As far as first year is concerned...I'm just finishing it and it really wasn't bad at all. It all depends on what kind of student you want to be...if you're happy accepting Bs and Cs instead of As...You won't have any trouble at all finding a great social life while in school. yes, there'll be some weekends where you'll go out monday, tuesday, thursday, friday and saturday night...but around midterms and finals you really can't...although just last weekend I ended up going to a concert friday and then out on saturday even though we had 4 tests that week. Like I said, it all depends on what you want to get. You're not going to get any kind of decent answer from most of the people on this board because the majority of them are looking to get As and would probably cry home to mommy or daddy if they got a C in a class. Dental school is all what you make it.. People here will tell you that they wouldn't want you for a dentist if you only got a C in physiology..which just goes to show their true anal nature. Things like histology, biochemistry, and neuroanatomy for example have such a small impact on your actual dental skills that as long as you passed the class and the boards you have more than significant knowledge in that particular field. Just focus on your dental classes, learn what you need to know to make yourself a good clinician...and the most important part of that is going to be PEOPLE SKILLS. Just about every study that I've read on doctors says that bedside manner is how the majority of the world judges a doctors skills... Granted we aren't MDs, but I'd pretty much assume that we're judged on the same kinds of things.
I know I got a little off track there but..I''m pretty much saying you'll have as much free time as you want..You'll WITHOUT A DOUBT have time to hang out with friends, have a boyfriend/girlfriend, go out drinking...you will, theres no question about it. Theres only a small majority of the class that doesn't have that time..they're either going for As and want to specialize (or can't handle getting anything less), or they just can't learn material that fast. But the solid majority of the people do have time for other things, whether it be drinking, watching endless tv, or having a part time job as a stripper. I know your dental friends are saying that you won't have any time at all..but from what I've noticed, people in dental school make an over exaggerated big deal about everything. they get an 88 on the test, they say it was totally unfair and way too complex of a test and feel the need to complain about every question to the professor...they're also the ones who line up after EVERY class to talk (suck up) to the professor about the lecture (I basically equate this to fishing..they ask the professor hundreds of questions on what and what isn't going to be on the test to get an advantage). I also remember every new second year telling me that I needed to go to every class, you can't skip or you'll fail, you'll never have any free time, you can't go out on weekends, blah blah blah. None of it proved true at all. I got to a max of 5 classes a week. and I'm not some super genius by any case. Now all these same second years who told me how hard first year was going to be, are saying how hard second year is....While it might be harder, the grass is always greener on the otherside. Dont' worry about free time, you'll have it..Don't worry about grades, they don't necessarily mean you'll be a bad dentist..I could care less if my dentist can dissociate between the rectum and the large intestine underneath a microscope. all I care about is if he's filling the right damn tooth...
and to a side note to all those people asking the question 'how can people ask these things...what would admissions committees think'....who are you?? I know this profession is filled with mormons but..c'mon, don't be such tools.. Half the people are going to be dentists because they want a relaxed fun filled life...cut some slack and relax...if they want to drink on weekends in their free time, who cares.. Not everyone is socially ******ed like the majority of dental students seem to be....
