Will taking undergrad anatomy help in DS?

[Svart Aske]

Hi folks,

Hopefully some of you might have some suggestions or personal experiences to share.

I am thinking about how I could prepare academically prior to matriculating. I was a non-science major so my biology background isn't very stong, I feel that more exposure to undergrad biology classes might be beneficial in DS. I've heard that anatomy is the course that gives 1st year dental students the biggest headaches, so I'm wondering if taking an undergrad anatomy class might give one a head start in the subject. I've perused other threads and people seem to disagree over the usefulness of undergrad anatomy: some say that gross anatomy in med/dental school is taught completely differently from what most have experienced, while others thought that having A/P under their belts helped them a great deal in their 1st years.

What do you guys think? Should I bother with registering in an anatomy class or should I enjoy the time off before DS? Are there classes other than anatomy that's worth preparing for?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[scottyhoop]

Personally I am happy I had some anatomy going into dental school. While gross was a lot more material and much more in depth than my undergrad anatomy class, it was nice having basics down when I got there. I had a pretty decent vocabulary (which can be confusing), a general knowledge of locations of most larger structures, etc....I by no means cruised thru the class, but having a background did make it a tad easier. Good luck!!

Scotty

 

[omaralt]

i would also agree, i did not take anatomy going into dental school, and felt like i was at a big disadvantage. They assume that you've taken anatomy coming into dental school, so they breeze through the first few chapters. having said that, i just studied a little harder for the first exam (which is all that undergrad anatomy helped with) and afterwards i was on par with everybody else. so take it if you can, but i wouldnt worry about it too much

omar

 

[Andrew324]

Yes, take it

 

[Ostracized]

I found that it helped with the abdomen/thorax/limbs. However, most of 1st year anatomy was above the neck, and there I was still quite clueless.

 

[reapply2007]

Absolutely. Take the most difficult classes of your entire undergraduate curriculum and take overload credits. If you can get special undergraduate research projects on tumor growth or bone remodeling at the same time, this would be a productive use of your time. Try to get something published in a peer reviewed journal before you start dental school in August. Also try to work part time at a video rental store to boost your people skills. You won't regret it.

Alternatively, unplug your geek cells and recharge your life before you start d-school.

 

[Svart Aske]

Absolutely. Take the most difficult classes of your entire undergraduate curriculum and take overload credits. If you can get special undergraduate research projects on tumor growth or bone remodeling at the same time, this would be a productive use of your time. Try to get something published in a peer reviewed journal before you start dental school in August. Also try to work part time at a video rental store to boost your people skills. You won't regret it.

Alternatively, unplug your geek cells and recharge your life before you start d-school.

Funny. I didn't think my question made me sound like one of those overly competitive types, but I guess some people will just grab every opportunity to be sarcastic. If I could make my life in dental school a little easier by taking a class, I should at least consider it. Thanks for the input.

 

[teethmagnet]

Absolutely. Take the most difficult classes of your entire undergraduate curriculum and take overload credits. .

anatomy or physio??
which do you guys recc before dental school

 

[MarkND]

You don't need to take the gross anatomy; all you need is to study the anatomy of head and neck on your own. Try to go over the muscles, innervations, blood supplies and bony structures of the head and neck as much as you can...There are tons of good dissection videos on youtube... Watch them and get an idea of what you will be doing 6 months from now!
Good luck!

 

[reapply2007]

Funny. I didn't think my question made me sound like one of those overly competitive types, but I guess some people will just grab every opportunity to be sarcastic. If I could make my life in dental school a little easier by taking a class, I should at least consider it. Thanks for the input.

With a sceen name like "Svart Aske" I could see why you don't like sarcasm.

 

[Svart Aske]

I see that non sequitur is part of your repertoire as well. Good job (see, I can appreciate a little sarcasm).

 

[JamesOSU]

Yes I think it would help ease you into anatomy. Anatomy is DS is fast paced and lots of meticulous information. People told me coming in not to bother studying beforehand because I can't imagine all the stuff I need to know. Studying on your own (or in an undergrad class) doesn't compare. Can't hurt, but you'll still never cover everything you will be learning next year.

That being said, I would probably only take anatomy if it was a cadaver lab. Preferably 3x a week in the cadaver lab, get some experience looking at bodies, not just textbook images.

 

[teethmagnet]

That being said, I would probably only take anatomy if it was a cadaver lab. Preferably 3x a week in the cadaver lab, get some experience looking at bodies, not just textbook images.

hows a cat once a week?haha
and also, how did you find physio?worth sitting in on that class too
also, for biochemistry--did you cover everything about carbohydrates . . .kreb cycle. . . ..
bec im in in now and we really do that crap all we did was buffers, dna/rna, and nucleic acids, and now we are having a one or two lectures about hemoglobin and myglobin. . . . . .. worth trying to read some of the biochem textbook to better prepare myself for next year?

last q----what dental school do you go to, if u dont mind me asking

 

[TJNova2011]

hows a cat once a week?haha
and also, how did you find physio?worth sitting in on that class too
also, for biochemistry--did you cover everything about carbohydrates . . .kreb cycle. . . ..
bec im in in now and we really do that crap all we did was buffers, dna/rna, and nucleic acids, and now we are having a one or two lectures about hemoglobin and myglobin. . . . . .. worth trying to read some of the biochem textbook to better prepare myself for next year?

last q----what dental school do you go to, if u dont mind me asking

-Recommendation for English and/or grammar courses.


Take anatomy. The terminology will come back faster the second time around.

 

[teethmagnet]

-Recommendation for English and/or grammar courses.


Take anatomy. The terminology will come back faster the second time around.

are you referring to my grammer in the previous post?

 

[shoombol tallah]

Anatomy in undergrad is good for like the first two maybe 3 weeks, then you go into suuuuper detailed stuff in the head and neck and everyone starts fresh there. I would focus more on biochem, microbiology, immunology, physiology, stuff thats gonna pretty similar to what your gonna go over in dental school.