Pre-med vs Pre-dental

[msd21]

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[Rainbowsheep5]

I went through the same thing. The MD I shadowed told me to be a dentist (haha). He said, "when you're older, you just won't want to work as hard." And I don't know you personally, but if family/free time is important to you, you will be much happier with dentistry. Most dentists work 4 days a week, one of my mentors work 1 day a week since she is closer to retirement. Another dentist I know has 5 kids. You will never have to be at the hospital for upwards of 24-36 hours at one time. There are a few exceptions such as OMFS, where you'd have tougher residency years. But after you graduate as a oral surgeon, your lifestyle is back to a dentist's lifestyle (if you don't want to work all the time). Dentistry is overall a very different field, and the dentists I know are just much happier people in comparison, which is why I finally decided on dentistry.

 

[Ivy.ch]

The chances of you matching to Derm, Ortho, etc. are low. Just as the chances of matching to Endo and Ortho are low in dentistry. If you're thinking of those specialities, you need to be the tippy top of all the people who were at the tippy top of college.

Medicine and dentistry are not similar financially. Medicine is a relatively safe and steady high income. Dentistry is a spotty income with many many factors and outliers, and more affected by the economy.

You need to love the idea of being a dentist before you apply to dental school. Get the specialities out of your head. Few of us actually specialize, and you'd be setting yourself up for disaster.

 

[Ivy.ch]

Also, you need to be speaking to physicians and dentists about this. Not to call out @Rainbowsheep5 , but he/she appears to be an incoming D1. I'm just an upperclassmen myself. Neither of us know much. You need to go to those with the best perspective, people 5-10 years out of school.

 

[Rainbowsheep5]

I agree! You're asking in the wrong people -- haha!

 

[P7898]

Step 1 is pass fail now. So step 2 is a deciding factor for Derm and other specialties. 2 of my family members are physicians in top specialties. Go into medicine if you can't get your DS loans under $250k.

Just being brutally honest. It is going to take some time for the dental market to come back after all of this. I am not a practicing dentist but almost graduating from DS and my significant other is a dentist and so is my uncle. I also have many ortho and OS family friends and other specialty mentors. If you can't get into dental school with low debt it is not worth it. Medicine will be a better life. You can always work as a physician with reduced hours. No one is telling you to work full time in any capacity. Banks won't loan money to a new $400k in debt graduate - at least that is what the top lender at one of he medium sized banks tells me (BoA).

Just my humble opinion. I have bee around both professions for a while before going back to school. I am graduating with $150k debt; much like my very successful and older mentors did. Take it with a grain of salt and do you, but this is my advice. Cheers.

 

[LaughingGas]

Just adding purely for job perspective.
Top Jobs during pandemic

 

[P7898]

Pharmacists and Computer Programming - All things that I would hate doing lol

 

[msd21]

Thank you all, do you recommend specific things to graduate from dental school with the least amount of debt possible?

 

[P7898]

Thank you all, do you recommend specific things to graduate from dental school with the least amount of debt possible?

Live poor (not cheap). Go to a public school where it is at most $250k total with everything included. If you can’t get this I’d recommend finding military or NHSC scholarships. Otherwise it will Ben a tough road for payment after graduation.