Smart enough to be a dentist?

[mintgum]

I just want to put it out there (and I am sure some people reading the concerned posts of 3.95ers feel the same). Sometimes I wonder if I am smart enough to be a dentist. There is nothing more that I want than to be a dentist! I feel I have the interpersonal skills that seem to be undervalued in admission processes to be a great one. However, I find my science classes to be a little bit difficult. A problem I see other people not having. Now, I don't want to compare myself to anyone but sometimes I wonder if you have to be a certain type of "smart"? With the 30% ish acceptance rate and a not so steller GPA. Do I have a chance? Anybody have tips on staying motivated? Thanks. I think we could all use a little push

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[peanutb123]

Smartness only comes into play little bit... its the self confidence & motivation that matters the most.
Even if you do not consider yourself smart but you have the self confidence and the correct attitude to preserver I do not see the reason why not. #'s can only say so much about a person... but only you in this world know what you are capable off...
some people find motivation in others, quotes etc... find what suites you the best.

 

[Simple Jack]

Smartness only comes into play little bit... its the self confidence & motivation that matters the most.
Even if you do not consider yourself smart but you have the self confidence and the correct attitude to preserver I do not see the reason why not. #'s can only say so much about a person... but only you in this world know what you are capable off...
some people find motivation in others, quotes etc... find what suites you the best.

Right on! This is one of the better replies I've seen on here. It's all about how you carry yourself....confidence confidence confidence.

 

[Hordel]

To be 100% honest, I feel that it is not always about how smart you are (as stated above). I had a decent GPA 3.59 (all from hours of hard work) and a poor DAT (18 with 19 PA). I got a few interviews and only an acceptance on March when I applied in July. I have made it where I am do to pure and utter HARD WORK! I know I am not as smart as most in my class, so I study harder and more then them. I was always told, and truely believe, in this world you can do damn near anything you want, you just have to decided how bad you want it and what you are willing to give up to get it!! I also believe a VERY important factor is your ability to preserver! I have had bumps in undergrade, so when I got to dental school and I had troubles I didn't fold! All of my failures are used to motivate me to work even harder then I did before because I HATE, and let me say again, HATE failing at anything!! I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!! So if you want it then work harder then those next to you, I have beaten out others, and sometimes just come close, by working harder then them. You may not be able to do better then everyone this way, but you can damn sure compete this way!!!! So go out there and make it happen, try not to say, "i just can't do it because I am not as smart as others"!! This attitude is NOT going to serve you and get you where you want to be!!

Best of luck!!

 

[coolslugs]

To be 100% honest, I feel that it is not always about how smart you are (as stated above). I had a decent GPA 3.59 (all from hours of hard work) and a poor DAT (18 with 19 PA). I got a few interviews and only an acceptance on March when I applied in July. I have made it where I am do to pure and utter HARD WORK! I know I am not as smart as most in my class, so I study harder and more then them. I was always told, and truely believe, in this world you can do damn near anything you want, you just have to decided how bad you want it and what you are willing to give up to get it!! I also believe a VERY important factor is your ability to preserver! I have had bumps in undergrade, so when I got to dental school and I had troubles I didn't fold! All of my failures are used to motivate me to work even harder then I did before because I HATE, and let me say again, HATE failing at anything!! I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!! So if you want it then work harder then those next to you, I have beaten out others, and sometimes just come close, by working harder then them. You may not be able to do better then everyone this way, but you can damn sure compete this way!!!! So go out there and make it happen, try not to say, "i just can't do it because I am not as smart as others"!! This attitude is NOT going to serve you and get you where you want to be!!

Best of luck!!

 

[aelian]

I agree with the self confidence and motivation. It is kind of intertwined with academic performance and how you materialize your smartness. For my first two years of college, I was that unconfident and unmotivated type. My grades would say that I wasn't "smart". Once I gained confidence, my grades shot up. So use your confidence and motivation for dental school to impact your smartness. But you have to have both. Just reality. I know people who have wanted to be great dentists for quite a while but are now applying for their 3rd and 4th time. Remember, for the first two years of dental school, you will probably not see a single patient. You will however see tons of science. Start liking it.

 

[iamgosu]

+2
and i've always thought character, ethics, and morals are much more important than academics in the real world.

i really hate those competitive predents and premeds and whatever that try to f*ck you over and try to get one step above you. What kinda shizz doctor are you gonna be anyways?

 

[lauraashley]

Every day I wonder if I'm smart enough. How much do you want this? I am going to push myself as hard as I can into getting good grades. I'm just going to need extra help. Take advantage of tutors..they're there to help. Do your best--it'll pay off in the end. Good luck

 

[flyingforever]

4.0 GPA does not mean you are going to be a good dentist. But, it will help you to accepted.

 

[flyingforever]

+2
and i've always thought character, ethics, and morals are much more important than academics in the real world.

i really hate those competitive predents and premeds and whatever that try to f*ck you over and try to get one step above you. What kinda shizz doctor are you gonna be anyways?

Agree. I am definitely not one of them.

 

[setdoc7]

Confidence plays a part in being a good doctor. Unfortunately, grades are generally the only factor a dental school has to evaluate a candidate. It may not sound fair or reasonable, but what else is there? An interview lasts only a short time, and everyone is on best behavior. College grades are the best indicator for an adcom to predict success in the tough first two years of D school.

 

[dentistmom]

You could be a genius, and it wouldn't make any difference if you weren't willing to put the effort in. So it's 90% work anyway. Working harder and getting help can make up the other 10.

It seems like the system is set up to measure dedication primarily, anyway. In all of my classes, I could say there's an easier way to learn this, and they aren't employing it. These classes are designed to be hard. I'm not saying you don't have to be smart. I'm just saying that if you've made it this far, and are still willing to work just as hard, you'll get there.

 

[setdoc7]

Most of the "smart" people in dental school are not geniuses, they work hard and study a lot. Do not misconstrue people with good grades as somehow being inately intelligent, although a small fraction may have some intense left brain skills. The vast majority of those in my class who graduated with honors worked very hard, stayed up late studying a lot, and did not make the party circuit very often. They did not waste any time, they managed it well, and were always well prepared. Did they become great clinical dentists? Who knows? All I know is they graduated on time, are members of the honor society, and had their pick of post graduate training programs. I am reasonably sure they did not garner these habits in dental school, but were well honed habits they brought from college where they were also at the top of their class. This same trend is what I see in residency applications today.

 

[FutureDent020]

Most of the "smart" people in dental school are not geniuses, they work hard and study a lot. Do not misconstrue people with good grades as somehow being inately intelligent, although a small fraction may have some intense left brain skills.

I agree with this. If you get in, then you are smart enough. Unless you cheated your way through or something. From then on out it just takes hard work.

 

[DrReo]

I agree with this. If you get in, then you are smart enough. Unless you cheated your way through or something. From then on out it just takes hard work.

I highly disagree.

Getting in is the easy part, getting out is the hard part.

There is definitely a learning curve with regards to hand skills. Some of the most brilliant students in the class room lack the manual dexterity skills needed.

OP, you can only do it if you set your mind to it. Depending on your GPA, admission may take a while, but you just need to strengthen your application. Shadow, volunteer ( a lot), post bac, masters, whatever you need to get you the letter in the mail.

 

[aelian]

Wait, I thought getting in the dental school is the hardest part. Just simplified, you start out with a 1000 applicants and accept 100. 10% acceptance. Of those 100, only about 5 (going according to the 3 local schools) will fail out or drop out or repeat a year due to illness. So a 5% fail rate. The hardest part about dental school is actually getting in, not staying in.

 

[setdoc7]

Correct, getting in is the hard part and the vast majority of those who are accepted stay in and graduate. Although there is some small amount of merit to Reo's thoughts about hand skills, no amount of hand skill will pass you through Gross, Biochem, Histo, Micro, and a few other didactic courses, nor will it pass part one of the boards for you, no matter what incarnation they happen to morhp into. Most people get the hand skills eventually. Those who are very smart but lack the fine tuning go into ortho (HAHA....no offense to my orthodontist friends). My point is if you can't pass the basic sciences, you can't move on. Schools will dismiss underclassmen more readily for failing the basic sciences. Schools will more readily remediate students for hand skill shortfalls.

 

[FutureDent020]

I highly disagree.

Getting in is the easy part, getting out is the hard part.

There is definitely a learning curve with regards to hand skills. Some of the most brilliant students in the class room lack the manual dexterity skills needed.

OP, you can only do it if you set your mind to it. Depending on your GPA, admission may take a while, but you just need to strengthen your application. Shadow, volunteer ( a lot), post bac, masters, whatever you need to get you the letter in the mail.

So what is it exactly you disagree with? If you are accepted into Dental School you obtain the mental capacity to succeed in the didactic courses... That's all i'm saying. The 'hard work' I mentioned referred to studying and fine tuning those hand skills.