Studying for DAT vs studying in dental school

[SicEm]

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Hi all! First time poster here!

I'm somewhat of a career changer and have started studying for the DAT after spending some time out of school. I've never had a problem with studying (3.9 science GPA, 3.85 overall), in fact, I loved school, but since I've started studying for the DAT, all I want to do is gouge out my eyeballs and crawl under a blanket. Is it just me? Have I lost my ability to study? The positive side of me thinks that I'm just having a hard time because this is material I've learned at one point or another, so reviewing stuff you already know isn't quite as "fun" as learning new things...but the negative side of me is afraid that if/when I get into dental school, I will continue to have this feeling of dread when I sit down to study. Somebody please tell me that studying in dental school is more interesting than this!!!

EDIT: I think I was having a hard time getting motivated to study since it was a little too far in advance, but by the end I was able to get motivated and really enjoyed the bio section! I DEFINITELY want to be a dentist, but I was struggling to get back into the groove of studying after being out of school. Once I got the hang of it, all was well! Thanks guys!

 

[JLum]

I'm an oddity, I actually left D-school after a semester because I didn't enjoy it at all. Generally speaking, you will be studying the same stuff for 2 years, then a lesser load of the same stuff for the 2 years after that.

Best of luck and make sure you want to be a dentist!

 

[hope_to_match]

I recently changed my path from medical to dental school. These are my insights:

1. When I studied for the MCAT I absolutely hated it. I wasn't excited about medical school but it was something my family expected of me and something I was aiming for, for a long time. I took the test. Applied to med schools. Got in. Left without finishing the first semester (half way through).

2. I am currently studying for DAT and I absolutely love studying for it AND I am actually looking forward to dental school.

Not sure if there is a correlation between how you feel when you study for the admission test and the grad school itself. But I can tell you this much- med school was sort of like studying for the MCAT i.e. all day every day (including weekends). Dental school I am not sure of but I guess it all depends on what you really want to do. If you feel that you WANT to be a dentist then suck it up and go for it...If you are having doubts and hate studying and are unsure why put yourself through all this- definitely rethink your career path or else you will end up like me. The worst part of withdrawing is having loans you have to pay off before you start another grad program..Good luck.