grades you, as well as a ton of older students who walk around and give you any help if you need it.

Additionally, the front of the dental school should be undergoing some renovations soon as well.
 
Ok I do have 2 questions:
Are you guys both happy with your choice?
What's your least favorite part of the school?
 
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