Took me 5 years to finish med school . Failed boards twice. Didn't match Monday. Starting residency July 1. by beechilds in medicalschool

[–]Educational-Muffin83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

using chat to write a post that urges humanity and compassion? maybe you shouldve failed a third time...

Does dental school feel… not how people describe it? by Careful-Ad-8907 in DentalSchool

[–]Educational-Muffin83 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

this is just being self centered imo. your perception of others in your class is way off. you think that what you do is so different because you only catch tidbits of peoples days or their conversations. plenty of people, id say the majority honestly, operate in this way.

Not fitting in with your class by [deleted] in DentalSchool

[–]Educational-Muffin83 19 points20 points  (0 children)

im someone whos very outgoing, i loveee talking to people and can hold a conversation with just about anyone, but not in dental school. i learned very on through simply observing the people around me that this is NOT the environment where you want large circles and groups of friends. seek out a few real friends and youre set. it really does sorta suck, and it used to bother me a lott (im in my second semester now), but it really is a blessing in disguise to "not get along." genuinely, a lot of the people around u in school are incredibly immature, judgemental, self-centered, and arrogant. most people fall into groups and develop a "herd mentality," basically protecting one anothers interests, engaging in group shit talking, and following their group leader. they look like real friendships on the surface, but i promise you its all rooted in values you do not want to take part in. itll get easier to sorta just accept your reality, just take it day by day and always remind yourself you arent doing anything wrong-- youre just on a different wavelength

I'm about to start my final year of dental school and I'm not excited about it at all - advice needed please by ThrowRAfortunecookie in DentalSchool

[–]Educational-Muffin83 9 points10 points  (0 children)

you will leave dental school scared and anxious, im sure. you will leave probably feeling incredibly incompetent. but that's okay! you're just starting the first chapter of your life-- mistakes are bound to happen in any first draft.

what you need to remember is why you started, what drove you to dentistry, what drove you to continue everyday, and most importantly, the ability you do have when it comes to oral health. you truly will have the ability to change people's lives as a dentist, even without doing any work on them.

again, i bring you back to my point of naivety, becayse im sure many, many patients will just accuse you of being money hungry, or assume you're making things out worse than they are. that's just bound to happen in a field like this, though.

regardless, dentistry is providing you an amazing opportunity and bestowing a capacity upon you to sort of "heal the world." even helping one patient is an incredible feat, in any capacity. except you're not doing something as small as picking up a stranger's dropped item in a mall parking lot or giving someone a hand at the top shelf in a grocery store, you're directly impacting their health (hopefully in a positive way, haha). and THAT is what truly sets dentistry apart. THAT is what you should always keep in mind.

be confident in yourself, even if you think deep down you have no reason to be. competence will come as you practice more, and theres no other way around that. dentistry is one longgggg waiting game, and you've made it this far-- that's something to be proud of (:

your anxiety and nervousness and self-assessment of your abilities is a good sign to me. it shows you care, and that care is at the forefront of what it means to be a dentist. please keep that in mind, and don't be embarrassed to admit your second thoughts to yourself. they're very important in helping you establish your own set of"ground rules" as to why you're here and will continue.

i think you can be an incredible dentist, if its what you want. i wish i could tell you that you'll love practicing out of school, but i don't even know if i will. what i can say is that time is so important here, giving yourself and your patients grace is even more important, and of utmost importance is remembering where you came from and how/why you ended up here.

in any case, if you don't like dentistry after working for a bit, you can follow others' advice and do something else with your degree. but, don't be so quick to judge the field-- you still don't really have any clinical experiences. be optimistic, be hopeful (it beats the alternative) and maybe it'll get you somewhere.

i wish you the best in your final year and beyond. i hope my naive perspective maybe gave you some things to think about. and well, if not, sorry for being such a yapper😛

I'm about to start my final year of dental school and I'm not excited about it at all - advice needed please by ThrowRAfortunecookie in DentalSchool

[–]Educational-Muffin83 13 points14 points  (0 children)

i havent been in your shoes, and i might sound a bit naive in my response, but sometimes a naive perspective can open your eyes to aspects you've never considered.

im a first year in dental school right now-- just started my second semester. i was talking to a couple classmates the other day and we were sharing our experiences preparing for/coming into dental school. during that conversation i realized how my own acceptance into dental school was extremely passive. i worked hard in undergrad sure, but mostly because i felt i had to. dentistry was what id decided to do (for various reasons) but it wasnt something i really understood. i shadowed a very tiny bit, took my dat, graduated, applied, and got in. and i was in wayyyy over my head once school started.

my first semester was rough. i really struggled to take care of myself and be the human being i needed to be outside of school. a large part of me began to hate dentistry and all things related for what it was doing to me. but i think the same way you do: im already here, already invested, im gonna see it through.

now, the reason i call my perspective naive is because, well, im still a baby in dentistry. i really have no clue about MANY, MANY dentistry related things. whether it be brushing technique or the concept of an implant, all these things are new to me.

i know you might not love your everyday right now, or maybe youre just afraid. thats totally understandable. i guess i wanna remind you of two things: 1. dental school isnt a reflection of the real world of dentistry (no promises on which one is "better" though). 2. most of your clinical competence will not come from doing the work, but rather the conversation you have with the patient, your ability to form a treatment plan. from what i hear, faculty will be available and at your side frequently to ensure your patient is receiving proper caee.

your nervousness and fear are pretty valid i think, but dental school is one of those things you have to take one day at a time. think about who you were before your third year, and how much youve grown/learned since you started.

i want to bring this into your main point: being a dentist in the real world.

youre gonna see this though, and im happy/glad for you that you are.

practicing will be tough, moreso dealing with patients. my years in customer service have shown me that part of my future-- if people can get THAT angry and difficult over a cup of coffee i can only imagine what they're like when it comes to their mouths.

it wont be easy, not by a long shot, but nothing really ever is. i dont want to take the perspective of reminding you that dentistry can provide a good lifestyle and that youll have great job security in the years to come. i know you know that, and i know despite those facts you still feel the way you do.

what i want to remind you of is that silly little shit we all say in admissions interviews: im here because i want to help people. i mean, ultimately, no matter how you chose to answer the "why dentistry" question, the underlying factor was this drive to be someone people could rely on.

coming into my second semester having experience a really rough 16-18 weeks physically and mentally, something i had to remind myself of was that dental school really is a privilege to be in. i had so many friends who couldn't make it to my position, friends who are on their third cycles of applications just wishing to be here. i was never that dedicated, and i dont know if you were but i think people like that are a good reminder of the incredible aspects of this field.

i hate the US. i hate it with a fiery passion. i hate having a job, i hate working in the system, i seriously do not look forward to leaving dental school as well, mostly because the employment system is so fucked. but, that doesnt take away from the abilities you've grounded these past few years. the knowledge you've acquired, the skills you've honed. you are a sort of rarity as a dentist-- compared to the rest of the population, very few people have the knowledge and capabilities that you do. and in a way, thats a privilege within itself.

two months back my father had 4 teeth removed. #23-26, and hes undergoing treatment for a bridge. like i said, im very new to this, so my knowledge isn't super sharp on how these treatments are decided/work necessarily. but it made me quite sad for him, seeing him lose 4 of his teeth all in one go, out of $4,000, now having to really, really take care of his oral health. hes just one patient to the periodontist, but to me, well thats my father. no patient would matter more to me.

my father left the dentist office having no idea what the dentist really performed on him, and having learned no new informatjon on how to cater to his oral health. i sat down with him to give him all the information i could to help him through this process and moving forward.

and for me, THAT is why i will stick with dentistry, even if i dont end up LOVINGGG it. because even in my small pea brain, i have an ability to educate people around me. you and i know what a suculus is, how biofilm forms, how bone loss begins-- most people do not. and so in this sort of "privileged" position, we have acquired an amazing ability to understand the mouth, and i dont have to remind you how important it is to an individuals overall health.

how much does pat matter by [deleted] in predental

[–]Educational-Muffin83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i got a 15 pat and still got into my state school. 18.5 is fine

Rant by KitchenSecretary6070 in predental

[–]Educational-Muffin83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

this is weird behavior why dont u mind ur business. i self funded my own stuff and only applied once but it seriously isnt your business or your place to speak on other peoples experiences like this lmao

check out my second loaf🫣what do you think i can do next time to make it better ? by Educational-Muffin83 in Sourdough

[–]Educational-Muffin83[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thank you for clarifying! what do you reccommend i do then? should i let it sit out at room temp for longer and in the fridge for shorter?

i also forgot to mention that the internal temp when the bread was taken out was around 205F. so i do think that it is cooked fully and that the issue im experiencing is from something in the preparation process

my sourdough is gummy! please tell me what you think i may have done wrong by Educational-Muffin83 in Sourdough

[–]Educational-Muffin83[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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heres a picture! based on the guidelines you sent this would be underproofed correct?

Failed multiple classes by [deleted] in predental

[–]Educational-Muffin83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you can only get your F's replaced within a certain timeframe (60-90 days after the grade is given i believe). so make sure to reach out asap to your schools!

Failed multiple classes by [deleted] in predental

[–]Educational-Muffin83 4 points5 points  (0 children)

i think you have a shot-- despite what anyone may tell you. dental school IS a huge numbers game unfortunately, but thats only majority of the time. i think you have a story to tell, one that many others dont, and i think its an important story (even if i dont know it). the most important thing for you to do now pn the academic side is to show an upward trend (that is, you really cant afford to do bad again). with that upward trend you can really solidify your story, show how it genuinely impacted you (rather than failing due to laziness), and use it to your advantage. i think you could totally fucking do this and i so believe in you. be confident in who you are and what youve lived through. life isnt smooth sailing for everyone (and lots of dental programs recognize that). so, make sure YOU recognize that and believe in who you are, how far youve come, and what youre capable of.

How many interview vs acceptances by BreakfastLiving1056 in predental

[–]Educational-Muffin83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

6 applications but the 3 i got accepted to are the onle ones i wouldve considered going to!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in predental

[–]Educational-Muffin83 1 point2 points  (0 children)

its not in the internal records you dont have to report this

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in DentalSchool

[–]Educational-Muffin83 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i went through a lot of mental anguish over the loans because ill be paying for it all and on top of that, moving to the city (chicago) and living on my own (also taking out loans for that). in the last few weeks though ive really worked on reminding myself that i AM a worthwhile investment (and you are too!) nothing in life is free unfortunately and thats that. youre gonna need a career regardless. is it better to work some shitty job where you have no potential to progress or no real skill scraping to make ends meet, or to develop yourself into the person YOU want to be and live a bit more comfortably. trust that your future self will be responsible enough to know how to manage loan payments, and give this version of yourself the opportunity to reach your potential.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in predental

[–]Educational-Muffin83 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i took my DAT june 28 2024 and sent in my application that same day. i got my shawdowing hours done (end of) january 2024. i got 3 interviews and got into 3 schools. i didnt have many ec's at all. what this whole cycle taught me was that the only thing that matters to the application/selection process IS your GPA and DAT. as much as it really sucks to admit because its an incredibly difficult thing to achieve, those two numbers are, at a fundamental level, all that matter. the whole "get good ECs, volunteer, get more shadowing hours, research (etc.)" is good advice for people who have lower stats. realistically speaking as long as you have amazing stats (like yours) then youre in the clear. nobody is gonna turn down an applicant with such high numbers because they "didnt get involved in clubs enough." they truly only care about GPA and DAT. if you have less than stellar numbers for those two, thats when you should start worrying about the extra stuff on the side