I am in my first year of dental school and a couple of weeks ago completed my first semester. I would like to keep things anonymous so I will not post which school I attend but if someone is curious you can pm me. Six weeks into the semester I was told my work was unsatisfactory and that I needed to improve which I agreed with. I asked for extra time or someway to practice but was told by the prof it would not be allowed since our school does not have such a policy in place and he also felt giving me extra time would be unfair to everyone else. I was discourshed but I got the equipment and started practicing. Three weeks later I was told I had improved significantly and that my work was now close to a pass, which I was really happy with. The week after my second meeting with my professor where he told me I would pass I submitted all my work, since it was the due date and two weeks later we got our grades. Somehow I ended up getting 15% on all 7 of my assessment items. As per the outline we are allowed a resit only if we are close to a pass so since I am not even close I have to repeat the year as per the course outline. For the past few weeks I have been emailing and trying to get in touch with my prof but he keeps telling me to wait and won't give me a straight answer about what happens next. Also depending on who I talk to I get different answers so its a little frustrating. Also I feel like I can't trust my prof after he told me I would pass then ended up failing me and won't provide feedback so I know where I messed up. It is an issue upper year students have had and unfortunately our school is under review right now with the countries dental council and due to the seriousness of the issues there is a chance it gets shut down. I am an international student so I have a lot on the line in terms of money and from my experience so far it does not look like the school is trying to improve at all. I have thought about transferring instead of sticking around and putting my future at risk. The course I failed runs for a yr so my transcript currently shows its in progress as opposed to a fail so if I do drop out now it won't show up as anything other than a W
Thinking of transferring schools
- Thread starter ss1121
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I don't believe you are allowed to transfer schools as you wish. You will have to reapply. And when you reapply I believe you have to submit your current schools transcripts. Long story short, if you can tough it out you should. Because it's much harder if you don't.
At the end of the day you get a license. That should be your goal. You learn maybe 10% of you what you really need in school. 90% from being out and practicing.
At the end of the day you get a license. That should be your goal. You learn maybe 10% of you what you really need in school. 90% from being out and practicing.
What did you end up doing? I am looking into transferring dental schools as I am having a lot of issues with professors and my school as a whole.
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Good luck. Why transfer? Where from?
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Get the F out of there - this person will never let you through.
Transferring is tough! I too made the mistake of choosing the wrong dental school. I realized this early on, actually during the first week of being there (orientation week). I reached out to other programs, and every school told me that they were not accepting transfer students (due to varying curriculum's) and that I would have to reapply and start over. Initially I resisted, but the deception and "thievery" just kept getting worse at the school that I was in. So I said screw it and left!
Believe it or not, the program that you're trying to leave may make it hard for you to exit and go elsewhere- that's what happened to me- so lay low and don't tell anyone of your plans. Just create a plan and execute it ASAP. Also its best to withdraw in your first semester- doing this will prevent the need for any sort of reference or letter of recommendation requirement from your current program.
Again, transferring is tough, but going elsewhere and starting over is doable, especially if you're still in your first semester! LIke oralcare123 stated, "Get the F ouf of there." Dental school is hard enough, but if you're being treated unfairly, it becomes much much harder. I'm thankful that I took a leap of faith and I have zero regrets. If you or anyone has any questions regarding the process feel free to PM me.
Four years is a long time to be unhappy!
Believe it or not, the program that you're trying to leave may make it hard for you to exit and go elsewhere- that's what happened to me- so lay low and don't tell anyone of your plans. Just create a plan and execute it ASAP. Also its best to withdraw in your first semester- doing this will prevent the need for any sort of reference or letter of recommendation requirement from your current program.
Again, transferring is tough, but going elsewhere and starting over is doable, especially if you're still in your first semester! LIke oralcare123 stated, "Get the F ouf of there." Dental school is hard enough, but if you're being treated unfairly, it becomes much much harder. I'm thankful that I took a leap of faith and I have zero regrets. If you or anyone has any questions regarding the process feel free to PM me.
Four years is a long time to be unhappy!
I actually ended up withdrawing from my program, and since it was before the end of year, I only have two courses recorded on my transcript, which I did well in. I am really glad I got out of there, because the lack of practice and lies from the professors was starting to piss me off. I am sitting on a second offer but have not decided yet. I found the classes quite tough, even theory wise so I have not yet decided what to do. Our class average on the oral anatomy course was in the low 30s for the first midterm, and I definitely felt discouraged. I know Dental school is not a walk in the park, but getting low scores is extremely discouraging. I am still not sure how much of it had to do with the school, which is where the uncertainity comes from. I don't regret my choice at all though and like someone said you can't go around being miserable for four years. If anyone is in a similar situation, or has questions, let me know!
Congratulations on doing what was right for you! Dental school is tough, but sometimes the program/school can make it much harder than it needs to be! Look into your second offer- it may be a much better program and things may go a lot smoother for you there! Either way I am undeniably happy for you!
Thank you! I have heard good things about the school I got accepted to. Due to COVID I have not yet made up my mind, but I am leaning towards accepting the offer.
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I believe it whole heartedly. There is a whole lot of politics in every dental school.
what parameters did you use to determine it was the 'wrong' dental school? almost all of them seem pretty bad. glad you left. I agree its best to lay low and get out ASAP if you think that is what you will be doing.
Honestly, a lot of things transpired within the short amount of time that I was there. The first red flag was when a faculty member referred to my classmates and I as “thugs” during the second day of orientation- the most disheartening part about this was that non of the other faculty members stood up to correct him OR apologize for his horrendous choice of words. The second red flag was when they pulled the D1-scholarship that they had initially given to me- this too happened during the week of orientation. Their justification for this was, “well you have a GI-bill so you weren’t entitled to a scholarship,” which is complete BS. The third red flag and final straw, was when they tried to gas-light me and make it seem as though I was the problem when I decided to put up a fight and win back my scholarship. The stress of it all put a real damper on my desire to be there and it showed, immensely. Morale was low throughout the program and from my perspective it kind of became one of those kill or be killed environments.
Once I decided to leave, I spoke with the Dean of Academic Affairs regarding my decision. She politely threatened to give me a poor reference and recommended that I take a leave of absence instead of withdrawing. I found this baffling seeing as though any person with common sense could see that I was not the problem in this situation. A leave of absence would not fix the issues that I experienced at this school, so I declined.
Believe it or not, I actually had to pay to leave that place. Neither the Bursar or Registrars Office would sign off on my withdrawal form until the balance on my student account was cleared. They also refused to release my transcript until the balance (initially $3,000) was paid. After some much needed dialogue, the balance ended up dropping down to a $1,000. I was so frustrated and just ready to be done with that place that I paid it, got my transcript, and moved on. The transcript had all W’s on it, but my new program required it.
All in all, those were the longest 8 weeks of my life- I got there in August and withdrew in October. I have no ill-will towards the school because at the end of the day they are giving people opportunities that other schools just are not. However, I will never understand how an institution can be okay with belittling, insulting, and stealing from its students! Imagine the panic that sets in after someone deliberately revokes a scholarship worth $20,000k. Then tries to justify that type of thievery! Please do better HUCD!
Food for thought- Before I formally withdrew, I re-applied to three other programs. I explained what I had experienced at HUCD to each of the three schools and believe it or not, NONE of them were surprised. One of the officials even said "I've heard all kinds of horror stories coming out of that place!" SMFH that says ALOT!
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"However, I will never understand how an institution can be okay with belittling, insulting, and stealing from its students! Imagine the panic that sets in after someone deliberately revokes a scholarship worth $20,000k. Then tries to justify that type of thievery!"
hope you find a better school. all of those things: lying, stealing, and on top of it all the belittling, are way too common and it's ridiculous that this still happens
hope you find a better school. all of those things: lying, stealing, and on top of it all the belittling, are way too common and it's ridiculous that this still happens
Unfortunately, most students don't speak up about the issues, so it will keep happening. Upper year students at our Uni had four tutors, one tutor for a group of 8 students, and out of spite she failed all of them because according to her, they had big egos. I was told by friends, to just suck it up, but that was not something I was willing to do. A friend of mine was threatened with expulsion, because her payment for the equipment did not go through, which turned out to be an error on the schools part.
It sucks that these things still happen, because the work itself is quite fascinating. It is just the politics and BS of Dental school, that has kind of put me off from continuing in this field.
I'm sorry you got caught up in the BS! I pray that it all works out for you! Fight hard and never accept defeat! This is your life and your future!
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deleted994703
do you guys mind sharing what schools you transfered out from?
Didn't transfer, I straight up withdrew from HUCD after 8 weeks and went elsewhere! I had to start over, but it was definitely worth it!
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deleted994703
thanks for sharing! best of luck with your journey
Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo
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would you PM me which program this is?
The transition from a large undergraduate college where professors are professional, courteous, and encourage academic curiosity to dental school is jarring. I think it's too bad that dentists treat dental school like it's their own private office, bullying students like they did their employees. Dental academics need to step up their game. GL OP.
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I generally see 2 groups when it comes to faculty. 1)The older population that’s had a full career, now retired and there to help out while getting some cash off to the side. 2)The faculty who couldn’t make it in the real world who have to resort to working back a dental school. They carry a chip on their shoulder due to their incompetence and have to strive for validation which often comes at the expense of their students.
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