I often find it humorous how we are all soooo excited for 12/1 😎 and getting accepted to DS, but once we get there many tend to lose that passion and just get all serious. I know several individuals who are currently in there first year and I recently called to ask them how it's going???!! To my surprise that passion we all hold within (as did they), is gone? They pretty much conveyed to me its so hard they don't even have time to reflect and enjoy the position they are in... I couldn't see this being me. When in dental school (hopefully) no matter how hard and busy a single day is, I will be excited that it is one more day behind me, and I am one more day closer to the big DMD, which lets be honest, is totally fridge worthy lol! What is your take on the difficulty of DS? Will it be so hard that it robs our spirit? Will we still have that drive sensation in our skin for four years? I also think once 3rd year rolls around, we will 'smell blood' and have DMD's 'tomorrow'. Frankly, I was a little discouraged to hear the feedback from my friends 👎, what are the odds we will keep this same November excitement until 2015 😕
What do you think??
- Thread starter WhichRoom
- Start date
It all depends on how prepared you are. If you took all the recommended prerequisites (and actually LEARNED (not crammed into short term memory🙂) the material) and actually enjoy activities that require manual dexterity, you will probably enjoy d-school because it will not be your first introduction to the material. However, if you are in it for the $, hate activities that require good hand eye coordination, and don't have good study habits, get ready for hell.
3
321931
Thats why it always good to rest/relax before undertaking the grind. It prevents burnout. I also look for the students personal happiness at all the interviews I've been to. There have been a few schools that no matter what- the students are always HAPPY. 1st, 2cd, 3rd year. You can just sense it. Thats why I personally base my decision on students happiness. Dental school is tough. Why put myself in a miserable situation with overall unhappiness?😕
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2010
- Messages
- 59
- Reaction score
- 3
I would like to say that I agree with you on the subject... Why loose the passion once you get there?? But I think what you and I are failing to realize is that DS is no walk in the park.
In reality, there is no way to truly prepare yourself for what you are about to face in DS. For once in your career, you are put before an educational setting, in which EVERYTHING you learn actually matters. Its not like gen chem, where you have to learn how to use the Henderson-Hassel-Hoff equation
(that's what I always called it, lol), or how to determine the pKa of a solution in equilibrium.
Life as a dental student is stressful. You are in class from 8:00-5:00 almost everyday of the week, just in a learning environment. Then, you have to go home just to study what you have learned and still find time to sleep so you can wake up and do it all over again the next day. Not to mention that there will be weeks where you have 5 exams in 5 days. The worst part about it is that you don't even get to start seeing patients until the end of your 2nd year. I think it is very easy to loose sight of the passion and why you are doing this when the only friends you have are your Anatomy and Dental Materials books.
The way I see it, is to just pretend that you are walking into a different world for the next 2 years and remember to wipe that smile off of your face (or your professors will be sure to do this for you). Then by year 3, you are starting to find your way out of the tunnel and remember why you signed up for this in the first place.
But that's just my 2 cents....
In reality, there is no way to truly prepare yourself for what you are about to face in DS. For once in your career, you are put before an educational setting, in which EVERYTHING you learn actually matters. Its not like gen chem, where you have to learn how to use the Henderson-Hassel-Hoff equation
(that's what I always called it, lol), or how to determine the pKa of a solution in equilibrium. Life as a dental student is stressful. You are in class from 8:00-5:00 almost everyday of the week, just in a learning environment. Then, you have to go home just to study what you have learned and still find time to sleep so you can wake up and do it all over again the next day. Not to mention that there will be weeks where you have 5 exams in 5 days. The worst part about it is that you don't even get to start seeing patients until the end of your 2nd year. I think it is very easy to loose sight of the passion and why you are doing this when the only friends you have are your Anatomy and Dental Materials books.
The way I see it, is to just pretend that you are walking into a different world for the next 2 years and remember to wipe that smile off of your face (or your professors will be sure to do this for you). Then by year 3, you are starting to find your way out of the tunnel and remember why you signed up for this in the first place.
But that's just my 2 cents....
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2009
- Messages
- 5,650
- Reaction score
- 169
umm, I don't think you'll get fair answers from the pre-dents cause... lets be honest here, none of us have experienced what its like to take 25 credits in a single term with all upper level courses.
I mean, I watched my sister get through dental school, I used to remember waking up in the middle of the night to go pee and the light under her door was still on (2-3 AM, she was still studying).... Now, my sister was a little psyco, she did finish 2nd in her class (or was it 3rd? forgot...)..... But my point is, expect the years of dental school to be pretty harsh even if your not looking to being at the top of your class.
Heres an example, memorizing the entire head & neck anatomy (all the little bones, nerves, what they innervate, blood supply circulation, all the little blood vessels AND THAT DARN circle of willis, all the muscles, glads, etc etc) in a single term WHILE taking like 20 other credits is a nightmare in its own hahahah.... Can't wait to struggle
the only thing that will help me get through it is
a) make friends and struggle together with them
b) no matter how nasty and bad things get, believe that it will ALL be over in 4 years (or less)
c) always keep up with the heavy material, don't wait till last minute to start studying, come home every day and spent 2-3 hours reviewing that day's material.
d) exercise
3
321931
Sounds about the same. My friends say they are having the time of their lives. Better then undergrad. Like I said- look at the students happiness at your interviews. Is there a vibrant feel? Is it bustling? To me- thats the deciding factor for a dental school. It's going to be tough- but at least make it bearable. 😀
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2007
- Messages
- 810
- Reaction score
- 1
It's really not as bad as you fear. It's true -- not all of your classmates will make it through to the end. But from what I have seen, it's usually a few bad apples who get booted for disciplinary reasons or because it just wasn't for them. It certainly won't rob you of your sanity or spirit. It's professional schooling, not prison.
