richard
Richard wrote a new post, Third Year at Midwestern: A Year in Review 5 months ago
Although it may seem like I’m not keeping up with things on the site, I assure you I am. Sort of. You see, even when I’m not writing blog articles, I am still updating the website, fixing code, and lately, […]
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Richard commented on the post, $1 Million in Dental Student Loans 1 year, 5 months ago
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for reading and commenting! I did actually mention Dr. Meru’s mistakes in this article, even his $390 used Mercedes and $400k home. I listed them as follows:
“Don’t choose a school because you think it’s prestigious. USC is a very expensive dental program, probably the most expensive in the nation when living expenses are con…[Read more]
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Richard wrote a new post, One Month in the Midwestern University Dental Clinic 1 year, 6 months ago
I had no idea just how busy I would be once I started working in the Midwestern University Dental Clinic. My partner, Nozar, likes to keep our schedule loaded, which is a good […]
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Richard wrote a new post, My First Week in the Dental Clinic 1 year, 7 months ago
My first week in the dental clinic was full of firsts. My first crown prep and temporary, my first extraction and bone graft, my first SRP, and my first bridge removal. To be […]
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Richard replied to the topic What schools should I apply to in the forum Pre-Dents 1 year, 7 months ago
Hi Derrik,
You are definitely competitive at all of the programs you are applying to. Is there a reason you are applying to 12 schools? If you want to stay in the Northeast and those are your top schools, then why not just stick with the 10 schools you already have? You could add Harvard and any of the the SUNY schools to the list if you wanted to.
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Richard replied to the topic Chances of getting in in the forum Pre-Dents 1 year, 7 months ago
Hey DWayde,
I’m glad that you’ve discovered a career field that motivates you to excel! Your academics are already competitive for the average dental school, but you would be less competitive at the schools you want to apply to. The average Harvard student is scoring around 23AA on the DAT and has around a 3.8 gpa. That is the average!
You…[Read more]
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Richard replied to the topic How would you set up your DAT studying in my situation? in the forum DAT Preppers 1 year, 7 months ago
It is probably less important how many resources you use. More important is how effectively you use the ones you’ve got. You are already using the gold standard: Chad’s, Destroyer, DAT Bootcamp. I think that the difference between an 18 and a 20+ is really just a matter of how deeply you understand the material. Don’t spread yourself too thin…[Read more]
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Richard replied to the topic How would you set up your DAT studying in my situation? in the forum DAT Preppers 1 year, 7 months ago
Hey Hayden,
22 days is still a lot of time. You say that you have a solid base of knowledge already, but that you need to focus on General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. You also said that you have already used Chad’s Videos before. May I ask how long it’s been since you used them? Have you looked at Mike’s Videos on DAT Bootcamp at all? I wou…[Read more]
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Richard wrote a new post, Second Year Spotlight 1 year, 7 months ago
I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the work I did during my second year here at Midwestern. After completing nearly 400 projects in the simulation clinic, my hand […]
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Richard commented on the post, Half of a Dentist: D2 in Review 1 year, 7 months ago
Hey Michael, thanks for the question! I definitely put 60 hours per week in most weeks during 1st year. I sort of ran out of gas near the end though. I came into 2nd year without the burning desire to specialize that I had during the beginning of 1st year. Consequently, I didn’t put as much time into 2nd year as I could have.
During 2nd year, we…[Read more]
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Richard wrote a new post, $1 Million in Dental Student Loans 1 year, 8 months ago
The Wall Street Journal ran an article today about Mike Meru, an orthodontist in Salt Lake City, who now has $1,060,945.42 in student loan debt. If that number wasn’t staggering […]
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Hi Jeff,
Thanks for reading and commenting! I did actually mention Dr. Meru’s mistakes in this article, even his $390 used Mercedes and $400k home. I listed them as follows:
“Don’t choose a school because you think it’s prestigious. USC is a very expensive dental program, probably the most expensive in the nation when living expenses are considered.
Avoid expensive residencies, especially if you attended an expensive private dental school.
Do not under any circumstances use forbearance as a tool to gain financial stability. Financial instability is usually a product of poor financial planning. Fail to plan, plan to fail. Every payment you could have made during forbearance is just contributing to more interest accrual on your student loans.
Avoid highly saturated markets. Dr. Meru practices in my hometown of Salt Lake City, Utah. Unfortunately, that area is one of the most saturated dental markets in the nation.
Don’t purchase a used Mercedes with payments of $390 per month during dental school. If you really need a car, a used Toyota Camry will suffice.
If you are unable to make payments that cover the interest on your loans, do not under any circumstances purchase a mountainside home with a $400,000 mortgage.
There is no reason anyone needs to drive a used Tesla, especially not when they have more than $1 million in student loan debt.
Dr. Meru is a globetrotting adventure seeker. That lifestyle is expensive. Even if he is sponsored for some or all of his adventures, the time out of the office can lead to a significant loss of income.”
Best,
-Richard
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Richard changed their profile picture 1 year, 8 months ago
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Richard wrote a new post, Half of a Dentist: D2 in Review 1 year, 8 months ago
Dental school is hard. The second year is harder than the first. At least, that’s my opinion. Here’s a look at what we’ve done over the last couple of years here at […]
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Hey Michael, thanks for the question! I definitely put 60 hours per week in most weeks during 1st year. I sort of ran out of gas near the end though. I came into 2nd year without the burning desire to specialize that I had during the beginning of 1st year. Consequently, I didn’t put as much time into 2nd year as I could have.
During 2nd year, we spend about 30-40 hours in class each week. At the begging of the 1st and 2nd quarter I was probably spending another 10 hours in the SIM clinic outside of class. Then there are exams to study for, case presentations, and other miscellaneous projects peppered throughout each quarter.
To get the same grades 2nd year that I got my 1st year (3.9) I would have had to do at least 60 hours per week, possibly more. The work is qualitatively harder in my opinion because you can practice all day and still fail a practical. If I really studied for basic sciences I got an A.
I did really well in SIM, but I struggled with oral health sciences. I stopped putting much effort into studying for the exams and instead decided to read the textbooks because I felt I learn better that way. Consequently, my grades slipped (I got B’s in OHS) but I learned a lot from the textbooks.
I hope that answers your question!
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Richard wrote a new post, Stab Lab: Comfortably Numb 1 year, 8 months ago
Today I am writing this with a numb mouth. The left half of my mandible, my cheek, my tongue, and all of my teeth are complete insensate. That’s because my partner Andrew found […]
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Richard replied to the topic Feralis Notes? in the forum DAT Preppers 1 year, 8 months ago
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Richard replied to the topic Medicine versus Dentistry in the forum Pre-Dents 1 year, 8 months ago
Oral surgery is unique in that it bridges the gap between the professions of medicine and dentistry. Although dentistry is a health profession just like any medical specialty, only oral surgeons attend medical school. As you pointed out, not all oral surgeons do, only some. Last I checked it is about 50% of oral surgeons who earn an MD at a 5 or…[Read more]
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Richard replied to the topic Which loupes are best? in the forum Dental Students 1 year, 8 months ago
Hello Jane,
I currently use Designs for Vision 3.5x magnification loupes with the Micro HDi light. I had the Wireless LED light before and found the battery life was too short for my liking (40-50 minutes). I have been very happy with the batter life on the Micro HDi light which I estimate to be around 8 hours.
I have the Nike Run frames and…[Read more] -
Richard wrote a new post, NBDE Part I Failure Rate Much Higher in 2017 1 year, 8 months ago
The Joint Commision of National Dental Examiners (JCNDE) recently released an updated version of their annual report on the National Board Dental Examinations (NBDE).As many […]
I think the dental boards just want more money. lol
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Richard wrote a new post, DEX Week Days 2 and 3 1 year, 8 months ago
DEX week at Midwestern involves multiple clinical competency exams. Monday was the OSCE exam that I talked about previously. Tuesday through Friday we were assessed on […]
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Richard replied to the topic Medicine versus Dentistry in the forum Pre-Dents 1 year, 8 months ago
Hey jp134,
You already seem to realize that no one here can tell you which path to choose. Have you considered oral surgery? Also, the lifestyle of a physician is highly variable. Dermatologists usually have a good lifestyle, much like a general dentist. - Load More
Thanks for sharing your experience at Midwestern with us!