Wellness

Why “Y” matters: 4.000 – X = Y

friends around fire on beachIf 4.000 – X = Y, and X = your GPA, then solve for Y.

I know. I’m throwing two tantalizing topics your way: your GPA and performing math. However, please stow away your cringing and crying for a moment, because there’s a method to my madness.

I want you to subtract your current GPA from 4.000 and determine the number that stands between you and what academic institutions quantify as “perfection.” If you’re like me, that difference is certainly not a zero. In fact, when I solve for “Y,” it’s larger than I would like.

But, I’d like to reel in your future-specialist-type-A anxiety and offer you a different perspective to consider for 2016. I pose to you the following questions: what does your “Y” truly represent, and why does “Y” matter?

Finances

Read this before you buy a car

buying a carI’m pretty sure that the first thing most new dental school and resident grads do when they get their first paycheck is go down to the dealership and buy a new car. And why not? After all, most of you have been slaving away, living on loans or the meager salary of a resident which is barely enough to cover your loan payments and rent. So here you are, finally ready to buy the car you have been thinking about for 7 years. Hopefully this article will help you get a better deal. In addition to getting a good deal, my hope is that this article will help you think through the steps involved with a large purchase.

News + Issues

How flying can affect your dental health

Passengers Sitting on a PlaneHave you been on a plane recently? Whether it was to fly home for the holidays or attend a national ASDA meeting, air travel is common among dental students. Aviation dentistry is an emerging science that primarily deals with the oral and dental health status of fliers with emphasis on prevention of disorders related to changes in atmospheric pressure.

At high altitudes, the atmospheric pressure is too low for humans, but, the aircraft pressure is maintained so that it is comfortable for the crew and travelers with the help of aircycle machines and outflow valves. Nevertheless, these pressure changes may affect fliers occasionally. One may face any of the following problems…

ASDA News

Annual Session as an admitted skeptic

annual session 2015

This post was originally published in Vol. I, Issue 3 of Colorado ASDA’s newsletter, “The CEJ.” Chapter Editor-in-Chief Rick Collette recounts his first experience at ASDA’s Annual Session 2015 in Boston:

#ASDAFever

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard the term “ASDA Fever.” For me, it raised several questions. What is it? Is it communicable? Is it an actual fever? Where does one contract it?

This last question was one I was determined to answer.

Student Spotlight

Fighting cancer in dental school

Cancer Pre-OPThis article originally appeared in the fall 2013 issue of Mouth and is written by Dr. Josh Nardone, Colorado ’14. To read more from the “Trials and Triumphs” issue of Mouth, click here.

Imagine you’re in the most demanding semester of dental school. At the University of Colorado, that’s the fall semester of second year. Now picture yourself holding a cast with your first RPD design, complaining about the impossible demands of your lab work and studies. Your bald classmate recovering from chemotherapy says, “Come on, guys. It isn’t so bad.”

Suddenly there’s little to complain about.

News + Issues

Deah’s legacy carried in Haiti dental mission trip

IMG-20151124-WA0032It was early 2015 when we heard how Chapel Hill shooting victims, Deah Shaddy Barakat, Yusar Mohammad Abu-Salha, and Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha were tragically killed. Deah was a second-year student at the University of North Carolina School of Dentistry, and a committed ASDA member. Deah left behind a tremendous legacy to inspire others. His life was filled with moments of love and caring for people around him and beyond. Not only did he choose dentistry as a means to serve people but he also undertook a mission trip to Palestine. He won the hearts of so many and was planning to go on another dental mission trip to Turkey. In remembrance of Deah, the United Muslim Relief (UMR) conducted a Haiti dental mission trip in November 2015.

News + Issues

What I wished I’d known when applying as an international student

man on laptopAs an international dentist, when you make a decision to pursue a DDS in another country rather than opting for the conventional masters program in your home country, you are choosing the road less traveled. No one ever tells you about the struggles, goof-ups, road-blocks that can derail your enthusiasm in getting into a DDS program. Here are a few pointers when you embark on this wondrous journey.