dents as a backup

[Guest richie2003]

I'm sure you have heard it before, the old saying (and not mine) people go into dentistry because they could not get into meds. And yes, I know some people apply to both. I was wondering if this is true for some/most of you on this board or have you always wanted to be a dentist?

Also, on another thread regarding spending first 2 years with med students, how hard it is if the above applies to you.

 

Thanks.

[Guest LestatZinnie]

sure there are those who are kinda brain damaged and just apply to any professional program. they're the ones who are most likely to end up hating their job if they don't get the first choice.

 

your question has been discussed ad nauseam on http://www.studentdoctor.net. statistically in terms of gpa, applicant/admission ratio dentistry is not that much easier to get in than medicine nowadays, especially in canada.

 

the two professions offer very different lifestyles but both are financially rewarding. i know very few people who use dent as back up, but sure such people exist.

 

personally, i don't know why people make such a big deal about dentist vs physicians. why not physicians vs optometrists or chiroprators or podiatrists or something else?

are they insecure or jealous of dentists cuz they make good money without going through the toil and angst of residency?

 

i was a pre-dent all the way- i just never understood why so many people are desperate to be in medicine- it's as if they need the MD just to confirm their self-worth or alleviate their inferiority complex or something.

[Guest predent2003]

Ah.......the same old "dentistry as backup" question...

 

Of course there are people out there use dentistry as backup. Think of it in the other way, for those people who apply to every professional schools, in a way they are using med as a backup for dentistry too. For me, I always think that med people like to ask us this because they are jealous of the $$ and work hour we will get and all they have is the so called "fame" or "honour" (only if you think they have)

 

I like the med students. Many of my best friends are applying to med school. But I really have little respect for those who apply both without thinking about the differeces between the two careers. I made up my mind in my freshman year and never changed since then.

 

If you go out there and ask all the dentists and dental students, many of them might have thought about med sometime during their undergrad. But little of them actually apply to med and these are the people that will get a good interview and have the determination to become a dentist.

[Guest BBB]

I only applied for dentistry. Med is not my type.

 

But richie, perhaps you can post another thread in med school forum and see what responses you might get.

[Guest Guyver03]

I think both LestatZinnie and predent2003 raised an important point about the misconception about dentistry. Most ppl think that dent is only for ppl who can't get into med, but the same thing could be said for opt or chiro, or even vet. I used to be one of those ppl, but I never thought of going into med and use dent as a backup, and I never thought of going into dent to begin with. I hate going into med cause it doesn't involve much with my hands, general practice only means sitting in an office and diagnose the symptoms and referring patients to see specialists, which I think is very boring. I used to hate dent because I can't imagine looking down people's mouths with all the different smell. But my personal view of dent has been changed just in the beginning of this year by a friend of mine who's starting dent this year, and I'm very confident to say that "I WANT TO GO INTO DENT, AND NOT USE IT AS A BACKUP TO MED!!" So now I'm going to apply to dent this year and see how I'm going to end up. I will not apply to med or any other professional schools like an idiot (sorry if I offend anyone)

 

Enough said from this late-comer into dent, gotta go back to work. PEACE OUT DUDES:lol