Curious Question For Current Uwo Dental Students

[cnguyen]

Hey !

 

Just to start off, I am about to take the MCAT in August, and the DAT in November. In terms of academics, I am going into my third year with little to no interest in going to U of T, mainly focusing on UWO, but I will be applying across the board regardless.

 

In terms of academics, I have around a 90% average with a cGPA of around 3.91 (A few under 85 classes in first year did not do this justice) with intent of trying my hardest to get at least a 3.95 year in my third year (taking a more toned down set of courses other than the 8 chems and 2 bios I took in 2nd year). I also am from South-Western Ontario (SWOMEN). If I can pull off a 3.95 GPA in my third year, I theoretically will be going into applications with a 3.94 GPA after dropping first year.

 

For EC's, I volunteer with the tutoring for charity program, SOS as an instructor, play piano at my local church, help in a Downtown Mission in my city, and coach a soccer team during the summers. All of these are mainly for my interests and the volunteering to help the poor is mainly to help out my friend.

 

In terms of research, I worked all second year in a cancer research laboratory under a program my University offers that pays undergraduates to work in research. I was hired on by the professor for the summer and will have my name on 3 papers by the end of the summer. His goal is to have 5 papers by the time I am in 4th year.

 

I also work 3 jobs including the research. Just to keep it short, I'm jam-packed with a ton of things that aren't just academics.

 

Obviously, me getting into anything is contingent on a good MCAT/DAT score as well as a stellar interview.

 

So my question is: Has anybody that was accepted into UWO applied to both medicine and dentistry in the same cycle and additionally interviewed for both? The reason for me being that I am interested in both but can't currently make up my mind (Thus why I am taking both standardized tests). If I do not make the decision by fourth year (I know it's a terrible idea and I should make up my mind), will I be tagged or judged differently due to multiple interviews, to the same University program (Schulich), mind you. Is there anybody that has done this and chose Dentistry over Medicine?

 

I hope to be able to continue and specialize into an Oral/Maxillofacial Surgeon if I go down the route of dentistry, although I know it is very competitive.

 

It's a long post and I appreciate those who took the time to read.

 

[uwo2015]

They will not penalize you, the acceptance/interview panels are separate.

 

Good stats, you should be able to make it into both with appropriate test scores/interviews.

[1MolarSolution]

I know people who have applied to both and were accepted to both... no need to decide between the two yet.  Also, no need to make a specialty decision yet either... there is much more to dentistry than OMFS.

[cnguyen]

I know people who have applied to both and were accepted to both... no need to decide between the two yet.  Also, no need to make a specialty decision yet either... there is much more to dentistry than OMFS.

 

Okay, that sounds amazing. Do you know if being in the geographic location (SWOMEN) plays a part in dentistry? I haven't seen many people citing that as a factor as well, so I'm not sure if that's just a medicine thing or a dentistry thing.

[DDS_hopeful]

Okay, that sounds amazing. Do you know if being in the geographic location (SWOMEN) plays a part in dentistry? I haven't seen many people citing that as a factor as well, so I'm not sure if that's just a medicine thing or a dentistry thing.

 

I'm pretty sure it's only a medicine thing. The meds clearly state that there is an advantage for SWOMEN applicants, and it is not mentioned in dentistry. 

 

As far as specializing goes, if you get into dental school, you should be okay with ending up as a general dentist. A very small percentage of students end up specializing for a variety of reasons (competition, being tired of school, etc.). Unless you have shadowed an OMFS or have family members who are specialists, it is very difficult to know exactly what the job entails and if it is right for you. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to dissuade you from trying to specialize. I just wanna make sure that you won't be disappointed, and would be okay with ending up as "only" a general dentist. 

[cnguyen]

I am completely fine with being a general dentist . I have shadowed a family friend who is an OMFS and have sat in (with the consent of my brother) on my brother's wisdom teeth surgery. Other than that, it's been a lot of anecdotes and him talking to me about what it takes and the day to day life. I have 1 heart surgeon, 2 family doctors, and 1 dentist in the family so I have, minus the surgeon, shadowed them all in one way or another.

 

I understand the rate of specialization is very low (1 for OMFS and 3 for Ortho at UWO) and I am willing to go to the States to continue if need be.

 

Realistically speaking, I have compared to people who have been accepted/wait listed and a lot of the stats are similar, with my only shame being I overloaded my plate and didn't put enough emphasis in studying ahead. That's what I'm making sure I do this year (throwing work to the back burner because I have enough seniority at my other two jobs to be able to take minimal shifts but keep job security).

 

You guys are all very knowledgeable and supporting, so thank you !

 

I will update the forum once I finish MCAT/DAT and receive scores but I have gone through the new MCAT practices (TPR) and have gotten respectable scores. I have ~100 days until the MCAT and might even defer the DAT until February and not shoot for November DAT + apply to U of T for acceptance after 3rd year. I heard the GPA is cutthroat there and I am just trying to be realistic. Is there any advice for that?

[DDS_hopeful]

I am completely fine with being a general dentist . I have shadowed a family friend who is an OMFS and have sat in (with the consent of my brother) on my brother's wisdom teeth surgery. Other than that, it's been a lot of anecdotes and him talking to me about what it takes and the day to day life. I have 1 heart surgeon, 2 family doctors, and 1 dentist in the family so I have, minus the surgeon, shadowed them all in one way or another.

 

I understand the rate of specialization is very low (1 for OMFS and 3 for Ortho at UWO) and I am willing to go to the States to continue if need be.

 

Realistically speaking, I have compared to people who have been accepted/wait listed and a lot of the stats are similar, with my only shame being I overloaded my plate and didn't put enough emphasis in studying ahead. That's what I'm making sure I do this year (throwing work to the back burner because I have enough seniority at my other two jobs to be able to take minimal shifts but keep job security).

 

You guys are all very knowledgeable and supporting, so thank you !

 

I will update the forum once I finish MCAT/DAT and receive scores but I have gone through the new MCAT practices (TPR) and have gotten respectable scores. I have ~100 days until the MCAT and might even defer the DAT until February and not shoot for November DAT + apply to U of T for acceptance after 3rd year. I heard the GPA is cutthroat there and I am just trying to be realistic. Is there any advice for that?

 

It sounds like you have an idea of what you're getting yourself into, so that's a good start. I know some people who are in dental school who never shadowed a dentist, which blows my mind lol.

 

If you get a 3.95 in your third year and have a 3.94 weighted GPA, that should be good enough to get an interview. Obviously, aim for higher than 3.95 in your third year just to be safe. Try your best to do well on the DAT (22+ in the AA and PAT sections) and you should be fine. When you get the interview invite, it's all about practising your interview skills. Unfortunately, it is possible to "study" for a CDA interview, so make sure you are well prepared.

[cnguyen]

So essentially, if I were to apply to U of T this upcoming cycle, with my current GPA it's a toss up to luck. Should I just gave myself the extra 3 months to study for February DAT and put my eggs in 4th year cycle? I'm also keeping in mind the fact that I have no qualms with coming back to do a Masters but I would like to begin persuing my career, especially if specialization becomes a factor, as soon as possible.

 

Thank you for all of the support so far.

[DDS_hopeful]

So essentially, if I were to apply to U of T this upcoming cycle, with my current GPA it's a toss up to luck. Should I just gave myself the extra 3 months to study for February DAT and put my eggs in 4th year cycle? I'm also keeping in mind the fact that I have no qualms with coming back to do a Masters but I would like to begin persuing my career, especially if specialization becomes a factor, as soon as possible.

 

Thank you for all of the support so far.

In my opinion, it wouldn't hurt to write the DAT in November and apply next cycle. However, with a 3.91 GPA, it'll be a close call. You still might get the interview. If you don't, then the DAT scores will still be valid for the cycle when you are in fourth year. If you are not happy with your scores, you can always re-write. At the end of the day, it's your decision.

[( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

So essentially, if I were to apply to U of T this upcoming cycle, with my current GPA it's a toss up to luck. Should I just gave myself the extra 3 months to study for February DAT and put my eggs in 4th year cycle? I'm also keeping in mind the fact that I have no qualms with coming back to do a Masters but I would like to begin persuing my career, especially if specialization becomes a factor, as soon as possible.

Thank you for all of the support so far.

Write in Nov. I found my MCAT studying greatly helped my November DAT because they were so close together. I put in maybe 1.5 weeks of studying for the DAT which was mostly for PAT (U MUST PRACTISE FOR THIS SECTION. I recommend Crack DAT Pat and mastering it bc the real thing was slightly harder) and still got a good score bc of the MCAT prep I did. I was admitted to both schools with similar stats but I am a 4th year.

 

You can always rewrite if Nov doesn't work out and you'll already have had a good idea of what the test is like.

 

Good luck!