Please help with any suggestions or comments what so ever

[teknos1s]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

1.) Im seriously thinking about going into dentistry. my grades were very bad in Highschool, and OK in the first semester of college due to family issues and my mother having a stroke...However now im back in school after taking a year off and am currently doing very well. Straight A's so far.

2.) I know im smart enough, but theres another situation which bothers me. Finance. Both of my parents are unemployed and we're very poor living in subsidized housing. Can i afford my way through dental school?

3.) I was also thinking about just becoming a dental hygienist first then working to become a dentist later. That way i can get atleast some finances in quicker, and use that money to help fund my education.

4.) Do i have to specificly go for dental hygiene or can i just simply go to school for general dentistry then take a test to be a cert. hygienist along the way??

5.) the cheapest dental school around me is UCONN and even then tuition alone is about 44K a year...😕 and this isnt even including dorm cost...

Im currently 20 years old (21 soon)

PLEASE help with any suggestions or past experiences or any insight what so ever...thank you.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I'm not entirely sure how the dental world works, but at my school dental hygiene is a separate program, so you would have to be admitted to the program and complete it before becoming a dental hygienist. Including prereqs, I think it takes 4 years to become a dental hygienist. I know they make good money, but dental hygiene school isn't free, and there's an opportunity cost associated with those extra years of school.

As for dental school, I know it's pricey, but you should be able to get financial aid to cover both tuition and living expenses. The worst case scenario is that you have to fund your entire dental education with loans, but you're not going to be the only one in that situation.