Repeat med school or apply to dental?

[teaismyatp]

So I have the option of repeating 1st year of med school, but I have been toying with the idea of applying to dental school and quitting medical school altogether.

I am pretty miserable at this particular medical school, and I have always weighed the options of med vs. dentistry in the past, but I went to medical school due to family pressures. I am passionate about a career in the health professional world but thinking about how much longer medicine is compared to dental is pushing me to consider dentistry. Not to mention the lifestyle of dentists vs. physicians, chances of getting a good residency, etc.

I understand that dental school is NOT easier than medical school, so this is not my motivation. I am not looking for the easy way out.

The question is...is it too risky to withdraw medical school and how will dental schools react to me having to repeat medical school and withdrawing if I have a good GPA/DAT score.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ayanzbreeze]

risky is the right word

 

[ncide]

Residency for dentistry are 2-6 years long, with possible fellowships following the MD/DDS programs for OMFS so dental residencies are similar in length with those in medicine. The only caveat is that if you pursue general dentistry and no further residency in general dentistry, it is shorter by a few years.

I wouldn't weigh the options based mostly on time commitment. Dental programs are several times more expensive than their medical counterparts so there are several years of loan repayments that may put you behind your medical peers in terms of income.

 

[piii]

The grass is always greener, man. Some dental residences at my schools affiliated dental school (a top program) have to pay 50k a year just to attend residency! The general practice route is diluted too.

 

[Slytheryn]

So I have the option of repeating 1st year of med school, but I have been toying with the idea of applying to dental school and quitting medical school altogether.

I am pretty miserable at this particular medical school, and I have always weighed the options of med vs. dentistry in the past, but I went to medical school due to family pressures. I am passionate about a career in the health professional world but thinking about how much longer medicine is compared to dental is pushing me to consider dentistry. Not to mention the lifestyle of dentists vs. physicians, chances of getting a good residency, etc.

I understand that dental school is NOT easier than medical school, so this is not my motivation. I am not looking for the easy way out.

.

Are you sure about that ?
You wrote arguments such as ” how much longer ", " lifestyle " , " chances of getting a good residency " - these aren't describing a passion for Dentistry, but rather a comparison of the two option and a conclusion that one side looks brighter than the other.

The problem isn't whether you choose the easy way out or not - the problem is if you're going to find out that what you thought was the "easy way" turns out to be the hard way. For example, I am a Medical student and I know the difficulties we have to face compared to a Dental student, but I would never go to Dental school, because I know that I would not like it and no matter how many advantages there are ( less stressful lifestyle, different studying schedule ), at the end of the day I would be miserable simply because I am not interested in Dentistry at all.
On the other hand, I can handle the difficulties of Medical school with a smile on my face, because it's a battle that I am happy to be a part of, because I have a genuine interest toward it.

 

[Screwtape]

Stick with medicine. Dentistry sounds good on paper, and it is. But it's not for everyone. If you truly just want to be in medicine and want a shorter route think maybe PA. Or just finish medical school. It would take you atleast 2 years to get into dental school. Then you'd be starting at square one. You'd be miserable then too. If you really are serious about dentistry as a profession, and not just the lifestyle, shadow and see if it's for you. Yes I'll probably never work more than 40 h a week, probably more like 32 h, never have a grueling residency zapping my life force in the last leg of my twenties, and still make good money. But doing 32 h of work you hate for the rest of your life will be miserable. Gotta like the work. Best of luck!

 

[Goro]

What would you say to a dental school Adcom member who asks you "you already bailed on Medicine; how do we know that you won'do the same to us?"
?????

And in seeing the bolded below, your next question is: "you have a history of making bad choices, how do we know that it won't happen again?"

And now some advice: if you were DDS student, and you applied to my school for the reasons you gave below, you would be viewed through a very harsh prism.

I suggest that you get some counseling.

Also, you're an adult now. You're old enough to vote, drink, drive, smoke, work, pay taxes and fight and die for your country. You're old enough to say to your family "It's MY life and career, and I'll do what I think is best for me".

So I have the option of repeating 1st year of med school, but I have been toying with the idea of applying to dental school and quitting medical school altogether.

I am pretty miserable at this particular medical school, and I have always weighed the options of med vs. dentistry in the past, but I went to medical school due to family pressures. I am passionate about a career in the health professional world but thinking about how much longer medicine is compared to dental is pushing me to consider dentistry. Not to mention the lifestyle of dentists vs. physicians, chances of getting a good residency, etc.

I understand that dental school is NOT easier than medical school, so this is not my motivation. I am not looking for the easy way out.

The question is...is it too risky to withdraw medical school and how will dental schools react to me having to repeat medical school and withdrawing if I have a good GPA/DAT score.

 

[y123]

First two years in dental school is med school coursework + dental labs. If you have to repeat one year in medical school, do you think you can survive dental school?

 

[fellowstudent92]

First two years in dental school is med school coursework + dental labs. If you have to repeat one year in medical school, do you think you can survive dental school?

This is not completely true. There are only 4 schools in the country that have this type of curriculum. Other Dental BMS is watered down. Med school BMS is not a grade above harder but rather infinitely harder. I go to one of those 4 schools so I know.

 

[ncide]

This is not completely true. There are only 4 schools in the country that have this type of curriculum. Other Dental BMS is watered down. Med school BMS is not a grade above harder but rather infinitely harder. I go to one of those 4 schools so I know.

Dental students that want to apply for oral surgery residency have to take a test that is equivalent to the step one board exam (NBME CBSE), so saying that med school BMS is infinitely harder would mean that dental students would be wholly unprepared to take their step 1 exam.

 

[Screwtape]

This is not completely true. There are only 4 schools in the country that have this type of curriculum. Other Dental BMS is watered down. Med school BMS is not a grade above harder but rather infinitely harder. I go to one of those 4 schools so I know.

"Infinitely" harder? How can a reasonable person use that word in this context and be taken seriously ?

 

[fellowstudent92]

Dental students that want to apply for oral surgery residency have to take a test that is equivalent to the step one board exam (NBME CBSE), so saying that med school BMS is infinitely harder would mean that dental students would be wholly unprepared to take their step 1 exam.

Yea I know, that is why it is not easy for dental students outside of these 4 schools to get into OMFS-obviously it is done every year so it is possible (but it is definitely not a frequent occurrence so that tells you something right there) but I can assure you that only knowing dental BMS will not even teach, at least if not more than, half the content tested on the CBSE. That's why you see most of these students putting in additional hours to cover content for the exam that was not covered in their normal dental school curriculum.

"Infinitely" harder? How can a reasonable person use that word in this context and be taken seriously ?

Sorry I don't exactly know how to quantify how much harder the curriculum is so I was being colloquial. It's something you have to go through to understand. I go through both the Med school BMS and dental school BMS and I'm telling you that I put way more hours in for the former, not enough for the latter. There is obviously overlap but not in the same way.


Sorry, I do not mean to bruise anyone's ego about how hard dental school is--it's ****ing hard but if we're comparing the two BMS curriculum, med school BMS blows dental school BMS out of the water.

 

[toothdoctor123]

So I have the option of repeating 1st year of med school, but I have been toying with the idea of applying to dental school and quitting medical school altogether.

I am pretty miserable at this particular medical school, and I have always weighed the options of med vs. dentistry in the past, but I went to medical school due to family pressures. I am passionate about a career in the health professional world but thinking about how much longer medicine is compared to dental is pushing me to consider dentistry. Not to mention the lifestyle of dentists vs. physicians, chances of getting a good residency, etc.

I understand that dental school is NOT easier than medical school, so this is not my motivation. I am not looking for the easy way out.

The question is...is it too risky to withdraw medical school and how will dental schools react to me having to repeat medical school and withdrawing if I have a good GPA/DAT score.

It's possible, but that would be a tough case to make to dental school admissions committees. An important and unique part of the dental school application is proving an earnest commitment to the profession, which will be evaluated on paper and in interview. And while you may indeed be passionate about healthcare, the narrative you've given here implies that you were driven into med school primarily for the prestige--something dental schools don't like. You'll have the burden of proving that you're not just trying to trade in one doctorate for another.

How are you financing your education? Dental school is so expensive these days that if you are taking out loans, you will probably have to live like a medical resident for many years to get out of debt anyway.

 

[Screwtape]

Yea I know, that is why it is not easy for dental students outside of these 4 schools to get into OMFS-obviously it is done every year so it is possible (but it is definitely not a frequent occurrence so that tells you something right there) but I can assure you that only knowing dental BMS will not even teach, at least if not more than, half the content tested on the CBSE. That's why you see most of these students putting in additional hours to cover content for the exam that was not covered in their normal dental school curriculum.
This is just incorrect. People from pretty much every dental school in the US go OMFS every year... There are definitely more people going into OMFS programs from the non-4 schools you are talking compared to the 4-- in absolute numbers, so it IS a frequent occurrence. Yes the percentage is much higher at the schools you are referring to, but those schools attract specialty only gunners before dental school even starts and then continue to cultivate it. It would make sense if you have a class full of people wanting to specialize that more will specialize. My school alone (state school) sends about 3-4 people to OMFS every year. Class of 80. How many usually apply? About 3-5. This is pretty standard among state schools and such.


Sorry I don't exactly know how to quantify how much harder the curriculum is so I was being colloquial. It's something you have to go through to understand. I go through both the Med school BMS and dental school BMS and I'm telling you that I put way more hours in for the former, not enough for the latter. There is obviously overlap but not in the same way.
I have no doubt med school BMS is more intense. I would hope it is. It is a much larger percentage of your total curriculum compared to dental. Just please stay away from hyperbole, or as you say colloquialism, and the "I attend one program and therefore know everything about the entirety of dental and medical school curricula" position.

Sorry, I do not mean to bruise anyone's ego about how hard dental school is--it's ****ing hard but if we're comparing the two BMS curriculum, med school BMS blows dental school BMS out of the water.
No worries, they are both hard in their own right. No ego bruised. Hand skills required for dental school blow medical school out of the water. 🙂~.

 

[Shikima]

You'll end up as a corporate slog going into dentistry. Reimbursements are getting cut all of the time and no longer a cash business.

 

[fellowstudent92]

I'm going to enjoy this: @Screwtape

"This is just incorrect. People from pretty much every dental school in the US go OMFS every year... There are definitely more people going into OMFS programs from the non-4 schools you are talking compared to the 4-- in absolute numbers, so it IS a frequent occurrence. Yes the percentage is much higher at the schools you are referring to, but those schools attract specialty only gunners before dental school even starts and then continue to cultivate it. It would make sense if you have a class full of people wanting to specialize that more will specialize. My school alone (state school) sends about 3-4 people to OMFS every year. Class of 80. How many usually apply? About 3-5. This is pretty standard among state schools and such. "

Yea no duh sherlock cause you're comparing the TOTAL of 62 other dental schools vs the 4 lol get out of here with that comment. To make a valuable comparison, you need to compare one of the four dental schools vs another school and you will find that OMFS matches are not that frequent PER school. Obviously every dental school will have matches in OMFS and I said it was possible if you read what I said. Some classes at some schools outside of the four will only have 1 match though. Actually, if you breakdown stats for each of the 4 specialty dental schools, MOST of them go on to do general dentistry--they just do GPRs or AEGDs first but a majority will go on to NOT specialize outside of general dentistry. So it is not true that alot of people at these specialty gunner schools want to go into OMFS and so they match more-I've seen anywhere from 3-10 matches at my school-it varies alot per class. Clearly that's not out of the range from the number of matches at your school. Yes, alot of people go in wanting to specialize at these schools but alot also end up changing their minds so the mentality of attracting specialty only gunners at these top 4 schools is not as prevalent as you think it is. I know more general dentist graduates than specialists from my school off the top of my head- it's not an objective measure but i'd say it's better than nothing. Also, it's obviously (partly) true that there is a self-perpetuating cycle that the specialty schools will send more kids to specialties but the specialty schools definitely train their students to better match into these programs as well (i.e. med school curriculum prepares for CBSE better so more kids feel they have the opportunity to change their minds to switch into OMFS later down the road if they wish to do so). Outside of OMFS, it's more blurry and cannot be said about in any concrete or general rule.

"I have no doubt med school BMS is more intense. I would hope it is. It is a much larger percentage of your total curriculum compared to dental. Just please stay away from hyperbole, or as you say colloquialism, and the "I attend one program and therefore know everything about the entirety of dental and medical school curricula" position. "

Ok sorry I didn't realize I was touching a nerve of yours with my word choice. Ease up dawg, I'm not writing a personal statement here where each word is to be taken literally.
and I would say I'm pretty qualified to talk about it since I did or will go through "the entirety of the dental and medical school curricula"-not trying to be cocky here.

Anyways, lets get back on topic 🙂

 

[cbrons]

I dont think you are really enthusiastic about either. Doing medicine because your parents wanted you to is a bad reason.

Sent from my SM-N910P using SDN mobile

 

[cbrons]

Dental students that want to apply for oral surgery residency have to take a test that is equivalent to the step one board exam (NBME CBSE), so saying that med school BMS is infinitely harder would mean that dental students would be wholly unprepared to take their step 1 exam.

This is a scream. Are you implying all med schools prepare their students for step 1? Most step 1 studying is via independent 3rd party resources and the antiquated 6-hour PhD trash lectures provide next to no value.

Sent from my SM-N910P using SDN mobile

 

[fellowstudent92]

This is a scream. Are you implying all med schools prepare their students for step 1? Most step 1 studying is via independent 3rd party resources and the antiquated 6-hour PhD trash lectures provide next to no value.

Sent from my SM-N910P using SDN mobile

Thank you. Yup lol if med schools don't do it well, DENTAL SCHOOLS DEFNIITELY do not and dental students would be WHOLLY UNPREPARED to take the step 1 if they did not have to prepare to take the CBSE, which by the way is all outside of class studying especially if you do not go to one of the dental schools that integrates the med school curriculum.

 

[Screwtape]

I'm going to enjoy this: @Screwtape

"This is just incorrect. People from pretty much every dental school in the US go OMFS every year... There are definitely more people going into OMFS programs from the non-4 schools you are talking compared to the 4-- in absolute numbers, so it IS a frequent occurrence. Yes the percentage is much higher at the schools you are referring to, but those schools attract specialty only gunners before dental school even starts and then continue to cultivate it. It would make sense if you have a class full of people wanting to specialize that more will specialize. My school alone (state school) sends about 3-4 people to OMFS every year. Class of 80. How many usually apply? About 3-5. This is pretty standard among state schools and such. "

Yea no duh sherlock cause you're comparing the TOTAL of 62 other dental schools vs the 4 lol get out of here with that comment. To make a valuable comparison, you need to compare one of the four dental schools vs another school and you will find that OMFS matches are not that frequent PER school. Obviously every dental school will have matches in OMFS and I said it was possible if you read what I said. Some classes at some schools outside of the four will only have 1 match though. Actually, if you breakdown stats for each of the 4 specialty dental schools, MOST of them go on to do general dentistry--they just do GPRs or AEGDs first but a majority will go on to NOT specialize outside of general dentistry. So it is not true that alot of people at these specialty gunner schools want to go into OMFS and so they match more-I've seen anywhere from 3-10 matches at my school-it varies alot per class. Clearly that's not out of the range from the number of matches at your school. Yes, alot of people go in wanting to specialize at these schools but alot also end up changing their minds so the mentality of attracting specialty only gunners at these top 4 schools is not as prevalent as you think it is. I know more general dentist graduates than specialists from my school off the top of my head- it's not an objective measure but i'd say it's better than nothing. Also, it's obviously (partly) true that there is a self-perpetuating cycle that the specialty schools will send more kids to specialties but the specialty schools definitely train their students to better match into these programs as well (i.e. med school curriculum prepares for CBSE better so more kids feel they have the opportunity to change their minds to switch into OMFS later down the road if they wish to do so). Outside of OMFS, it's more blurry and cannot be said about in any concrete or general rule.

"I have no doubt med school BMS is more intense. I would hope it is. It is a much larger percentage of your total curriculum compared to dental. Just please stay away from hyperbole, or as you say colloquialism, and the "I attend one program and therefore know everything about the entirety of dental and medical school curricula" position. "

Ok sorry I didn't realize I was touching a nerve of yours with my word choice. Ease up dawg, I'm not writing a personal statement here where each word is to be taken literally.
and I would say I'm pretty qualified to talk about it since I did or will go through "the entirety of the dental and medical school curricula"-not trying to be cocky here.

Anyways, lets get back on topic 🙂

We are arguing very similar points. On topic it is!

 

[gamieg]

OP, it sucks to potentially have to repeat one year, but the possibility of failure is not mitigated if you change career paths to dentistry. it sounds like your possible repeat is the main catalyst for this post and your change of heart, but I think the real issue is coming to terms with failure because we'll all fail at some point in life.