Dropping out of dental school, don't know what course to pick next

I'm a medical student on the graduate course. Whilst I'm not going to try to convince you to stay, I'll ask, have you considered changing your studying style? When I started medical school I naturally fell into that 24/7 study mindset and realised it was miserable, and making me not enjoy studying anymore. I changed the way I approach studying and basically have a daily cut off as to when I stop studying, which means I have my evenings free and in general manage my time a lot better and love learning agail.

Would doing something like this help, or do you genuinely feel like dentistry and a career as a dentist just aren't for you?

Hello,

Thank you so much for your reply

erm, tbh even ever since uni started, I've only been going to lessons, annotating slides etc and just pre reading for tutorials, seminars etc - I've yet to actually start making my own personal notes (partly because I don't know how I should for a subject like this since its so much content and regurgitation)

But anyways - I'm honestly scared at the idea of having to study every day - even if I do have a cut off point.. not just that but its like thinking of how the career will be as well, it'll so be stressful and like life long learning I just don't like that..

I'm the type of guy that wants a clear divide between his work and his personal life - cuz I'm an over thinker and if I don't have this clear cut - I'll just think bout studies in my free time and that makes me so sad - doesn't even feel like Im free if you know what I mean

sorry for the long answer but to answer ur q.. I also don't feel that a career as a dentist is right for me.. going in I wanted a big house, nice cars whatever - now that I think about it the money, prestige and status (and family pressure) was probs a big part why I picked dent

I hate myself so much for having done this to myself and underestimating dent/med students

hey mesopotamian,I go kings college London so yh guys Yh I was thinking that maybe it does get better in the clinical years as I found some ppl say... I talked to a BDS4 student at my uni actually when I was on clinic one days for a workshop.I asked him what’s the hardest year (Ofc this is gonna be subjective) but i think it’ll be a good guide anyways - he said year 2 was the hardest for him cuz it’s very content heavy etc..The problem is, idk if I’ll enjoy clinics or not, I.e working with people, that is truly the essence of the healthcare profession Ofc .. but I’ve never rly had an exposure to that apart from just observing during my shadowing for work xp I might enjoy it and that’ll be cool I might not and that’d suck. But it’s rly the thought that in the future years theres gonna be clinics on top of lectures, tutorials seminars etc - And I’m just thinking if I’m this busy and overwhelmed rn - ima struggle so badly in the future years .. and cuz of that , I just don’t see myself being committed to it for another 5 years .. that time off is rly important for me and my mental health I feel.. and Ofc with dent skl it’s just gonna be bare hours u gotta put in for clinics, studies etc And btw - regarding the anime thing we talked bout last thread... did u stop watching it becuase u just didn’t have time or because u couldn’t find anything? Asking because mere though of losing time to not follow my hobbies and time to myself during my studies and career rly scares me

I don’t go to KCL so I’m not sure how similar the curriculums are but as you progress, the number of lectures you have decreases. I would double check what I’m about to tell you with the BDS4 student you know.

So first year is massively content heavy and it feels like you’re studying all the time and you’ve got no time to yourself. Second year is also content heavy, however, some of the knowledge repeats itself so whilst there’s still a similar amount of lectures, not everything is new so overall there’s less strain.

Third year in my opinion is best and most relaxed year - and most people say this too. A lot of the knowledge isn’t new and just being reinforced. The new knowledge taught isn’t that difficult to grasp and is usually accompanied with clinical skills learning so you have both the theory and practical side of it.

Fourth year and fifth year are mostly clinical practice. There are lectures with a mix of both new and old knowledge to introduce more advanced concepts (e.g. surgical periodontology and advanced endodontics) but much less in number than the first 2 years.

Overall, I think most people enjoy the latter years because that’s when you’re doing actual dentistry and everything begins to fall into place. The first year or two has a lot of what I call “filler content” which whilst important, isn’t what you’d consider “dentistry” so at the time you don’t really understand what the point of learning it is (it’s useful later).

With regards to my social habits, I am and always have been very studious so I am not as sociable as other people and would say I study more than others. However, I have lots of friends who regularly go out, do extra-curricular activities and hold down jobs so it’s absolutely possible to have a good work-like balance. I’m just lazy so my idea of relaxing is reading or something equally sedentary.

Edit: I know you said something about not knowing whether you’ll enjoy clinical practice. I’m writing this on my phone so that whole long explanation I gave you was just to address your point about lectures and work-life balance. I’ll address your other points later.

It is possible to have a divide, even though covid has kinda ruined that since there is little left to do. Finding the right learning style for you is possible, it just takes a lot of trial and error. Also, things usually do get better in your clinical phase, like a hell of a lot better.

However, the issue here it seems is the long term prospects. Since you say dentistry as a career isn't for you. Let me put it like this, if you managed to find the perfect studying style, managed to get a great work-life balance as a student (covid aside), basically resolved most of your issues, would you be more keen to study dentistry and be a dentist? Or is it absolutely that this just isn't the life path that you want?

hey ramipril thanks for the response,

I think finding the perfect studying style, achieving a great work-life balance as a student would help but idk why but feel like that would only solve my short term problems, i.e work life balance as student etc. I feel that the work-life balance for a dentist especially early on in their years of starting practice will just be super hectic and stressful. I can't handle a lot of stress tbh and definitely don't want to be committed to life long learning especially after 5 years of long studying..


tbh if I was reading this and someone else was writing this I'd think - well you surely knew you were in for life long learning when you signed up.
I think this didn't faze me as much cuz I thought it may have been a tinsy bit exaggerated but also thought I could probably tolerate it.. but guess now with how im feeling now and looking at the future, I recognise that that's probably not true...

but tbh, im not 100% sure if it isn't what I want do, i.e in another words I don't know if im 100% 'correct' in my decision about dropping out - but its just that if im this depressed rn and overwhelmed - the workplace aint gonna be too nice hahah..

aside from that however, im looking into other science/maths related courses since that's rly the only thing I have the qualifications for .. I don't want to go into research however as ive mentioned I despise practicals and while I don't so much hate report writing, I certainly don't find them fun haha..

this is rly just me looking randomly, but I'm looking at something physics related perhaps - out of the 3 sciences, I like physics the most.. but problem is I don't have a 'passion' for this either - its just something I prefer compared to the other 2 sciences..

sorry for the lengthy reply, may I also ask what your undergrad degree was?

thank you so much

Thanks for that Mesopotamian ,

Yup it seems most ppl do say the latter years are more clinical and get more fun because you're doing actual dentistry - problem is I think that's kinda cool but idek if I can hold out that long tbh - I feel like in year 2/3 when things are more harder I'll be in a similar position, and I might regret not leaving in year 1 when that was the best chance

in regard to study habits, tbh Its not like I've always been a studio guy, its only year 10 and year 11 I actually started to want to pick up things (and that was only for some subjects like maths, science, history)

I've always wanted to do the bare minimum and get away with it but I recognise in harder level studies this will just not be possible sometimes... unlike most ppl I don't like doing extra-curricular as tbh I don't think meeting new people is something I enjoy I can't lie - just going into dentistry I thought it'd come naturally, and while I do think you can develop this aspect to some extent I feel as though its also kinda gotta be you already if uno what I mean - in other words Idk if a socially awkward person like me will like that environment. also just clinics (more time) on top of lectures etc seems extremely daunting

at this point, even if you question my resolve or commitment you won't be wrong.

thanks so much for your reply as well

What does lifelong learning mean to you though, out of curiosity? Why doesn't this idea appeal to you? I'm biased because the idea of lifelong learning is one of the things that drew me to medicine as a career, but obviously it won't be the same kind of learning as I'm doing at university now. I'll still have exams to revise for but equally I will actually be doing the job as well, and learning will be a lot more practival.

My first degree was in biology.

Have you considered maybe just taking a break from education for a while until you're sure about what you want to do? There's no point diving into another degree when you haven't got at least some sort of plan made, and whilst we can give you suggestions, ultimately it's your choice and your responsibility.

Okay so I think from reading this and other posts it
seems to me like you’re not 100% invested in the idea of dentistry itself.
I’ll break it down into points:

1) You are struggling with the workload - we’ve discussed this and I’ve told you it does get better after the first year.

2) You have a fear that the work will get harder - not really, since most of it is biology and just knowing things, I don’t personally find it difficult and I don’t think you will either, given your background in maths, chemistry and physics.

3) You say you’re socially awkward and don’t know if a people job is for you - again I’d also describe myself as an introvert. I was petrified when we did our first placements observing in a hospital ward and even more anxious when we had to start seeing our own patients. But it grows on you, and your confidence increases. It forces you to grow as a person. I’m still not the most outgoing person but that’s okay. As long as you can communicate well and empathise with patients - which is a skill you learn throughout your degree - you will be fine. Not every dentist or healthcare professional is an extrovert who likes to be the centre of attention.

4) You like to do the bare minimum, and it was the money and “cars” that attracted you to dentistry - this is the only concerning point I’ve read. All the others are things that can be developed or will pass with time. This however is your attitude towards dentistry. With all due respect, it sounds like you didn’t really do your homework well before you applied because dentistry does require hard work both during and after dental school - we have CPD which you may be familiar with and these are compulsory hours of learning which every dentist needs to complete in order to maintain their registration with the GDC.

I think you need to reflect on why you are where you are and think honestly to yourself about why you chose dentistry. If you’re not actually interested in the job, it would be best to leave it because you’ll spend the rest of your life regretting it. If you are simply going through a rough patch with the workload/ self-doubt then this can be remedied because a lot of people go through this.

I echo what ramipril told you, if you do decide to drop out, take some time off and really research what you want to do. Don’t dive into another degree because you might end up in the same situation.

life long learning to me means even after the job (ofc you'll be learning new skills everyday, its a given rly for any job) but I feel like ill just be with education forever like ill never be Able to leave studying I guess - I dont rly know how to put it into words its just something I guess im not committed to...

random point, but I do think some of my problems come with me not being mature for my age (i.e accepting really what the real world is like) and just hating responsibilites - just turned 18 recently actually and certainly not ready for the responsibilities that come with being an adult (in charge of your own life etc, expected to do everything on your own) - I guess I really feel more comfortable with stabilisers on my bike

I think a break would be the best thing for me rn... I do think if I started uni in 2022 instead of 2021 which would require me to apply by January (which as I noted before, I could easily pick a course I think seems cool, start skl in 2021 and find its again not what I want to be doing and certainly not what gets me out of bed)

therefore I feel like a 2 year break (As long as it is) would kind of aid in soul searching and maybe help me find some aspirations etc, what I want to do with my life etc - but my family are not on board with this idea and feel I could find a course easily before January and apply - they think you just pick a course and stick it out until you get a job... they unfortunately don't understand the importance of picking a course you're interested in - which is what Im trying to emphasise to them cuz I dont wanna make the same mistake twice ..

Fair enough about the lifelong learning. I think it depends on how you approach it, and of course you will get to a point where it's more, 'learning about new situations through experience' more than actually 'learning' for the sake of education. But still, it's not for everyone.

Again, fair enough. I think we put waaaaaaay to much pressure on 17/18 year olds who are basically still children, and don't have a fully developed brain yet, to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. Some people know, others don't, and that's ok.

To start in 2022 you'd need to apply at the latest in January 2022. There's also always clearing. I think taking a year out, trying to get a job etc. would do you so much good. Granted, covid will make it really hard but even a mundane job like a warehouse job to get you money until you can do something else may help. Improve your skills etc. Hopefully, things will be a bit clearer next year too.

I know how it feels to deal with parents like that. I'm not going to pretend it's an easy solution. The only thing I can say is that it's your life, and as parents they should want you to be happy. One day they won't be here sadly, but you will be, and then what will you do if you've allowed them to control your life until then?

could I please ask you how you picked your degree? did u always know this was something you wanted to do etc?

btw can I ask how you ‘knew’ you wanted to do a degree in bio. Was it something you’d always enjoyed etc? Was it something else etc?

It was a gradual process for me, I never woke up one day thinking yes, it’s dentistry or nothing.
I knew I wanted to do something in healthcare, but not medicine because it’s too varied (unless you specialise, but it’s the work that’s done before specialism that put me off). Dentistry seemed a good fit because it’s a course that requires high grades (I know that sounds shallow but I was 14/15/16 then so you can’t blame me for wanting do something that meant my hard work had paid off) and it’s essentially a specialism of medicine focused on the oral and head and neck region so it seemed like a good idea.

I then did work experience, and coupled with a close relative’s bad experiences of dentistry (which I wanted to improve) and my own ortho experiences (every student says this at interview), I started to cement my path into dentistry.

It also combines creativity/ art with science which was appealing to me too as I like arts and crafts.

It was my best subject at school and I enjoyed it enough to think a degree in it was a good idea.