"Med school rejects"

[alphacow]

Are any of you guys tired of being referred to as people who went into dentistry purely because they didn't get into medicine? Almost every time that I tell people that I will be attending dental school in the fall, the first thing they say is "oh, you didn't get into med?". I didn't even apply to medicine! I chose dentistry because I like the field better than medicine. I'm sure people with GPAs high enough to get into dental school have a more than fair chance of getting into medicine. Why is it so hard for people to understand this !!??? Okay rant over =)

[estairella]

I've never personally heard of someone who did or applied to medicine as a backup when their first choice was dentistry, but in contrast I know many people who did law or dentistry because they couldn't get into medicine or at the very least applied concurrently (and got into medicine, which was their first choice).

 

That's why people have this stereotype that dentistry students are "medical student wannabes" even though it's likely that <10% of your class is made up of such students.

 

I don't know what to tell ya... I would respond with, "Oh yeah, it's SO unfortunate I am going to become a dentist and make heaps of money while having a life. I REALLY wish I had become a general surgeon, so that I could work 80 hours a week and take 1 in 5 overnight call. After all, hating myself and my job is what I REALLY want." lol

 

/medical student

[koft]

You will always have people saying that, you just have to ignore the stupidity of those people. As long as you are happy with your choice who cares?

 

There are pros and cons for both meds and dents.

________

Silversurfer Vaporizer

[mrnursing]

Those people are pretty immature.

[mrnursing]

You're applying to meds and dents; if you get into both which one will you chose?

Spoiler Alert: The answer makes or breaks the thread.

 

I'll weigh the pros and cons for each. I'll reflect to see which one will better suit my lifestyle and passion.

 

After thorough research and careful consideration, I'll select the one that is right for me.

[powerpenguin]

I don't mind! If they're not in dent OR med, then who are they to make fun of you; they didn't get in either And if they say that they never wanted to be a dentist or doctor, then you've won the argument... by having them state your viewpoint (of not wanting to apply in the first place)

 

Otherwise, if they're in med, just be their friends... a lot of my friends I know have high marks too and they want to be doctors (I don't plan on applying to med, but I may do the MCAT for kicks): GREAT! Wealthy doctor friends is just as good for me... I'll be more than willing to give them some dental treatment

[UTPEOPLE]

The average dentist likely is paid more than the average physician, but a physician (during carms at least) can cater to a wider variety of medical fielf interests

[sgt.pepper]

The average dentist likely is paid more than the average physician, but a physician (during carms at least) can cater to a wider variety of medical fielf interests

 

Definably wrong in populated areas.

[powerpenguin]

Definably wrong in populated areas.

 

Dunno, IIRC from US stats, dental specialties make one of the most per hour (just behind heart and ER surgeons...and some other medical specialties) and dentists make more per hour than the average physician. However, the annual wages are higher for physicians because they work longer hours... also dentists are mostly incorporated (because everyone hates the taxman; no offense to anyone out there who works in IRS or something)... so we'll never know how much they actually earn unless you know them personally.

 

I wouldn't worry about the difference in wages too much though, as you can see from the other thread... banks still raise their LOC for dental students, meaning the bank feels it's a very safe investment to lend you that much money. More likely than not, in the bank's perspective, you will be making enough money to pay them back.

[Dr Pepper]

Let's face it. This stereotype will always be there. Dentists will always be considered "lower" than physicians by the general public. Even though there are situations where dentists treat life/death situations but this is extremely rare and people value the role of doctors more for this reason it seems like. Hence they have higher prestige value. Naturally, people assume it's harder to get into a medical school than a dental school. It's not just dental school but also pharmacy, optometry, veterinary etc.

 

However I am also tired of being treated like a medical school rejectee all the time whenever I mention my passion to become a dentist. Arguably, medical schools in general can be regarded harder to gain admission to than dental schools because medical schools require both high marks and lots of extracurricular activities whereas dental schools tend to focus mostly on just marks. But because of this, and what people need to realize though is that dental schools admission average is actually quite high, sometimes exceeding those of medical schools. People don't really know this and most of them assume that medical schools have much higher GPAs than dental schools. I don't think so. For example UWO dent this year required about 84-85% to get an interview whereas UWO med this year was 3.7 which I'd say is around the same in %. A few years back I know UofT dent had higher GPA than UofT med. Also, because there are smaller number of dental schools than medical schools, the hard number regarding the acceptance rate is lower than those of medical schools (especially for non-Ontario schools) although I agree that this is not a good way to compare difficulty of gaining acceptance. If we compare though say UofT dentistry and non-Ontario medical schools, I'd have to say UofT dentistry definitely requires higher marks. Again, this does not mean either school is easier to get into and in fact I think neither of them can be considered a back up of the other. It's not so clear cut as comparing say pharmacy and medicine. Obviously medicine is harder to get into than pharmacy. Bad example, but compare Harvard dental school and Calgary medical school? I'd say Harvard dental school is much harder to get into.

 

My point? Both medical and dental schools are hard to get into and dentists shouldn't be regarded as medical school rejectees. I'm sure a lot of them could have gotten into medical schools while many medical students could not have gotten into some dental schools even if they wanted to. But there will always be people thinking this way about dentists and we will have to just accept it and don't take it personally. I think I'll be happier as a dentist though!

[rmorelan]

My vet student friends have the same issue - it is really, really hard to get into vet school but everyone assumes they are just people that tried for meds and failed. Not at all true

[mrnursing]

Nice way (not really) of getting out of question.

 

I'll let you answer it first.

[Karma]

I think the bottom line is that there will always be ignorant people. So if you try to explain to them that it's just as hard to get into dents than into med, you'll be only wasting your precious time.

 

If only people took 2 seconds to think before saying stupid things...

[alphacow]

Then, there's also the stereotype that all dentists do is drill and fill, and most of them are crooks who are after nothing but your money. Why are there so many negative sentiments associated with dentistry? Just because we charge for our services? I wonder if the same thing would be said for physicians, especially family doctors, if people actually had to pay out of pocket for their consultations and treatments. 35$ for a 2 min consult where no procedures are performed definitely would irk me a bit!

[Amalgam]

I think the bottom line is that there will always be ignorant people. So if you try to explain to them that it's just as hard to get into dents than into med, you'll be only wasting your precious time.

 

If only people took 2 seconds to think before saying stupid things...

 

+1

 

The way I see it, chances are, the person making the assumption couldn't even get into dentistry or medicine in the first place. Getting into one of these professional schools is very difficult and the vast majority of the general public can't get in. That's just a fact. So don't take their comments to heart.

[mrnursing]

I am only applying to dents. I do not see it as a backup.

There is nothing wrong with being unsure with what you want to do and keeping your options open. But seeing as you're in your second degree you're not exactly a spring chicken and probably know what you want to do.

That being said; if you get into meds and dents whats it going to be?

Your turn.

 

I've only applied to dentistry. I hope it answers your question.

[G.O.B]

Very much so. I had seen before that you were a pre med as well; chalk another one up for the denties.

 

I've only applied to dentistry. I hope it answers your question.

[mazaag]

Ugh..what seems to be the problem with someone applying to both meds and dents. Heck in the nowadays tough market i apply for 10 jobs at a time..is that wrong? Many of us are passionate about healthcare in general, but also worrying about having a stable career and being able to pay the bills makes many of us not take the risk of putting all of our eggs in one basket! We all know how hard it is to get into both dental and medical schools....so some people who are not sure exactly what they want to do apply to both!

It took me a while to figure out i wanted dental school and so I applied there only. But before that when i was applying for many jobs and many grad programs. So I do know that even though I am sure of what i want to do now..many people aren't!

 

My 2 cents is this, work hard and do your part...don't blame your failure on someone else. Also if you've made a choice..whether people call you names or give you a little less of a bow..really shouldnt be of any importance to you! Psht "medical shool rejectee"...what a few people think will never stop me from reaching my goals and aspirations in life as a dentist

[mrnursing]

Ugh..what seems to be the problem with someone applying to both meds and dents. Heck in the nowadays tough market i apply for 10 jobs at a time..is that wrong? Many of us are passionate about healthcare in general, but also worrying about having a stable career and being able to pay the bills makes many of us not take the risk of putting all of our eggs in one basket! We all know how hard it is to get into both dental and medical schools....so some people who are not sure exactly what they want to do apply to both!

It took me a while to figure out i wanted dental school and so I applied there only. But before that when i was applying for many jobs and many grad programs. So I do know that even though I am sure of what i want to do now..many people aren't!

 

My 2 cents is this, work hard and do your part...don't blame your failure on someone else. Also if you've made a choice..whether people call you names or give you a little less of a bow..really shouldnt be of any importance to you! Psht "medical shool rejectee"...what a few people think will never stop me from reaching my goals and aspirations in life as a dentist

 

Exactly. There's nothing wrong with applying to both.

[MansionMD]

There are 3 types of people:

 

The Pre-Med: believes that Medicine >>> Dentistry, and that

people who apply to dentistry are medical school rejects.

 

The Pre-Dent: believes that Dentistry >>> Medicine, and that

people who apply to medicine don't have the additional skills they have.

 

The Indecisive: believes that Medicine = Dentistry, and that

people are supposed to apply to both, and decide which one

will be their career based on the acceptances they receive.

[Amalgam]

There are 3 types of people:

 

The Pre-Med: believes that Medicine >>> Dentistry, and that

people who apply to dentistry are medical school rejects.

 

The Pre-Dent: believes that Dentistry >>> Medicine, and that

people who apply to medicine don't have the additional skills they have.

 

The Indecisive: believes that Medicine = Dentistry, and that

people are supposed to apply to both, and decide which one

will be their career based on the acceptances they receive.

 

 

What I believe is that a person should choose a profession based on their own skills, strengths, and weaknesses. They should also factor in how satisfied they will be once they come out of school. Maybe someone wants to do more than "just teeth". Maybe someone wants to be specialized in a specific part of the body. Maybe someone wants a good job and doesn't want to be in school for more than 4 years. The list can go on and on b/c the decision is and should be a multifactorial one that should be weighed out.

 

People who think of terms purely black and white should go out and live life a little to gain some perspective.

 

My $0.02

[mrnursing]

I think that there are some people who actually believe that med and dent are be all and end all.

 

I have the passion to help others out in the health care setting, but ultimately, it'll be just a job for me.

[apache]

yeah i'm not sure either, especially per hour it would be hard to tell...

 

it all depends on the medical specialty... a lot of high paying specialties have a lot of low paying call... whereas a lot of low paying med specialties happen to work 40 hours a week so you really have to crunch numbers in order to figure out which ones average the most... i'm sure if a dentist decided to work an 85 hour work week they'd prob make 400 k just like the dude in gen surg.... i did some calcs and realized a lot of less prestigious med specialties can bank enormous money working the 80-90 hrs demanded of cardiologists/surgeons etc. plus incorporate... b/c they own their own businesses

 

in the end just do what you like b/c in either you'll have enough money to what you want in life... remember what teachers told us elementary school: sticks and stones... haha!

 

especially when you're walking around with a fat grin all day because of how happy you are with your life.

 

 

Dunno, IIRC from US stats, dental specialties make one of the most per hour (just behind heart and ER surgeons...and some other medical specialties) and dentists make more per hour than the average physician. However, the annual wages are higher for physicians because they work longer hours... also dentists are mostly incorporated (because everyone hates the taxman; no offense to anyone out there who works in IRS or something)... so we'll never know how much they actually earn unless you know them personally.

 

I wouldn't worry about the difference in wages too much though, as you can see from the other thread... banks still raise their LOC for dental students, meaning the bank feels it's a very safe investment to lend you that much money. More likely than not, in the bank's perspective, you will be making enough money to pay them back.

[mazaag]

I clearly stated that there is nothing wrong with applying to both since a lot of people are unsure with what they want to do for THE REST OF THEIR LIFE. I couldn't care less that he applied to both.

 

.

 

Don't be quick to judge...i was not sure till a few years ago when i shadowed and weighed my options. Its not always a black and white for everyone..with a million of jobs one can do..its pretty hard to figure out exactly what fits you best i think! But hey best of luck to all of us in our career choices and I still think one should focus on themselves, their goals and how they could accomplish them rather than obsessing about what other people think or what they should or shouldnt be doing!

[mazaag]

funny..i didnt read amalgam's reply..but it seems that we hit on the same point hehe