dds2020 Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 Hello everyone, Unfortunately, I didn't get into dental school this year (so much for my username). I could use some advice from you wise folks on what to do this summer and going forward. Background: I'm 31 this year. I've done an undergrad but I'm in my 4th year of my second one. My GPA for both degrees combined is about 3.3; for the second one alone it's about 3.923 OMSAS: 1st year: 5.0 credits 3.83 1st year summer: 1.0 credits 3.90 2nd year: 3.5 credits 3.9857 summer: 0.5 credits 4.00 3rd year: 2.0 credits 3.975 summer: 1.0 credit 4.00 4th year: 2.0 credits 3.95 DAT: 25 BIO/25 GC/25 RC/22 PAT Besides work, which I've been doing continuously for the past 6 years (adjusting number of hours worked per week according to course load), I don't really have a lot of ECs. If you were in this position, what would you do? How would you work through a problem like this? What options do I have? I've been told that there are a lot of things I'd be able to get into (with a bit of work on fulfilling requirements of course), and I've *thought* about other programs but I'm not really sold on anything yet. So if anyone has "insider" information that pharmacy/physiotherapy/etc is really awesome and wouldn't mind sharing that info, I'd really appreciate it. I still want dent (esp. at U of T; it's the only school I applied to this year), but the one-year wait is so painful. I'm thinking it might be best to expand my options for next year. Would any of you opt to get a full-time job and not look back? I've also gotten advice from someone to write the MCAT and expand my options into med. What's your take on that? Again, I appreciate any and all advice/comments/encouragement. I realize that I'm going to have to figure this out mostly on my own, but by reaching out, I'm also hoping that someone says something that elicits an epiphany. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamadentistnow Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 I think you should apply to other schools as well (eg US) if you can. Also med could be a good option, but your english should be really good( I am somehow new to Canada, so verbal section on MCAT was a killer for me however I got a 22 on DAT RC which is ok). I think it depends on how much you are open to other options, for example see if you like physiotherapy, dental hygenist etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
formidable Posted May 16, 2016 Report Share Posted May 16, 2016 try again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1rdwatch3r Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 What was the reason for you not getting into DDS this year, if you don't mind me asking? Does it prevent you from trying again? It looks like your grades and scores are good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dds2020 Posted May 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 What was the reason for you not getting into DDS this year, if you don't mind me asking? I emailed them and apparently it was my interview. I asked them about the personality test as well, and they said "your personality test scores were fine". In retrospect, for a few questions I lost my train of thought and left points on the table because of that. Not sure why this happened. I suspect maybe I'm a little self-conscious of what I'm saying and focused more on what I had just said and how I was saying it rather than thinking ahead to what I'm going to say next if that makes any sense. Or maybe I got nervous -- not the kind that makes you quiver, but the kind that makes you mentally draw a blank. I didn't lack sleep, and I even made it a point to run for about 15 minutes in the morning to get the "juices flowing" so to speak. It was only some time after the interview that I started to feel bad about how I performed. "How did I forget to say x?" and "I should have said y at the time" are a lot of what came to mind. Does it prevent you from trying again? U of T is considering changing the rules for the 2016-2017 application cycle such that full-time years of study are weighed more heavily than part-time years. For the past 4 years (and perhaps longer) they were considered the same at U of T, which is why I thought, why would I take full time when I can take part time and get a higher GPA? So to answer the question, it's possible that I won't get a shot this coming year, but I'm still pretty determined to get in. So if not this year then maybe the next. The hardest part is finding something meaningful to do in the mean time. I'm probably gonna finish off my undergrad, taking full course load so that I can apply to Western next year (Western now only counts full time years; best two). In a sense, nothing other than yourself prevents you from trying again. There's always a way. Might require more time, but only you can decide if it's worth it or not. Question is, if not dentistry, then what else? I can't really answer that question. And for those who also didn't get in, I encourage you to ask yourself the same thing, and answer truthfully: "what else is there?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AncientDentist Posted May 24, 2016 Report Share Posted May 24, 2016 I emailed them and apparently it was my interview. I asked them about the personality test as well, and they said "your personality test scores were fine". In retrospect, for a few questions I lost my train of thought and left points on the table because of that. Not sure why this happened. I suspect maybe I'm a little self-conscious of what I'm saying and focused more on what I had just said and how I was saying it rather than thinking ahead to what I'm going to say next if that makes any sense. Or maybe I got nervous -- not the kind that makes you quiver, but the kind that makes you mentally draw a blank. I didn't lack sleep, and I even made it a point to run for about 15 minutes in the morning to get the "juices flowing" so to speak. It was only some time after the interview that I started to feel bad about how I performed. "How did I forget to say x?" and "I should have said y at the time" are a lot of what came to mind. U of T is considering changing the rules for the 2016-2017 application cycle such that full-time years of study are weighed more heavily than part-time years. For the past 4 years (and perhaps longer) they were considered the same at U of T, which is why I thought, why would I take full time when I can take part time and get a higher GPA? So to answer the question, it's possible that I won't get a shot this coming year, but I'm still pretty determined to get in. So if not this year then maybe the next. The hardest part is finding something meaningful to do in the mean time. I'm probably gonna finish off my undergrad, taking full course load so that I can apply to Western next year (Western now only counts full time years; best two). In a sense, nothing other than yourself prevents you from trying again. There's always a way. Might require more time, but only you can decide if it's worth it or not. Question is, if not dentistry, then what else? I can't really answer that question. And for those who also didn't get in, I encourage you to ask yourself the same thing, and answer truthfully: "what else is there?" You could also think of doing a Master's. Maybe a 1-year course-based one? It could help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b1rdwatch3r Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 I see, the U of T 2016-2017 rule change is a tough thing to wait on. You mentioned you don't really have any extra curricular activities (ECs?). Maybe pick up some of those while you have time and evaluate what kind of lifestyle you enjoy outside of school/dentistry/work. Maybe then you can figure out what your next step is based on that. Like you said before, you'd probably have to figure this out mostly on your own but this is what I would do in your situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnGrisham Posted May 25, 2016 Report Share Posted May 25, 2016 Well you only applied to one school this year, so that was your issue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linny_Shar Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 I think it is best for you to ask people who are working in healthcare field (pharmacy, physiotherapy, medicine, dentistry). These people will give you a more realistic viewpoint of their career (pros and cons) than most of us on this forum because our scope of the field is still very limited (we do have some but probably not as much as someone who works full time). I understand that the one year wait is painful but right now you should be focusing on strengthening your EC and volunteering experiences. If it is possible, contact dentists and ask them if you can shadow/volunteer in the office. As for school, it might be better for you to either do a 1 year master or take a 5th year full course load, then apply to all dental schools in Canada. At this point, you can't pick and choose which school you want to go. While it is frustrating if you have to relocate, but given how competitive professional schools are, you really have to apply widely. You can also try American schools, and the application cycle should start very soon, which means that you have to send in your personal statement, EC's and volunteering information as quickly as possible. American schools have rolling admission, so the earlier the better. However, the exchange rate isn't great and the tuition is quite high. Therefore, it might be a financial burden (the bank usually max out at $250 000 for LOC and you need 2X of that amount or even more). My main advice for you is to talk to dentists plus other healthcare professionals and figure out which one interest you more. Then you can decide what you can do in terms of school and EC's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Embracery Posted May 29, 2016 Report Share Posted May 29, 2016 I emailed them and apparently it was my interview. I asked them about the personality test as well, and they said "your personality test scores were fine". In retrospect, for a few questions I lost my train of thought and left points on the table because of that. Not sure why this happened. I suspect maybe I'm a little self-conscious of what I'm saying and focused more on what I had just said and how I was saying it rather than thinking ahead to what I'm going to say next if that makes any sense. Or maybe I got nervous -- not the kind that makes you quiver, but the kind that makes you mentally draw a blank. I didn't lack sleep, and I even made it a point to run for about 15 minutes in the morning to get the "juices flowing" so to speak. It was only some time after the interview that I started to feel bad about how I performed. "How did I forget to say x?" and "I should have said y at the time" are a lot of what came to mind. U of T is considering changing the rules for the 2016-2017 application cycle such that full-time years of study are weighed more heavily than part-time years. For the past 4 years (and perhaps longer) they were considered the same at U of T, which is why I thought, why would I take full time when I can take part time and get a higher GPA? So to answer the question, it's possible that I won't get a shot this coming year, but I'm still pretty determined to get in. So if not this year then maybe the next. The hardest part is finding something meaningful to do in the mean time. I'm probably gonna finish off my undergrad, taking full course load so that I can apply to Western next year (Western now only counts full time years; best two). In a sense, nothing other than yourself prevents you from trying again. There's always a way. Might require more time, but only you can decide if it's worth it or not. Question is, if not dentistry, then what else? I can't really answer that question. And for those who also didn't get in, I encourage you to ask yourself the same thing, and answer truthfully: "what else is there?" Where did you hear that U of T is considering changing the rules for full-time vs. part-time years of study? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dds2020 Posted May 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2016 Where did you hear that U of T is considering changing the rules for full-time vs. part-time years of study? Was on the phone with the registrar. When I e-mailed them for feedback and followed up on the subject, they confirmed that in a meeting in mid-June, they will consider changing the weighting of full-time years vs. part-time years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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