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Dental Science or Medicine Students!!

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  • 02-04-2009 10:24pm
    #1
    i'm a smiler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 81 ✭✭


    Hey. I'm in 6th year at the moment and I currently am trying to decide what course to do next year.

    I've done work exp. with both a gp and a dentist and I really loved them both. I know there are pros and cons for both but I just can't make my mind up!

    Just wondering could anyone give me any info on these courses please?
    What are they really like? Is the workload really tough? (Don't get me wrong I'm not afraid of hard work, I just want to have time for hobbies too.)

    icon7.gif Thanks in advance.
    Tagged:


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    #2
    Pet
    Registered Users Posts: 4,579 ✭✭✭Pet


    This is entirely second-hand information [I have friends in both dentistry and medicine], but:

    -They appear to be about equal in terms of difficulty and workload. You wouldn't expect it, but it's true. Dentists are basically consultant oral doctors; what they lack in breadth they make up for in depth. In fact, the dentistry students appear to have more of a workload than the med students, but that may just be the personalities...

    -Medicine, due to its breadth, is probably more appealing to study, and has better prospects for research if you decide that being a doctor isn't for you. Plus, you can intercalate your degree [take a year out of medicine and do a year of science] to get a BA in one of the sciences [eg biochemistry or neuroscience].

    -Dentistry appears to be a bit more social, as all years are confined to the dental hospital.

    -If it's money you're after, go dentistry. As you probably already know, they make stupid amounts of money.

    -In terms of overall workload...yes, they are tough, but you'll have more time for socialising in the early years when you're based more on-campus. In the later clinical years, you'll be based in the hospitals, and would probably find it difficult to be involved with college societies [though it's doable by all means].

    As I said, entirely second-hand information for you there. Make of it what you will.


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    #3
    i'm a smiler
    Closed Accounts Posts: 81 ✭✭i'm a smiler


    Hey "pet", thanks so much for replying.
    If any has first hand information on any of these courses, I'd be delighted if you could give me your own experience of it.

    Cheers!


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    #4
    mardybumbum
    Registered Users Posts: 1,939 ✭✭✭mardybumbum


    There was a thread done here recently!


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    #5
    plumpy6286
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭plumpy6286


    heya.
    im a final year dental student in trinity college.. there's pros and cons for each. dentistry is a 5 year course that is intense regarding workload and all the bullsh*t u have to put up with.. Its a full time job u dont get paid for.. however once u qualify u dont essentially need any further training to work in practice.. my sister is in medicine and finds the workload and hours easier but once shes finished her 5 years she has quite a few more before she can even be a GP. If u are goin to do dentistry i would recommend goin to Cork as the undergraduate course is far superior to Dublin in my opinion.. at the end of the day if u want a **** college life but a 9 to 5 monday to friday job that pays better than most.. do dentistry.


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    #6
    Trance
    Closed Accounts Posts: 82 ✭✭Trance


    Statistically of all of the professions, dentists have the highest suicide rates. :pac:


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    #7
    Disease Ridden
    Closed Accounts Posts: 406 ✭✭Disease Ridden


    Trance wrote: »
    Statistically of all of the professions, dentists have the highest suicide rates. :pac:

    Yeah but for the money they get I'd be happy to be suicidal!


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    #8
    flerb22
    Closed Accounts Posts: 61 ✭✭flerb22


    hey, im a med student in trinity, and i can give you some of the pros and cons about my course at least:

    the best thing about medicine is the great craic with your class - you will get to know the 130 or so people in your class very well, and there is some serious banter that goes on, with med day (big charity fund-raiser day), med cup (football tournament), pantomime taking the piss out of everything, biosoc christmas trip, med ball... i would say the list goes on, but that pretty much it - all those events arent just for your year, they are for the entire med school, and the interclass bant which goes on is great. you could even go for the fabled grand slam (score at least one person from each medical year, within one academic year).

    to counter that, us meds are extremely cliquey. I very rarely see people from outside my class. if you spend every day with the same people, you are going to end up great friends with them, but there is limited opportunity for inter-subject socialising, which I can assume there would be more of with dentistry (specifically dentistry among the health sciences - due to the dental hospital being on campus).

    to sway your opinion: medicine is fantastic.


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