question for dental students

[dWiz]

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how much do u guys study? be a little more specific than "a lot" plz

do u guys have chill time on weekends etc..

 

[GoGatorsDMD]

I'd say 4-5 hours per M-F when we don't have an exam. When we do have a big exam I can do like 3-4 per night weekdays and 8 or so on weekends. It all depends on what's coming up, and it's best to not get behind because it's pretty damn hard to cram and do well in dental school.

I make plenty of time to hang out/go out and whatnot. What I don't have anymore are endless hours of sitting in front of the TV like I did in undergrad. I suppose that's a good thing.

 

[Dr. Future]

I study about 3-5 hours a night on weekdays. About 6-8 on the weekends. You do have plenty of time to hang out, work out, or whatever that doesn't include studying. I usually take Friday nights off and study all day on Sat, and if I am up for it you can go out on Sat night. Like he said above, you don't have time to sit around and watch TV. I am paying $45 for cable and don't even watch it! Good luck!!

 

[OMFSCardsFan]

I'd say 4-5 hours per M-F when we don't have an exam. When we do have a big exam I can do like 3-4 per night weekdays and 8 or so on weekends. It all depends on what's coming up, and it's best to not get behind because it's pretty damn hard to cram and do well in dental school.

I make plenty of time to hang out/go out and whatnot. What I don't have anymore are endless hours of sitting in front of the TV like I did in undergrad. I suppose that's a good thing.

Are you trying to specialize or pass? There is a large difference between these two in how much study time is involved.

I wanted to specialize, so I studied my butt off my first two years. By that, I mean that I studied the two or three days before each test for that test, usually around 4-5 hours/night. For us, most of our tests would come in bursts, so for three to four weeks, I wouldn't do jack. The next two weeks, I'd study hard. I needed the pressure of the upcoming exam to get focused. Then, three to four weeks of fun again.

Once our third year started, I really didn't do much studying at all. The credits that were graded had dropped significantly, and the difference between an A and a B for a one credit class was negligible to your class rank. I think I ended my second year #3, and I finished #5. The drop of two spots was definitely worth not spending the time studying the Pros, Perio, and Pedo crap.

Let me also say that I would not feel close to comfortable going out to practice general dentistry. I went through those years planning to do OMFS, and had I not gotten in, I would have had some making up to do.

If you're looking to stay under the radar in dental school, to blend into the crowd, you won't have to study as much as I, or the previous poster, did. Dental students are notorious for making time for the sauce, so don't worry about not having time for that. You'll have plenty of time for the things that you enjoy doing.

 

[DcS]

I wanted to specialize, so I studied my butt off my first two years. By that, I mean that I studied the two or three days before each test for that test, usually around 4-5 hours/night. For us, most of our tests would come in bursts, so for three to four weeks, I wouldn't do jack. The next two weeks, I'd study hard. I needed the pressure of the upcoming exam to get focused. Then, three to four weeks of fun again.

I pretty much followed this plan identically and was in the top 10% of my class as well. I studied my balls off a few days before exams, that's it. As with Cardsfan our tests were clumped together so I'd go a week or two of hardcore studying and then 3 weeks of doing nothing but going out. Seemed to work well for me too.