What's Dental School Like?

Aside from application anxiety, the most common spark of anticipation stems from the curiosity of what life in dental school is like. I regret having missed the boat on photo-documenting my first year, but hopefully I can catch you up on the insights of having been a DS1 --> DS2.

Grading System
My education here has been different from my experiences at an undergraduate school in Canada - the first noted distinction being the GPA conversion. While I was used to an 80%+ scoring a 4.0 back home, I now grow accustomed to the same grade converting to a 3.0 (B-). I also never feared failure because scoring below a 50% on an exam was a rarity; however, in dental school, every student must achieve atleast a 70% on an exam in order to pass. I won't lie, failure is not uncommon and even I have had to remediate a written exam or competency exam. Don't be frightened, the school will ease you into their system gradually and will do their best to prevent you from falling behind.

Workload/Difficulty
Very briefly, dental students will agree that examinations are not difficult, but plentiful. From last year to this year, I am not shocked that I am still constantly studying for a quiz every other day. On the plus side, I have never run out of time to finish a quiz or exam - a struggle for me when writing exams in undergrad, as well as during the DAT. What becomes more stressful are competency exams eg. anatomy bell-ringers, wax-ups, caries preps & restorations, crown and bridges. These you cannot be tardy or truant for, and time management is key.

Attendance/Presence
I cannot speak for all schools, but I stress that my school takes attendance and dresscode very seriously. We use a clicker system for participation and attendance check, and have been in conflict with the Dean for academic misconduct when students were swapping clickers. Students are required to have clean/pressed scrubs or business attire, and can be sent home if this criteria is not fulfilled.

Outside Life/Time Management
I will be the first to admit that if dental school was my entire life, I would go insane. Unfortunately, free time has become less prevalent than in my undergrad/grad school days. That is not to say that I am studying every day. While I can still proclaim to be doing well in school, I am not one to stay on top of my workload. Examination period seems to drag on forever, but during those in-between days, myself and my classmates will take advantage of our time and become young, belligerent delinquents when well-deserved ;) Even during exams, I make it my priority to nap, frequent the gym, and stay in touch with my friends back home.
It is nice to remember that all your classmates are suffering the same schedule, so if it is time to be a hermit, they're all hermitting with you.

If you are a predental student, I advise you not to jump the gun and prepare by reading up on books or volunteering. Enjoy your time before DS1, because the one thing I lack now is sufficient vacation time to travel. Your whole life will become teeth and mouths come fall semester. When I get a break, it is relieving to pretend that I know nothing about oral health, if only for a couple of weeks.

Cheers from the girls of DS2 <3

Introduction

I find myself in a state of haphazard disorganization as I input the first words of my inaugural entry. At the age of 26 - over a decade since I started my first blog, I've lost the inherent nature to log online and scribble my incoherent teenage angst over the years. From bad boyfriends to bad grades and everything in between, I never thought I'd find myself at a point where I could finally speak of my professional experiences. My dearest friends can attest to my disastrous diaries where I've bellyached the most mundane of trivialities (and we have all been there); but at some golden age of maturation (not that I'm there yet) where the postings halted and I grew some skin (some of the wisest words of advice to me - "shit happens, don't sweat the small stuff!), I felt for once I could convey a resource of some sorts. If there were young people out there somewhere like myself, I would maybe have something small to offer to them. If not, then at least I can preserve what literacy I have left as a writer.

Hovering in my second year of dental school, it was a bit of a lucky draw for me to get where I am. In my personal statement, I would never be one of those applicants who can illustrate a lifelong dream of becoming a dentist. In honesty, I imagine very few children becoming so enchanted at the prospect of cleaning and pulling teeth that they would make an aspiration of it. My motives to applying into dentistry were completely unromantic. I enrolled in science like a typical undergrad, which autopiloted into a Master's project, and toward the end of grad school it was, "now what." Like much of my post-secondary years, I crammed. My requirements, DAT scores, prerequisites all went in within months and I applied hoping for the best. As a Canadian outcompeted by my own colleagues, I had limited selection applying in the US and knew that any options down south would reap my wallet forever. I regretted my lax study habits and was convinced by mentors and forum strangers that I wouldn't make it, but nobody knew the facts. A hidden gem known as the US-Canada GPA conversion salvaged my application and I was on par with my competition. I could scroll on forever about the months of waiting, interviewing, waiting again, climactic moments of acceptance, preparing, and finally parting with my hometown - but my intentions are to advise predental students intermittently as the arduous application cycle revolves.

For now, I take advantage of days I can sleep in, get a workout in, have a laugh or two, or anything that reminds me I'm still human (while avoiding the streets of Detroit when it gets dark around here past 5pm). Even now, I am still learning not to sweat the small stuff. 

Good luck :)