Switching from premed to predent?

[goldfish85]

---

Members don't see this ad.

hey all,
first time poster in the predent forum.

I have been pre-med since ive entered college (im in my 3rd year now) but recently i have read A LOT about the style of a physician and the long residency hours many MDs have to endure with extremely low pay. However, i ran into a DDS and he told me that she told me all abotu her practice. She only works 4 days a week and she acted like it was normal

So i decided to research the dental profession more. Is seems like the lifestyle is much more relaxed. also the pay isint that bad.

Then i read this article: http://www.collegejournal.com/careerpaths/findcareerpath/20050120-maremont.html

and i was pretty shoked!. i also have a low gpa (2.777 Cum.) but since i have 2 more years to go, i may be able to raise it sufficiently so that i wont have to do a post bacc. and i can get admitted to dental school. However my main question is.... are my reasons justified for wanting to go into medical school? my main reasons from changing from premed to predent...are... lifestyle.. compensation.. and the idea of starting my own practice (i love business and investments).... also the job doesnt sound bad at all. .... but is this enough to want to enter a profession? ??

 

[drhobie7]

However my main question is.... are my reasons justified for wanting to go into medical school? my main reasons from changing from premed to predent...are... lifestyle.. compensation.. and the idea of starting my own practice (i love business and investments).... also the job doesnt sound bad at all. .... but is this enough to want to enter a profession? ??

I think you meant to say dental school. My answer to your question is no. Those reasons alone are insufficient to justify choosing dentistry as a profession. If those are your only reasons you will ultimately be unhappy as a dentist. You do dentistry because you enjoy working on teeth. The other stuff is gravy. If you don't like teeth you'll hate your life. Dentistry is completely different from medicine. It's not like being a physician but with better pay and hours. Do some shadowing for a hundred hours or so to figure it out. You can work 4 days a week as a physician too. Just do what you want and the money won't be that big of a concern. I think if you're doing something you hate, the issue of compensation becomes a lot more important.

 

[cbarry]

I agree that you have to have some exposure to dentistry in order to make the ultimate decision. I am not one of those people who was born wanting to be a dentist, but that does not mean that dentistry is not for me. Lifestyle has a lot to do with it and I think that should be ONE of the reasons why you choose a career, but not the overwhelming reason why. It happened to be an important aspect for me as a woman b/c life outside of a career also contributes to your happiness. Good luck in you endeavors!

 

[Audio]

hey all,
first time poster in the predent forum.

I have been pre-med since ive entered college (im in my 3rd year now) but recently i have read A LOT about the style of a physician and the long residency hours many MDs have to endure with extremely low pay. However, i ran into a DDS and he told me that she told me all abotu her practice. She only works 4 days a week and she acted like it was normal

So i decided to research the dental profession more. Is seems like the lifestyle is much more relaxed. also the pay isint that bad.

Then i read this article: http://www.collegejournal.com/careerpaths/findcareerpath/20050120-maremont.html

and i was pretty shoked!. i also have a low gpa (2.777 Cum.) but since i have 2 more years to go, i may be able to raise it sufficiently so that i wont have to do a post bacc. and i can get admitted to dental school. However my main question is.... are my reasons justified for wanting to go into medical school? my main reasons from changing from premed to predent...are... lifestyle.. compensation.. and the idea of starting my own practice (i love business and investments).... also the job doesnt sound bad at all. .... but is this enough to want to enter a profession? ??

If you really want to get into dental school, say this stuff during your interviews. Dentists love to hear that you think what they do is easier than some family doctor that sits on his ass all day and writes prescriptions for pain killers to any desperate housewife.