Medical School or Dental School

Sahar Kebriaei
Oct 7, 2020
5 min read

This is not a horror story.

First, let me start off by saying that I am not a doctor nor a dentist. I am a fulltime pre-dental student by day and a part-time writer by night. As opposed to what most of my Middle Eastern friends might think, I was never forced into majoring in Biology or becoming a dentist. Yes, I have always been a writer and a bit of an artist at heart, but I never considered either one as a job.

I decided to let art feed my heart on the side, and aimed to pursue a career that would make a difference, take away one’s pain, and ultimately feed my soul as a result. Not to say that art cannot heal because an artist’s hands can be just as powerful as a surgeon’s, yet not quite enough sometimes.

There are in fact many ways to give back to your community, help those in need, and feel rewarded by making a difference. And, of course, choosing a career in the medical field is the best, yet the most challenging one. So, I have done my research about both medical schools and dental schools, and if you are debating which one to chose, be my guest. I won't list numbers and facts, but I will tell you the truth I discovered about each field.

Factor out the scary parts first!

Yes, for a minute or two forget about the student loans and stop worrying about your yearly salary. Either way, you will make bank, so close your eyes and think of your future self as either a dentist or a doctor.

Done? Now, let me ask you, does it suit you? And I do not mean if you look good in the FIGS scrubs because we all do, but what I mean is does being a care provider make you happy? Would you wake up every day and be excited to see your first patient? Can you bear watching people in pain and would you be eager to numb it with your hands and knowledge?

Because real life is not as cool as a Grey’s Anatomy season! The truth is that it actually is scary out there, so do you want to be the one having to save, cure, and treat others or you rather be the one watching? Would you be as passionate when treating people you do not know and those you might not quite like just as much as you are when helping your loved ones?

Are you able to care when no one’s caring enough?

I ask you this because, at the end of the day, it does not matter how much money you make or how much debt you are in, if you absolutely love taking care of people, sharing your knowledge, and using it to make a difference in one’s life, then you have already made enough. So, if you genuinely care about caring for others, then factor out the money.

But, hey! I get it. I want that Gucci wallet, the private jet, and the privileged life too! So, if you do care about your loans and money, let me remind you that loving your job equals success, success leads to a difference, and that pays off your loans. Trust me, I have seen enough dentists and doctors to confidently say that the ones that make it less about the money, end up making more money.

Are you a lecture nerd or a lab enthusiastic?

For my lecture nerds, you should probably look closer into medicine, and that is because medicine focuses on the body as a whole rather than just the oral region and you do not have to have the manual dexterity to be a great doctor. So, if you are a clumsy soul then you will still be fine in medicine as long as you pass all your courses and boards.

Yet, for my lab lovers and those who love working with their hands, dentistry might be a better option. When applying to dental schools, one of the questions asked on the application is about manual dexterity. They want you to describe any activities that you do that need manual dexterity as well as hand-eye coordination, including but not limited to cross-stitching, sewing, painting, crafts, playing musical instruments, auto repair, and such activities at which you are proficient.

Don't be scared tho! Honestly, it can be anything! For me, I bragged about my artistic abilities and how I know latte art (don't judge, it actually is a talent). Even if you are not into the arts or coffee making, I know people who included activities like auto repair, driving, and even cooking as well. For medicine, I don't think manual dexterity really matters and if anything, the worse your handwriting is, the better of a doctor you are. Yes, it is supposed to be a sign of high intelligence so be proud of it!

Pick your poison wisely!

The truth is that while both fields are two different careers, they are both still very difficult and overwhelming. Med school is more lecture-based and has a residency period as a downside, while dentistry has no residency but is more stressful and challenging, especially the first two years. So, if you are looking for an easy job with less responsibility, maybe look into business because, as far as I remember, business majors had the most fun in college and partied all the time while us biology majors were grinding and pulling our hair out before each exam.

Now, let me tell you that both jobs are amazing and leave you with such a rewarding aftertaste each time you see a patient. Yes, they are both hard but they are beautiful just as much. I volunteered both at a hospital and a dental office and one thing that I liked more about dentistry compared to medicine was how satisfied everyone was when leaving the office. You fix their teeth and the result is evident on the same day, as opposed to referring people multiple times to different doctors until they rather die. So, I would say that if you want to be a doctor, specialize in something, and don't just be a family doctor! Medicine is so broad with many areas that you may find interesting.

Also, for my gold diggers out there, people have one heart, and almost a pair of everything else, yet 32 teeth! But the most important thing to remember is that,

as a doctor, be passionate about healing, and, if you want to become a dentist, be eager to create smiles.

They both reward you either through money or positive results. You will be able to make changes either way but both are challenging and expensive so pick your poison wisely, and fall in love with it.

Hope you enjoyed my honest opinions and lame humor. In my future posts, I will dive deeper into the field of dentistry and the application process, and I will leave all the medicine tips for my med school experts: Maddy, Parham, and Hossein.

We love our readers and cannot wait to share more of our knowledge and study tips with you all. So, don't leave us just yet because we still have so much info and interesting tips to share.

Cheers,

Sahar K.