Smarts

[teknos1s]

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To current students:

I'm considering dental school and I would consider myself among the general population above avg but compared to dental students i may be avg or even below avg (as of right now). so to be honest I'm a little intimidated by it all.

how would you consider yourself? could someone who is avg gifted work hard and get by?

 

[johntara04]

To current students:

I'm considering dental school and I would consider myself among the general population above avg but compared to dental students i may be avg or even below avg (as of right now). so to be honest I'm a little intimidated by it all.

how would you consider yourself? could someone who is avg gifted work hard and get by?

If you can average a 3.4 in undergrad (science gpa) you can graduate dental school. Everybody here is in the same league smarts wise. Those who get the good grades in dental school are those that work harder. So, if you can get in, you can graduate. So, if you can get a 3.4 sci gpa with a full schedule, you can do just fine in dental school.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

I agree that looking at admissions requirements and your own performance in undergrad is a good estimate. Knowledge and the ability to learn is SO subjective that there's no way to predict one's success. Also, though the first year of dental school is pretty similar to undergrad (just twice the classes), the actual dentistry part is so extremely different from anything you've done up until that point, there's no way to know how you'd take to those specific skills.

The reason why so few people drop out of school is because the admissions comittees are very careful about who they select; acceptees generally graduate and those that don't usually leave for personal reasons or because they dislike the work rather than honestly struggling and just not being able ot handle it.

So, I'd say if you can handle a workload of upper-level undergrad science courses with a 3.5 GPA and still have time to enjoy the rest of your life (maintain relationships, get involved in things you enjoy), you'll do fine. Also, you need to be ok with digging around in mouths. You know, blood, saliva, dealing with people all the time, excellent communication skills, ability to take criticism. Oh, and cutting apart dead people starting your first day.

 

[teknos1s]

Oh, and cutting apart dead people starting your first day.

LOL! dead ppl? r u seriouse? is that common in all dental schools? wow. i mean i would do it, but i'd be lying if i said i was completly ok with it...

 

[teknos1s]

and thanks for your comments btw. i just wanted to see where i stood.

 

[johntara04]

LOL! dead ppl? r u seriouse? is that common in all dental schools? wow. i mean i would do it, but i'd be lying if i said i was completly ok with it...

Yeah, it is called gross anatomy. The only drawback is you smell like a dead person for a semester, and I now cannot eat roast duck anymore...🙁 But besides that, a pretty fun class.

 

[djeffreyt]

Just pray you get a thin cadaver. The poor blocks around us all got these whoppers of cadavers and spend a lot of time clearing out layers of fat. Also their cadavers smell way worse than ours. Better musculature on larger people, but I'll give up defined musculature for a less smelly cadaver anytime.

 

[I'mFillingFine]

Just pray you get a thin cadaver. The poor blocks around us all got these whoppers of cadavers and spend a lot of time clearing out layers of fat. Also their cadavers smell way worse than ours. Better musculature on larger people, but I'll give up defined musculature for a less smelly cadaver anytime.

omg...mine was HUGE!!! I'd say at least 250 lbs...it took all 8 of us to flip him over. No one would come study at our table because he smelled so badly and he was IMPOSSIBLE to clean and find clear structures. (We pulled out a football-sized lump of fat from behind his liver. hott.) But you're right about big structures....no mistaking those vessels!

and johntara, I so know what you mean about the duck! I feel the same way at the grocery store deli when I see the big rounds of meet that haven't been cut yet....bleeech.

To the OP: every dental and medical student takes gross anatomy, and you will dissect a person with a partner and a set of classmates (usually 4-10). Different schools have different curricula so some don't dissect the legs or back or whatnot, but you'll definitely spend a lot of time on the head and neck.

 

[2quik]

it's safe to say that i've lost my sense of smell...i cant tell the difference b/w stink and roses now. haha. As i type this i can see my extensor indicis move....

 

[teknos1s]

wow thats gross...."gross anatomy" heh. LOL. ok um yeah that will def. be a challenging class for me since im not big on dead ppl but...i guess just one more thing to hurdle over

 

[RubberBase]

Every class will have a few "gifted" people who study one night before an exam and score A's or make perfect block temps on their first try, but the great majority of dental students just bust their butts because they know thats what they need to do to in order to do what they want in life. Get out in the dental world by assisting, observing, externships etc etc to make sure its what you want. Being a dentist can be great, but like everything you'll hate it if you go into it for the wrong reasons.