What are D3 and D4 like in terms of lifestyle?

[glassesvar]

I've heard D1 and D2 are hell with being in class 8-5 and then studying + lab after hours. Does it get better D3 and D4? What are the hours/stress level like?

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[Gen. Beauregard]

Cirrhosis of the liver, or at least the opportunity for it. D4 was like a Sandals resort commercial compared to D1-3.

 

[glassesvar]

Cirrhosis of the liver, or at least the opportunity for it. D4 was like a Sandals resort commercial compared to D1-3.

How is D3? Also what do D3 and D4s primarily do? I know they do clinic but do they also still take classes? And is it stressful being in clinic?

 

[Gen. Beauregard]

It really depends on the individual program. Some schools break it down into 2 years of book courses followed by 2 years of clinical courses. My program was "tangential" in that we had a mix of both all 4 years, with very few clinical courses first year, and very few (2) courses fourth year. The fourth year courses shouldn't even really count because they were so easy. D3 was supposed to be our hardest year in that you were in the thick of courses like pharmacology, med comp, and pathology, while doing lab courses in crown and bridge, and handling patient cases for removable prosth. It was a perfect confluence of courses that weren't hard per se, just incredibly demanding of your time. Naturally that's when my wife and I thought kids would be a good idea. I honestly thought second semester of D1 was the absolute worst because I was still innocent then. I was good and mean by D3, so it was ok other than being tired all the time. D4 was much better. Clinic is stressful for the first week and then you're over the stress except for isolated instances like doing new procedures for the first time or during boards. Outside of that I had time to study for NBDE II (lol), grow tomatoes, feed birds, go camping, go fishing, watch the school's sports teams, enjoy Fridays with the bros, and have a newborn. D4 almost, almost, makes me miss dental school. I can at least give it a chin nod when I think about it now. Hope that helps.

 

[glassesvar]

It really depends on the individual program. Some schools break it down into 2 years of book courses followed by 2 years of clinical courses. My program was "tangential" in that we had a mix of both all 4 years, with very few clinical courses first year, and very few (2) courses fourth year. The fourth year courses shouldn't even really count because they were so easy. D3 was supposed to be our hardest year in that you were in the thick of courses like pharmacology, med comp, and pathology, while doing lab courses in crown and bridge, and handling patient cases for removable prosth. It was a perfect confluence of courses that weren't hard per se, just incredibly demanding of your time. Naturally that's when my wife and I thought kids would be a good idea. I honestly thought second semester of D1 was the absolute worst because I was still innocent then. I was good and mean by D3, so it was ok other than being tired all the time. D4 was much better. Clinic is stressful for the first week and then you're over the stress except for isolated instances like doing new procedures for the first time or during boards. Outside of that I had time to study for NBDE II (lol), grow tomatoes, feed birds, go camping, go fishing, watch the school's sports teams, enjoy Fridays with the bros, and have a newborn. D4 almost, almost, makes me miss dental school. I can at least give it a chin nod when I think about it now. Hope that helps.

Thanks so much for the insight. If you don't mind me asking, how do you like being a dentist now? If you could go back, would you do it again?

 

[Gen. Beauregard]

I freaking love it. I love talking to the patients, I love using my hands, I love that I was taught well enough to figure out the oddballs when they walk in, and I love that when I'm in over my head I can refer to a specialist. Hell yes I'd do it again now that I'm on the other side. I may have been hesitant if you asked me at some points in school, but if I had a time machine I'd go back and moon myself and say, "buck up idiot, it gets better." That's how I feel anyway. You may want to shadow some dentists in your area. Dentistry is this weird veiled thing to the public, and as a result I think a lot of currently burned out dentists got into a field they didn't fully understand in the first place and would have made more money and been happier owning a beachfront restaurant. Shadowing dentists lets you pick their brains, peek over their shoulder, and get a good idea of the day to day minutia they encounter and help determine if it's something you could do for 30+ years. 4 day work weeks help with that last part, particularly when the fishing is good.

 

[ncide]

3rd year is enormously better than the first two years.

There were exams almost every week, with almost daily exams during finals. It was a tough grind. The stress for me was significant, since I was working hard trying to ace every single course and practical.

Now, like Gen, I have time to go fishing and relax. I still am working hard, but the load is comparatively less than before.

 

[deleted923283]

What I've heard from upperclassmen...

And the end of the day, you're more exhausted than you were D1/D2, but weekends are total freedom (no big Monday tests you're always studying for). You have to hold yourself in a specific manner for patients and doctors all day, and you're mandated to be at school 10-6, and lab work is on your own time. So at least at some schools, it's not the Sandals resort other posters claim.

 

[nuk]

What I've heard from upperclassmen...

And the end of the day, you're more exhausted than you were D1/D2, but weekends are total freedom (no big Monday tests you're always studying for). You have to hold yourself in a specific manner for patients and doctors all day, and you're mandated to be at school 10-6, and lab work is on your own time. So at least at some schools, it's not the Sandals resort other posters claim.

Start the day at 10 AM sounds like a dream to me.
And here I have to come at 7.45 everyday (D4)....

 

[ncide]

Start the day at 10 AM sounds like a dream to me.
And here I have to come at 7.45 everyday (D4)....

Yeah what school starts at 10 lol

 

[Faux]

D4>D3>>>>D2>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Pacific Ocean>>>>>>>>Great Wall Of China>>D1

 

[Ari Rezaei]

IMO I think school gets more difficult every year, but you get more used to it. D4 sounds nice, but you have boards, NERB, applications, interviews, grad requirements.

That said, even though you spend more time working in D3 and D4, the work is A LOT more gratifying than D1 and D2.

 

[free99]

The stress in d4 comes from stuff you largely can’t control, mainly finding boards patients, and getting requirements done. Your grades for residency programs are already set in stone so academics shouldn’t be much of a concern. If you’re applying to residency programs it adds a new layer of stress with missing school to go to interviews. But it’s all pretty manageable. D4 is by far the best.

 

[Vicviper]

At Pitt many of us looked forward to D3 as it was often called the year of "livin' the dream." The first half of D4 is usually pretty chill as well, but the second half gets a whole different kind of stressful when you're trying to finish stuff to graduate. I had my last denture patient bail two weeks before graduation. I found that it is very possible to do every step and make a complete denture start to finish in a week as long as you put the work in 😉

 

[2TH MVR]

I might add that D4 has the excitement factor of ..... Hey ....I'm going to be a dentist soon. School is almost over. All those years of hard work is finally going to pay off. D4 is also the time to look for a job and start your career. It's all starting to become real.