Canadian Dds Degree To Med School In The States

[UottawaMedHopeful]

Hello,

 

I was just wondering, is there anyone who applied with a canadian DDS (dentistry) degree to USA med schools? If so can you give me some insight on your experience in doing so and if you were successful in gaining acceptance or not? Someone told me that I have a very high chance of getting in to american med schools (essentially I will get in without a doubt) since I hold a DDS degree even if my dental school marks are not as high as my undergrad marks.  Apparently, choosing to leave dentistry which is historically seen as a lucrative profession for a profession which may not be as lucrative shows the admissions committe that you are interested in med for all the right reasons.  I just wanted to confirm this.

 

Thank you.

[JohnGrisham]

Hello,

 

I was just wondering, is there anyone who applied with a canadian DDS (dentistry) degree to USA med schools? If so can you give me some insight on your experience in doing so and if you were successful in gaining acceptance or not? Someone told me that I have a very high chance of getting in to american med schools (essentially I will get in without a doubt) since I hold a DDS degree even if my dental school marks are not as high as my undergrad marks.  Apparently, choosing to leave dentistry which is historically seen as a lucrative profession for a profession which may not be as lucrative shows the admissions committe that you are interested in med for all the right reasons.  I just wanted to confirm this.

 

Thank you.

You'll have to give your undergrad marks and DDS marks, they will likely not really look at the DDS marks aside from a final holistic viewpoint.  You will NOT get in  "without a doubt", you have to be a strong candidate just as everyone else and perform well at interviews. 

 

Many will question your motives and lack of commitment for leaving the dental profession, and wonder "if he leaves dentistry for medicine, what if he leaves medical school half-way through to go back to being a dentist when it gets tough?"  

 

Not sure where on earth you got the info about the committee thinking you're in it for the right reasons just because you're leaving dentistry. You have to have some clinical exposure in medicine and dealing with patients(which i assume you have as a practicing dentist). 

 

You're going to need to have a good reason for wanting to switch and be able to explain that to your interviewers should you be invited for an interview. 

 

Also you'll need to make sure you satisfy the pre-reqs for whatever US schools your applying to, have a competitive MCAT score, and ensure your coursework isn't outdated.

[UottawaMedHopeful]

You'll have to give your undergrad marks and DDS marks, they will likely not really look at the DDS marks aside from a final holistic viewpoint.  You will NOT get in  "without a doubt", you have to be a strong candidate just as everyone else and perform well at interviews. 

 

Many will question your motives and lack of commitment for leaving the dental profession, and wonder "if he leaves dentistry for medicine, what if he leaves medical school half-way through to go back to being a dentist when it gets tough?"  

 

Not sure where on earth you got the info about the committee thinking you're in it for the right reasons just because you're leaving dentistry. You have to have some clinical exposure in medicine and dealing with patients(which i assume you have as a practicing dentist). 

 

You're going to need to have a good reason for wanting to switch and be able to explain that to your interviewers should you be invited for an interview. 

 

Also you'll need to make sure you satisfy the pre-reqs for whatever US schools your applying to, have a competitive MCAT score, and ensure your coursework isn't outdated.

are you someone who holds a Canadian DDS degree who has or has applied to medicine in the states?

 

Question my lack of commitment lol okay motives I can understand, but lack of commitment? are you telling me that anyone who makes a career change is due to lack of commitment, that's a huge assumption. You whole post just has a completely rude undertone to it. Also I never dropped out of dental school, I currently work as a dentist; changing careers is very different from leaving med school half way. Also I don't see how you can get any closer to having medical experience having practiced as a dentist.  And to answer your question on where on earth I got this info from, I got it from someone who did med in the Caribbean and did most of his rotations in the states and is applying to residency programs in the states; the individual has lot of information about the entire medical school application process. Why do I need to have a good reason to switch? If I am being treated equally to any other applicant I don't see why I have to prove more than anyone else. It's like saying to someone who holds a master's degree or PhD applying to med, why medicine why not stay in research and academia? Technically people who hold Master's and PhD degrees can have careers with just those degrees. Yet many people are getting into Med with Master's and Doctorate degrees. And yes I do realize I need to satisfy other requirements, I never mentioned that I don't have to have the other requirements fulfilled; I just mentioned that I heard I might have an advantage. 

 

Anyways thank you for your response.

[JohnGrisham]

are you someone who holds a Canadian DDS degree who has or has applied to medicine in the states?

 

Question my lack of commitment lol okay motives I can understand, but lack of commitment? are you telling me that anyone who makes a career change is due to lack of commitment, that's a huge assumption. You whole post just has a completely rude undertone to it. Also I never dropped out of dental school, I currently work as a dentist; changing careers is very different from leaving med school half way. Also I don't see how you can get any closer to having medical experience having practiced as a dentist. And to answer your question on where on earth I got this info from, I got it from someone who did med in the Caribbean and did most of his rotations in the states and is applying to residency programs in the states; the individual has lot of information about the entire medical school application process. Why do I need to have a good reason to switch? If I am being treated equally to any other applicant I don't see why I have to prove more than anyone else. It's like saying to someone who holds a master's degree or PhD applying to med, why medicine why not stay in research and academia? Technically people who hold Master's and PhD degrees can have careers with just those degrees. Yet many people are getting into Med with Master's and Doctorate degrees. And yes I do realize I need to satisfy other requirements, I never mentioned that I don't have to have the other requirements fulfilled; I just mentioned that I heard I might have an advantage.

 

Anyways thank you for your response.

Woah woah, I in no way meant to be rude. Just relaying what I have heard friends and people on adcoms say. I didn't say you dropped out of dent school. Again, I am not questioning you at all, I'm saying that some interviewers definitely will, and they will want a good answer why the change.

 

If you're going to get defensive to my simple mentioning of it, use this as a sign to ensure you're able to address potential questions like this by people who actually matter(interviewers). And I personally know a DMD who got into a us medical school, but got rejected from most places because they grilled her for why she was leaving dent and why med. They are precautious and want to make sure you aren't going to just drop out and go back to your old career when it gets tough. If that happened they would lose a lot of money.

 

The U.S. medical system is much more holistic than the canadian system, it will definitely come up at some schools. Other schools might not care at all and will see your solid GPA and give you the nod.

 

Only trying to provide some input, relax.

[JohnGrisham]

Again some schools won't care but others definitely will care. The ones that care, will just as much grill people who are leaving other successful careers in health professions and non health professions alike. It's just how some adcoms are.

[UottawaMedHopeful]

Woah woah, I in no way meant to be rude. Just relaying what I have heard friends and people on adcoms say. I didn't say you dropped out of dent school. Again, I am not questioning you at all, I'm saying that some interviewers definitely will, and they will want a good answer why the change.

 

If you're going to get defensive to my simple mentioning of it, use this as a sign to ensure you're able to address potential questions like this by people who actually matter(interviewers). And I personally know a DMD who got into a us medical school, but got rejected from most places because they grilled her for why she was leaving dent and why med. They are precautious and want to make sure you aren't going to just drop out and go back to your old career when it gets tough. If that happened they would lose a lot of money.

 

The U.S. medical system is much more holistic than the canadian system, it will definitely come up at some schools. Other schools might not care at all and will see your solid GPA and give you the nod.

 

Only trying to provide some input, relax.

Okay, thanks for your advice, sorry I just felt your original post was rude but after your clarification I see that you were not trying to come off that way. Again thanks for your help. Your friend with the dental degree, did get interviews but wasn't successful in getting in after that? Is she still trying and if so has she been accepted anywhere? thanks

[JohnGrisham]

 

Woah woah, I in no way meant to be rude. Just relaying what I have heard friends and people on adcoms say. I didn't say you dropped out of dent school. Again, I am not questioning you at all, I'm saying that some interviewers definitely will, and they will want a good answer why the change.

If you're going to get defensive to my simple mentioning of it, use this as a sign to ensure you're able to address potential questions like this by people who actually matter(interviewers). And I personally know a DMD who got into a us medical school, but got rejected from most places because they grilled her for why she was leaving dent and why med. They are precautious and want to make sure you aren't going to just drop out and go back to your old career when it gets tough. If that happened they would lose a lot of money.

The U.S. medical system is much more holistic than the canadian system, it will definitely come up at some schools. Other schools might not care at all and will see your solid GPA and give you the nod.

Only trying to provide some input, relax.

Okay, thanks for your advice, sorry I just felt your original post was rude but after your clarification I see that you were not trying to come off that way. Again thanks for your help. Your friend with the dental degree, did get interviews but wasn't successful in getting in after that? Is she still trying and if so has she been accepted anywhere? thanks

 

She was accepted at a school that didn't seem to care negatively she had a DMD. It was her remarks that many schools questioned her on it, etc. good luck!