Struggling in Dentistry, help?!

[Nadia]

First and foremost, hello everyone or anyone reading this ( a bit shy, first time sorry hehe.)

Anyway, I'm an INTP after countless tests have been done, well approximately. First year dental student. I don't really know how to tailor my words etc. so frankly saying, it's a huge struggle probably due to the subjects taken. Honestly, I thought dentistry would be something fascinating at least the subjects. I took computer science prior to this, however the feeling was different. I wanted to learn it more and more, incessantly. The same thing doesn't happen to dentistry sadly.

Unlike my other friends, I can't simply memorise the information given blindly. I don't have the ability to do homework for the sake of homework itself nor to please the lecturer. They can (almost everyone else in my class) can just refer to their lecture notes and digest. Their 10 mins of reading the notes is equal to my one hour or two of reading the same thing because I've to understand every single term.

And I don't know how to appreciate the learning of oral biology, yet. Idk.

I do hope to be a dentist, something I want to contribute to the society but for now, the learning process is hard to me.

Any ideas on how to cope? Is there a way to make learning it as fun as computer science?

 

[Happy]

Re: STRUGGLING IN DENTISTRY, HELP?

Welcome to the forum

Now, I know you are asking specifically for coping strategies, but the subtext screams otherwise...

Forget coping strategies, it seems that dental science isn't for you. Stick to computer science - it's clearly what you enjoy doing more. How fortunate you are to have found a field of knowledge that gives you the sensation of an insatiable appetite for knowledge.

Don't be afraid to bail out of dentistry if it's not for you. You tried it, it didn't work out. This doesn't make you a failure or anything. I really hope you're not pursuing it because your friends are or any other superficial reasons.

Good luck! I hope you make the right choice.

 

[Columbo]

Re: STRUGGLING IN DENTISTRY, HELP?

former first year dental/ medstudent here (uconn).

as an intp i totally understand the essence of your frustrartion as you explain it.

i made it to the end of the first year and though i was doing really excellently i dropped out voluntarily for several reasons.

if you are dead set on staying the course, as i was, i maybe the last individual who you want to take advice from.

one of the main reasons i left was also my age: i was a decade and a half older than the other students. so i might not be able to relate at that level either, i.e.if i had been in my early 20s i dobelieve it would've influenced my decisiin to stay/ leave more towards stay.

most peeps on the internet are not going to fathom what you surely went through to get in to dental school and thr rewards you chance to give up if you throw in the towel. its a heaet wrenching choice. very very difficult. so difficult i ended up in a psych ward for a time...

that said, the biggest reason(s) for my decision to depart was my frustration with the non-intp way of studying medicine/ dentistry: i.e. it was disgusting to me to mindlessly consume meaningless information without thoroughly digesting it for understanding before icould let it become a part of me: i felt like my mind kept holding back the urge to barf everything i would shove into it.

the E and S and F and J force was very very strong in med/ dent school.

what i really should have been is a professor of a hard science.

outside of my day job that has paid off my studentbloans since i left 3 years ago, 'm pursuing teaching part time now...

 

[Nadia]

Re: STRUGGLING IN DENTISTRY, HELP?

Welcome to the forum

Now, I know you are asking specifically for coping strategies, but the subtext screams otherwise...

Forget coping strategies, it seems that dental science isn't for you. Stick to computer science - it's clearly what you enjoy doing more. How fortunate you are to have found a field of knowledge that gives you the sensation of an insatiable appetite for knowledge.

Don't be afraid to bail out of dentistry if it's not for you. You tried it, it didn't work out. This doesn't make you a failure or anything. I really hope you're not pursuing it because your friends are or any other superficial reasons.

Good luck! I hope you make the right choice.

I'm thinking of bailing out these days, just not sure if that's the right choice but thanks a lot for the reply man, really appreciated it!

 

[Nadia]

Re: STRUGGLING IN DENTISTRY, HELP?

former first year dental/ medstudent here (uconn).

as an intp i totally understand the essence of your frustrartion as you explain it.

i made it to the end of the first year and though i was doing really excellently i dropped out voluntarily for several reasons.

if you are dead set on staying the course, as i was, i maybe the last individual who you want to take advice from.

one of the main reasons i left was also my age: i was a decade and a half older than the other students. so i might not be able to relate at that level either, i.e.if i had been in my early 20s i dobelieve it would've influenced my decisiin to stay/ leave more towards stay.

most peeps on the internet are not going to fathom what you surely went through to get in to dental school and thr rewards you chance to give up if you throw in the towel. its a heaet wrenching choice. very very difficult. so difficult i ended up in a psych ward for a time...

that said, the biggest reason(s) for my decision to depart was my frustration with the non-intp way of studying medicine/ dentistry: i.e. it was disgusting to me to mindlessly consume meaningless information without thoroughly digesting it for understanding before icould let it become a part of me: i felt like my mind kept holding back the urge to barf everything i would shove into it.

the E and S and F and J force was very very strong in med/ dent school.

what i really should have been is a professor of a hard science.

outside of my day job that has paid off my studentbloans since i left 3 years ago, 'm pursuing teaching part time now...

ikr. I don't know the heck people simply memorise stuffs. I've a batchmate who does that and when I asked what the thing she's repeatedly saying, I'd often get an "idk" or a short, terse anwer which doesn't really answer the question. Perhaps it's true, especially for the F type. Being a professor sounds rewarding though. Glad you could actually understand the frustration Thanks man

 

[Rainer]

Re: STRUGGLING IN DENTISTRY, HELP?

I think plumbing would be a hell of a lot more fulfilling for the average INTP than dentistry.

 

[RifRafGiraffe]

Re: STRUGGLING IN DENTISTRY, HELP?

I can feel for you a bit. I'm in college currently, just switched out of the pre-dental path, and have a brother who's in his first year at the U of Utah's dental school (who's an ENTP btw).

I feel like one hopeful point you have going for you is that INTPs have a (somebody correct me if I'm wrong here) love of knowledge and that'll kick in sooner or later, especially with science fields. I even got myself to sort've enjoy my Finance 201 class by the end of the semester so there's hope for you yet.

As for getting the material progressively faster, I think a lot of it just comes with time. I struggled with AP bio in high school, but found that the more and more science I learned the faster I could pick it up and I think it'll largely just take time. Most people (as you're probably well aware) go into dental school with some sort of Biology degree and so they've just had time to develop the skill of learning science faster and faster. Also, a lot of them aren't actually learning the material at light speed like it may seem, they just (and this'll hurt a little) already know it because of their background. My brother, for example, got his undergrad in Bio-Chemistry and worked as a Cell Bio and later as a general Bio tutor at our University (BYU) and so despite being in the #1 or #2 dental program in the country he already knew tons of the material already. So when they started learning Cell Bio he recognized they were going through a week's worth of material every day, it just wasn't that hard because he already knew it. He also got a 26 on the Bio portion of the DAT and took grad level Bio before going to dental school. So even just studying for the DAT meaning going backwards for him while for you it was more going forwards (I'd guess) or reviewing pre-req classes you had to take to get into dental school (Not saying that to brag, just pointing out that the people you're competing with probably have a huge head start on the whole life science thing). So the people you're competing with likely aren't learning nearly as fast as it seems, they just came knowing some of the material already and they're more just filling in gaps in their knowledge rather than starting from scratch.

As for the application of everything, and you already know this but I'll say it anyways, it's good to remember that you'll be able to prescribe medications when you're done so it's pretty important to know what they do/how they work on the body IMO. Also, Youtube and KahnAcademy are great for understanding things (KA got me through Chem 105).

So the short answer boils down to the Nike "just do it". Also on the bright side, school will easy up after your second year you know.

And if all else fails, you can say to yourself "At least I'm not in accounting". I switched from Pre-Dent to accounting and have since discovered how miserable it is (for an INTP). Literally the major is learning thousands of rules other people make up for you and then grinding out numbers. The rules are pretty sensible, but the lack of creativity etc. is total misery. I once had an executive from Disney (head of auditing I think) come guest speak at one of my classes. After class ended I went up to him and asked if there was any opportunities for creativity in accounting and he just got silent for a second like he wasn't sure what to say. After stopping for a second he suggested tax since you can look at things from multiple angles.

And props for getting into dental school. It's crazy tough to do I know.

 

[Curious always]

Hey! I too am from the health care profession ( physical therapy) and can totally relate to what you are talking about. Memorising anatomy mindlessly was a struggle for me too and affected my grades a lot in first year. I did a lot better in physiology where understanding processes is as much important as memorising them. My advice would be to continue dentistry if you have genuine interest in knowing and understanding it's workings. My curiosity about the human body and it's mechanics was my drive through the 4 years of PT school. I struggled initially but then slowed down and took my own time to understand and learn. I know it isn't efficient and effective but once u get used to it u ll see results.

One tip would be to use mnemonics and flowcharts to connect information and learn. U can use mnemonics that work for u d best in connecting info and retaining it.

M new to the forum. Hope my reply helps. Best of luck