Just a quick reminder of why I am busy and have no life outside of school. However, there is a tiny glimmer of light at the end of this first year tunnel... but a lot still needs to be accomplished. The D-1 you have all come to know and love will soon graduate to the next stage of hoop jumping and gopher running...D-2 year. But more on that later.
Final 2 weeks = 12 tests total
This week:
Restorative written final (done today)
Restorative Performance Exam (tuesday) - class II prep on 30, class II amalgam on 31.
Neuroanatomy Practical (Wednesday)
Radiology Final (Friday)
Next week:
Physiology final (monday)
Occlusion final (tuesday)
Occlusion performance exam wax-up (tuesday)
Neuroanatomy written final (tuesday...this day clearly sucks)
Biochemistry final (wednesday)
Pathology final (thursday)
Perio written final (thursday)
Histology final (Friday)
I am feeling drained, yet surprisingly motivated to actually study and not blow all my grades at the very end. Let's see what happens.
Back to work I go.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
21 Days Left Revisited
I said it was going to happen, and now seems a better time than any (I’m on spring break…finally). Last year I made a post towards the end of my undergraduate career listing 21 things that I would not miss after leaving undergrad forever. Now I feel the urge to re-create that sentiment except in the opposite..things I DO miss.. I’m sure these aren’t unique to me…well some of them may be. In no particular order….
21. Dominoes cinna-stick
20. Being able to leave my apartment over the summer and come back with it magically cleaned
19. Green grass and lots of trees
18. Teachers that know my name
17. Not feeling guilty about watching tv at night rather than study biochem
16. Porch sitting with scotch and cigars
15. Stoner friends (nicest, most un-judgmental people on the planet)
14. Having to go to school for 2 hours on some days or having ENTIRE days off in the middle of the week
13. No 8 AM class every day
12. Classes that grade on more than a handful of multiple choice questions
11. Comparatively no responsibility
10. Dominating all the freshmen when I was forced to take BIO I my senior year because I skipped it
09. Being able to go out with friends without planning it weeks in advance
08. Coming home and drinking a beer instead of cracking open a text book
07. Hot Shots Golf with the Cuz
06. Having time to commit to an exercise regiment
05. Having time to get groceries
04. Extra-credit
03. Feeling like the big fish in the bowl
02. Seeing different people every day
01. Having time to clean
Ahh to be one year younger. I do recall complaining a lot about being bored and ready to get out, and I’m glad it is over still…but damn – you really take things for granted until they are no longer available.
This will most likely be my last post until after the semester. Not enough to really add and the schedule is going to get brutal quite fast. I will recap finals and the D-1 year as a whole in mid-may. I will continue to answer as many emails as possible but again…they are not high on my list of shit to get done.
And so on and so on and so on.
21. Dominoes cinna-stick
20. Being able to leave my apartment over the summer and come back with it magically cleaned
19. Green grass and lots of trees
18. Teachers that know my name
17. Not feeling guilty about watching tv at night rather than study biochem
16. Porch sitting with scotch and cigars
15. Stoner friends (nicest, most un-judgmental people on the planet)
14. Having to go to school for 2 hours on some days or having ENTIRE days off in the middle of the week
13. No 8 AM class every day
12. Classes that grade on more than a handful of multiple choice questions
11. Comparatively no responsibility
10. Dominating all the freshmen when I was forced to take BIO I my senior year because I skipped it
09. Being able to go out with friends without planning it weeks in advance
08. Coming home and drinking a beer instead of cracking open a text book
07. Hot Shots Golf with the Cuz
06. Having time to commit to an exercise regiment
05. Having time to get groceries
04. Extra-credit
03. Feeling like the big fish in the bowl
02. Seeing different people every day
01. Having time to clean
Ahh to be one year younger. I do recall complaining a lot about being bored and ready to get out, and I’m glad it is over still…but damn – you really take things for granted until they are no longer available.
This will most likely be my last post until after the semester. Not enough to really add and the schedule is going to get brutal quite fast. I will recap finals and the D-1 year as a whole in mid-may. I will continue to answer as many emails as possible but again…they are not high on my list of shit to get done.
And so on and so on and so on.
Friday, March 21, 2008
The D-1 Experience IV
About 80% of the way through my first year of dental school – and it is time for another reflective installment as to what the first year is all about.
I would like to emphasize that you don’t really feel like you are in dental school most of the time. I am serious. I feel like a grad student of some sort just taking more biology courses so that I can get into dental school. Most of my hours are consumed memorizing signaling pathways for post-translational regulation, or memorizing what the spleen looks like both grossly and microscopically. I understand that we need to be competent health care providers, but am I honestly going to remember 95% of the details I am tested on? The answer is no. All of this first year feels very similar to getting into dental school in the first place - an arbitrary series of hoops to jump through, a rite of passage, whatever. I would be horribly screwed if they put in me in a room to even talk with a patient let alone diagnose anything. Granted, we haven’t taken any courses on patient management yet, but I don’t know how biochemistry will help me recognize caries. All of this studying also dampens your social skills. I feel a bit isolated, in a bubble of factoids and dark rooms with giant projectors. I really wish I could get out more, I hope I remember how to say hello and smile when I start treating real patients.
Again, this is all complaining, and I am downplaying how much I actually HAVE learned. Many things that are so natural now were completely foreign a few short months ago. The hilarity of saying “you got some spinach between 9 and 10” never ceases to amuse. The dental material we have learned so far HAS been quite interesting for the most part - cutting preps, placing restorations, taking gingival plaque indices, and just getting a feel for the many instruments. I wish we spent more time doing that stuff, and my prayers will be answered D-2 year. Granted, I am much better at traditional lecture based classes (because that is all I have ever done), but I enjoy the dentistry aspect so much more..despite struggling in comparison.
In another note, dental radiology is pretty cool. They unfortunately cram too much into our once a week lecture. I am far more interested than I thought I would be, which is great – the lecturers are very engaging as well. I remember bringing my own radiographs in for comp care last semester and wondering…what the hell can you get out of this? It is pretty amazing how the little subtleties and landmarks glare out after a few short weeks of lecture.
Another note is that you are bound to get tired of being the ‘little guy.’ The sterilization people are not the friendliest of people, especially to people that don’t know all the rules. Communication between sterilization and the instructors is also not so hot as we have gotten yelled at for not returning instruments we were told to keep all semester…sigh. It has gotten better, and I haven’t personally had any issues, but I still feel like a lost child sometimes. And yea, setting up your operatory becomes easier, cutting preps becomes smoother, and putting the damn gown on by yourself becomes second nature. Despite all of this, you still feel completely helpless most of the time.
All of the upperclassmen claim how great it feels when the next batch of newbies arrive…I will be taking my board exam around that time too..I can imagine I will feel MUCH older. I coincidentally turn 24 right at the end of august as well, how appropriate.
So at this final stretch point, motivation is the only real road block towards success. There is a lot to do, and time is not abundant. The looming glare of finals also creeps ever closer. It is also fucking snowing and April is one week away. C’mon! I mean, I’m not surprised because I have lived near Chicago most of my life, but you never really get used to it.
So as boring as some of this material can get, it behooves you to pay attention and retain as much as you can. The only reason we take most of these classes is because there is a board exam that is required before one can advance to patient care. Did I mention this exam has changed in the last year or so to be harder (in my opinion). I plan on keeping an NBDE I log when I actually start studying an earnest, but it will suck. I have 3 review books and the dental decks just staring at me from the across the desk…whispering…taunting…NO!
It is just one subject after another this semester, no breaks. Just finished a histo exam, so now I get to celebrate by cramming biochem all weekend. Finished physio last week, treated myself to reading a bunch of required articles, studying for three quizes and the histo test I just took. You get the picture. You really DO get used to it though - which is all the more depressing. But my dad put it best one afternoon while at lunch - "At least there's an ending." SO TRUE! Some people are stuck in terrible jobs their ENTIRE lives. I have to sacrafice some of my youth consumed with basic science...it really seems a small price given how truly wonderful dentistry is as a profession. This train of though keeps me going through the dark and snowy spring.
Wow, 2 posts in 2 days. Give me a medal. Back to biochem I go….last thing in my way before a week of total bliss.
I would like to emphasize that you don’t really feel like you are in dental school most of the time. I am serious. I feel like a grad student of some sort just taking more biology courses so that I can get into dental school. Most of my hours are consumed memorizing signaling pathways for post-translational regulation, or memorizing what the spleen looks like both grossly and microscopically. I understand that we need to be competent health care providers, but am I honestly going to remember 95% of the details I am tested on? The answer is no. All of this first year feels very similar to getting into dental school in the first place - an arbitrary series of hoops to jump through, a rite of passage, whatever. I would be horribly screwed if they put in me in a room to even talk with a patient let alone diagnose anything. Granted, we haven’t taken any courses on patient management yet, but I don’t know how biochemistry will help me recognize caries. All of this studying also dampens your social skills. I feel a bit isolated, in a bubble of factoids and dark rooms with giant projectors. I really wish I could get out more, I hope I remember how to say hello and smile when I start treating real patients.
Again, this is all complaining, and I am downplaying how much I actually HAVE learned. Many things that are so natural now were completely foreign a few short months ago. The hilarity of saying “you got some spinach between 9 and 10” never ceases to amuse. The dental material we have learned so far HAS been quite interesting for the most part - cutting preps, placing restorations, taking gingival plaque indices, and just getting a feel for the many instruments. I wish we spent more time doing that stuff, and my prayers will be answered D-2 year. Granted, I am much better at traditional lecture based classes (because that is all I have ever done), but I enjoy the dentistry aspect so much more..despite struggling in comparison.
In another note, dental radiology is pretty cool. They unfortunately cram too much into our once a week lecture. I am far more interested than I thought I would be, which is great – the lecturers are very engaging as well. I remember bringing my own radiographs in for comp care last semester and wondering…what the hell can you get out of this? It is pretty amazing how the little subtleties and landmarks glare out after a few short weeks of lecture.
Another note is that you are bound to get tired of being the ‘little guy.’ The sterilization people are not the friendliest of people, especially to people that don’t know all the rules. Communication between sterilization and the instructors is also not so hot as we have gotten yelled at for not returning instruments we were told to keep all semester…sigh. It has gotten better, and I haven’t personally had any issues, but I still feel like a lost child sometimes. And yea, setting up your operatory becomes easier, cutting preps becomes smoother, and putting the damn gown on by yourself becomes second nature. Despite all of this, you still feel completely helpless most of the time.
All of the upperclassmen claim how great it feels when the next batch of newbies arrive…I will be taking my board exam around that time too..I can imagine I will feel MUCH older. I coincidentally turn 24 right at the end of august as well, how appropriate.
So at this final stretch point, motivation is the only real road block towards success. There is a lot to do, and time is not abundant. The looming glare of finals also creeps ever closer. It is also fucking snowing and April is one week away. C’mon! I mean, I’m not surprised because I have lived near Chicago most of my life, but you never really get used to it.
So as boring as some of this material can get, it behooves you to pay attention and retain as much as you can. The only reason we take most of these classes is because there is a board exam that is required before one can advance to patient care. Did I mention this exam has changed in the last year or so to be harder (in my opinion). I plan on keeping an NBDE I log when I actually start studying an earnest, but it will suck. I have 3 review books and the dental decks just staring at me from the across the desk…whispering…taunting…NO!
It is just one subject after another this semester, no breaks. Just finished a histo exam, so now I get to celebrate by cramming biochem all weekend. Finished physio last week, treated myself to reading a bunch of required articles, studying for three quizes and the histo test I just took. You get the picture. You really DO get used to it though - which is all the more depressing. But my dad put it best one afternoon while at lunch - "At least there's an ending." SO TRUE! Some people are stuck in terrible jobs their ENTIRE lives. I have to sacrafice some of my youth consumed with basic science...it really seems a small price given how truly wonderful dentistry is as a profession. This train of though keeps me going through the dark and snowy spring.
Wow, 2 posts in 2 days. Give me a medal. Back to biochem I go….last thing in my way before a week of total bliss.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
When Elaborate Memory Tricks Go Beyond Practicality
I meant to post on this a week or so ago, but time has kept my fingers numb. Since the highscore on the neuro midterm was a 95%, the grades all got bumped so that the high would be 100%. This now gives me an ‘A.’ Sweetness? I think so.
But all this neuro talk made me think about studying for that beast of a midterm. I normally study on my own, but at the beginning of this semester, I studied with one of my better friends for the first biochem exam. We both got ‘A’s and consequently have ritualistically had a ‘pre-test pow-wow’ before all the biochem exams. Since we keep getting A’s, we decided to work our magic on other subjects.. namely neuroanatomy.
Now any of you that have studied for an anatomy-based class know that there is just a bunch of random bullshit to memorize that has no relevance outside of taking up precious brain space. Also when you are talking through all this crap with someone else, it is often difficult to remember anything unless you really associate object with function.
Well, let me tell you gang, we came up with the most elaborate and intricate associations that really worked well. Unfortunately, out of sheer boredom, or mutual creativity, we got waaaay off track.
Le example:
Nystagmus is a disorder often associated with the cerebellum and is characteristic of rapid, and shifty eye-movements.
Yea…sounds interesting right? Maybe…
Well it becomes FAR more interesting when Nystagmus suddenly becomes a mythical creature of urban legend that lives under the dental school. So Nystagmus was once a dental student like anyone of us, but he was caught stealing burs from the bin room in times long since passed and was banished below.
Nystagmus slowly became a mutated freak, forced to eat amalgam and wedjets for all eternity. Nystagmus now wants REVENGE… on any hapless dental student that may trek into his lair. If you ever find yourself in that dark hell, you will know he is getting close because you will see eyes shifting madly all over the place as the icy claw of death envelops nearer.
The only way to defeat nystagmus is with light curers…so go prepared. If you defeat nystagmus, you automatically become an oral surgeon-orthodontist, the greatest of dental specialists.
Yea…this may have taken 5 minutes of time to devise. Sure, no question about nystagmus even showed up on the midterm. But I declare to you know, I will NEVER forget what nystagmus means. Ever.
Now If only we could do this with the 10,000 other random minutia I would be gold for the boards.
Histo test tomorrow…why am I not studying and posting crap? Oh yea, I remember – I AM SICK OF BASIC SCIENCE. As soon as histo ends tomorrow, I must crack open the biochem studying because we have another exam next Wednesday…and it’s over 13 some lectures that are insanely detail-oriented….doh. ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL SPRING BREAK!!! GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
But all this neuro talk made me think about studying for that beast of a midterm. I normally study on my own, but at the beginning of this semester, I studied with one of my better friends for the first biochem exam. We both got ‘A’s and consequently have ritualistically had a ‘pre-test pow-wow’ before all the biochem exams. Since we keep getting A’s, we decided to work our magic on other subjects.. namely neuroanatomy.
Now any of you that have studied for an anatomy-based class know that there is just a bunch of random bullshit to memorize that has no relevance outside of taking up precious brain space. Also when you are talking through all this crap with someone else, it is often difficult to remember anything unless you really associate object with function.
Well, let me tell you gang, we came up with the most elaborate and intricate associations that really worked well. Unfortunately, out of sheer boredom, or mutual creativity, we got waaaay off track.
Le example:
Nystagmus is a disorder often associated with the cerebellum and is characteristic of rapid, and shifty eye-movements.
Yea…sounds interesting right? Maybe…
Well it becomes FAR more interesting when Nystagmus suddenly becomes a mythical creature of urban legend that lives under the dental school. So Nystagmus was once a dental student like anyone of us, but he was caught stealing burs from the bin room in times long since passed and was banished below.
Nystagmus slowly became a mutated freak, forced to eat amalgam and wedjets for all eternity. Nystagmus now wants REVENGE… on any hapless dental student that may trek into his lair. If you ever find yourself in that dark hell, you will know he is getting close because you will see eyes shifting madly all over the place as the icy claw of death envelops nearer.
The only way to defeat nystagmus is with light curers…so go prepared. If you defeat nystagmus, you automatically become an oral surgeon-orthodontist, the greatest of dental specialists.
Yea…this may have taken 5 minutes of time to devise. Sure, no question about nystagmus even showed up on the midterm. But I declare to you know, I will NEVER forget what nystagmus means. Ever.
Now If only we could do this with the 10,000 other random minutia I would be gold for the boards.
Histo test tomorrow…why am I not studying and posting crap? Oh yea, I remember – I AM SICK OF BASIC SCIENCE. As soon as histo ends tomorrow, I must crack open the biochem studying because we have another exam next Wednesday…and it’s over 13 some lectures that are insanely detail-oriented….doh. ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL SPRING BREAK!!! GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Pre-Test Zen
Unlike many of my peers, I hate cramming up to the last second for an exam. I have to leave for a physio test in 15 minutes. I stayed up extra late studying, I got up extra early to study more…went to class, came back here for a little since we have time. I finished looking through the lectures for the third time…and I just can’t do it anymore. I mean I had time, but I don’t want to. I think PERFORMANCE on the actual exam is quite important as well and I historically do terribly if I study up to the last second.
I like to find what I call my ‘pre-test zen’ where I completely relax, breathe easy, and jump on in. This week has been a whirlwind and I can’t wait for 1.5 hours from now when I can take my first night off in a month. There were some minor disappointments…got a high B in anatomy instead of that A was I hoping for..but meh – one credit isn’t going to make me lose any sleep. Managed a solid B on the neuroanatomy midterm and seeing as I was worried about even passing the class, I am plenty happy.
None of these minor disappointments can compare to the euphoric feeling I got when I got my first restorative performance exam back. Solid ‘A’… Hell yea! You don’t understand how intimidating this aspect of dental school is when you have zero experience using your hands outside of playing a few instruments and/or videogames. I started out horribly, but practice pays folks. I have gone in on several weekends to simply practice preps and it clearly worked out for me. Granted, half the grade was based on my own evaluation, so my actual prep was probably closer to a B than A..but I DON’T CARE! I am still quite pleased to be doing so well in this class. And it is worth 5 credits..a lot.
Well I also wanted to quickly address all of these emails I am getting. I never expected to get so many, so I must apologize to everyone I haven’t responded to yet…I will get around to it..promise. I feel like an internet celebrity now.
And I gotta go take this damn test now.
I like to find what I call my ‘pre-test zen’ where I completely relax, breathe easy, and jump on in. This week has been a whirlwind and I can’t wait for 1.5 hours from now when I can take my first night off in a month. There were some minor disappointments…got a high B in anatomy instead of that A was I hoping for..but meh – one credit isn’t going to make me lose any sleep. Managed a solid B on the neuroanatomy midterm and seeing as I was worried about even passing the class, I am plenty happy.
None of these minor disappointments can compare to the euphoric feeling I got when I got my first restorative performance exam back. Solid ‘A’… Hell yea! You don’t understand how intimidating this aspect of dental school is when you have zero experience using your hands outside of playing a few instruments and/or videogames. I started out horribly, but practice pays folks. I have gone in on several weekends to simply practice preps and it clearly worked out for me. Granted, half the grade was based on my own evaluation, so my actual prep was probably closer to a B than A..but I DON’T CARE! I am still quite pleased to be doing so well in this class. And it is worth 5 credits..a lot.
Well I also wanted to quickly address all of these emails I am getting. I never expected to get so many, so I must apologize to everyone I haven’t responded to yet…I will get around to it..promise. I feel like an internet celebrity now.
And I gotta go take this damn test now.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
We're Halfway There
Livin' on a prayer.
This past Wednesday marked the official halfway point of this horrid semester. Despite all the stress, anxiety, frustration, and hair-pulling agony – I am actually doing really well. The ever elusive 4.0 is still a reality for me where as last semester, anatomy sorta already had me thinking about damage control. Granted, I still don’t know how I did on the anatomy exams we had 2 weeks ago (but I’m feeling high B low A). My grades aside, the important point I want to get at is TIME MANAGEMENT and KICKING FIRST EXAM ASS.
Pathology for example, this class is a LOT of information. We are quizzed weekly, and I just took the midterm today. The top TEN quizzes count as 40% of your grade in the course. This means you can drop a number of them and end up with a great quiz average. The midterm is worth 20%. I got a really high ‘A’ on it. I calculated how I need to do on the final to get an ‘A’ assuming I keep doing well on the quizzes. I can keep an ‘A’ in pathology with a 65% on the final exam. I’m not saying this to brag. I’m saying this to make you realize how sweet it is to not have a shitload of pressure on you to perform during FINALS. This means you study your ass off at the beginning of the semester. Pretend like it is finals. If you absolutely smoke the first exam or first few depending on the course – you are just setting yourself up for an easy finish. Now if you have to get 90-95%’s on every final, the odds of you pulling that off are much less likely than if you can get C’s on one or two.
Finals are generally more difficult as well..so why not try to get as much leeway as possible. My test taking skills (and guessing skills) seem to be greatly improved this semester as well. Granted, I feel I have somewhat adapted to studying all the time and am more efficient, but at the same time – I go into every test feeling like I could be more prepared (a trend common to many dental students).
Those of you following this blog might also recall I have started dating one of my classmates.. and I have already blown off studying on more than one occasion (don’t care either). We still have managed to be somewhat responsible to our schoolwork...somewhat. Despite all of this, I am doing better than last semester. The classes are so much harder too, I have a feeling it comes back to a motto I said in some post like a year ago. The more you have on your plate, the more organized you become, the better you do. My best semester GPA wise in undergrad was the heaviest course load by far (and I was interviewing for dental school at the same time).
Onto more interesting things, our first REAL performance exam was last Tuesday. I was kind of nervous leading up to the day, but felt pretty good during the test (which is great). A lot of people really freak out during these types of exams and absolutely butcher their preps just because they are extra twitchy. We were allowed to come in an hour early to set up our typodonts and apply the rubber dam. This is a good thing, because rubber dam placement seems to be hit or miss with me sometimes. After getting the dam checked off, I got my class I occlusal prep done on #19 (looks like the bat signal) before filling an amalgam on a pre-prepared #18. Now I had done 5 practice preps/fillings over the weekend and the last one was by far, the best I have done. Unfortunately, during the exam, I didn’t have my perfect game going and fear of blowing out the isthmus really kept me from smoothing the walls. What you need to understand is that we are working on PLASTIC teeth…these things cut like butter, it is tough to smooth anything without greatly expanding your borders. Now the grade is 50/50 on this exam. 50 on quality of work and 50 on self-appraisal. I feel like the quality of my work will be a low-mid ‘B’ (my amalgams still blow and I don’t feel like getting better at them because they will soon be obsolete). However, my self-evaluation should be an ‘A’ of some sort…so the average will hopefully pull me up. The instructors claim that the grading scale is quite generous assuming you don't get any 'standard not mets.' So who knows.
We haven’t gotten the grades yet…and maybe I completely butchered something that I didn’t notice..but it was ‘ok’ I thought. Regardless, the main joy is that I was pretty relaxed. Seeing as we are going to be going through MANY more of these types of exams in the near future – I am glad the stress doesn’t mess with me too much. And despite not doing as well as I would have liked, I actually enjoyed practicing for this thing – dentistry, it is kinda fun I guess. I felt like the time I spent practicing was much better used than when I study for a biochem test. Like I am actually learning practical skills towards my chosen profession!
Well, this week was fairly rough, we have a perio mid-term tomorrow (but it should be a cake-walk). Next week however, will most likely be more hellish than finals last semester (simply because we have to GO to classes still).
Restorative quiz on some random article I haven’t read.
Occlusion quiz on a bunch of lectures regarding stuff I haven’t studied for.
Pathology quiz on neoplasms that should be easy because it was on the midterm
Neuroanatomy midterm……fuck
Physiology exam III (endocrine)…this one is going to be rough as well
Radiology Midterm…sigh
On the plus note, I actually think neuro is starting to come together with me a bit better. I still have a long way to go if I want to get an ‘A’…but it is definitely not as intimidating as 3 weeks ago.
Speaking of finals…I just glanced at the schedule…and it is nuts. I will of course not spoil the surprise this early…I’m sure there will be an elaborate post in the future.
And I’m off.
Ps. Let’s go white sox. Don’t embarrass me this year.
This past Wednesday marked the official halfway point of this horrid semester. Despite all the stress, anxiety, frustration, and hair-pulling agony – I am actually doing really well. The ever elusive 4.0 is still a reality for me where as last semester, anatomy sorta already had me thinking about damage control. Granted, I still don’t know how I did on the anatomy exams we had 2 weeks ago (but I’m feeling high B low A). My grades aside, the important point I want to get at is TIME MANAGEMENT and KICKING FIRST EXAM ASS.
Pathology for example, this class is a LOT of information. We are quizzed weekly, and I just took the midterm today. The top TEN quizzes count as 40% of your grade in the course. This means you can drop a number of them and end up with a great quiz average. The midterm is worth 20%. I got a really high ‘A’ on it. I calculated how I need to do on the final to get an ‘A’ assuming I keep doing well on the quizzes. I can keep an ‘A’ in pathology with a 65% on the final exam. I’m not saying this to brag. I’m saying this to make you realize how sweet it is to not have a shitload of pressure on you to perform during FINALS. This means you study your ass off at the beginning of the semester. Pretend like it is finals. If you absolutely smoke the first exam or first few depending on the course – you are just setting yourself up for an easy finish. Now if you have to get 90-95%’s on every final, the odds of you pulling that off are much less likely than if you can get C’s on one or two.
Finals are generally more difficult as well..so why not try to get as much leeway as possible. My test taking skills (and guessing skills) seem to be greatly improved this semester as well. Granted, I feel I have somewhat adapted to studying all the time and am more efficient, but at the same time – I go into every test feeling like I could be more prepared (a trend common to many dental students).
Those of you following this blog might also recall I have started dating one of my classmates.. and I have already blown off studying on more than one occasion (don’t care either). We still have managed to be somewhat responsible to our schoolwork...somewhat. Despite all of this, I am doing better than last semester. The classes are so much harder too, I have a feeling it comes back to a motto I said in some post like a year ago. The more you have on your plate, the more organized you become, the better you do. My best semester GPA wise in undergrad was the heaviest course load by far (and I was interviewing for dental school at the same time).
Onto more interesting things, our first REAL performance exam was last Tuesday. I was kind of nervous leading up to the day, but felt pretty good during the test (which is great). A lot of people really freak out during these types of exams and absolutely butcher their preps just because they are extra twitchy. We were allowed to come in an hour early to set up our typodonts and apply the rubber dam. This is a good thing, because rubber dam placement seems to be hit or miss with me sometimes. After getting the dam checked off, I got my class I occlusal prep done on #19 (looks like the bat signal) before filling an amalgam on a pre-prepared #18. Now I had done 5 practice preps/fillings over the weekend and the last one was by far, the best I have done. Unfortunately, during the exam, I didn’t have my perfect game going and fear of blowing out the isthmus really kept me from smoothing the walls. What you need to understand is that we are working on PLASTIC teeth…these things cut like butter, it is tough to smooth anything without greatly expanding your borders. Now the grade is 50/50 on this exam. 50 on quality of work and 50 on self-appraisal. I feel like the quality of my work will be a low-mid ‘B’ (my amalgams still blow and I don’t feel like getting better at them because they will soon be obsolete). However, my self-evaluation should be an ‘A’ of some sort…so the average will hopefully pull me up. The instructors claim that the grading scale is quite generous assuming you don't get any 'standard not mets.' So who knows.
We haven’t gotten the grades yet…and maybe I completely butchered something that I didn’t notice..but it was ‘ok’ I thought. Regardless, the main joy is that I was pretty relaxed. Seeing as we are going to be going through MANY more of these types of exams in the near future – I am glad the stress doesn’t mess with me too much. And despite not doing as well as I would have liked, I actually enjoyed practicing for this thing – dentistry, it is kinda fun I guess. I felt like the time I spent practicing was much better used than when I study for a biochem test. Like I am actually learning practical skills towards my chosen profession!
Well, this week was fairly rough, we have a perio mid-term tomorrow (but it should be a cake-walk). Next week however, will most likely be more hellish than finals last semester (simply because we have to GO to classes still).
Restorative quiz on some random article I haven’t read.
Occlusion quiz on a bunch of lectures regarding stuff I haven’t studied for.
Pathology quiz on neoplasms that should be easy because it was on the midterm
Neuroanatomy midterm……fuck
Physiology exam III (endocrine)…this one is going to be rough as well
Radiology Midterm…sigh
On the plus note, I actually think neuro is starting to come together with me a bit better. I still have a long way to go if I want to get an ‘A’…but it is definitely not as intimidating as 3 weeks ago.
Speaking of finals…I just glanced at the schedule…and it is nuts. I will of course not spoil the surprise this early…I’m sure there will be an elaborate post in the future.
And I’m off.
Ps. Let’s go white sox. Don’t embarrass me this year.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The D-1 Experience III
The second semester of your first year is probably harder than the first. I know at this school, it is MUCH harder. The biggest difference is that you are sort of used to it though. The shock of studying every day, and a TON on the weekends really is over by this time. I swear I never get together with my friends just to hang out; we always study a bit first – if not the entire time. Of course, sometimes our studying efficiency blows, but we still aren’t just shooting the shit as it were.
I had an older post regarding the ‘phases’ of the semester. Well this second semester is quite different. You don’t ‘ease’ into anything this time around – you are pretty much thrown into the cauldron day one. I will now attempt to break down the schedule although it is a bit confusing because gross anatomy ends tomorrow….FOREVER!!!! I will explain.
First 8 weeks of the semester like so:
*lunch usually goes from noonish-1:30
Monday:
8-9 Physiology II
9-10 Biochemistry
10-11 Histology II
11-430 Gross Anatomy II
Tuesday:
8-1230 Comprehensive Care IB (restorative)
130-5 Occlusion
Wednesday:
8-9 Physiology II
9-10 Biochemistry
10-12 Histology II (almost always out early)
130-430 Neuroanatomy
Thursday:
8-10 Biochemistry
10-12 Pathology I
130-430 Comprehensive Care IB (periodontics)
Friday:
8-9 Physiology II
9-10 Bichemistry
10-12 Histology II
12-1 Comprehensive Care IB (radiology)
Now here is what goes down starting next Monday. Gross anatomy is a ‘shortened’ 1-credit course this semester and our final is TOMORROW (both written and practical…barf). After which, radiology will move to its 11am spot on Mondays and restorative will also take over the afternoon slot (we still meet on tuesdays..so double the fun). So Fridays will revert back to last semester status in terms of getting out super early…HELL YEA!
Class breakdown for all you nerdy soon to be D-1s:
Physiology II:
I’m doing better, but only marginally. The exams have even LESS questions than last semester (which was my biggest gripe). 24 questions to test your knowledge on a TON of information is pretty ridiculous. We have gone through renal and GI so far…about 4 lectures into endocrinology. Like with last semester, I can’t complain because I am getting an A, but I feel the A should be much easier to get given my beefy biology resume coming into school. I have had all of this material so many times, it shouldn’t be this difficult. Still, the class fits the nice 50-minute lecture base, and we only meet 3 times a week. I also enjoy the material for the most part. If the tests had better-written questions and more of them – I think getting an A wouldn’t require as much stressful studying. The class is worth a paltry 2 credits.
Biochemistry:
This class is a beast. I am clinging to my A like grim death. I studied more for the second exam in this class than I did for any of my finals last semester. I still only got an 83% - which is an A in this sadistic class. 80+ is an A and the class average is still a freaking C (lower than 70%). The tests cover far too much material (only 30 questions per test). This class also has FIVE lectures a week which is just freaking overdoing it. The material itself isn’t impossible to wrap your brain around – but given the already packed schedule, this is one of the tougher courses to stay on top of. The material can also get pretty dry. Worth 4 credits.
Histology II:
Love it. Same as last semester – one of the better professors and the class itself is fun (I kinda have a thing for histology though). The tests are all VERY manageable if you just show up and pay attention. Again though, I really enjoy the subject and had taken histo in undergrad so that probably made a difference. I did fine on the first exam, but made a few really dumb mistakes that kept me from essentially getting a perfect – which would really lessen the stress level come finals time. Worth 4 credits again.
Gross Anatomy II:
If you hated anatomy the first semester, you will absolutely loathe it now. We are doing the body cavities…and the relevance all this crap has to dentistry is EXTREMELY difficult to deduce. The workload is much lighter seeing as we only meet once a week…but it is still a TON of information to prepare. This was the one class I couldn’t get a handle on last semester and struggled the most with by far. Fortunately it ends after the first 8 weeks. Unfortunately, we have the practical and written exam on the SAME freaking day (TOMORROW). I just can’t get into a study groove because I am not interested. I am hoping to pull out a ‘B’ tomorrow, but honestly might not even hit that bar. Fortunately this course is only worth 1 credit so my GPA will not get crushed.
Occlusion:
This is the one class I started out poorly in. We had a couple quizzes that I just made careless mistakes on. The material is not difficult – although I sometimes feel as if I am trying to learn a foreign language. The lab portion of this course takes a lot of time, but we haven’t really gotten into any waxing yet – so who knows how much harder it will get. So far we have learned lots of theory, and we mounted our diagnostic casts from last semester onto our articulators in centric relation (although most of us failed in the accuracy department – we weren’t graded…YAY!) I pulled out a great grade on the midterm despite being super-distracted and not studying much. WOO! This class is worth 3 credits.
Neuroanatomy:
This is by far the worst class of the semester. If I fail anything in my life, this will be it. The instruction is terrible and haphazard, the lab portion is just as bad (at least we only have to deal with models and not cadavers). The quiz questions have been so frustrating as well. They are of the “which of the following is/are correct?” persuasion. Which essentially means you can have more than one answer to circle – which sucks. I wouldn’t be bitching if I had a better idea of WHAT to study…because most of the powerpoint slides just show some diagram with a TON of anatomy and nothing else. Or it will be a big slide full of text describing something I really need visuals for. The professor thinks we are all idiots but we just don’t know HOW to study because the instruction is terrible. It isn’t just me; this feeling is quite universal amongst the entire class. Once gross anatomy finishes, I am going to buckle down and really attempt to figure this course out – because in its defense, I really haven’t studied much for it. But when the class is worth 2 credits in a hectic semester, I can’t devote the 3 hours a night that it would require to learn well enough to get a decent grade. My goal is to get a B, but if I just pass - I probably won’t care.
Pathology I:
I have mixed feelings about this course so far. We have weekly quizzes, and 4 are dropped at the end of the semester. These quizzes are worth 40% of the final grade which is quite a bit. I actually like it though, because it forces you to study – this is NOT a class you can cram for. I got my first bad quiz grade last week, but otherwise have been on fire. The material is basic – but there is TONS of it. My biggest trouble is making it through the lecture. We have 2 hours of biochem just before going to this class…and another 2 hour lecture is just excruciating. Not to mention the instructor blazes through around 100 slides per lecture…so studying for those weekly quizzes can take up a LOT of your time. Overall however, I do enjoy this course more than most. It is worth 3 credits.
Comprehensive Care IB:
Ah, meat and potatoes dentistry. Again, this class is what dental school is all about. You actually are in dental school when you set foot into the pre-clinics. This course, like last semester is broken down into separate modules – everything must be passed to get through:
Restorative dentistry (50%)
Periodontics (40%)
Radiology (10%)
Community-Based Education (P/F)
Evidence-Based Dentistry (P/F)
Restorative:
This is what you spend most of your time on in the pre-clinics. This semester they are beginning to grade us on actual skill as opposed to self-appraisal. Our first performance exam will be in a week – if you get 2 ‘standard not met’ on the criteria sheet – you fail. It is kinda intimidating. Granted, the only reason I ever get a standard not met on these preps is because I am trying to make the walls PERFECT and end up blowing out my isthmus or undermining the marginal ridge. So if I just accept a few rough spots here and there, I will get a decent grade. I still need to work on my amalgam skills though – because I am definitely not fast enough yet. However, amalgams are pretty hard to completely butcher – especially on these basic preps.
Another thing they are trying for the first time this year is having a TON of stupid quizzes during the morning lecture section. This is obviously an attempt to force attendance – but it also makes us read a bunch of research articles which is the direction this school wants to take the curriculum. I think it is a terrible idea – but who am I? Assuming I don’t fail any of the performance exams, I should be all right in this portion of the course grade-wise.
Periodontics:
Honestly, this class is pretty boring. The lectures are too long, then we have to ‘huddle’ with our groups before starting in the pre-clinic (which essentially reviews the lecture again). We also have to post-huddle and review everything again. We only have 3 hours a week for this class and we work in pairs. So both students need to complete the exercise. Given all the lecture/huddling – we each get around 20-40 minutes to run through everything. This makes us rush and definitely not get the feel for the instruments that I am looking for. Some of the exercises are sooo very boring and unnecessary. It feels like they are just filling time. However, I do like the instructors a lot, and I am learning – perhaps perio just isn’t my cup o’ tea.
Radiology:
The instructor is at least 300 years old and wears the old-school blue lab-coat. He has AWESOME stories and does a decent job explaining the basics of radiology to us. However, I kinda wish we actually TOOK some x-rays rather than talk about taking them. I feel like this stuff is very experience-based. But we do read a lot of x-rays on the projector which is helping. I haven’t had any testing yet, so I’m not sure what to say in terms of difficulty. I feel like the test is either going to be impossible, or really easy.
Community-Based Education:
Same deal as last semester. Waste a ton of time talking about education and why people don’t know this and that. Waste more time ‘reflecting’ on yourself and your peers. The only decent thing we do is go out to the classes and talk to the kids about oral health. However, this component of the course seems so small and insignificant compared with all the other waste-of-time business we are subjected to.
Evidence-Based Dentistry:
Did I ever mention how glad I am to be at this school NOW as opposed to the next year..or especially the year after that? This course is where the curriculum is going. Basically forcing you to teach yourself everything you need to know to pass the boards. Good luck future! We learn about research articles and how to assess good information. It is almost as if we are all expected to get PhDs after this. I understand the validity of research evaluation – but I don’t really need a class to tell me how to do it. Thank god it is pass/fail.
SO there you have it. The semester of hell. It is much worse than it sounds. I can’t even put into words how much studying I have done. Again though, it is manageable. Hell, my grades are holding out even better than last semester so I can’t gripe.
Ugh, my board review decks and books arrived in the mail last week..now I realize how much fun I am going to have this spring/summer.
Whew..can’t wait till I’m done with all this basic science crap. I’m sure I will still be worked like a dog, but it will at least be a different kind of work. I’m ready for a change of complaining scenery!
This semseter feels like I started standing on some train tracks. There is a train about 10 miles down the tracks. On day one, the train starts to move and I start running away. Eventually, that train is going to catch me, but the harder I run - the longer I can stay alive. If I make it through before the train hits me - awesome...not sure if I can run that fast though. We will see.
Take care all, I must return to the anatomy table of knowledge lest I fail.
I had an older post regarding the ‘phases’ of the semester. Well this second semester is quite different. You don’t ‘ease’ into anything this time around – you are pretty much thrown into the cauldron day one. I will now attempt to break down the schedule although it is a bit confusing because gross anatomy ends tomorrow….FOREVER!!!! I will explain.
First 8 weeks of the semester like so:
*lunch usually goes from noonish-1:30
Monday:
8-9 Physiology II
9-10 Biochemistry
10-11 Histology II
11-430 Gross Anatomy II
Tuesday:
8-1230 Comprehensive Care IB (restorative)
130-5 Occlusion
Wednesday:
8-9 Physiology II
9-10 Biochemistry
10-12 Histology II (almost always out early)
130-430 Neuroanatomy
Thursday:
8-10 Biochemistry
10-12 Pathology I
130-430 Comprehensive Care IB (periodontics)
Friday:
8-9 Physiology II
9-10 Bichemistry
10-12 Histology II
12-1 Comprehensive Care IB (radiology)
Now here is what goes down starting next Monday. Gross anatomy is a ‘shortened’ 1-credit course this semester and our final is TOMORROW (both written and practical…barf). After which, radiology will move to its 11am spot on Mondays and restorative will also take over the afternoon slot (we still meet on tuesdays..so double the fun). So Fridays will revert back to last semester status in terms of getting out super early…HELL YEA!
Class breakdown for all you nerdy soon to be D-1s:
Physiology II:
I’m doing better, but only marginally. The exams have even LESS questions than last semester (which was my biggest gripe). 24 questions to test your knowledge on a TON of information is pretty ridiculous. We have gone through renal and GI so far…about 4 lectures into endocrinology. Like with last semester, I can’t complain because I am getting an A, but I feel the A should be much easier to get given my beefy biology resume coming into school. I have had all of this material so many times, it shouldn’t be this difficult. Still, the class fits the nice 50-minute lecture base, and we only meet 3 times a week. I also enjoy the material for the most part. If the tests had better-written questions and more of them – I think getting an A wouldn’t require as much stressful studying. The class is worth a paltry 2 credits.
Biochemistry:
This class is a beast. I am clinging to my A like grim death. I studied more for the second exam in this class than I did for any of my finals last semester. I still only got an 83% - which is an A in this sadistic class. 80+ is an A and the class average is still a freaking C (lower than 70%). The tests cover far too much material (only 30 questions per test). This class also has FIVE lectures a week which is just freaking overdoing it. The material itself isn’t impossible to wrap your brain around – but given the already packed schedule, this is one of the tougher courses to stay on top of. The material can also get pretty dry. Worth 4 credits.
Histology II:
Love it. Same as last semester – one of the better professors and the class itself is fun (I kinda have a thing for histology though). The tests are all VERY manageable if you just show up and pay attention. Again though, I really enjoy the subject and had taken histo in undergrad so that probably made a difference. I did fine on the first exam, but made a few really dumb mistakes that kept me from essentially getting a perfect – which would really lessen the stress level come finals time. Worth 4 credits again.
Gross Anatomy II:
If you hated anatomy the first semester, you will absolutely loathe it now. We are doing the body cavities…and the relevance all this crap has to dentistry is EXTREMELY difficult to deduce. The workload is much lighter seeing as we only meet once a week…but it is still a TON of information to prepare. This was the one class I couldn’t get a handle on last semester and struggled the most with by far. Fortunately it ends after the first 8 weeks. Unfortunately, we have the practical and written exam on the SAME freaking day (TOMORROW). I just can’t get into a study groove because I am not interested. I am hoping to pull out a ‘B’ tomorrow, but honestly might not even hit that bar. Fortunately this course is only worth 1 credit so my GPA will not get crushed.
Occlusion:
This is the one class I started out poorly in. We had a couple quizzes that I just made careless mistakes on. The material is not difficult – although I sometimes feel as if I am trying to learn a foreign language. The lab portion of this course takes a lot of time, but we haven’t really gotten into any waxing yet – so who knows how much harder it will get. So far we have learned lots of theory, and we mounted our diagnostic casts from last semester onto our articulators in centric relation (although most of us failed in the accuracy department – we weren’t graded…YAY!) I pulled out a great grade on the midterm despite being super-distracted and not studying much. WOO! This class is worth 3 credits.
Neuroanatomy:
This is by far the worst class of the semester. If I fail anything in my life, this will be it. The instruction is terrible and haphazard, the lab portion is just as bad (at least we only have to deal with models and not cadavers). The quiz questions have been so frustrating as well. They are of the “which of the following is/are correct?” persuasion. Which essentially means you can have more than one answer to circle – which sucks. I wouldn’t be bitching if I had a better idea of WHAT to study…because most of the powerpoint slides just show some diagram with a TON of anatomy and nothing else. Or it will be a big slide full of text describing something I really need visuals for. The professor thinks we are all idiots but we just don’t know HOW to study because the instruction is terrible. It isn’t just me; this feeling is quite universal amongst the entire class. Once gross anatomy finishes, I am going to buckle down and really attempt to figure this course out – because in its defense, I really haven’t studied much for it. But when the class is worth 2 credits in a hectic semester, I can’t devote the 3 hours a night that it would require to learn well enough to get a decent grade. My goal is to get a B, but if I just pass - I probably won’t care.
Pathology I:
I have mixed feelings about this course so far. We have weekly quizzes, and 4 are dropped at the end of the semester. These quizzes are worth 40% of the final grade which is quite a bit. I actually like it though, because it forces you to study – this is NOT a class you can cram for. I got my first bad quiz grade last week, but otherwise have been on fire. The material is basic – but there is TONS of it. My biggest trouble is making it through the lecture. We have 2 hours of biochem just before going to this class…and another 2 hour lecture is just excruciating. Not to mention the instructor blazes through around 100 slides per lecture…so studying for those weekly quizzes can take up a LOT of your time. Overall however, I do enjoy this course more than most. It is worth 3 credits.
Comprehensive Care IB:
Ah, meat and potatoes dentistry. Again, this class is what dental school is all about. You actually are in dental school when you set foot into the pre-clinics. This course, like last semester is broken down into separate modules – everything must be passed to get through:
Restorative dentistry (50%)
Periodontics (40%)
Radiology (10%)
Community-Based Education (P/F)
Evidence-Based Dentistry (P/F)
Restorative:
This is what you spend most of your time on in the pre-clinics. This semester they are beginning to grade us on actual skill as opposed to self-appraisal. Our first performance exam will be in a week – if you get 2 ‘standard not met’ on the criteria sheet – you fail. It is kinda intimidating. Granted, the only reason I ever get a standard not met on these preps is because I am trying to make the walls PERFECT and end up blowing out my isthmus or undermining the marginal ridge. So if I just accept a few rough spots here and there, I will get a decent grade. I still need to work on my amalgam skills though – because I am definitely not fast enough yet. However, amalgams are pretty hard to completely butcher – especially on these basic preps.
Another thing they are trying for the first time this year is having a TON of stupid quizzes during the morning lecture section. This is obviously an attempt to force attendance – but it also makes us read a bunch of research articles which is the direction this school wants to take the curriculum. I think it is a terrible idea – but who am I? Assuming I don’t fail any of the performance exams, I should be all right in this portion of the course grade-wise.
Periodontics:
Honestly, this class is pretty boring. The lectures are too long, then we have to ‘huddle’ with our groups before starting in the pre-clinic (which essentially reviews the lecture again). We also have to post-huddle and review everything again. We only have 3 hours a week for this class and we work in pairs. So both students need to complete the exercise. Given all the lecture/huddling – we each get around 20-40 minutes to run through everything. This makes us rush and definitely not get the feel for the instruments that I am looking for. Some of the exercises are sooo very boring and unnecessary. It feels like they are just filling time. However, I do like the instructors a lot, and I am learning – perhaps perio just isn’t my cup o’ tea.
Radiology:
The instructor is at least 300 years old and wears the old-school blue lab-coat. He has AWESOME stories and does a decent job explaining the basics of radiology to us. However, I kinda wish we actually TOOK some x-rays rather than talk about taking them. I feel like this stuff is very experience-based. But we do read a lot of x-rays on the projector which is helping. I haven’t had any testing yet, so I’m not sure what to say in terms of difficulty. I feel like the test is either going to be impossible, or really easy.
Community-Based Education:
Same deal as last semester. Waste a ton of time talking about education and why people don’t know this and that. Waste more time ‘reflecting’ on yourself and your peers. The only decent thing we do is go out to the classes and talk to the kids about oral health. However, this component of the course seems so small and insignificant compared with all the other waste-of-time business we are subjected to.
Evidence-Based Dentistry:
Did I ever mention how glad I am to be at this school NOW as opposed to the next year..or especially the year after that? This course is where the curriculum is going. Basically forcing you to teach yourself everything you need to know to pass the boards. Good luck future! We learn about research articles and how to assess good information. It is almost as if we are all expected to get PhDs after this. I understand the validity of research evaluation – but I don’t really need a class to tell me how to do it. Thank god it is pass/fail.
SO there you have it. The semester of hell. It is much worse than it sounds. I can’t even put into words how much studying I have done. Again though, it is manageable. Hell, my grades are holding out even better than last semester so I can’t gripe.
Ugh, my board review decks and books arrived in the mail last week..now I realize how much fun I am going to have this spring/summer.
Whew..can’t wait till I’m done with all this basic science crap. I’m sure I will still be worked like a dog, but it will at least be a different kind of work. I’m ready for a change of complaining scenery!
This semseter feels like I started standing on some train tracks. There is a train about 10 miles down the tracks. On day one, the train starts to move and I start running away. Eventually, that train is going to catch me, but the harder I run - the longer I can stay alive. If I make it through before the train hits me - awesome...not sure if I can run that fast though. We will see.
Take care all, I must return to the anatomy table of knowledge lest I fail.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
