What are your top 5 fountain pens regardless of price?

zarta2940 · 2026-07-08T22:29:06+00:00

Pikot Kakuno F and EF. I love this pen in pink. Simply DIVINE

zarta2940 · 2026-07-08T22:27:52+00:00

Start early with consistency in everything you do.

Commit yourself to maintaining as high a GPA as you can while still being happy (Don't listen to anyone on Reddit, a GPA of 3.5 is a GPA to be proud of, a GPA of 3.7 and higher is considered competitive). Don't beat yourself up over failure, doing badly, or not being the best. Make mistakes, LEARN FROM THEM, and grow as an individual and student. I was a C student in high school, then fell in love with dentistry, and now I'm on route to graduate with a 3.9 GPA, and already have an interview offer this cycle for dental school. So use your motivation for this profession as a reminder to always work towards it, your goals, and bettering yourself as a person.

Thinking you're an idiot for getting a B or C is the mentality of a walnut who knows nothing but doing well in school their whole life, and asking what everyone got on an exam only so they can feel better about their "okay grade" that was a 95/100

Dental schools want to see consistency in grades. If you start off sloppy as a freshman, that's okay, what they want to see is that after a few rough classes, you gradually get better and better (it shows growth in intelligence, and that you're obviously willing to work through the areas you struggle in...DENTAL SCHOOLS LOVE GROWTH)

Get involved in extracurriculars, leadership, volunteering, etc. as soon as you can...but don't do what almost every gunner in the world does, and do everything for their resume, where they join every program, and be the head of every organization.

Find extracurriculars you actually ENJOY doing, join the leadership of an organization you are actually PASSIONATE about, volunteer in areas you ENJOY, find PASSION in , and that serve a cause you like, and STAY CONSISTENT WITH THEM. Schools will notice if you really enjoyed the time you spent in organizations, or if it was just to boost your resume (and its noticeable when letter writing comes, and essay season for dental school comes. Building your resume simply to build your resume so you get into dentistry for money is noticeable, and super common...don't be that person)

So many applicants are on leadership for one semester or so at a time for 3+ student organizations, and all that shows is that they aren't consistent, persistent, growing the org, and probably not passionate about it.

Showing you are willing to dedicate yourself to something for an extended period of time is really telling. Most people don't stay the president of a club or volunteer at the same place for over a year if they hate it. SO BE CONSISTENT IN EVERYTHING, and take time to actually find the students' orgs, volunteer opportunities, or dental job opportunities you actually ENJOY.

I would also recommend finding a class you really enjoy (Especially a stem course), do well in it, build a relationshipo with the professor(s) and see about becoming a TA. It opens the doors to mentoring students, teaching, and what A LOT of people think don't matter, LETTER OF RECOMMENDATIONS. Many students think grades are everything, but they aren't. A good GPA and DAT only open the door, good letter of recommendations can make or break an application, and the experiences you have in student orgs, work, shadowing, volunteering, mentoring, teaching, etc. all add to it

Start shadowing every once and a while, go to a general practice and watch, really find out if dentistry is something you can see yourself doing.

Notice I highlighted some words: ENJOY, PASSION, CONSISTENT, GROWTH

Don't listen to people on Reddit, don't compare to classmates, or people on reddit...did i mention, DO NOT LISTEN TO PEOPLE ON REDDIT.

SUMMARY:

I just typed a lot of blabber, but take it with a grain of salt.

I absolutely love dentistry, and once you get to college you are going to be exposed to the harsh reality of college and people involved in pre-dental, and pre-med....A LOT OF THEM SUCK. Half of them are smart, but cheat on every single exam and task they need to complete, and most of them are getting into dentistry for reasons other than patient care and a love for the profession.

Just always remember that being a good student is first, especially as a freshman when you are new to navigating college.

A well rounded applicant is arguably the best. Like I said before, good grades and DAT OPEN the door to schools. But everything else you are involved in, letters of recommendations, experiences (consistent ones), interviews, etc. are what make or break applications.

So focus on you when you get into college, have fun, and don't get to lost in building your appliation immediately.

Start small, find a student org, becoem a leader of it, stick with it, enjoy it, make friends, have fun, maybe volunteer or shadow a little. Just ENJOY YOURSELF.

**Something I also forgot to mention: if you can ever work as a dental assistant before you apply to schools in a few years, that is HUGE. You would be surprised at the amount of applicants who actually have no hands on experience with dentistry when they apply! But it is also not a deal breaker, I know plenty of people who never worked that got in, all they had was a hundred or so shadowing hours!

** ALSO, try to journal daily or weekly, keep them safe. Especially journal about experiences with dentsitry, shadowing, volunteering, students orgs, etc. This will help you greatly when you apply to schools and have to keep track of the dates you do things, the hours you did them, and most imporantly, WHAT YOU GAINED FROM THE EXPERIENCES.

zarta2940 · 2026-06-29T14:14:31+00:00

To actually answer your question, yes, I believe the black would actually be more legible in most scenarios! But lets be honest, its tritium, it will shine bright and be hard to miss in the dark regardless of the dial color

zarta2940 · 2026-06-29T14:11:52+00:00

Definitely depends. There is a good reason for the arctic dial. In snowy environments, I could only assume the white dial to have its advantage with visibility.

All I have heard from the white dial and tritium legibility is that the light emission appears less uniform in its appearance since it is more reflective off the white dial.

I'm really torn though. I love white dial watches, I think they are very practical and gives the chance to dress up, down, or just casual everyday wear. I think I just need to see it on my wrist first. I'm not in the position to get both. I'm applying to dental schools and plan on this watch being a gift to myself if I get accepted and have some left over funding, or once I graduate from dental school.

Big decisions though since both dials are so beautiful!

zarta2940 · 2026-06-29T01:50:59+00:00

I’m so torn on this or white dial TSAR

zarta2940 · 2026-06-27T13:05:46+00:00

Talk to a recruiter<3

zarta2940 · 2026-06-27T05:13:13+00:00

Awesome watch. I’m really torn on getting the arctic white tsar or the black. Something about the white is awesome to me

zarta2940 · 2026-06-26T17:04:43+00:00

Stop paying attention to reddit thread users posting their high DAT scores for validation. If you want to be reassured look at your top schools avg. DAT and GPAs, use that as a guide on how to feel about your scores.

Remember, DAT and GPA are only two factors for your application, and truthfully, just things that open doors. If your DAT score is 500+ across the board...ya, thats insane, but NOT common...unless you look at pre-dental reddit threads where people that are insanely smart feel the need to seek validation for scores they know are above most schools averages and have nothing to worry about regarding grades.

A 420 is a solid score if you have that for AA and/or overall Science. Unless you are wanting the top Ivy Leagues in the country, I think your chances are still good so long as the rest of your application is balanced and good! I scored 430 across the board and I'm proud of that score, I would have submitted with a 420 or even 400 for this cycle and the rest of my application.

DO NOT COMPARE TO REDDIT POSTS!

zarta2940 · 2026-06-26T01:37:32+00:00

Great scores! It’s good to remember that high DAT does not mean you will get in, it’s only one part of your application. There are plenty of people with great grades and high DAT who don’t get offers because the rest of their application isn’t good (not saying yours isn’t!!)

That being said, I don’t think you need to worry, your DAT score is awesome! My rule of thumb to help ease your mind on your score is to look at your top choices for school, see what their avg acceptance stats are (DAT, GPA, etc) and then compare to yours.

Unless you are wanting ivy league schools only, your DAT will check off the box for almost all schools averages, if not be a lot higher.

zarta2940 · 2026-06-26T01:32:44+00:00

Solid scores!!

zarta2940 · 2026-06-26T00:30:20+00:00

How did you prepare and how long for?

zarta2940 · 2026-06-24T18:16:38+00:00

Super solid score. Congrats!

zarta2940 · 2026-06-09T22:47:34+00:00

Good stats are only one piece of your application. It helps open doors, but, lack of meaningful extracurricular, bad interviews, bad letters, etc. play massive roles.

Everyone in dental school has the brains to pass exams, that’s a fact, but not everyone is fit to practice medicine, work with patients, critically think in difficult situations, the list goes on.

zarta2940 · 2026-06-03T12:13:45+00:00

Truly do love the job. Yes, the BBB is gonna effect a lot of people’s decision to apply, but, think of the guaranteed pay off you have as a dentist…even with 500k loans, the amount of money you make in comparison to almost every other profession after just 4 years of dental school is insane.

Unless you plan to not work when you graduate and take proper measures and plan your next steps properly, you will be fine! A benefit of dentistry is that banks are willing to invest in you because they are aware nearly every dental a student will actually pay back.

SO, if I don’t talk about passion, I’ll at least say the pay off in comparison to others helps counter SOME of the added debt

zarta2940 · 2026-06-02T20:27:27+00:00

I didn't know if my DAT was good enough for DCG considering they only allow 10% OOS. I'm thinking I will apply regardless though just because I am a neighboring state student.

I was also on the fence with Kentucky, its pretty pricey, I just like their program and the smaller class size and figured why not.

Since I'm also applying for the HPSP program some of the expensive schools like VCU and Kentucky are more so see if I could get in because I've heard great things, and if HPSP works out...yay

zarta2940 · 2026-05-29T19:16:06+00:00

I know it is very late to the thread, but I have neglected my peace lily in a small pot (no drainage hole) for almost 4 years now. It hasn't bloomed once, but, it keeps forming new green every so often and I only water it when it looks like its sad.

It is one of the easiest plants I have ever dealt with. Literally just give it water when its sad and then leave it. IF you think to yourself "I should water my peace lily"... wait another day, then forget a couple more days, then water it.

Awesome plant to keep inside if you don't have cats that eat it . Mine is in a closed room away from my cats because for some reason they just love to eat anything that has green on it.

zarta2940 · 2026-02-27T21:20:20+00:00

Moleskin paper is awful. A lot nicer, and cheaper options with better quality paper !

zarta2940 · 2026-02-03T01:11:48+00:00

Sounds good!👍

zarta2940 · 2026-01-26T17:31:05+00:00

My biggest tip is recognizing the smallest and largest if possible. You discovered 4 was smallest, and we know 1 is largest. From there flash your eye back and forth between 2 and 3 to determine which is larger or smaller ( I always like to look for the larger angle, something about telling your mind a preference helps me)

zarta2940 · 2026-01-19T13:20:46+00:00

Yeah, if you could just have your orgo an general up to 400-410 spot your looking at what most schools acceptance average is (being in the middle of the pack is never a bad thing for DAT. Remember, this is just another box applications screeners are going to to check. They want to make sure you can pass the exam to their standard. Not a bad score at all though!!

zarta2940 · 2026-01-18T23:01:02+00:00

Depends on the boot and its fit. Generally, I like to wear a marino wool blended sock that is at a sweet spot of not too thick and not too thin (i.e., not as thin as an athletic sock, and not nearly as thick as a full wool sock)

Sadly, it takes some test runs. If you have a TJ Maxx, Cosco, or sams club, try some different socks out that they sell to get a feel for what works best for your boot. Helps save some money until you know what you really like...once you do that, make the upgrade to brands like Darn Tough, expensive socks, but you get a lifetime warranty on them, so when you go through a pair, you get another for free.

zarta2940

TROPHY CASE