Hello to all you pre-dents out there,
First and foremost, I want to preface this by saying that this is not necessarily meant to be a discouraging thread, but certainly to be an eye opener. As impressive and intelligent as most of yall are, I know yall are just eager to get in somewhere, anywhere, especially cheaper programs. I was once very hopeful, positive and excited about starting school as well.
What I wish I wouldve known is how disorganized, unreliable, and plain unfair the clinical systems at a school can be. If there is one thing I wish I knew then that I know now, is to HIGHLY investigate how a school decides its clinical requirements. How does the school obtain and retain patients, and if the patients can AFFORD treatment. Does the school take insurance? Can the school's patient population afford the school's prices?
Look, I'll be honest, First and second year of dental school will largely be in your control. Completely. Study your ass off, and work hard in pre-clinic=likely landing in top 20.
When it gets crazy is when a school has a tremendously high cancellation rate, but still wants all 100 of its students to cut 20 crowns to graduate.
When 70% of the patient pool cannot afford the prices at the school, and therefore,simply stop showing up for appoinments.
When students spend 60 % of their time "treatment planning", in the hopes that maybe the 15th patient they have treatment planned in 2 months will finally accept the treatment plan, and actually get some experience.
A large amount of academic faculty are out of touch with reality, and simply will propose "ideal" treatment. That's all fine and dandy, but when your patient looks you in the eye, and tells you they cant afford that crown, and you still need 10 more to move on to 4th year....what will you do?
Please don't be deceived by all the sugarcoating that goes on at interviews. Talk to the students that don't attend the luncheons, they are the ones that will tell you what the clinical experience is REALLY like at the school.
Are students fighting over crown and bridge patients?
Are students paying for their patients' treatment in order to hit requirement quotas? Does the school even have requirements?! Can you just pass the competency and move on?
Unfortunately, I have been tremendously dissapointed with my clinical experience at my school. I am not the only one who feels this way, but probably the few who verbalize it. If I had known how clinic was truly run at my institution, trust me, I wouldve made other decisions. You do not want to attend a program where you spend more time calling patients, dealing with cancellations and rescheduling, than actually doing dentistry. You do not want to deal with administration who shut their eyes and ears and act like you as a student simply arent working hard enough when you are still short 7 crowns, and have treatment planned 20 patients. You do not want to spend your last year of dental school begging patients to get treatment they need, because your future depends on it.
So please pre-dents. Talk to the students on the campuses. Not the ones who give you the fancy tours. But the ones dealing with patients day in and day out, at that institution. Get the real deal. After all, you're paying a pretty penny for this. No one goes to dental school so they can worry about recruiting their own patients and worry about requirements all day, every day.
First and foremost, I want to preface this by saying that this is not necessarily meant to be a discouraging thread, but certainly to be an eye opener. As impressive and intelligent as most of yall are, I know yall are just eager to get in somewhere, anywhere, especially cheaper programs. I was once very hopeful, positive and excited about starting school as well.
What I wish I wouldve known is how disorganized, unreliable, and plain unfair the clinical systems at a school can be. If there is one thing I wish I knew then that I know now, is to HIGHLY investigate how a school decides its clinical requirements. How does the school obtain and retain patients, and if the patients can AFFORD treatment. Does the school take insurance? Can the school's patient population afford the school's prices?
Look, I'll be honest, First and second year of dental school will largely be in your control. Completely. Study your ass off, and work hard in pre-clinic=likely landing in top 20.
When it gets crazy is when a school has a tremendously high cancellation rate, but still wants all 100 of its students to cut 20 crowns to graduate.
When 70% of the patient pool cannot afford the prices at the school, and therefore,simply stop showing up for appoinments.
When students spend 60 % of their time "treatment planning", in the hopes that maybe the 15th patient they have treatment planned in 2 months will finally accept the treatment plan, and actually get some experience.
A large amount of academic faculty are out of touch with reality, and simply will propose "ideal" treatment. That's all fine and dandy, but when your patient looks you in the eye, and tells you they cant afford that crown, and you still need 10 more to move on to 4th year....what will you do?
Please don't be deceived by all the sugarcoating that goes on at interviews. Talk to the students that don't attend the luncheons, they are the ones that will tell you what the clinical experience is REALLY like at the school.
Are students fighting over crown and bridge patients?
Are students paying for their patients' treatment in order to hit requirement quotas? Does the school even have requirements?! Can you just pass the competency and move on?
Unfortunately, I have been tremendously dissapointed with my clinical experience at my school. I am not the only one who feels this way, but probably the few who verbalize it. If I had known how clinic was truly run at my institution, trust me, I wouldve made other decisions. You do not want to attend a program where you spend more time calling patients, dealing with cancellations and rescheduling, than actually doing dentistry. You do not want to deal with administration who shut their eyes and ears and act like you as a student simply arent working hard enough when you are still short 7 crowns, and have treatment planned 20 patients. You do not want to spend your last year of dental school begging patients to get treatment they need, because your future depends on it.
So please pre-dents. Talk to the students on the campuses. Not the ones who give you the fancy tours. But the ones dealing with patients day in and day out, at that institution. Get the real deal. After all, you're paying a pretty penny for this. No one goes to dental school so they can worry about recruiting their own patients and worry about requirements all day, every day.
Or at least pm me
