DrStudentDentist

…. I’m tired.

I left the sim lab today at 9:30 pm. This is the second night in a row. I hope this doesn’t become too regular but I have a feeling it will be with “early” days as special days. I had to do alginate impressions of my typodont, pour the stone models, and mount this new stone on my articulator. Unfortunately my first set must have closed too hard so when all was done and mounted, I discovered a chip of the distal corner of the left maxillary central incisor and the right mandibular central incisor. It sucked to see it and a little hard to accept that I had to start back at square 1 but I did it. On the plus side, my big sib came around and helped me through the whole thing. Having her there made the experience so much better.

I still have some restorative homework to get to and I need to get more sleep tonight. I bike to and from school and after lab today, I forgot to grab my helmet and being tired, I just left. Then of all days, I fell at a red light. The driver next to me told me to wear a helmet. *sigh*

Oh, I also wanted to add some stuff that’s been going on. This morning I took my 2nd dental anatomy quiz as well as handed in my wax up of #8. Before lunch was over, it was graded and ready for us. To give you an idea of what I’ve been battling, in 3 weeks +/- two days, I’ve done 2 wax ups and started a #6 wax up (which had a cone break off … sad), did amalgam preps for #19 and #30, did so many alginate impressions of my typodont and my own teeth, poured so many stone models, did up 2 articulator mounts, and had 4 quizzes and 1 exam. Not sure how this is being read but I’m not complaining. The work is satisfying and one day this will be over and I’ll wish I was still in dental school so I’m enjoying the heck out of it while I’m here. =D

Also, word at UOP is that next year, we’re going to paperless charting. That’ll be interesting. Not sure what system we’ll be using yet.

It’s Friday and I’m sitting in Biochem. I’m so so so grateful I took Biochemistry in undergrad because currently, this is all review. Right now, we’re going over tertiary and quartenary structures. Of course, I have a long date with my biochem notes this weekend but I don’t feel mentally stressed about it. We have a biochem exam this Monday and a Dental Anatomy quiz next Tuesday.

Yesterday the ASDA reps at UOP threw together a First Year - First Aid to give us, first years, pointers about how to most effectively succeed in our courses. Plus there was pizza … there was a pretty good turn out.

Human anatomy quiz down. Dental anatomy and restorative to go. Right now, I have Woelfel’s Dental Anatomy open. I’m taking a quick break from Woelfel’s Dental Anatomy.

My morning started off with the quiz at 8am. It wasn’t too bad. Lectures and lectures and lectures and then lab til 8pm. I had to finish up my 2 maxillary and 1 mandibular alginate impressions. Then it was pouring up the stone models. I can definitely tell I’m getting better at it. For my impressions, I’m able to capture the vestibules but my technique is still very rough and no way could I see myself doing that to a real person … not until Wednesday when I practice on my classmates and vice versa. I’ve got two days to make myself a pro at the alginate.

Oh and paperless … yeah. I’ve cut down a lot on paper waste but yeah, no way can I do just paperless. Although, I am able to make it through my days with only my laptop. It’s just when it comes time to review my notes before a quiz/test/exam, I need to print them out for writing all over.

Back to Woelfel’s!

Yeah, still rough around the edges but well, it’s my first …

Saturday and studying for Human Anatomy. Next week is looking like:

Monday @ 8am - Human Anatomy Quiz
Tuesday @ 8am - Dental Anatomy Quiz
Wednesday @ 8am - Restorative Quiz

Right now I’m studying Bone and Cartilage. I’m glad I’ve had some exposure to the subject material already. It doesn’t feel so alien to me but irregardless, I’m still nervous about my first quiz.

Earlier today , I went to my first SCOPE event. There was a table set up for oral health screenings and handing out goodie bags. Then it was onto the Big Bro/Big Sis BBQ at Student Housing. I didn’t stay to see it end since I wanted to come back and study. I did manage to clean my room a bit and after this blog, it’s back to the books. Like now.

I’m 4 days into my classes. So far, I’ve already done a wax up of #10 (right maxillary lateral incisor) and drilled on a learn-a-prep. I’ll have to upload pictures later.

We received our assignment to do a wax-up of #10 and I’ve redone it twice and finally my third attempt is looking like a real tooth and not some disgusting mass of colored wax. I was told my wax up looks really good but after spending 10 hours on it, I’d hope it does. I was also told I’m spending too much time on it and that I can’t do that if I hope to keep up. Perhaps … since I’ve stayed up until 2 am for the past two nights working on it. I guess that’s also the reasoning behind “dental school is a marathon, not a sprint”. Well, since I had the time and have found it surprisingly fun to do wax ups, I don’t really mind.

Other than that, the week has been mostly introductions and orientations into the course.

Saturday July 13th … computer orientation.

I started the day off at the sim lab as part of the 2nd batch of students to attend computer orientation. The first batch started at 8am while I got to sleep in and went in at 10am. We received out Dell Latitude D630s with Windows Vista and a whole bunch of dental related software installed onto the computer.

The orientation was held in the sim lab and although I joked about them showing us how to drag a file or turn on the computer, there was actually very helpful instructions on how to get onto blackboard and other school related websites. That and we had to check off all the stuff we received.

The laptops are very cool and I’m able to keep everything in one place but they are annoyingly slow and outlook, which is what I use to keep track of my life, has a tendency to freeze and become unresponsive. Aside from that, I like having this laptop around and I’m gonna see how long I can keep up being, for the most part, paperless.

I had to wait for computer orientation day to get my brand, spanking new laptop since my desktop of 3 years is slightly kaput.

So Day 1 of dental school was on Friday July 11th, 2008. I woke up at 6:15AM to get to school by 7:30AM breakfast. I decided to try a new bike route to school  - Sutter Street instead of Pine Street. Sutter is a no go as far as early morning biking as I had to step off and walk up one of the hills. That was not only inefficient but also a monstrous blow to my self-esteem. So Pine Street it is.

 Breakfast @ Cafe Cagnone (UOP’s Cafeteria)

 The Rat Pack of Deans

I started off the day being handed a folder of papers while walking into UOP’s cafeteria. Breakfast was provided for both the DDS and IDS (international dental school) students. With 150+ people waiting on line for breakfast, 30 minutes was not enough time for breakfast. Plus, I spent a lot of it shaking hands with my fellow classmates. I ended up bringing coffee and a bagel into our next event of the day - welcoming speeches by Dean Ferrillo and staff.

Here are some notes I took of Dean Ferrillo’s speech:

• Class of 2011 is working with traditional textbooks and some digital material
•  3100 applicants to UOP for 2008 cycle for 142 seats
  • 175-180 accepted … 75% accepted students chose to attend UOP
  • Dean Ferrillo is not involved with the selection process - he does read the applications
  • Numbers: 3.4 GPA & ~20+ on DATs (22 avg)
  • Looking for students with a commitment/passion about people & engaged in community activity
    • Personal note: I was asked about any volunteer work during my interview. I cited my involvement in the NYC MS Bike Tour and raising money for this cause as an example.
  • current class: 51% male & 49% female
  • average age: 24-25 with a high: 36
  • 35 from UOP Stockton
  • IDS: 400 applied for 22 seats
• UOP values humanism as opposed to militaristic way of teaching
• Values:
  • innovation
  • reflection
  • collaboration
  • stewardship
  • philanthropy
• 97-98% of graduating class donated to school despite loans

Other notes:

• There is mandatory health insurance that you must enroll in even if already covered under another policy (i.e. parents’)
• Office visits: $20 copay
• ER visit: $2000 deductible
• Can tack on dependants; or subtract during the year
• Avg Total amount of loans: $241,319
• Estimated monthly loan payment: $2,875
• Loans will be disbursed July 25th

I signed my names on the dotted line, officially matriculating into the class of 2011 in the Registration part of the speech as well as confirming that I’d pay the school my dues during the Kit Payment confirmation part. The financial aid speech was, no offense to the speaker, the most boring part of the morning. I understand the information is important but much of it is highly redundant and could have been cut short by handing out a 6 slide/page printout of the powerpoint presentation. After the speeches, I went on to lunch where 1/2 a wrap, chips and drinks were provided.

After my belly was full, I proceeded up to the Sim Lab where I discovered my sim lab seating assignments and where the student kit awaited my opening. I wished and prayed and hoped I would get a window seat and …. I GOT ONE! Those seats are most seriously coveted by all and for good reason. The only thing behind me is a giant sheet of glass facing the rest of the world where I can turn to and daydream in case dental school gets on my nerves. The only negative of that would be in the case of an earthquake that shattered the glass so quickly that I can’t run for cover before it comes tumbling down upon my head causing some horrible, awful, terrible physical deformity … but … let’s pretend my legs are super fast. In any case, without a path behind me, there won’t be anyone strolling by and carelessly bumping into me while I diligently work away on my 17th wax up. In any case, there isn’t much any one can do as far as seating arrangments so I would’ve been grateful anywhere I ended up, it’s just now I’m happy and grateful.

Student kit opening was a bit overwhelming for me. We had 2 big boxes of equipment and materials to sort through, check off, and put into our lockers. It wasn’t until I talked to some 2nd years that I realized they felt the same when they went through it.

After all that, I still had to pick up the 3 boxes of books at Pacific Housing. Now that all that is done with, I feel like quite the House DDS with ~27 books on teeth sitting on my desk. Then the day ended with more meet and greet during happy hour at the local Mexican restaurant.

UOP is so progressive and it looks like the even the dean has a started a blog. So far there’s only been two posts but I’m excited to see what Dean Ferrillo has to write about. I like that he’s using a blog to get his message out and I’d encourage him to keep at it, after his much needed relaxation, of course.

San Francisco is such a fun, free place to live. The atmosphere here is so easy going and besides being a major city, it’s nothing like living in New York. There’s some talk about living as close as possible but that’s really a matter of personal preference. I live a mile from school; I absolutely love the location of my building and pretty much everything about my place.

Here’s a picture of the view from my balcony:

The last minute hunt for housing was one thing I wanted to avoid. I didn’t want to wait for the Pacific housing lottery to drop the bomb on me that I would be homeless with a month to look for something. Now that I’m seeing a fellow future classmate go through the hunt, I’m glad I put in that little bit of effort early on to secure a place of residence. Finding housing in any big city is not a fun endeavor. Many people are renting because of the housing slump and so in addition to sky-high rent, everything goes fast. However, there’s not too much to finding housing in SF and here’s five housing tips I’ve learned along the way.

1) Start early!

There is nothing worse than the gut wrenching thought of not having a stable place to live. Starting early allows for some leeway in the event places get snapped up. Additionally, you can wait for a price that works better for your budget. But if you cut it close, well, beggars can’t be choosers.

2) Craigslist is your best friend.

Craigslist was started in San Francisco. It’s very popular here and this free site is a godsend for students looking for a central location where people post potential housing. You can also slap up a free ad in “housing wanted” in case there are renters looking for tenants or roommates. With that said, be honest with yourself and whomever you’re rooming with, if it’s not a match, it’s not a match. Personality clashes mid-year or during finals week when stress levels are high are no fun and can be avoided.

3) Google maps is your second best friend.

Map everything. Get to know the different neighborhoods; i.e. Tenderloin is not a great such a pretty place to live. Remember, there will be days you come home after dark. Safety is something to think about. Also, housing that’s too far can be a hassle if you have no mode of transportation to get you to school. If you’re thinking about a vehicle, see point #3.

3) A parking spot is a luxury.

If you have a car where parking lots are the norm and street parking is a never, make sure you brush up on parallelparking before you get here. That skill will get you far. That and a 5 lb bag of quarters. Meters can run you $0.25 for 10 minutes and up to $0.25 for 6 minutes. As of now, there is a waiting list for a monthly parking pass at the Japantown parking lot.

Otherwise, nix the car and walk, bike, scooter or bus your way through dental school. Those are all economical and aside from the scooter, healthier alternatives for commuting. Personally, I will be biking to class. There is a bike cage at the garage by the school for free bike parking.

4) $900/month is awesome, awesome, sweet deal. Period.

5) And no matter where you rent, know your rights as a renter.

Having been screwed out of security deposits and had locks changed on me before move-out day, I know how awful landlords can be. So if you are looking for housing, make sure you read up on what you are entitled to as as a tenant: San Francisco Tenants Union