Happy New Year! Now that the holidays are over, it’s a great time to reflect on the past 12 months and set your intentions for 2023. Where do you want to go in the upcoming year?

As a dental student, it’s really important to set goals…especially if you’re prepping for the INBDE! Here are some of the benefits of making resolutions, along with tips for defining achievable goals.

Why should you set a resolution?

You’ve probably heard that most people don’t keep their resolutions. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make them, though! Here are three reasons why:

1. Intention. Making a resolution forces you to reflect not only on where you are and how you got there, but also on where you want to go. When you move forward with intention, you’re more likely to achieve positive results.
2. Optimism. Making resolutions is inherently optimistic – you’re literally making a plan to improve some aspect of your life! A positive view of the future drives action and makes success more likely.
3. Stability. When you set a resolution, you’re creating a plan for the year. That plan gives you the stability of knowing what you’re going to do. When you get busy, or if you feel like you don’t know what to do next, go back to your resolutions and get back to the plan.

Tips for setting (and sticking to) your resolutions

The best way to make sure you stick to your New Year’s resolutions is by making them realistic and manageable. Here’s some advice:

1. Pick one or two. Making ten New Year’s resolutions just isn’t realistic. Instead, make a list of things you want to achieve this year, choose your top two, and focus on those.
2. Set actionable resolutions. We sometimes set goals that are too broad, too loosely defined, or immeasurable. A better strategy is to create resolutions that involve a specific action you can complete. For example, “study for the INBDE 3 days a week.”
3. Track your progress: As life gets busy, it’s easy to let commitments fall by the wayside. If you track your progress, it’s less likely you’ll give up on something. A great way to do this is by making a to-do list or a schedule and checking things off along the way.

Start the year strong with Dental Decks!

INBDE prep should be one of your resolutions this year. The earlier you start exam prep, the easier it will be to fit it into your schedule. Plus, the amount of material will be so much more manageable!

Dental Decks will help you achieve your New Year’s resolution for INBDE prep. Not only is it the most comprehensive and recommended INBDE study aid on the market, our 45- and 60-day study schedules provide an easy way to track progress and stick to your resolution!

Here’s everything you’ll get with your decks:

• Topical and case-based patient box questions organized into 16 different specialty areas.
• Case Study Booklet with 36 cases and 183 questions that include patient histories, photographs, and radiographs.
• Oral Pathology Booklet with 95 oral pathology photos and radiographs.
• Online Practice Tests. Three versions with 500 question each, designed to replicate the format and content of the INBDE questions.

Make Dental Decks your New Year’s resolution and start prepping today!