Richard

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

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!