1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,760 Hey everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Dose of Dental podcast. 2 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:13,920 The focus of this podcast is your undergraduate and dental school experiences from dental 3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:17,200 students and dental professionals through valuable discussions. 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:20,360 Through sharing the journeys and stories of current dental students and dental professionals, 5 00:00:20,360 --> 00:00:23,320 our goal is to help you find answers or guidance for your own pre-dental journeys. 6 00:00:23,320 --> 00:00:26,760 Joining us today is Paul DeMarzo, a dental student studying at the University of Buffalo 7 00:00:26,760 --> 00:00:28,320 School of Dental Medicine. 8 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:31,360 Paul graduated from Sonnenberg University with a bachelor's degree in health science 9 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:33,160 along with a minor in chemistry. 10 00:00:33,160 --> 00:00:36,200 He's an incoming second year dental student at the University of Buffalo School of Dental 11 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:37,200 Medicine. 12 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:41,240 During his undergraduate years, Paul was heavily involved with the pre-dental society at Sonnenberg, 13 00:00:41,240 --> 00:00:45,360 took part in an international dental outreach program in Germany for the Republic, and was 14 00:00:45,360 --> 00:00:47,160 also a dental assistant for five years. 15 00:00:47,160 --> 00:00:48,520 Hey Paul, welcome to the podcast. 16 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,560 How does it feel being done with your first year of dental school and now entering your 17 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:52,560 second? 18 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:53,560 What's going on guys? 19 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:56,880 Yeah, so I just finished up my first year. 20 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:58,600 It went very well. 21 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:03,120 It definitely was a little difficult in the beginning adapting to a new environment, but 22 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:04,120 overall it went pretty well. 23 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,960 I'm excited to move forward and learn some more. 24 00:01:07,960 --> 00:01:12,040 Hey Paul, welcome to the podcast, Long Time No See. 25 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:16,040 So why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself, like where you're from, where did 26 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:17,720 you go to school, stuff like that. 27 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:25,000 Yeah, so I grew up on Long Island in New York, right by Sonnenberg, maybe 25 minutes away. 28 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:30,360 So I stayed home during undergrad and I went to Stony Brook for four years. 29 00:01:30,360 --> 00:01:35,320 And then I applied to dental school at the end of my third year and then I went straight 30 00:01:35,320 --> 00:01:38,600 from undergrad into dental school and now I'm up here at Buffalo. 31 00:01:38,600 --> 00:01:43,200 Yes, let's start with that dreaded question on every interview. 32 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:44,200 Why dentistry? 33 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:46,120 Why did you choose to pursue this field? 34 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:51,680 Yeah, so I always feel like I wanted to go into healthcare and then as I was in high 35 00:01:51,680 --> 00:01:56,320 school trying to figure out what I wanted to do in undergrad, I was talking to my dad 36 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:01,880 one day and I was actually on my way to an orthodontist appointment and my dad asked 37 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,440 me what about being a dentist or an orthodontist or something like that. 38 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:09,400 And I didn't really know much about it, so I started asking my orthodontist about it 39 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:13,840 and it kind of turned into a thing where I would go in after school and shadow him here 40 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:18,520 and there and then eventually he hired me as an assistant. 41 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:24,000 So that's kind of how I got introduced and then I at that point I wanted to be an orthodontist. 42 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:27,600 I mean, I think a lot of people in the beginning have that idea. 43 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:33,800 At this point, I'm more pursuing general dentistry, but I'm definitely interested in 44 00:02:33,800 --> 00:02:37,960 exploring different options as I get through dental school. 45 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,080 But I think, you know, as a lot of people realize as they start dental school, there's 46 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,680 so much to offer and there's so many opportunities there. 47 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:51,920 So I think what solidified me going to dentistry was that I got more involved in like different 48 00:02:51,920 --> 00:02:53,640 things at Stony Brook. 49 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:59,640 I got involved with volunteers around the world and I got to travel to Dominican Republic. 50 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:02,760 I think, Siraj, you did that too recently, right? 51 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,800 Yeah, so we just went May 27th to June 9th. 52 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,760 We went to, well, we didn't go to DR, but we went to Guatemala instead. 53 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:14,360 We went to a place called San Pedro, which is like, you know, my Spanish is all right. 54 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:20,640 My Spanish is okay, but honestly, when you go there and like, I probably took Spanish 55 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:24,160 for like seven, eight years maybe on my life, like in school and like, I learned so much 56 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:28,080 better when you're like live in the place and everyone around you only knows Spanish 57 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,160 and that's all you can say. 58 00:03:30,160 --> 00:03:33,560 So my Spanish got a little better, but since I got back, it's been kind of, it's just, 59 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:34,560 it's gone away. 60 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:36,920 But yeah, the experience was definitely really good. 61 00:03:36,920 --> 00:03:38,080 It was like the third world country. 62 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,640 So it's like really interesting to see, you know, what we take for granted. 63 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:42,720 They don't really even have. 64 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,000 So it's nothing cool experience. 65 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,200 Can you actually elaborate a little bit on, you know, how your experience was? 66 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:49,200 Yeah. 67 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:56,080 So I actually got involved with planning the trip during my sophomore year. 68 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:58,360 Yeah, my sophomore year. 69 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:03,640 And then I ended up being chosen as like a team leader for the trip. 70 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:07,240 And so I went to the Dominican Republic with a bunch of students from Stony Brook. 71 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:13,440 There was a few from UC Berkeley and then there were some from NYU. 72 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:15,120 And it was really cool experience. 73 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,480 I mean, I had to meet other people that were interested in dentistry and we got to, you 74 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:22,280 know, treat patients in the clinic. 75 00:04:22,280 --> 00:04:26,680 I mean, we weren't treating them ourselves, but we were assisting and sterilizing and, 76 00:04:26,680 --> 00:04:28,720 you know, just helping run the clinic. 77 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:32,160 And then we had like a little bit of time where we got to go explore Dominican Republic 78 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,320 and, you know, immerse ourselves in the culture and everything. 79 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:39,920 And then when I came back, I took over the lead for the whole club. 80 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,560 So I became like the president of the club and I helped plan more trips. 81 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,960 But unfortunately, those trips got canceled because of COVID. 82 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,960 So that whole club was kind of on a pause. 83 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:52,880 But I had a great experience with VAW. 84 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:54,000 I definitely learned a lot. 85 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:59,520 I got to see how dentistry works in another country and see, you know, the differences. 86 00:04:59,520 --> 00:05:01,920 At that point, I was already an assistant in the U.S. 87 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:06,600 So I got to, you know, compare my experience in the Dominican Republic with my experience 88 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:08,720 in assisting on Long Island. 89 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,640 So that was really interesting, very cool experience. 90 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:16,480 And that probably was one of the number one things that, you know, solidified dentistry 91 00:05:16,480 --> 00:05:17,480 for me. 92 00:05:17,480 --> 00:05:21,520 At that point, I was already going for it, but that's when I like knew myself that like 93 00:05:21,520 --> 00:05:23,680 this is what I was going to do. 94 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:24,680 Yeah. 95 00:05:24,680 --> 00:05:29,360 So I'm also an assistant and, you know, in my head, when I thought we're going to go 96 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,000 here, I thought we wouldn't have like the basic tools that we use like in our office 97 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:34,000 right now. 98 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,480 But there's like a lot of parallels between what we have here and what they used over 99 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:38,480 there. 100 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:40,440 So it's kind of cool. 101 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:43,640 And if I'd ever assisted, I feel like I wouldn't have really known that. 102 00:05:43,640 --> 00:05:45,800 So can you talk a little bit about your own assisting experience? 103 00:05:45,800 --> 00:05:48,480 I know you mentioned that you were an ortho assistant. 104 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:49,480 Yeah. 105 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:53,720 So I started assisting in ortho during high school actually. 106 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:57,360 So it was my senior year of high school. 107 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,640 And so I did that in senior year of high school. 108 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:04,720 And then since I stayed home for college, I was able to assist after school and, you 109 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:06,600 know, work with my college schedule. 110 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:12,760 And then I did ortho for another two years. 111 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,800 And then so it was like three years total straight. 112 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:19,600 And then I found a job at a general dentistry office. 113 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:24,040 So an ortho, I kind of got to assist him in, you know, placing brackets, different things 114 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:25,040 like that. 115 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:30,000 And eventually I got to experience, you know, how to take wires out and change the colors 116 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:32,120 on the brackets and everything. 117 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:38,800 I would take, you know, panoramic X-rays and scan for patients for Invisalign and retainers. 118 00:06:38,800 --> 00:06:40,400 And I did a lot of lab work too. 119 00:06:40,400 --> 00:06:44,200 So I would actually make the retainers, which was an awesome experience that actually helps 120 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:49,360 me now in dental school because we, you know, do that with our indirect course. 121 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:55,880 We had to make a, I got an Essex retainer type thing and cut it in a certain way. 122 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:57,760 This way we can make a temporary crown with it. 123 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,720 So that was a really, you know, helpful experience. 124 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:05,640 And then when I started working in general dentistry, I, you know, assisted with everything. 125 00:07:05,640 --> 00:07:12,600 I assisted with root canals, you know, crown preps, composites, different types of things. 126 00:07:12,600 --> 00:07:16,520 I took X-rays, which definitely will be helpful in dental school. 127 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,480 You know, a lot of my classmates that didn't get to assist, they never really learned how 128 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:22,320 to do that before dental school. 129 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:25,800 So it's a little tricky at first when you went about it. 130 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:30,160 So I got to do that, help take impressions. 131 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:34,320 I would assist with attractions, all types of things that you see in the general dentistry 132 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:35,320 office. 133 00:07:35,320 --> 00:07:41,320 And that, when I started working there, that's when I, it was the same around, around the 134 00:07:41,320 --> 00:07:46,760 same time that I started getting involved with VAW. 135 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:51,760 When I got to go to the main republic, you know, that was part of what was solidified 136 00:07:51,760 --> 00:07:52,760 dentistry for me. 137 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:58,160 But then on the same, you know, wavelength, I also was kind of solidifying that decision 138 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:03,560 by assisting that if I hadn't been assistant, I don't know that I would have been completely 139 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,840 sure in my decision to go into dentistry. 140 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:11,560 I learned so much, I, you know, learned how to set up for different oper, operatories 141 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:12,840 and different things. 142 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:18,000 So that actually not only helped me solidify that decision, but now that I'm in dental 143 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,080 school, I'm familiar with all the materials and I, you know, kind of have a grasp on what 144 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:23,320 is used for what, what. 145 00:08:23,320 --> 00:08:28,680 So yeah, that was the number one thing I did in undergrad was dental assisting. 146 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:30,760 I recommend that to everybody that I've talked to. 147 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:35,960 I mean, it is probably the best thing you can do as a pre dental. 148 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:36,960 Yeah. 149 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:42,320 So, you know, Paul, can I ask you like, where can pre dentals, you know, find this information? 150 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:45,600 How can they apply for these dental average programs, you know, these valuable resources 151 00:08:45,600 --> 00:08:48,480 that we've, you know, benefited from greatly? 152 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:49,600 Yeah, of course. 153 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:55,360 So I know volunteers around the world has chapters at a lot of different colleges. 154 00:08:55,360 --> 00:09:01,120 So definitely look into that because that's a great opportunity that is pretty easy to 155 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:02,520 get involved with. 156 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:08,520 And then if your undergraduate program is affiliated with the dental school or there's 157 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,080 dental school at your college. 158 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:11,960 So like Stony Brook had a dental school. 159 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:17,000 So I was able to volunteer at their dental clinic, which I'm not sure if they do anymore 160 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,600 after COVID, but I know that a lot of me and all my friends that were pre dentals at the 161 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:22,600 time, we did that. 162 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,560 So that was another great volunteering experience. 163 00:09:26,560 --> 00:09:30,040 There's a lot of different things I would, you know, reach out to your pre dental society, 164 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:32,920 see if there's volunteer experiences with that. 165 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:38,880 And then I know there's some other organizations, I can't think of the names, but there's, they're 166 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,920 definitely out there and you just kind of have to look for them. 167 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:42,920 And yeah. 168 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:43,920 Yeah. 169 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:45,000 So you mentioned you were an ortho assistant. 170 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:48,360 So and you also did shadowing on this trip. 171 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:53,240 So what's the best way for pre dentals to, you know, get those shadowing and dental assisting 172 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,040 positions and opportunities? 173 00:09:55,040 --> 00:09:57,640 You know, like, what's the best way to go about that? 174 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:01,480 So the first thing I would do is start with your actual dentist. 175 00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:05,440 They know you more than any other dentists out there because they've been treating you. 176 00:10:05,440 --> 00:10:09,840 So you know, I would express interest to them and tell them that you're interested in dentistry 177 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:13,080 and that you want to learn a little bit more. 178 00:10:13,080 --> 00:10:14,760 And then you could start shadowing them. 179 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:18,680 If they're not comfortable with it, you could also just reach out to other offices in your 180 00:10:18,680 --> 00:10:20,680 area. 181 00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:26,600 And again, if your school has a dental school affiliated with it, or if there's one nearby, 182 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:30,760 you could also see if there's an opportunity for you to shadow at the dental school. 183 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:35,560 That also is a great opportunity aside from shadowing in a traditional dental office or 184 00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:40,160 dental setting, because you'll see how it's what it's like to kind of be a student in 185 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:45,120 dentistry, and it's a lot different than when you're actually in an office. 186 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:46,480 They work at a different pace. 187 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:48,640 They see different types of cases. 188 00:10:48,640 --> 00:10:52,320 So that's definitely a good idea to start. 189 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:56,960 And then what worked for me in the beginning was that my shadowing opportunity kind of 190 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:59,320 turned into an assisting position. 191 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:04,360 So I don't know that if that hadn't happened, I don't know that I would have even been able 192 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:06,920 to find a dental assisting position. 193 00:11:06,920 --> 00:11:08,160 And but they're out there. 194 00:11:08,160 --> 00:11:14,760 I mean, even if you just go online and look up opportunities and job listings for dental 195 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:16,360 assisting, they're out there. 196 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:20,840 And especially in New York state, you have an advantage. 197 00:11:20,840 --> 00:11:25,600 There's no like licensure or certification required to be a dental assistant. 198 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:31,160 Some offices might want you to go and take the, I believe it's called the Danby, and 199 00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:35,080 then get your certification for dental assisting, but most offices don't require it. 200 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:37,120 So, you know, they're out there. 201 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:41,760 You just have to look for them and, you know, look online, you know, build your resume. 202 00:11:41,760 --> 00:11:46,200 If you don't have a large resume, they might not really care all that much. 203 00:11:46,200 --> 00:11:48,200 You know, they know that you're interested in dentistry. 204 00:11:48,200 --> 00:11:52,080 They know that you have to get this exposure and it helps them. 205 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:56,440 And, you know, it helps you that you're going to be experienced, but it also helps them. 206 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:00,920 They know they need staff, especially, you know, since COVID, a lot of dental offices 207 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:02,400 are, you know, understaffed. 208 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:03,640 So they're out there. 209 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:05,840 They're looking for you as much as you're looking for them. 210 00:12:05,840 --> 00:12:11,320 And, you know, I actually shadowed my dentist in the beginning. 211 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:14,720 You know, in the beginning, I was not even dental. 212 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:16,480 I did not care for it. 213 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:18,080 I thought it was nasty. 214 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,960 But then, like, once I found out it was more than just getting teeth, because I had no 215 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:26,560 idea, I got a VizLine, which is like the first step in my dental journey. 216 00:12:26,560 --> 00:12:30,240 And then while I was, like, waiting in the chair, I was like, where is she? 217 00:12:30,240 --> 00:12:31,240 What else is she doing right now? 218 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:32,480 Like, what could she be doing? 219 00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:34,080 And then she came in and asked her. 220 00:12:34,080 --> 00:12:35,640 I was like, what, where are you been? 221 00:12:35,640 --> 00:12:36,640 Like, what's going on? 222 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:38,040 She's like, I have other appointments. 223 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:40,320 I'm doing like, cleanings and crowns and blah, blah, blah. 224 00:12:40,320 --> 00:12:41,320 I'm like, what is that? 225 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:42,320 Like, what are these things? 226 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,360 Because, I mean, my teeth were pretty good as a kid. 227 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:45,880 Didn't really have that many problems. 228 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:48,640 I wasn't really exposed to as many, like, all these things. 229 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:49,640 So I started shadowing her. 230 00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:52,360 And it really got interested in, like, you know, the hands-on aspect of dentistry and 231 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:56,400 like how it's such a, it's also in your mind, but it's also like with your hands. 232 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:57,400 And, you know, you're very active. 233 00:12:57,400 --> 00:12:59,120 And I liked that part. 234 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:01,320 So I started shadowing her and then I really enjoyed it. 235 00:13:01,320 --> 00:13:05,360 And then I actually contacted my, the one doctor I work with for now, I contacted him 236 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:08,320 over like social media, which is like crazy. 237 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,160 And then started shadowing him and then I started working for him eventually, you know, 238 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:13,160 we're cool. 239 00:13:13,160 --> 00:13:18,680 So he offered me a job and no like formal interview process, no resumes, no things like that. 240 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,640 You just kind of pick and find your opportunities as they go. 241 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:26,040 There's no like formula to getting an assistant job or shadowing job. 242 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:29,520 Like, yeah, you can do it over LinkedIn, deed, all these random job sites. 243 00:13:29,520 --> 00:13:34,080 But honestly, like it's, it's up to you and like how you network, you know, whether that 244 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:39,040 be, you meet the guy at a basketball court, you meet him in the gym, you meet him at a 245 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:41,760 store, a coffee shop, you never know, you never know who you're going to talk to and 246 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:42,760 where they might be. 247 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:46,000 So, you know, it's really interesting how different people can get their jobs. 248 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,000 I know a lot of my friends have gotten jobs different ways. 249 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,440 So, yeah, I agree too. 250 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:54,920 Like, and to kind of build off of what something you were saying. 251 00:13:54,920 --> 00:14:00,520 So like, you had really no idea before that what Dennis really did besides cleanings. 252 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:05,960 And I think I had a similar experience because the only experiences I had as a young kid 253 00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:08,680 was, you know, getting my cleanings and I had braces. 254 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:11,120 So that's all I really knew. 255 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:15,160 And I was actually talking to a friend of mine about kind of about this the other day, 256 00:14:15,160 --> 00:14:21,200 like, so they're starting a program for speech pathology and they were talking about like 257 00:14:21,200 --> 00:14:23,320 their interviews and all that. 258 00:14:23,320 --> 00:14:28,240 And they were saying like, it's so tough sometimes because some of the other people 259 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:34,800 that are going that are pre dental or in their case, you know, pre speech or whatever. 260 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:38,600 They have like a history, like some people have a history when they're young kids of 261 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:43,680 like really bad dental experiences or like, you know, they had to get a lot of work as 262 00:14:43,680 --> 00:14:44,680 a young kid. 263 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,360 So that's kind of like their story when they go for interviews, which is great, you know, 264 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:51,840 people, you know, have those experiences, but then there's people like us who never 265 00:14:51,840 --> 00:14:53,760 really had that experience. 266 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,400 So when you get to the interview and they ask you, why do you want to be a dentist? 267 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:02,160 You know, it's okay to be honest and say, you know, I don't have some life changing experience 268 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:06,640 that made me want to be a dentist, you know, I found the career interesting. 269 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:08,880 I explored it and I found that it was something I really liked. 270 00:15:08,880 --> 00:15:15,440 So, you know, not everyone has that life changing experience that, you know, makes them have 271 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:17,040 a calling for dentistry, you know. 272 00:15:17,040 --> 00:15:20,400 Yeah, no, not that you mentioned that we had Brandon on the other day, I don't think you 273 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:22,080 would mind me sharing a story. 274 00:15:22,080 --> 00:15:25,800 It's not like that personal, but he said he like broke his front teeth. 275 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:29,480 He like went into his gum, he went to the doctor and the doctor did like a magic trick 276 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:32,320 for him, which kind of stuck with them. 277 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:35,320 And he was, he didn't like like the dentist before, but once he had the experience of 278 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:39,320 like a doctor being friendly and doing like a magic trick in front of him, it kind of 279 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:41,040 sparked like, ooh, what is this? 280 00:15:41,040 --> 00:15:42,040 Like what's going on here? 281 00:15:42,040 --> 00:15:43,040 Like I want to do it. 282 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:48,240 And now he does like magic, like for kids on the weekends, why is this hospital? 283 00:15:48,240 --> 00:15:49,240 Which is crazy. 284 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:53,320 Like when we, when we heard that story, I was like, there's, you never know, like there's 285 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,640 so many things that could be the why. 286 00:15:56,640 --> 00:16:01,360 And you know, some people might not have the most exuberant lies, but you know, they're 287 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:04,720 honest, like it's, that's just like how, how it happened. 288 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,720 So yeah, I mean, if you have a story like that, and that's the reason you're going to 289 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:10,440 dentistry, like that's great. 290 00:16:10,440 --> 00:16:16,040 Like the fact that you have that ability to share that is an awesome ability, you know, 291 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:19,480 when it comes to the interview, but some people don't. 292 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:20,920 And you know, that's okay. 293 00:16:20,920 --> 00:16:25,840 You can, you can have just a regular interest in dentistry and that's enough. 294 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:28,000 You know, I think a lot of people like struggle with that. 295 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,640 Like, oh, I don't have like a crazy story to say my personal essay. 296 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:31,640 I don't know what to do. 297 00:16:31,640 --> 00:16:37,240 But like, I've heard even one of my other colleagues who like just, he's, you know, 298 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:41,440 actually, you probably don't know him, but he goes to Sunup, he's always a D one. 299 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:42,440 He was a D one. 300 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:46,440 And he just Kevin Zang, Kevin. 301 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:47,440 Kevin what Kevin Zang. 302 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:49,440 No, I don't know. 303 00:16:49,440 --> 00:16:50,440 No. 304 00:16:50,440 --> 00:16:54,440 I think he wrote his personal narrative or personal statement on like a book or something. 305 00:16:54,440 --> 00:16:55,440 Yeah. 306 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:57,760 And tied into what, like why you want to do it. 307 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,560 So it's just like a bunch of ways to do that. 308 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:07,200 So now that we're on a topic of why is like what kind of kept you like focused and like, 309 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:12,280 like what kept your why as your motivation, how'd you keep your motivation to continue 310 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:15,840 dentistry like throughout undergraduate, your undergraduate years and dental school? 311 00:17:15,840 --> 00:17:19,000 Because I know that's something that can be mentally challenging as well. 312 00:17:19,000 --> 00:17:20,000 Oh yeah. 313 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:21,000 Definitely. 314 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:25,920 I mean, I think the number one thing that I did that kept me on the track was being so 315 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:33,120 heavily involved with Stoltenberg pre-dental society and, you know, building a group of, 316 00:17:33,120 --> 00:17:36,840 you know, friends and colleagues that are also going on that path. 317 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:41,120 Because when you have people that you can talk to and, you know, pick their brain on, 318 00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:42,880 you know, what can I do to get more involved? 319 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:48,800 Or what do you think of like this plan for the DAT like, or, you know, where are you 320 00:17:48,800 --> 00:17:50,240 at in your process? 321 00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:57,120 Like, you know, just like getting ideas from people on how to better build your application. 322 00:17:57,120 --> 00:18:01,160 And you know, people that are going through the same process as you, like they have those 323 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:07,000 same, you know, points in that path where they're like, wow, I don't think I can do this. 324 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,200 Or, you know, this is going to be really hard. 325 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:14,280 Like, so building a group of friends that are also going through is definitely the number 326 00:18:14,280 --> 00:18:15,280 one thing. 327 00:18:15,280 --> 00:18:18,520 And I think just getting involved in general, like the more that you get involved and you 328 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:22,280 do the things that you like, the easier it is. 329 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:25,400 So for me, I am pretty open with everybody. 330 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:27,960 Like I didn't have the best grades in undergrad. 331 00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:32,600 So I was never the type of person that was studying every night for a test coming up 332 00:18:32,600 --> 00:18:33,600 in a couple of weeks. 333 00:18:33,600 --> 00:18:34,600 I never did that. 334 00:18:34,600 --> 00:18:36,120 I still don't do that. 335 00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:37,560 Sometimes I wish I was that person. 336 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:42,640 But I think that I focus a lot more on what am I enjoying? 337 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:49,360 So in undergrad, I assisted maybe 20, 30 hours a week, which looking back, I don't know how 338 00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:50,360 I did that. 339 00:18:50,360 --> 00:18:53,880 I 100% could never do that in dental school. 340 00:18:53,880 --> 00:18:57,560 But that kind of, you know, kept me interested in the field. 341 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:01,760 And when you're more interested in it, you're more willing to, you know, keep trying and 342 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:05,720 putting more effort in and, you know, keeping your hopes up. 343 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:07,720 So I think just focusing on those things. 344 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:14,840 I mean, in dental school, with my didactic classes, I study a lot, I will be honest, but 345 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:17,280 there are friends of mine who study way more than me. 346 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:19,960 And, you know, they might do better than me on those classes. 347 00:19:19,960 --> 00:19:22,960 But for me, I'd rather focus on the more hands-on aspect. 348 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:27,120 So when I have free time, if I'm not, you know, hanging out with friends or studying 349 00:19:27,120 --> 00:19:32,000 or, you know, in class, a lot of times I'll go to the pre-clinic and I'll practice that 350 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:33,840 kind of, you know, thing. 351 00:19:33,840 --> 00:19:37,560 So I think focus more on the things that you're enjoying. 352 00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:42,160 Focus more on the things that are driving you to pursue this career. 353 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:47,240 And don't get too hung up on the little things that, you know, you think are so important, 354 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:51,120 like, you know, statistics and your scores on things. 355 00:19:51,120 --> 00:19:52,120 Like those are important. 356 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:53,120 Don't get me wrong. 357 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:55,120 But it's not everything, you know? 358 00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:59,600 So you just have to pick the things you like, you know, focus more on those. 359 00:19:59,600 --> 00:20:00,600 Yeah. 360 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:04,920 No, I think kind of answered the question, but like, you know, keeping yourself involved 361 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:07,880 in dentistry while being like in the books during school is very important. 362 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:12,920 You know, even if you're just like kind of shadowing like a day or something, just to 363 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:18,720 kind of get your head back into it, like this is where I'm going to be instead of like, where 364 00:20:18,720 --> 00:20:23,200 am I going when you're just doing orgo all day or just doing bio all day? 365 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:28,320 Like, I know even during the school year, I try to keep, I worked like a Friday to Saturday, 366 00:20:28,320 --> 00:20:32,480 which hindsight, I might change that in the future because Fridays and Saturdays are fun, 367 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:34,040 but like, you know, it's whatever. 368 00:20:34,040 --> 00:20:39,160 But I worked those two days and like, it kept me, it kept my head in it, you know, and it 369 00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:41,560 motivated me to do better in school. 370 00:20:41,560 --> 00:20:47,760 So like that's something that I do to try to keep, you know, keep my head in dentistry 371 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:50,400 as much as I can, even if I don't have all the time in the world. 372 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:51,400 Yeah. 373 00:20:51,400 --> 00:20:55,160 I also think like, like you just said, like Fridays and Saturdays, like even if you need 374 00:20:55,160 --> 00:21:01,240 that time for free time, like you don't have to always be focusing on dentistry and your 375 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:06,080 application and all this, you need to find time to do, you know, fun things. 376 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:12,040 Like even just finding friends that, you know, undergrad that have maybe a little bit different 377 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:13,040 pathway. 378 00:21:13,040 --> 00:21:16,680 I mean, my two closest friends in undergrad both started medical school, you know, last 379 00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:17,680 week. 380 00:21:17,680 --> 00:21:23,920 So like they were doing the same thing as me, but we were at a point where like we all needed 381 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,800 to really focus on, you know, pre dental or in their case pre med, but then we found 382 00:21:27,800 --> 00:21:29,680 time to like do other fun things too. 383 00:21:29,680 --> 00:21:32,640 Like you need to make time for yourself as well. 384 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:39,600 Like if you are putting 100% of your time and your mindset into your dental school application 385 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:43,960 and all that, you're going to become run down and you're honestly not even, you might not 386 00:21:43,960 --> 00:21:44,960 even want to do it anymore. 387 00:21:44,960 --> 00:21:49,160 You know, you might realize this is like way too much and you can't handle it. 388 00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:54,160 But I think if you, you know, balance your schedule enough, it's definitely attainable. 389 00:21:54,160 --> 00:21:55,160 Yeah. 390 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:58,120 So can you tell us a little bit about some of the obstacles you might have faced during 391 00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:02,680 your undergraduate career, you know, even in the process of applying to dental school 392 00:22:02,680 --> 00:22:06,520 like the dental school application, what were some, you know, maybe some major hurdles 393 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:08,000 you had to face and overcome? 394 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:09,000 Yeah. 395 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:11,560 So this is one thing I'm also very open about. 396 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:13,480 I took the DAT twice. 397 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:20,000 So I did not, you know, focus enough on that the first time around the first time I did, 398 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:23,920 I would, it was the summer that I went on that trip to Dominican Republic. 399 00:22:23,920 --> 00:22:28,960 I was working like full time over the summer at the dental office and then studying for 400 00:22:28,960 --> 00:22:30,360 the DAT at the same time. 401 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:37,240 So I think that, you know, looking back so that I didn't have to take it twice, I would 402 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:43,520 have the first time, you know, maybe stopped working for a month or two or, you know, decreased 403 00:22:43,520 --> 00:22:47,560 my hours and really just focused solely on the DAT. 404 00:22:47,560 --> 00:22:54,200 I think that when you put, you know, all your time into the DAT specifically, you are like 405 00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:56,280 bound to do well. 406 00:22:56,280 --> 00:22:59,880 And then that definitely reflected in my scores when I took it the second time. 407 00:22:59,880 --> 00:23:05,440 I think my like first time I got like an 18 overall and then the second time I had a 21. 408 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:10,680 So that definitely was something that I struggled with. 409 00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:14,840 My GPA in general, I had like around a three, four or something like that. 410 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:20,840 So that was definitely something that I struggled with during the application cycle. 411 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:22,240 And it's mentally draining too. 412 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:27,120 I mean, you hear all these stories of people getting to dental school that have a three, 413 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:33,400 eight or higher or they have a four, oh, and then you also like, even if you're talking 414 00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,920 to like a friend and they're like, oh, my GPA is not good, like anyways, and then you later 415 00:23:36,920 --> 00:23:41,560 find out they have like a three, eight and then like, are they serious? 416 00:23:41,560 --> 00:23:43,160 Are they really complaining right now? 417 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:48,280 So I think that that's that's probably, yeah. 418 00:23:48,280 --> 00:23:54,840 Just I think, you know, my scores were something that I struggled with a little bit. 419 00:23:54,840 --> 00:23:56,800 That was probably the biggest obstacle for me. 420 00:23:56,800 --> 00:24:01,000 I mean, I was very involved in a lot of different things and I had plenty of experience and 421 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:02,120 dentistry. 422 00:24:02,120 --> 00:24:06,360 So that I was pretty confident when I was going into the application, but definitely 423 00:24:06,360 --> 00:24:08,600 my scores, that was that was the toughest part. 424 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:09,600 Yeah. 425 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,120 So you mentioned your application already. 426 00:24:11,120 --> 00:24:16,800 So, you know, scores, whatever has a thing, but it seems like your extracurriculars and 427 00:24:16,800 --> 00:24:20,320 you know, what you do outside of dentistry outside of school and academics is like what 428 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:23,760 the dental, what Buffalo kind of really saw in you. 429 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:30,120 So how did you approach like which schools to apply to and like, did you like research 430 00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:33,480 the schools like a lot before you went and like, did you kind of check out the atmosphere 431 00:24:33,480 --> 00:24:35,040 before you decided? 432 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:36,040 Yeah. 433 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:40,600 So as a Stony Brook undergrad, I was like really familiar with the dental school at Stony 434 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:42,320 Brook. 435 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,480 So I definitely knew I was going to apply there. 436 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:50,520 I applied to Buffalo as well because it's in state tuition and it also is just a very 437 00:24:50,520 --> 00:24:51,760 well known dental school. 438 00:24:51,760 --> 00:24:55,880 It's like number eight in the country or something like that. 439 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,960 So like I knew I was going to apply to both those. 440 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:08,160 I applied to Toro and yeah, those were the three in New York that I applied to. 441 00:25:08,160 --> 00:25:10,400 I knew I didn't want to live in the city. 442 00:25:10,400 --> 00:25:11,640 It was too expensive for me. 443 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:14,520 So I didn't, I ruled that out. 444 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:20,360 In my head, I kind of figured if I don't get in the first time, I'd rather, but I was, 445 00:25:20,360 --> 00:25:26,120 you know, had to go to the city and you know, live for so expensively. 446 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:27,640 I would rather just like reapply. 447 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:30,760 So I just didn't even bother applying there. 448 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:33,120 I applied to the three schools in Florida. 449 00:25:33,120 --> 00:25:34,320 I have a lot of family down there. 450 00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:35,680 My parents are down there half the time. 451 00:25:35,680 --> 00:25:40,040 So that was something that was drawing me towards there possibly. 452 00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:42,760 And then I applied to like a few in Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. 453 00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:44,520 Pittsburgh was one of my favorite interviews. 454 00:25:44,520 --> 00:25:46,080 I'll say that. 455 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:50,120 I think Buffalo and Pittsburgh were my two favorite interviews. 456 00:25:50,120 --> 00:25:54,320 So you know, that's a great school. 457 00:25:54,320 --> 00:25:57,160 I stuck to the East Coast pretty much though. 458 00:25:57,160 --> 00:25:59,120 That's really where I stuck to. 459 00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:00,120 Yeah. 460 00:26:00,120 --> 00:26:03,640 So can you, you know, talk a little bit about your interview experience and you know, we're 461 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,680 really stuck out to you at those two schools. 462 00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:06,680 Yeah. 463 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:12,840 I think that for my interview experience, I applied to like 11 schools maybe and I interviewed 464 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,200 at like four or five, I want to say. 465 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:20,920 But what I think sticks out when you're going into an interview, not only are they interviewing 466 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:25,160 you for the position, but you're there to learn more about their school as well. 467 00:26:25,160 --> 00:26:31,600 So I think having, when you're in the interview, if they're portraying themselves as like, you 468 00:26:31,600 --> 00:26:37,960 know, just like genuine people, that is a great sign. 469 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,880 My Buffalo interview was very conversational. 470 00:26:40,880 --> 00:26:42,400 It wasn't all about dentistry. 471 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:48,080 It was about, you know, who I am outside of dentistry and, you know, what my interests 472 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:49,360 are. 473 00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:55,320 And I think that that makes the interview a little bit easier, a little bit more relaxed. 474 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:57,000 So that's one thing that stood out to me. 475 00:26:57,000 --> 00:27:02,160 I think, you know, asking them about outreach was a big thing for me because I knew that 476 00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:03,720 that was something I wanted to do. 477 00:27:03,720 --> 00:27:05,360 I did it in undergrad. 478 00:27:05,360 --> 00:27:09,680 I did it a little bit in high school and now I'm part of the outreach organization at my 479 00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:10,840 school now. 480 00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:14,880 So I think that that was something that, you know, I really wanted to make sure that they 481 00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:18,640 were big in, which Buffalo is huge in outreach. 482 00:27:18,640 --> 00:27:23,480 They send out like an email once a month through the whole student body of like several things 483 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:28,120 per week and you can sign up and then they narrow it down, you know, based on how involved 484 00:27:28,120 --> 00:27:30,120 you've been. 485 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:34,040 So that was another thing that I really focused on. 486 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:35,440 And clinical experience, obviously. 487 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,800 So that was another thing that you really want to learn more about, you know, when are 488 00:27:38,800 --> 00:27:40,040 you going to start in clinic? 489 00:27:40,040 --> 00:27:43,560 When are you like, what are the requirements systems? 490 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:50,200 Like, do you have to, you know, reach a certain quota of each procedure and all that? 491 00:27:50,200 --> 00:27:55,320 So, you know, asking those questions and learning more about them. 492 00:27:55,320 --> 00:27:58,480 Don't really treat it as you're supposed to sit there and get grilled. 493 00:27:58,480 --> 00:28:04,920 Like make it conversational and you'll have a great experience as long as they're conversational 494 00:28:04,920 --> 00:28:05,920 as well. 495 00:28:05,920 --> 00:28:06,920 Yeah. 496 00:28:06,920 --> 00:28:10,520 I think like it's kind of like a look at the draw, like who your interviewer is. 497 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:15,200 Did you have any that were like very stern and kind of not conversational? 498 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:23,120 Let me think, Buffalo and Stony Brook were very conversational. 499 00:28:23,120 --> 00:28:30,840 I want to say the I interviewed at two of the schools in Florida, one of them very conversational, 500 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:33,720 the other one not so much. 501 00:28:33,720 --> 00:28:34,720 It really depends. 502 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:36,480 I might not even be the school, honestly. 503 00:28:36,480 --> 00:28:42,440 It could be just the person that you interviews you, you know, I think people at, you know, 504 00:28:42,440 --> 00:28:46,880 everyone has a different experience when I applied to Buffalo and I interviewed at Buffalo. 505 00:28:46,880 --> 00:28:50,120 I was told be prepared with ethical questions. 506 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:54,440 Like they are very heavy on asking questions about ethics. 507 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:59,240 And while some of my classmates had that experience, I maybe got one ethical question 508 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:00,600 during their interview. 509 00:29:00,600 --> 00:29:04,200 Other than that, it was like totally conversational and relaxed. 510 00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:05,200 Yeah. 511 00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:07,880 So now you've chosen Buffalo. 512 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:09,600 How'd you feel going into a dental school? 513 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:10,600 Did you feel like anxious? 514 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:12,600 Nervous, excited? 515 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:14,600 Did you have like imposter syndrome when you first got there? 516 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:19,080 Like how was the, how was it, how were the vibes when you first started? 517 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:21,320 When I was coming in, I was more excited. 518 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,560 I wasn't very stressed out. 519 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:29,160 And then I came very stressed out once you start. 520 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:31,880 It finds its way to you. 521 00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:34,480 But going into it, I was pretty relaxed. 522 00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:39,440 I was more just excited and, you know, like you see all these dental students on Instagram 523 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:43,640 or, you know, I had friends that were dental students before me and you see what they're 524 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:48,600 doing and you just get so excited about having that opportunity until it starts. 525 00:29:48,600 --> 00:29:52,200 And, you know, then you're stressed out and you're like, I need a break. 526 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:53,200 Yeah. 527 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:55,280 And I see those Instagram dental students all the time. 528 00:29:55,280 --> 00:29:59,320 And I really, I think about like, what is the actual reality, you know, of a D1, D2, 529 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:01,640 D3, D4 student? 530 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:05,600 So can you kind of walk us through like a day in the life of a D2, maybe D1, you know, 531 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:09,400 what you do on a weekday, on a weekend, you know, step by step throughout the day? 532 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:10,400 Yeah. 533 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:17,120 So my first semester, I had classes maybe on average, it was different every day, but 534 00:30:17,120 --> 00:30:21,120 maybe let's say eight to four each day. 535 00:30:21,120 --> 00:30:26,040 So I took gross anatomy, biochemistry, histology. 536 00:30:26,040 --> 00:30:29,200 I took dental anatomy. 537 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:31,120 There was like an intro course. 538 00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:35,680 And then there was like a pre-clinic basic skills class where we, you know, just kind 539 00:30:35,680 --> 00:30:37,080 of learned how to use the drill. 540 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,760 We weren't even doing preparations or anything yet. 541 00:30:40,760 --> 00:30:44,600 And then our second semester, we took direct. 542 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,520 So that is learning how to do composites and amalgams. 543 00:30:48,520 --> 00:30:56,520 And then we took microbiology, physiology, occlusion. 544 00:30:56,520 --> 00:31:02,120 So learning how the, like how teeth bite together, you know, how teeth match up and 545 00:31:02,120 --> 00:31:03,120 all that. 546 00:31:03,120 --> 00:31:09,040 And how that also, you know, plays a role in your jaw and all that. 547 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:19,840 And then we took a course on, I don't even remember, there were so many of them, but 548 00:31:19,840 --> 00:31:22,320 we, oh, radiology, we took radiology course. 549 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:24,680 So there was a lot of courses that we took our second semester. 550 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:31,960 And then we started our second year classes this past summer. 551 00:31:31,960 --> 00:31:37,680 So we took indirect, which is crowns, you know, crown preparation. 552 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:42,960 So we started that over the summer and that's going to continue into the fall this semester. 553 00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:47,880 And then we took a course on nutrition. 554 00:31:47,880 --> 00:31:49,120 And then we took a periocourse. 555 00:31:49,120 --> 00:31:54,560 So we kind of got to practice doing like scaling and replanting on each other and practice 556 00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:55,640 pro fees and all that. 557 00:31:55,640 --> 00:32:01,160 So that was our whole like, you know, first year kind of our second year started, you 558 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:03,080 know, before our first full year ended. 559 00:32:03,080 --> 00:32:10,120 But I think the daily life of a D one is kind of like, you go to class, you come home, eat 560 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:12,240 something real quick, study. 561 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:17,400 And then the second semester, you had to not only do all that, but you also had to find 562 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:20,960 time to go and practice, you know, drilling and doing preparation. 563 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:24,880 So, but you definitely learn how to do it. 564 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:25,880 Like, you know what I mean? 565 00:32:25,880 --> 00:32:30,000 Like you fall into a rhythm and you figure out a way to just get it done. 566 00:32:30,000 --> 00:32:34,560 And while like the first week or two, it's like very hectic. 567 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:37,640 You figure out what you need to spend more time in. 568 00:32:37,640 --> 00:32:43,160 You figure out, you know, how soon before a test do I need to start preparing for it? 569 00:32:43,160 --> 00:32:48,000 And you definitely get very used to going into an exam and feeling like, you know, absolutely 570 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:49,000 nothing. 571 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:54,160 So that that is definitely something that's very eye opening, especially for a lot of 572 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:59,360 us who would go into test and undergrad and, you know, hopefully know as much as we could. 573 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:04,040 Now I go into test sometimes and I'm like, I don't even know what will be even taken 574 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:09,360 this test on, you know, you figure that out and you make it work. 575 00:33:09,360 --> 00:33:11,440 You just figure out your rhythm. 576 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:12,440 Yeah. 577 00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:13,440 So how do you manage? 578 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:16,520 How do you, how are you able to balance like, you know, your social life along with dental 579 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:19,400 school as well as the other hobbies that you might have? 580 00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:21,320 I will tell you, I definitely balance it. 581 00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:24,960 I definitely do enjoy myself. 582 00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:29,720 You know, some weekends we don't have time to, you know, go out or do anything. 583 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:32,680 So you're in the study room of the library all weekend. 584 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:38,360 But when, you know, we get done with a big week of tests, we are out and about enjoying 585 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:39,360 ourselves. 586 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:43,320 There's a lot to do in Buffalo, especially during football season. 587 00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:45,480 The bills is a huge thing up here. 588 00:33:45,480 --> 00:33:47,560 So bills games are a lot of fun. 589 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:52,680 I went to, you know, one or two of those, I think, you know, tailgates for that. 590 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:56,320 There's a lot of really cool restaurants and bars in Buffalo. 591 00:33:56,320 --> 00:33:57,880 Niagara Falls is 20 minutes away. 592 00:33:57,880 --> 00:34:01,120 So you find, you know, you find time. 593 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:05,480 And again, like what I said during under, like I talked about earlier, we were talking 594 00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:06,960 about undergrad. 595 00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:12,440 I think it's so important to make time for yourself and enjoy things that you like doing 596 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:16,040 and, you know, kind of step away from dentistry here and there. 597 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:20,240 Or else you're going to burn out and, you know, you're going to be very miserable. 598 00:34:20,240 --> 00:34:25,600 So it's definitely a very important thing to me is balancing. 599 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,120 I totally forgot that the bills are in Buffalo. 600 00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:29,920 I have the fund agency team. 601 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:34,280 So like, you know, that'd be great things next year or else I'm losing 30 bucks. 602 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:39,560 So yeah, so you're kind of debunking some popular myths about Buffalo here. 603 00:34:39,560 --> 00:34:43,560 Like, you know, because I always hear, you know, I could have got a Buffalo for undergrad, 604 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:45,600 but obviously it's Joe Sonnybrook. 605 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:50,440 Like, how is like the weather, is it as bad as they say it is? 606 00:34:50,440 --> 00:34:52,920 And like, is it in the middle, is Buffalo in the middle of nowhere? 607 00:34:52,920 --> 00:34:55,800 Like, is it actually like that over there? 608 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:56,960 It depends who you ask. 609 00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:01,560 I have friends that are from the South, like Florida and the Carolinas, and they think 610 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:03,440 it is so bad up here. 611 00:35:03,440 --> 00:35:07,840 But then there's someone like me, like, I really don't think it's that different from 612 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:08,840 Long Island. 613 00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:10,640 You guys are both from Long Island as well. 614 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:15,400 So like, I mean, it's, it's not, it's not terribly different. 615 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:21,280 It snows most days, I'll say, but it's not accumulating to feet of snow. 616 00:35:21,280 --> 00:35:24,680 You know, when I came up here, I had this idea that I was going to like walk out of 617 00:35:24,680 --> 00:35:27,240 my apartment building and I wouldn't be able to get out the door. 618 00:35:27,240 --> 00:35:29,440 Like people tell you about the tunnel systems. 619 00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:30,760 I've never even seen the tunnel. 620 00:35:30,760 --> 00:35:32,840 So I don't even know if it's really there. 621 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:37,840 So like, I mean, it will overhype the weather. 622 00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:39,680 It gets cold. 623 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:42,600 But I don't think it's too different from where we're from. 624 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:47,960 Yeah, so I'm just going to, I just have to know just cause like, I don't know, I have 625 00:35:47,960 --> 00:35:52,040 some family that lives up there and like they say it's good, but I have no idea. 626 00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:53,520 And the long drive. 627 00:35:53,520 --> 00:35:56,600 So like, you know, maybe, I mean, that's another thing. 628 00:35:56,600 --> 00:35:59,160 Like I thought it was so far such a long drive. 629 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:01,880 Like I personally enjoyed the drive. 630 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:03,160 Like I did this morning. 631 00:36:03,160 --> 00:36:10,440 Actually, I came back this morning because I had to move into my new apartment and I 632 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:13,160 left at like 6am, I got back here at like 130. 633 00:36:13,160 --> 00:36:15,920 So it wasn't terrible. 634 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:19,040 So I always want to go back to the coursework in dental school. 635 00:36:19,040 --> 00:36:22,720 So how could, how like comparable is it towards coursework and undergrad? 636 00:36:22,720 --> 00:36:26,800 Like is it, you know, I've heard like a lot of, even like mad students say in dental students 637 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:31,240 say that like it's kind of easier just cause you're only, it's not like focused on crazy 638 00:36:31,240 --> 00:36:32,240 places. 639 00:36:32,240 --> 00:36:34,920 Just kind of, this is like what you're doing and you have a lot of time to do it. 640 00:36:34,920 --> 00:36:38,600 So how, you know, what is your opinion on that stuff? 641 00:36:38,600 --> 00:36:44,120 I think that it's not, it's not necessarily harder. 642 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:45,160 I'll agree on that. 643 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:49,600 It's not harder material than what you are doing in undergrad. 644 00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:54,280 I think that a lot of it is similar and that like you'll recall things that you learned 645 00:36:54,280 --> 00:36:57,640 in undergrad and it helps you learn it quicker. 646 00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:03,520 And I think another part of it is that it's related to what you're doing in somehow, you 647 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:04,880 know, I mean, I won't lie. 648 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:09,160 Like there's some classes like biochemistry that we would do a whole lecture on something 649 00:37:09,160 --> 00:37:11,960 and then the last two slides would be how it's related to dentistry. 650 00:37:11,960 --> 00:37:19,640 So like some classes it's not really, but I think overall like it's the material itself 651 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:22,920 is not harder, but there's more of it. 652 00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:29,720 So you know, I'll have like for each exam, maybe three or 400 slides sometimes that I 653 00:37:29,720 --> 00:37:32,520 have to look over for the exam. 654 00:37:32,520 --> 00:37:35,640 And each slide is usually packed with information. 655 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:42,600 So it's definitely a lot more workload, but it's not necessarily harder. 656 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:43,600 Cool. 657 00:37:43,600 --> 00:37:48,080 So yeah, I just want to ask like how, you know, about Buffalo, about the down school 658 00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:53,000 itself, you know, what, how is the relationship between, you know, the faculty and the students, 659 00:37:53,000 --> 00:37:56,960 you know, do you feel like you're getting adequate help throughout your classes? 660 00:37:56,960 --> 00:37:59,600 Do you feel like they prepare you enough for exams? 661 00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:04,560 You know, how helpful the resources that they have there, you know, and do you feel like 662 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:07,320 Buffalo is putting you in the best position to succeed? 663 00:38:07,320 --> 00:38:08,320 Yeah. 664 00:38:08,320 --> 00:38:13,040 So definitely the student body like is awesome. 665 00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:19,680 I mean, we have like a big little system where you have a big and then you're above 666 00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:22,840 you and they kind of help guide you throughout your first year. 667 00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:27,440 I mean, really through all your first three years because you have them throughout all 668 00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:32,960 dental school to refer to and not only that, but like I'm friends with a lot of people 669 00:38:32,960 --> 00:38:37,280 the year above me and, you know, like you become friends with people in other classes 670 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:39,880 and everyone's very helpful. 671 00:38:39,880 --> 00:38:45,360 No one's really out there to get you or, you know, hurt your grades or anything. 672 00:38:45,360 --> 00:38:49,240 Everyone's, you know, there to help each other. 673 00:38:49,240 --> 00:38:54,320 And when it comes to the faculty, same thing, faculty for the most part are there to help 674 00:38:54,320 --> 00:39:02,000 you, but the curriculum itself is designed at least for the preclinical to kind of simulate 675 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:03,800 what the ADEX exam is. 676 00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:09,840 So when you graduate dental school, I believe it's 48 out of the 50 states require you to 677 00:39:09,840 --> 00:39:12,840 take an ADEX exam. 678 00:39:12,840 --> 00:39:19,680 So when you take the ADEX exam, you have to do like a specific type of restoration on 679 00:39:19,680 --> 00:39:25,120 a tooth or specific procedures that are like textbook almost. 680 00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:32,760 And what happens with that is our preclinical practicals and competencies and everything 681 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:39,760 are those same preparations that we might see on the ADEX exam. 682 00:39:39,760 --> 00:39:44,440 So New York state actually does not require the ADEX exam if you want to practice New 683 00:39:44,440 --> 00:39:48,840 York state, but they do require that you do a year of residency, at least for general 684 00:39:48,840 --> 00:39:49,840 dentistry. 685 00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:52,800 If you want to specialize, it's a little different. 686 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:57,480 But I think the school definitely prepares you very well for, you know, dentistry. 687 00:39:57,480 --> 00:40:01,680 I mean, I haven't gotten to do any procedures yet on patients. 688 00:40:01,680 --> 00:40:06,200 So I don't know how it translates from preclinical to clinical. 689 00:40:06,200 --> 00:40:08,560 I can't really tell you much about that. 690 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:13,480 But I have seen the students in the clinic and assisted them and shadowed them, the upperclassmen. 691 00:40:13,480 --> 00:40:17,240 So I've seen that, you know, they all feel pretty, you know, good when they're doing 692 00:40:17,240 --> 00:40:22,920 a procedure, obviously, they're dental students, so they need help from faculty here and there. 693 00:40:22,920 --> 00:40:27,560 And they need to ask questions, you know, they might need assistance on certain things. 694 00:40:27,560 --> 00:40:31,360 But overall, I think they definitely really prepare you well. 695 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:36,640 And, you know, dentists that I've shadowed and assisted and spoken to have told me a 696 00:40:36,640 --> 00:40:40,120 lot of them, you know, work in a residency program. 697 00:40:40,120 --> 00:40:44,120 And they've told me that the best of the best residents come from Buffalo. 698 00:40:44,120 --> 00:40:47,480 So I like the school a lot. 699 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,360 I think it really prepares me well. 700 00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:55,400 And we are already like, you know, our first year, we were already doing rotations in different 701 00:40:55,400 --> 00:40:56,560 clinics. 702 00:40:56,560 --> 00:41:02,600 And we were already assisting upperclassmen and getting that experience. 703 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:09,080 And then this semester, well, this past summer, we started, you know, practicing on each other, 704 00:41:09,080 --> 00:41:10,760 doing profis and all that. 705 00:41:10,760 --> 00:41:16,240 And then I believe we are getting our first patient this in like the next month or two 706 00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:17,680 to do a profion. 707 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:23,320 So yeah, so it's definitely very early clinical, you know, curriculum. 708 00:41:23,320 --> 00:41:27,520 And I was just curious, like, what is the what's the class as again for Buffalo? 709 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:28,520 95. 710 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:30,880 Yeah, there's 95 per class. 711 00:41:30,880 --> 00:41:34,840 So I know the Buffalo just they just renovated like their entire facility like recently, 712 00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:35,840 right? 713 00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:37,160 All their things like we're the entire campus. 714 00:41:37,160 --> 00:41:41,920 Yeah, I want to say maybe within the last five years, they they did renovations in the 715 00:41:41,920 --> 00:41:42,920 pre clinic. 716 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:46,640 So our pre clinic is one of the nicest ones I've seen, you know, during interviews and 717 00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:48,920 all that. 718 00:41:48,920 --> 00:41:51,600 It is like we have like electric handpieces. 719 00:41:51,600 --> 00:41:55,840 We have like mannequins that are fairly new. 720 00:41:55,840 --> 00:41:59,080 The facility itself itself is just really nice looking. 721 00:41:59,080 --> 00:42:02,720 We have like a really good wet lab. 722 00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:04,560 They are currently redoing. 723 00:42:04,560 --> 00:42:09,080 We have in our for our actual clinics, there's three floors. 724 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:12,880 And I believe they're redoing one of them right now. 725 00:42:12,880 --> 00:42:21,200 And then all for the most part, all the operatories and all three clinics all have like new seats 726 00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:24,880 and new like a quint and everything. 727 00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:29,920 The only thing that they still have to replace that is in the plans is the countertops and 728 00:42:29,920 --> 00:42:30,920 all that. 729 00:42:30,920 --> 00:42:33,560 So yeah, they've put a lot of money into it. 730 00:42:33,560 --> 00:42:37,480 I know that they plan on building or they might have already started building a special 731 00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:40,000 needs clinic, which has a lot of really cool things. 732 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:45,880 I think one of the things they have is a platform that like a patient in a wheelchair could be 733 00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:48,840 wheeled onto the platform and then the platform tilts back this way. 734 00:42:48,840 --> 00:42:52,320 The patient doesn't have to be like lifted out of their wheelchair and they could sit 735 00:42:52,320 --> 00:42:56,360 in the wheelchair during the procedure or whatever they're there for. 736 00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:59,600 So they have a lot of plans to do redo things. 737 00:42:59,600 --> 00:43:01,960 They've started a bunch of things already. 738 00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:09,120 It obviously takes time and it's not something that just happens super quick, but the pre-clinic 739 00:43:09,120 --> 00:43:10,120 is very nice. 740 00:43:10,120 --> 00:43:12,960 And that's where I spend most of my time, especially this coming year. 741 00:43:12,960 --> 00:43:13,960 I'm going to be there all the time. 742 00:43:13,960 --> 00:43:19,560 So I'm definitely going to look out for those Instagram pictures. 743 00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:22,480 So you talked about the class as like a 95. 744 00:43:22,480 --> 00:43:29,200 So the faculty student ratio, like is it, do you find it like there's a lot of one-on-one 745 00:43:29,200 --> 00:43:33,360 attention given to you guys? 746 00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,440 Not necessarily like one-on-one, but well, yeah. 747 00:43:36,440 --> 00:43:39,920 So we're separated in the pre-clinic into pods. 748 00:43:39,920 --> 00:43:47,080 So I'm at pod E. So there's me and I want to say maybe five others in my pod, four or 749 00:43:47,080 --> 00:43:49,120 five others. 750 00:43:49,120 --> 00:43:53,600 And we're like in a circle kind of. 751 00:43:53,600 --> 00:43:56,600 And we are assigned a faculty member for each class. 752 00:43:56,600 --> 00:43:59,800 So they're sticking with us and if we have questions. 753 00:43:59,800 --> 00:44:05,200 So maybe it's like one faculty member to like five or six students, maybe something like 754 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:06,200 that. 755 00:44:06,200 --> 00:44:09,960 But if you have questions, you know, there's always someone there to answer your question, 756 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:11,460 give you help. 757 00:44:11,460 --> 00:44:15,800 And then usually on top of that, whoever the main professor is for the course will be at 758 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:16,800 the front of the room. 759 00:44:16,800 --> 00:44:19,160 So you can go get feedback from them too. 760 00:44:19,160 --> 00:44:20,160 Sounds good. 761 00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:23,440 So like it looks like Buffalo is really just, you know, there to help you reach your goals 762 00:44:23,440 --> 00:44:26,160 rather than, you know, like being the way of them. 763 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:30,680 So so Paul, like what what what are your own personal goals that you have, you know, for 764 00:44:30,680 --> 00:44:34,360 the next year, maybe a couple years, even after down school? 765 00:44:34,360 --> 00:44:38,800 So I think my number one goal is to just improve my hand skills. 766 00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:43,960 It's something that, you know, it doesn't necessarily come perfectly easy to me. 767 00:44:43,960 --> 00:44:47,080 Some of my classmates pick it up very, very quickly. 768 00:44:47,080 --> 00:44:49,160 I think I'm somewhere in the middle. 769 00:44:49,160 --> 00:44:52,560 And so that's something that I want to improve on. 770 00:44:52,560 --> 00:44:57,960 And really just like learning more, you know, maybe learning more about different specialties. 771 00:44:57,960 --> 00:45:02,280 But for me personally, I think I'm probably going to go into general chemistry. 772 00:45:02,280 --> 00:45:07,840 So it's not that important to me to, you know, get my application get my whole application 773 00:45:07,840 --> 00:45:09,360 ready for residence season stuff. 774 00:45:09,360 --> 00:45:13,120 I mean, it's definitely important to, you know, keep your grades up and all that. 775 00:45:13,120 --> 00:45:17,720 But I'm not really somebody interested in research or anything like that. 776 00:45:17,720 --> 00:45:21,000 So really just, you know, focusing on my hand skills. 777 00:45:21,000 --> 00:45:22,600 That's probably the main thing. 778 00:45:22,600 --> 00:45:26,000 So kind of like building on that on the work, well, like personal qualities and skills you 779 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:31,000 think you've developed throughout undergrad in the past year in dental school, they think 780 00:45:31,000 --> 00:45:33,880 you're going to utilize once you're actually a dentist, like once you're, you know, graduate 781 00:45:33,880 --> 00:45:37,160 dental school, you're working into practice. 782 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:42,480 I think the number one thing that I was able to do during undergrad that helps me now is 783 00:45:42,480 --> 00:45:44,280 just balancing a lot of different things. 784 00:45:44,280 --> 00:45:51,160 So I was, you know, working like 20, 30 hours a week, a lot of times during while taking 785 00:45:51,160 --> 00:45:55,400 like a full load of courses in undergrad, I was involved in like different clubs and 786 00:45:55,400 --> 00:45:56,400 things. 787 00:45:56,400 --> 00:46:01,360 So just like being able to handle a lot organizing that, like, you know, having your schedule 788 00:46:01,360 --> 00:46:07,080 all planned out, because now that I'm in dental school, it's not not that it's easy for me 789 00:46:07,080 --> 00:46:11,720 to handle everything and manage all my classes and all that. 790 00:46:11,720 --> 00:46:20,080 But I think that I'm better able to, you know, take in my workload and, you know, prioritize 791 00:46:20,080 --> 00:46:24,880 what I need to do now and, you know, plan out my schedule for like the week and all 792 00:46:24,880 --> 00:46:25,880 that. 793 00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:30,960 So that was probably the most helpful thing that, yeah. 794 00:46:30,960 --> 00:46:32,520 That's great. 795 00:46:32,520 --> 00:46:33,520 That sounds good. 796 00:46:33,520 --> 00:46:37,120 So, you know, just before we wrap it up here, what are, what is some major advice you can 797 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:41,800 give your pre-dentals, you know, to kind of aid them on their own journeys as they navigate 798 00:46:41,800 --> 00:46:47,720 this complicated and sometimes intriguing pre-dental process? 799 00:46:47,720 --> 00:46:53,960 I think the number one advice I'd give you is do not compare yourself to other applicants 800 00:46:53,960 --> 00:46:55,920 and your friends. 801 00:46:55,920 --> 00:46:58,720 Everybody's application is completely different. 802 00:46:58,720 --> 00:47:04,200 You know, they're sure there's people out there that may have a 40 and, you know, what 803 00:47:04,200 --> 00:47:07,280 was the DAT, the top you can get is a 30, right? 804 00:47:07,280 --> 00:47:14,320 So a 30 DAT and a 40 and involved in everything and dental assisted and do that, all this stuff. 805 00:47:14,320 --> 00:47:18,800 But that doesn't necessarily reflect on your application. 806 00:47:18,800 --> 00:47:19,800 Yours is totally separate. 807 00:47:19,800 --> 00:47:25,560 Like I said earlier, I think it's very important to have friends that are really, you know, 808 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:29,200 involved in the same things as you and, you know, pursuing dentistry as well. 809 00:47:29,200 --> 00:47:32,480 But don't let that intimidate you as well. 810 00:47:32,480 --> 00:47:39,920 You know, I had friends that had, you know, a three, seven GPA and they had a great DAT 811 00:47:39,920 --> 00:47:42,600 score and I got more views than them. 812 00:47:42,600 --> 00:47:46,320 So it really depends on your application. 813 00:47:46,320 --> 00:47:51,240 Sometimes, you know, for example, say you and Siraj both interviewed at the same place, 814 00:47:51,240 --> 00:47:54,200 you had the same statistics, everything was exactly the same. 815 00:47:54,200 --> 00:47:58,400 But say there was something about you that really stood out to that interviewer, you 816 00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:04,400 know, they might, you know, put you in a different pile because there was one single thing that 817 00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:09,680 stood out to you, stood out to them about you, you know, and that could be based on 818 00:48:09,680 --> 00:48:11,480 them or it could be based on you. 819 00:48:11,480 --> 00:48:13,360 I mean, so everyone's different. 820 00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:18,880 And I think that just keeping your head high and, you know, focusing on the long goal, 821 00:48:18,880 --> 00:48:23,080 don't get caught up in all the little details is really important. 822 00:48:23,080 --> 00:48:24,600 You know, that's great advice. 823 00:48:24,600 --> 00:48:30,080 Honestly, like personally, I do that a lot, you know, where I would get lost in it and 824 00:48:30,080 --> 00:48:32,760 start comparing myself to other people. 825 00:48:32,760 --> 00:48:38,520 Even though, you know, like at the end of the day, you know, we're all doing enough to get 826 00:48:38,520 --> 00:48:42,120 to where we want to go and, you know, all of our own experiences are unique in their own 827 00:48:42,120 --> 00:48:43,120 rights. 828 00:48:43,120 --> 00:48:44,640 So comparing each other is not going to do anything. 829 00:48:44,640 --> 00:48:48,320 And, you know, when you feel like you're not doing a lot, you're doing a lot. 830 00:48:48,320 --> 00:48:50,960 Like you got to trust yourself and you got to know that you're doing a lot. 831 00:48:50,960 --> 00:48:52,200 So that's awesome. 832 00:48:52,200 --> 00:48:56,720 So how can other pre-dentals, you know, reach out to you and can save on any other questions 833 00:48:56,720 --> 00:48:57,960 related to the entire process? 834 00:48:57,960 --> 00:48:59,960 You know, find me on Instagram. 835 00:48:59,960 --> 00:49:02,480 I'm sure you guys will be posting something or whatever. 836 00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:04,920 So you can find me there too. 837 00:49:04,920 --> 00:49:08,120 And yeah, I mean, I'm always here to help anybody or anybody's questions. 838 00:49:08,120 --> 00:49:09,120 So let me know. 839 00:49:09,120 --> 00:49:10,120 Awesome. 840 00:49:10,120 --> 00:49:11,120 For sure. 841 00:49:11,120 --> 00:49:13,440 So that concludes our episode of the Dose of Dental Podcast. 842 00:49:13,440 --> 00:49:17,320 Thank you, Paul, for joining me and sharing your experiences at D1 slash D2. 843 00:49:17,320 --> 00:49:20,280 Your insight was definitely valuable and we hope that it'll be same for pre-dental listeners. 844 00:49:20,280 --> 00:49:23,520 Everyone, please feel free to reach out to Paul at his socials if you have any further 845 00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:24,520 questions. 846 00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:25,520 Lastly, we thank everyone for listening. 847 00:49:25,520 --> 00:49:27,520 If you enjoyed today's episode, please be sure to follow us on Instagram and Spotify. 848 00:49:27,520 --> 00:49:51,520 And we'll see you next time for another Dose of Dental Podcast.