Christina & Olivia

New Site

2016-05-18T17:57:00.005-07:00

We have moved over to:

We hope you have enjoyed (and received some help) from our dental blog here. Come check us out at our new location.

xoxo Christina & Olivia

Jamaica

2014-11-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since I've last posted. I've missed the leisure time behind my camera lens. I wanted to do a quick post to show you guys a look into the first day of my medical trip to Jamaica. My sister's LA Kaiser program and the SD Kaiser program go on week long international medical trips and this Jamaica trip coincided with my Fall Break. My sister inquired the program coordinator if dentists could come along the trip as well, so they were able to recruit a general dentist and an oral surgeon. I was able to do some restorative work, but mainly did extractions. It was a fun medical trip and mini vacation with my sister. Volunteering on a medical trip with my sister has actually been on my never ending "bucket list."

Upon the first day of arrival in Jamaica, we got acquainted with the place we were staying at and had a tour of the Falmouth clinic on the second day. We stayed at a villa in Silver Sands resort in Duncans. There were three villas in total where all the volunteers stayed at. There were house keepers at each house that would cook and clean for us everyday. They made a delicious feast for us at one of the villas where we would all gather and eat together every night. More Jamaica posts to come. Have a good rest of your weekend! _oli

Saturday Getaway

2014-07-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

The past Saturday, a few of us went to Napa Valley to celebrate Pooja's birthday. It was such a beautiful, sunny, and warm Saturday. It was nice getting out of SF and playing around with my camera again. I miss photo blogging. Currently on externship in Oakland and enjoying life there. Will make a post on UCSF's externship set up. Until next time! _oli

Guest Post: Reapplying & Succeeding

2014-06-17T20:19:00.002-07:00

Hi, I’m Ben and I’ve applied to Optometry school three times and taken the OAT a total of 4 times. It was all worth it now that I’ve been accepted to UC Berkeley’s Optometry program. I graduated back in 2010 and wanted to take a year off but applied to see if luck would get me in. Procrastination had my number and called me for the next two years and after the second year my chances started to look bleak. Here are some of the things I learned to improve my application:

Talk to counselors at your school of choice

After my second rejection from Berkeley, I asked for a counseling appointment over the phone to find out why. It seemed pointless because I already knew why but I did it anyway. The schools appreciate that you care enough to take advantage of this option. My academics (GPA) was a huge red flag and they were not confident I could even pass their program if they were to give me a chance. The counselors at these graduate programs carry a lot of weight as they are likely first in line to approve of your application. I had my counseling appointment with the actual person who went over my application so she was very familiar with me. She mentioned my great letters of recommendation, my extensive experience, research, and leadership but explained to me that I would need to prove to her that I can graduate from a rigorous doctorate program. I needed to fix my academics and I had a few options: taking more classes and acing all of them, scoring a higher OAT score to compensate for my low GPA, or spend two years doing a post bacc. Given my options, I went all in on the OAT. She recommended I take time off work and focus on getting her the bare minimum OAT score she can clear my application to the interview phase. Your counselor will remember you when they go through the application process again. They will root for you and get you that chance that you would not have otherwise received. Take every opportunity to connect with them and let them get to know you whether it is a school tour or a phone conversation. I promise you will not regret it.
Know what you bring to the table

I’m sure you are familiar with the application questions and you know they always ask about what makes you stand out. Having an excellent answer to this question will really make you stand out to admissions and also help them choose you over another applicant. I took a Myers Briggs Test as advised by the great admissions counselors at Marshall B. Ketchum University’s Optometry School. Here is a direct link to the article: http://optometryadmissions.com/2013/09/04/favorite-personal-essay-and-interview-question-what-will-you-bring-to-the-table/. This test really helped me with interviews and admissions questions. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help with this entire process. My goal this past year was to get an interview. All I wanted was a chance for them to meet me in person because there is only so much you can show on paper. Doctor qualities are often difficult to demonstrate and competition is tough. If your application has holes such as mine did, you must improve all other aspects of your application.
Act the part

Shadow multiple doctors and keep shadowing. When you think you have seen it all, shadow some more and ask more questions. It is not important for you to learn about the different diseases or practice different procedures. Instead, ask questions about the profession. Are you ready to do this for the rest of your life? Would you enjoy the daily task of meeting new people everyday? How would you handle the responsibility of being someone’s doctor? Do you enjoy solving problems? Do you have the patience and willingness to care for others? These are the questions you should find answers to when you are shadowing. If you know for sure this is what you will do for the rest of your life, great for you! For me it took a while for me to be sure that this is something I can commit to. If you understand your profession it will show in your application. Your story should prove without a doubt that you are committed and that is exactly what they want. Demonstrating your commitment to the profession will make up for your other deficiencies. Engulf yourself into the profession you want and take every opportunity to learn about the profession. I’ve worked at an optometry office and continued to shadow the past three years. It is important to understand what you are getting yourself into, to see where the profession is headed, to see the good and the bad. Knowing this and talking about it in your admissions essays will make you stand out. The past year, I attended Vision Expo West in Las Vegas to sit in on free education courses and learn about case studies and the interesting things you don't normally get to see from shadowing. Just a little something extra I can talk about to show my dedication to the profession.
Stay positive

People that know me know I tend to be overly optimistic. I heard before that schools like it when applicants do not give up. It shows your dedication to the school, as well as, your desire to join the profession. I took that and ran with it for the past three years. Do not take rejection so hard and treat it as it is: a chance to reflect on ways to improve. Listen to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 6 Rules for Success speech. Just because. It gets stressful graduating from college with no job just to move home and find a way to pay off student loans. Trust yourself, keep your goal in mind, don’t neglect your family, and make time for friends. Get a clearer picture of what you need to do and get the help you need to get you there.
Exercise

This is a fun yet important point because having a hobby will help tremendously with stress management and your application. It can prove you have team working capabilities and let them know you are able to balance your time. I began lifting weights in college in order to lose weight and attract the ladies (holla holla). Besides all of the obvious benefits for your health and life, I had no idea how much it helps mental health. It is great for stress relief and gives you an outlet to escape your daily troubles. Weightlifting allows me to transfer my negative energy into productivity, it constantly challenges me, it gives me confidence, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Everyone needs something to find balance and reduce stress. Weightlifting might not be for you. It is an easy way to get in shape and to connect with others. I’ve dragged all of my friends with me to the gym and instead of catching up while drinking a 20 oz cup of sugar with boba, we hang out for 2 hours in the gym. It helps you get into shape for sports as well! Becoming more athletic opens a lot of doors and opportunity. I know a lot of people (Olivia mainly) who add extra stress on themselves and are really hard on themselves. It is not healthy and everyone should have an outlet to relieve stress!

These steps helped me be the positive person I am. I’ve learned a lot these years out of school. I appreciate and cherish the time spent with my family as they get older and I get busier. I also try to spend more time with friends and always have a list of people I wish to give back to. It is important to volunteer and use that extra time to fill that good karma meter! With smiles and a great attitude, I easily make friends and impress patients at work. This led me to plenty of compliments and a better relationship with the bosses which came back to reward me when they wrote my letter of recommendation. I like to joke that I made it into optometry school through the backdoor because I had terrible academics but glowing letters of recommendation, work experience, and application essays. People notice hard work and it will be rewarded. Olivia is one of the hardest workers I know and she is a great example of what can be accomplished. On top of worrying about herself, she sacrifices her own sleep and well being to help others. It is for these reasons she stood out while applying and why she is attending one of the top schools in the nation. The hard work and extra time dedicated to helping others will pop out on your applications and that is what they are looking for in a doctor. It is better to demonstrate how much you like to help others than saying it. The admissions are looking for great doctors. They are not necessarily looking for the most academically strong. The academically strong just pass the first test and get an interview because they can survive the curriculum. If you were rejected because of weak academics from undergrad then follow this advice. It is weird that we get accepted to these types of graduate programs based on our undergraduate performance because it is completely different. It is much more team oriented and less competitive. Everyone is striving to be the best doctor they can be and your peers are there to support you and make you better. Everything you learn has greater importance because you might need to know it when providing care.

Short version: I basically contacted the school to let them know I was very interested in attending there. I compensated for my poor GPA by scoring higher on the admissions test. I changed my essay responses to emphasize my knowledge of the profession and dedication to it. I did not have some tragedy or any life changing event that made me pursue Optometry so I simply wrote about how I researched the profession, jumped into it, and loved it. If you love dentistry and put the work in to prove to them that you do, schools will appreciate that quality. Best of luck to you!

Spurs 2014 NBA Champions**!

**Sorry I took awhile on posting his post. He wrote this months ago!-Olivia

UCSF Post-Bac Program Application Now Open

2014-02-27T22:43:00.002-08:00

[photo taken by me at Millberry Union]

For those interested, apparently UCSF has a post-bac program. So for those reapplying or needing that help to be extra competitive, you can take a look into this program and who they're catering to. It can help you possibly get a foot into UCSF SOD (who knows??). There used to be the SFSU/UOP/UCSF post bac program. I don't know the details of it, but it seems as though it's just the SFSU/UOP program now with UCSF having its own interprofessional program.

Here are a bunch of links that might help you:

About the Post Bac Application: http://dentistry.ucsf.edu/about-the-school/news-room/press-releases/2014/02/27/applications-now-open-for-the-2014-15-ucsf-dent

Post Bac Application: https://apply.ucsf.edu/dentistry/apply/SOD/2014

Eligibility: http://dentistry.ucsf.edu/admissions/interprofessional-health-post-baccalaureate-certificate-program

UCSFs SOD Admissions Facebook group (you can ask questions here about the application, program, etc): https://www.facebook.com/groups/130354713709569/

SFSU/UOP Post Bac program: http://online.sfsu.edu/brothman/reapplicantindex.html

Hope this helps. Good luck. _oli

Prosper Way

2014-02-23T22:16:00.001-08:00

We walked around the Mission and Castro districts today. It was sunny and beautiful! So, we spent a chunk of time people gazing at Dolores Park. If only everyday could be this nice, clear, and the perfect combination of warm sun and faint cool breeze. Anyway, we're going to have a guest post by a dear friend of mine who recently got accepted into a health professional school (his dream school might I add) after applying more than once. He'll be telling us about his journey and what he did differently. He's not pre-dental, but I figured applying to a health professional school had similar stresses, obstacles, challenges, and goals. So stay tuned for that! _oli

That Night Life

2014-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

This is actually a post from last year that was never posted. Went with some people to Night Life at the California Academy of Sciences. Night life is on Thursdays for the 21+ year olds. They serve alcoholic beverages, have awesome music blasting in different areas of the Academy, serve food, so forth. The night I went was Christmas themed. You could make Christmas cards, antler crowns, eat tons of Ghiradelli chocolate...The main room had Geographer DJ-ing and "snow" where people were dancing. Roof top had reindeers that I sadly was unable to see. I liked the Rainforests of the World room. It was really humid in there with creatures and plants of the wilderness. The ceiling of the Rainforest kind of reminded me of the Hunger Game's arena in Catching Fire. The Planetarium was a cool dome shaped theatre where the entire huge ceiling was the screen and the seats were leaned back. Overall, it's a fun and educational place to be when you have time after clinic. __oli

Alcatraz

2014-02-20T02:08:00.000-08:00

Exploring Alcatraz finally happened this past weekend. We spent about 3 hours wandering around the area. It was pretty in its ruin esque ways. And a bit creepy imagining all that had happened in the past with the prisoners. One of the prisoner was there autographing his book. _oli

Beard, Stache, Plaid, & Foodsters

2014-01-20T22:00:00.001-08:00

Past Saturday I went food exploring at the Good Food Awards 2014 located at the Ferry Building. Entrance fee was $5 and we got to sample coffee brews, pickles, kimchi, sausages,cheese, chocolate, jams, oil and more from the winners. If you liked what you tasted, then you had the opportunity to purchase their products there as well. Before entering, I grabbed some porchetta sandwich for lunch from Rolli Roti at the Farmers Market. While in line I met Leah (woman in the white vest above) who owns EAT Marketplace in Temecula (I think...). She was also participating in the coffee brew line up at the Good Food Awards sample. It's so nice meeting strangers when you end up connecting over food and restaurants. I'm always searching for new coffee & tea shops, brunch places, restaurants, and music. So it's always lovely when there are people just as excited to share and discuss what they do know. Anyway, hope everyone had a good three day weekend. _oli

Santacon Spotting

2013-12-15T02:11:00.001-08:00

Yet another photo overload. :) Today was Santacon. "Santas" were errywhere. Some friends and I walked all over the city to eat & drink while we waited for the snowball fight in Duboce Park. Heard some carolers today! :D I love Christmas carols. _oli

Some of today's food shown above:

Chocolate Croissant Stack & The Rebel Within from Craftsman and Wolves

Lattes from Ritual Coffee Roasters

Vietnamese Chicken Salad, Mexican Tuna Melt, & Blended Iced Tea from Duboce Park Cafe

'nduja from Barbacco Eno Trattoria

Roof Top

2013-12-04T21:17:00.000-08:00

Another photo overload! Hope everyone had a cozy Thanksgiving holiday. These were photos taken the weekend before I left for break. We explored fisherman wharf area and Japan town. Accidentally walked into a random hotel elevator from the garage parking structure and so we chose the highest floor--which wasn't much, it was just the 16th floor. And that's how we found a roof top and got a 360 view of the city. Anyway, it just got real cold in SF (39 degrees), so now it feels like winter has finally kicked in full mode. Can't wait to go home for winter break now. _oli

You Are the Only One, Don't You Know

2013-11-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I walked around Golden Gate Park with my buddy. Before heading there we picked up some drinks at Starbucks. And apparently the guy couldn't comprehend my name, nor spell it after I spelled it out for him. It was so crowded, lively, and sunny for the first 1-2 hours at the park! We went to the food carts and I got Sam's Clam Chowder. I want to try the lobster roll next.. mmm. We ran into our classmate, his gorgeous wife, and adorable dog. We couldn't get enough of the dog, Macie. Now I miss my babe, Roxie--the cutest yorkie in my eyes, forever and ever. We saw a gorilla man while eating our food at the fountains where all the beautiful gem art works were displayed. We hit up Shakespeare's Garden. It's so serene in that area. I wouldn't mind reading a book or studying there with a blanket (it's not a common/crowded area from the times I've been there). Then I went shopping for Header's birthday present. I want all the things I got for her. The place gift wrapped the presents for me so nicely (shown above). Hopefully she'll enjoy them.

Happy Birthday today to one of the coolest, admirable, and respectable woman in my life, Miss "it's like Feather, but spelled with an H". I'm so thrilled to have you in my life and to go on adventures with you--esp our Seattle food adventures. This girl thinks like a boss, acts like a boss, and is a boss literally. You're so amazing and I can't wait to celebrate more birthdays with you lady love.

Congrats to Mr. Jei Ming for all your interviews! I'm so proud and happy for you. Can't wait to see what the future has in store for you. And last, but not least, congrats to Mr. Lee for your Karate Kid position and beating out half the applicants :) Today must be good news for everyone. _oli

The Weeknd

2013-11-13T01:11:00.000-08:00

Random pictures over the weekend in no particular order. Babies are so cute!! Do you guys know of any cool photography forums in San Francisco?? I need to learn how to take & frame better photos of movin' ninos!! Hope everyone's 3 day weekend was restful/eventful. I totes magotes needed it. And thanks Friend, for driving up to surprise me. :) Goodnight. -Oli

Playground Love

2013-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

These date back to the end of summer when Christina came back to do a quick study for her boards exam.It was good seeing her and doing too short of a catch up session. One of the days that we hung out, I wanted to find a slide. And so we did. We enjoyed the slides. Above photographed is the Seward Street Slides. I don't know why kids aren't afraid of it. Christina and I screamed, but then again, we were the only passengers that screamed. It was so fast! I fell on my butt so hard in front of the kids & it hurt so much. We got some boba drinks, potatoes, and guacamole. Yum. We ended with soaking in the view at Twin Peaks. It was so clear and beautiful. The pictures above may all seem the same, but I assure you that they're all at different angles and I'm not being repetitive. _oli

I like when the beat drops at time 0:25

Hello Autumn

2013-10-24T22:49:00.001-07:00

On Monday I decided to pretend to be a professional event planner/PR girl. It was fun acting the part with a notepad in hand and obnoxiously taking pictures of the venue as if I knew what I wanted on record. Pictured above is The City Club of San Francisco. The entrance was beautiful. I frolicked about financial district around Montgomery station. It was really fun because there's awesome tall buildings surrounding me (making the wind so much more aggressive) and important looking business people. I hoped that staying in the area long enough would make the people's alluring success and confidence rub off onto me..ha. I checked out "Workshop Cafe" in the area. Supposedly they sell Stumptown Coffee. If that's what I had then it was delicious. The coffee was good, there's outlets everywhere, different types of study areas (counters, couches, bar stools, etc) and wifi. But apparently you get the first 10 hrs free, and then you have to check in and pay money for every hour you use the area to work. So I guess it's to make money off of people who just want a work space with wifi without feeling obligated to buy drinks.

It's feeling so chilly lately. I like when it's so crisp and nippy with the smell of a burning fire place...I picture a cozy holiday memory from my childhood. Anyway, adieu, I have to go study for my perio exam manana! _oli

Surreal

2013-09-08T23:30:00.000-07:00

I had a less-than-24 hours-worth-of-time-at-home trip this past weekend in OC/LA. It felt good to be in the comfort and surroundings of close family members and all the cousins I haven't seen for what felt like a pretty long time. Thank you to my sister for buying me a plane ticket home for such a brief time. I can't wait to go back home in less than a week...On the flight back, I went crazy taking pictures from my point of view on the plane. Sorry the wing of the plane and the reflection of my arms are in almost every picture. Everything felt still from up above. Life and its happening felt surreal. While the sun was setting, it was nice to look at what seemed as though the land, the ocean, the clouds, and the horizon met as one flat plane. I miss taking pictures. More pictures from the past to come eventually. Goodnight. _oli

Under Pier Pressure

2013-07-15T16:40:00.000-07:00

Missing home and what felt like summer!! This was at the Santa Monica Pier during my last weekend in socal. The last four pictures are pretty similar, but it just shows how fast the sun sets and how foggy and cold it gets by the ocean within minutes!! It was cool strolling under the pier and then looking out to see (way too many) people. As I listened to the small waves crashing onto the pillars and looked out from under the pier, all I could see were distant silhouettes of people's body (seen in the third picture down from the top). It felt eerie & cool at the same time. So I couldn't help but think, what if all these people turned on me and became walkers!

We've started clinic and I'm already scheduled to do an onlay :/ Hopefully this amps up my confidence for the remaining COEs/POEs/prophy in the summer baha. My first week was on ortho rotation. Loved it. Is it sad that I really liked putting on and taking off the rubber ligatures for braces. I guess because that was the closest feeling to being an orthodontist. Probably the most relaxed rotation I'll have. All the faculty and residents were so happy, hilarious, and chill. _oli

This was my (short) summer anthem. Heard this remix blaring at the SD Oyster Fest.

Summer in Eaton Canyon

2013-07-09T18:39:00.000-07:00

The sis and I went on a hike at Eaton Canyon after our brunch at the Hart + the Hunter (delicious little place with a cute chef ;) ). We went at 2pm so the hike was so hot. But on the way back it felt amazing and cool. The waterfall was very tiny when I went. Then we went home for Father's Day. I took the picture of the rock because intially I thought it said "anus." But on closer inspection, I guess it's "genius." I'm def mature. _oli

San Diego Oyster Fest

2013-07-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

Oysters oysters!! So my sister, Ant, and I took a trip to SD the first Saturday I came back home for SD's Oyster Fest. We made a pit stop at Hodad's. I got to try Hodad's for the first time...pretty fine and juicy! Then we headed to the oyster fest where there were singers, bands, DJs, booze, BBQ, oysters, lobster sandwiches (we didn't get to try thissss :( :( :( ), cute dogs, and a number of too tan and crisp people. Performers shown above are Tyrone Wells and Mayor Hawthorne. The kumamoto and BBQ oysters were my favorite. We had a bbq parfait which had alternating layers of mashed potatoes, gravy, and pulled pork. I tried oyster shots, but I couldn't down it. Later that night we went to Tacos el Gordo de Tijuana. MMM I had adobada and lengua tacos--muy deliciosos! Then we headed to Phil's BBQ and waited in a long long line. The red velvet whoopie pie was good. The bbq was alright, too much sauce and too tart for me if I remember correctly. Maybe people hyped it up too much so I had really high expectations that it couldn't come close to meeting. _oli

Independence

2013-07-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

Lana Del Rey - National Anthem by Interscope Records

NBDE Part I

2013-06-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

-->Test questions with solutions/explanations: [~~dentalarticles.com/nbde~~] <--
edit: apparently the link above no longer works. I looked around and found this site (not too sure how great it is): [http://quiz.dentalebooks.com/tag/part-i/]

National Board Dental Examination Part I

Books and link above were my main go to study resources. And wikipedia of course--love you wiki.

Below is an utterly long summery of my time studying for boards. I'll start off with my summer schedule last year and then tell you what a lot of my classmates did.

Actually, let's start off with how to sign up! Remember your dentpin number for the DAT exam? We're going to revisit those digits to sign up for the NBDE. You're applying to be eligible to sign up for the exam (making sure you meet the requirements such as not having had taken the exam within so and so prior months etc). It took me about a week for ADA to email me my eligibility (for some reason, it's in my head that they review & qualify these eligibility applications on a Tuesday of each week ... if you care and need to know). So it was a blissful week of not feeling guilty for not signing up for a test date yet ;). So you apply here for eligibility: here. If you attend a non-accredited dental school, you will need to fill out another form here. And from here on out I think it's self explanatory / I don't remember what happened after. And I did not do anything for the "Dean's Certification." I'm pretty sure your school will be automatically told when you sign up/pass/fail. Anyway, I believe you might have to pay during this process--non-refundable ($345 for me during summer of 2012).

Once you receive the eligibility email you have to wait 24 hours before scheduling (yay 24 more hours to procrastinate signing up!). The email will contain the code you will enter when signing up at prometric. At the prometric website, you want to schedule for an exam with ADA as your test sponsor. There are 3-4 choices for the NBDE Part I (nbde part 1, nbde part 1: 2 hrs, nbde part 1: 6.5 hrs, etc). I chose: NATIONAL BOARD DENTAL EXAMINATION PART 1 (exam code NB1).

On to how I used my summer last year between first and second year. At UCSF we got our first and only 3 months of summer between first and second year, so I was able to take advantage and use it to study for boards. I went to Viet Nam in June to volunteer/vacation for about a month. Came back by July and started browsing through decks for fun and couldn't retain anything. Dental decks are 1330 flash cards that are supposedly enough study material (I think not--it's too much blah to handle). The front will have questions/quizzes/facts, and you flip it around and it will tell you answers in more detail. My class emailed the dental decks company for a group discount--so maybe you guys could and should do the same. My dear upperclassman R sent me PDF versions of more updated decks that I uploaded onto Chris's ipad to study from, as well as, PDFs of another university's dental morphology and occlusion review (the best!--Christina you can borrow mine!). So between July and most of August, I went through the decks trying over and over to finish them in a 2 weeks schedule that an upperclassman had planned out (+80 cards/day). That never happened. I kept revising my 2 weeks schedule. So I got around probably 80% of the decks before I decided this sucks and I don't know how much I'm really remembering. Initially I did decks and some of First Aid (a few chapters...maybe biochem/some anatomy). Occasionally I referenced "Clinical Anatomy Made Ridiculously Easy" for a few things that I couldn't grasp--book definitely made anatomy easier. Towards mid/end of August I decided to switch over and take a look at Boards Buster.

So, each day I'd wake up around 9 or 10AM and start thinking about studying and then actually start around lunch. I stayed at my sister's apartment in LA carless, so I couldn't do much besides walk to the closest cafe 1 mile away--thus I couldn't wander off even if I wanted to. Or my friend Ben would pick me up and bring me somewhere not depressing for studying --thanks!! And then my sister would get off work we'd go around LA and find new places to eat. Other times I would study at Irvine Spectrum and then shop/walk around the area for breaks. I still had time to start and finish a few shows like White Collar and Drop Dead Diva hehe. So my point is: no, I don't think you have to study all day (if you had a 2 months to study).

I signed up at the end of August to take my exam at the end of September right before school starts. So that was the real push that made me take studying more seriously. I spent most of my studying just on boards buster by this point. The reason I liked board busters is that it was a condense version of decks and first aid into one book (but FYI, it's just the major main points from the two, no extra fluff or random facts). I stopped looking at decks and first aid. It was almost like a book of main bullet points. I liked that it was a book so that I can take notes on the side and reference other pages with similar topics. I started looking at Tooth Morphology and Occlusion PDFs provided by my upperclassmen and kept reviewing all of it every few days. I looked at only that and not board busters/decks/first aid or anything else for tooth morph/occlusion. That was enough for me and I felt confident in that section.

Two weeks before my test date I decided I should start looking at exams. UCSF had tests online, as well as, a booklet. So I opted for the online ones because it would simulate the real test best. I believe your schools will provide old exams. The exams are 400 questions. The first time I tried doing an exam, I was watching Drop Dead Diva and fell asleep at 80 questions. It's all about endurance! I felt confident two weeks before the exam date--things started making sense, random facts started coming naturally. And then a week before I didn't remember a thing. So I freaked out. I crammed the books again like a mad man. Not sure if that was the smartest thing. I feel like the shorter time you study, the more efficient you'll be and the least likely information will begin leaking out like it did for me. I'd also browse through a bunch of the anatomy and pathology questions on the dentalarticles.com/nbde website where it had explanations to test questions (a lot of test questions from the dental articles site were the same as the old exams I was going through).

How a lot of my classmates studied: they reviewed decks and first aid around 2 times. I mainly only used and liked the board busters. We all used some files floating around for the Occlusion/Morphology review.

Exam Day: Test period is from 8-4:30 ish I believe. You get two "white board" paper and a marker to write notes or any facts you can spit out quickly. I wrote down all the eruption dates. I finished my first section by 10am and took an hour break. Ate M&M peanuts and a small sandwich. You can review some material if you want. I only reviewed the eruption dates, root formation dates, etc for the teeth so that no other information can freak me out before the next part. Then I finished around 1/1:30. I had around 40 total marked questions and started looking through them. I stopped going through marked questions, because I really had no idea what the questions and words in front of me were, so I decided to stop second guessing my first guesses. Each section had clinical scenarios and multiple choice questions. The test was extremely hard. I thought it was a joke because it felt like I failed the first half. A lot of words I didn't know existed. When you're done with the exam and submit it, there will be a quick survey. No scoring of anything will show up. When you leave prometric, they'll hand you a paper just stating that you took the test that day. The End!!

Some people got their scores around 2 weeks later. I got mine a month later. So I thought I failed for sure. haha It's the best feeling ever when you find out you pass! If you study and try hard, you will pass :) No worries.

Scoring: apparently there's a curve.. perhaps even a generous one. I heard for pathology or anatomy, you can score a raw score of ~55% and it curves out to 75% (passing). But for dental occlusion/morphology I heard you have to actually pass pass that section. This could be all rumors.

Update: To add in a few more notes: a lot of my classmates suggest using the old exam as a study method. Knowing the ins and outs pertaining to the topic referenced in the question. Use 1-2 old exams as part of your studying resource by figuring out why each answer choice is and isn't the right answer to a question. There were a few old exam questions on my exam--I don't know how likely that's going to happen for each exam. And when I did practice test towards the end, my raw scores were raw passing. My first practice test before studying was a fail though :) I'd break down the exams and take the test by subject so I know where my forte and weaknesses are. A few times I did get 55-60% for pathology. That mentally killed me, but if the curve thing is true, then that's fine hehe. Study smart and efficiently. Studying all day everyday doesn't mean that's the best way. So relax when you're tired and give yourself a 10 minute breather and then go back to concentrating when you've calmed down.

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And here's my moment of sincere appreciation and gratitude:

Thank you to my famiree, especially my sister, for pushing me to study, forcing me to sign up for a test date, and forcing me not to postpone hehe. Thanks for cooking for me!!

Thank you Chris for lending me your iPad for the summer. It wouldn't have made my first half of studying that much more fun and possible.

Thanks to Ben for driving to LA a lot so that I could have a study buddy.Thanks for being the one that calmed me down numerous times--the one that achieved easing my nerves the night before the exam.

Thank you Chris, Twiggy, & Tina for always driving the distance to Irvine when I "had to" study at Spectrum's Coffee Bean. Thanks for bringing fruits and spoiling me with macarons and encouragement. Thanks for studying with me during the summer, when really, you guys didn't have to study that much at all.

Thanks Ramina for all the files and encouragement you gave me!

Thanks to Yeun Joo and Mandy for giving me Anatomy Made Easy, First Aid, & Board Busters.

Thank you Debra for your school's materials/binders.

I hope this essay full of off tangent commentaries was somewhat useful. Good luck!! -oli

May the Fourth Be With You

2013-06-14T00:17:00.001-07:00

This was from awhile back when a few of us decided to hang out on Haight street after midterms on May 4th. And so as you see, we saw some awesome stormtroopers!!!! We just strolled around...going in and out several odd vintage shops along the street. I tried Stanza's mocha latte and it was pretty delicious :) We saw a guy spray paint a wall so that was pretty amazing. It was all penciled in beforehand. We're on break now, so hopefully I'll be catching you guys up with a ton more pictures--even as far back as my trip to Viet Nam pictures a year ago. I'll be making more school related posts especially on how I studied for boards since I know several people will be starting soon :) _oli

Charity

2013-06-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

Waiting for a friend to go study & then decided to blog.

Found this gem on a designer's tumblr. I think everyone can use a reminder every now and then on acts of kindness. :)

& congratulations to UCSF c/o 2013 today :) wooo!!!

Have fun & learn lots in your amazing residency programs.

Friday Favorites

2013-05-10T02:45:00.000-07:00

Joe's Jeans Rolled Vintage Jeans, Bumble & Bumble Surf Spray, Gabriela Artigas Delicate Bracelet Cuff, Zara Combination Camisole Tank, Karen Walker Harvest Sungalsses, Christian Louboutin Flueve Pointed-Toe Slingback, Gorjana's Bleeker Oversized Clutch, & Fujifilm Instax Mini

[Images and collage provided by Polyvore]

Yay theses fun Friday Favorites where I get to compile all these non-affordable items together. I want to perfect that braid/bun do though. I have not bought jeans for the longest time, so I keep browsing for the next perfect pair. I had a tiny phase where I wanted sling backs. But I mos def still want the fuji camera!! Those seem so fun to go frolic about and snap snap some candids of people and the beautiful sf. I think I had this laid back beachy hair/karen walker sunglasses crave because I created this a week ago during exam week when we had the best sunny & warm weather! And of course that went away when we finished midterm week. I have so many pictures and posts to post for you guys--especially how to study for boards (or at least how I did).

Btw out of curiosity, to pre-dental students, what type of program/aid would you want or receive benefit from a dental school. I know a lot of schools including UCSF have a day to play in their simulation lab, mentor/mentee programs, tours, etc. Is there anything else that you guys would want or need? Email me! _oli

Love this song-listen to it! Thanks Ben for the song.

Seattle Spotting

2013-04-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

Warning: image heavy post :)

During March 16-19, we had an ADEA Conference in Seattle. There wasn't any particular important reason why I had to be there since I didn't have a national position & it was smack dab in the midst of our finals' week. But HEY! Free flights, registration, and hotel with an amazing view? OKAY! It was a chance to explore Seattle, meet people from other schools, attend workshops & meetings, do some voting, represent UCSF for 1 hr at the booths, and bump into my lovely Christina! There was also the Deans Dinner on Sunday evening. It was nice getting to talk to our professors on a more personal level and getting to know quirky things about them. It was so fun hanging out and eating at different places. Any break between workshops that I had, I would go about and explore the area...or feel guilty and try to study for finals. Food and drinks I love and miss from Seattle: bacon maple doughnut at the Pike's Market, Lola's hand made donuts, Monorail's bacon maple latte, & Dahlia Bakery's cookies. Downtown area was really pretty with sky high architectures, which didn't help with the insanely strong wind we had to endure. It made San Francisco feel not so cold in comparison. All about the downtown area, there were arts and sculptures dispersed, which explains those blue trees above-pretty amazing. On the bottom floor of Pike's Market, there was a wall filled with gum. It was stinky and I contributed a piece of gum to that wall. The seafood was pretty good, fresh, and jumbo! Thanks Heather & Christina for making the trip that much more entertaining! ♥ _oli