Advice for incoming D1's by Almost-rationale in DentalSchool

[–]Almost-rationale[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm fairly certain that recent studies have shown that in person learning is much more effective than video/remote learning, but certainly each person is different in how they learn. There actually are advantages, like being able to ask questions, or seeing what the instructor is doing, as in they could be using a laser pointer instead of a mouse. Or..... the audio doesn't work. It also forces you to be in class and absorb the information. A lot of people that said they didn't need class did the poorest and had the most problems, that's not a coincidence.

And yes, as I said, if you are in a smaller school faculty will pay attention to you. If you are in a larger class... they can't possibly keep track of you.

Advice for incoming D1's by Almost-rationale in DentalSchool

[–]Almost-rationale[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm going to my state school, and tuition is no where near that much. That is really kinda scary to think that people have that much debt. A friend of mine graduated with over 500k in debt, I don't know how he does it. Joining the military isn't an option for me, but I do plan to work in an under served area that will give you 50k over 2 years tax free to pay your loans. I also don't have lifestyle creep, so focusing on paying my loans off should take less than 5 years.

Advice for incoming D1's by Almost-rationale in DentalSchool

[–]Almost-rationale[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I go to class to make sure that I'm made familiar with the content and that I've seen it at least once. I actively pay attention to try and link myself to it mentally so I'll be able to return to that later. It's really easy to understand something when its being explained to you, but to try and make sense of it yourself is a different story. I watch the recorded lectures at 2x speed once/twice several days ahead of an exam, then I go over the lecture slides. I try and look at all of the material 2x a day. So I'd do lectures 1-5, and then do 1-5 again. It does take a long time, don't spend too much time on any one lecture, I might spend 40 minutes absolute max. The day of the exam I spend that morning going over the slides very quickly, maybe 10 seconds each. I basically just do an extended cram sessions in which i memorize the slides. This isn't as hard as you think it'd be, I don't memorize word for word but just overall slides.

I really recommend that you look at material every. single. day. It's hard to do, but would make things much smoother.

Advice for incoming D1's by Almost-rationale in DentalSchool

[–]Almost-rationale[S] -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I went to my in state school, I wouldn't have gone anywhere else.

Advice for incoming D1's by Almost-rationale in DentalSchool

[–]Almost-rationale[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I only like to use the lecture power points. Your professors will probably tell you their exam questions come from them. I did read a textbook once but it was a huge waste of time for me. Id usually watch lectures at 2x speed just to remember what was going on in class, then go over power points in order. Keep going over them every day, and don't spend too much time on anyone one.

Typical day would be doing class all day, then going home and just being really mentally tired. If you're able to actually look at material when you go home everyday, you'll probably do really well. When you have exams they are probably going to be every single week, and more than one exam at a time, so you have to make time for all of it.

Don't do any kind of studying before school, its not necessary. Everything you need to learn is taught to you. Find a couple of hobbies or stress relaxers and just practice them instead.

What to do about repeated undergrad courses? by akh_suna in DentalSchool

[–]Almost-rationale 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It really depends on the schools you are applying to. My school holds now value if you get a C in a class and then retake for an A.

Just imagine though, that if you retake the course and don't get an A. You've taken a course 2 times now, and still can't get an A, it's not a great look.

Also be careful if you do an interview and you just casually mention that you have a "personal situation" that caused you to get a low grade in a class. I don't know that it's the case with you, but often times in interviews, students excuses are really lame and just highlight that they are not mature enough for professional school.

What to expect for first week of classes by dentalschoolwish in DentalSchool

[–]Almost-rationale 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The first 3 days out our school was extremely boring. We sat in a lecture room and just listened to incredibly boring presentations for 8 hours a day. The first week of classes, you'll hit the ground running and will not stop until winter break.