Pre-med in need Advice, strongly considering Dentistry

[Ranelar]

Hey, actually I dont know what is written in my letters of recommendation but I assume it says that they are written for medical schools. might be something like "he is so focused on applying to medical schols". I would feel awkward to ask my professors to change them to dental schools. And I've been out of school since last spring... Would that automatically kill my applications to dental schools? I mean in my personal statement I could write about how I originally was a premed but something (i.e. my tooth problems) raised my interest in dentistry.

I don't think your professors will have an issue changing the key words, but maybe they weren't very good letters to begin with? Although 3.4 is a little low, I would think your 37 would more than make up for it. Something else was sour in your application.

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[SWIMnPOLO]

C'mon now... I am going to Dental school this summer, but comments like this are why pre-dents on this forum have their panties in a bunch. You make baseless comments against another group of people, and it just makes you come of insecure that you could not cut it for med school. Perhaps you never wanted med school, but your comments scream insecurity. And did it ever occur to you, that many of the "pre-meds" who get A's, put in the same studying effort as "pre-dents" who get B's. Studying effort does not correlate with grades... some people just get better grades.

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My boyfriend is an M4 and is planning on specializing in anesthesiology. Anesthesiologists at the hospital I work at make about $650k-700k, no general dentist I know makes near that. Don't knock (pre)med students for not having a life...a lot of premeds/med students actually had a non-science major, are well-rounded, and have more time to party in med school than dental students.

Your comparison of dent/med is completely distasteful. There are many reasons why people prefer dent over med and vice versa....no need to go bashing med to make yourself feel better. I find your claims rather offensive and unjustified.

Relax kids, I was just messing around, just some friendly ribbing... all the Pre-meds I've met think Dentistry is beneath them, so I like to give them a hard time about being around old people all day, and getting sued for malpractice or "molesting" all their patients.

I aplogize if I was being "distasteful" and offended any sensitive PreMeds. The Dentistry-Medicine thing is like the Navy-Marines rivalry in the military: neither is better, but each likes to think they are

 

[applicantfailur]

Thank you for the advice. I don't think I would ask my prof to change it. Kind of awkward to tell them "I want to be a dr so much" and now say "Hey i changed my mind, I want to be a dentist so much". I think my LORs were so-so, but I dont think they raised any red flags. I think my application as a whole was so-so. I have thought more about dentistry. And while I think the business aspect is great. I have doubts that I would make a good dentist(not to mention getting accepted into dental school). Somehow I think standing with a magnifying loop and that drill in front of someone's mouth is not necessarily something that is for me. I think I could learn to do general surgery if thats what I went into. I definitely have no problem cutting someone open with a knife. But I have doubts that something as microscopic as ophthalmology or dentistry(it's worse because it's not just microscopic but you are using power tools) could be taught to me. I mean I was always terrible at dancing and drawing and anything else that required fine movements. Much better at splitting logs with an axe(can do it while drunk).

 

[doc toothache]

The insecure and bitter people are guys like doc toothache who barely, barley made it into dental school and feel the need to defend their mediocrity. .. The truth is, he was one of the worst students in college with a very average resume. A sudden epiphany after college and some post-bac work or research excuses him from all the C's and B's he received in college? I would be willing to bet that his GPA was lower than OP's.

It is an elitist view but it makes more sense that acting elitist like doc toothache with absolutely nothing to back it up. If doc toothache was someone who had gone to a top dental school with great stats, or someone, at the very least, didn't have to reapply to get into an incredibly average mid to low tier dental school, then it would at least make sense. He doesn't have any credential whatsoever to be an elitist.
Do I think I am better than doc toothache in every facet of life? Yes. I think about half of the members on SDN will be better dental students than he was. I was a better student than he was in kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and I will be a better student than him in dental school. I've scored better on every standardized tests we have ever taken. Oh yes, I'm sure his epiphany for dentistry, maturation, and new found motivation, suddenly made him a great dental school student after being incredibly average in every other stages of his educational life. No.

Comparing oneself to an unknown entity may be a bit risky not unlike walking into an aviary expecting a cockatoo and finding yourself facing an 800 lb gorilla.

 

[TeethandGums]

I applaud you for your honesty! I have noticed that people that are accomplished in the field of dentistry like yourself are more secure with themselves and have less resentment. The orthodontists and oral surgeons I have shadowed have no problem giving credit to MDs - hey, they were just better students, generally speaking. The insecure and bitter people are guys like doc toothache who barely, barley made it into dental school and feel the need to defend their mediocrity. They'll defend He would rather talk about all the fluff BS like how much experience he had in the field of dentistry or how he truly loves the art of dentistry. The truth is, he was one of the worst students in college with a very average resume. A sudden epiphany after college and some post-bac work or research excuses him from all the C's and B's he received in college? I would be willing to bet that his GPA was lower than OP's.

Two things:
1. MD's do deserve respect. Gaining acceptance to medical school is incredibly hard (Yes, it's more challenging than getting into dental school, accept it people), and the process of becoming a licensed physician is incredibly rigorous and time consuming. The practice of medicine doesn't get too much better for many, with HMO, insurance, government control and everything else that's talked about ad nauseum. MD's deserve a lot of respect, because they're essential to society and the rewards they get aren't proportional to the service they do.

2. You're stereotyping doc toothache just as much as he is the OP. You've got this idea in your head of a jealous pre-dent out to prove he's "just as good", and seem willing to apply it to anyone who doesn't agree with your world view. While the average MD applicant is by all accounts "smarter" than the average dental applicant (GPA), theres certain to be a great deal of crossover where the two curves intersect. I can't count on two hands and feet how many of my classmates could have easily attended some very good medical schools with their undergrad stats, and you'll probably see the same thing wherever you attend.

Thank you for putting out her fire!

 

[Jimmy Choo]

 

[Auron]

I must say, I'm quite surprised toothache assumes pre-meds are clueless, and thinks "less" of one for considering dentistry - how very lame, and sad. Toothache, You should not be so quick to judge, and whatever grudge you have against pre-meds needs to stop. Seriously man, stop assuming you know everything about me including my motives based on one f****** post. I have encountered many jerks/pricks/tools through college and life (don't worry you're a life member of this club) and I never take what they say to heart, but it is sad when a professional (in this case a dentist) picks on a pre-med. It looks like it is YOU, that still has a lot to learn about judging others. Your posts suggest that you think you're better then everyone else.

Despite what toothache and other may think, I don't need his (or anyone elses) approval to go to dental school and become a dentist. I'll let the adcoms decide that, I personally have no doubt that I would be a superb dentist. I simply wanted some advice from pre-dents and dentists who at this time likely know more about the profession than a pre-med at this stage. To be frank, I don't think less of dentistry or think that the field is "easy," despite what tools such as toothache would like to believe.


Mods, please close this thread.

 

[armorshell]

Your wish is my command.