gay applicants for dental school

[youheard]

Hi everyone:

I am an applicant this year, and I also happen to be gay. Anyhow, I have heard that most dental schools are fairly conservative and do not have any LGBT support. I was wondering if anyone want to add their 2 cents to this topic.

I am also hoping to use this opportunity to let other applicants who are gay know that they're not alone, and that if anyone wants to talk about anything, they can either PM me or use this forum as a support system.

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[gryffindor]

Columbia U. has a GL Med. Assoc. for the med and dental schools. The current president is a dental student and a friend of mine. If you would like to contact them for more on this issue, let me know.

ASDA (Amer. Stud. Dent. Assoc. - the student chapter of the ADA) passed a resolution this year stating that our association fully supports diversity in all facets of life. Although LGBT support was briefly mentioned during discussion (with support and commendation for this resolution), the bigger issue some students had with this was the lack of racial diversity at more of the mid-west and southern schools. The point is that ASDA supports everyone to enroll in dental school and join our profession to add to its diversity.

 

[ItsGavinC]

It is probably true that most dental schools are conservative, however I do not believe that your sexual preferences ought to deter you in any way from pursuing dentistry.

In fact, I don't think it will harm your application, at all. Good luck with your pursuits!

 

[youheard]

Thanks you guys for your support. I wish you all the best in your pursuit in dentistry as well. What school are u guys going to next year?

 

[tinker bell]

Go to SF, I know for sure that there are lots of support around, and people don't mind your sexual preferences here.
My friend in med school told me that her prof. is gay. I know for sure there are lots of profs are homosexuals. On coming out day, their names are listed on papers.
They should not discriminate you.
T

 

[youheard]

Hi TinkerBell:

Thanks for the advise. So you went to UCSF post bac program? Does that mean you will be going to UCSF next year then? What have you heard about UCSF?

 

[tinker bell]

Hey,

I'm in the dental post-bac program, I'm the smallest one in my class. But noone even think of making fun of me. I have the best DAT scores....The longest resume.....and the oldest one too........
Just kidding.
UCSF is highly diverse, I'm being a minority and don't even notice that I'm one at all. It's a lot of fun here. The faculties, administrative staff are so friendly, loving, and dedicate. This is my favorite school. You can't believe how much they care for your well being here.
The curriculum is tough. Their students do very well in terms of board scores and passing the CA board. It's a fun environment to study.
The weather is cold year round.
Lots of support groups if you need one. I remembered when I worked there last year, on coming out day, the school newspaper listed everyone names (who decided to publish). I noticed a lots of staff and profs are homosexuals.
After all, this is SF. Everyone is treated equal at my school.
Are u planning to go here?
Tink

 

[tinker bell]

One more thing I forgot to answer u, there is no guarantee that ucsf post-bac will get into ucsf dental school. We all do the application process all over again, and our application to ucsf is treated equally as 2000 other applicants. At this time, I have not received interview invite yet. I notice that on this board, there are few people with lower stats than mine received interview invites already because they sent in their application earlier.

By the way, this forum is to support dental school applicants. They come in all shapes and sizes. If the guy wants to know how will he be treated in school regarding his sexual preferences, that's an appropriate concern. Chill out. Yeah, what're u gonna do if your patient is gay? Give me a break, I have worked with tons of homo patients right here in SF. They are human too.

I have had outstanding prof. who are gays.

And last year, when I was assisting at the board. One of a board committee member is a gay. And he is a high ranking member of the WRB, had the power to fail many students in front of my very eyes.

 

[Comet208]

Going back to the question of support programs, i believe that Tufts has a volunteer that is providing supoprt and some help for the GLBT community. i think this is for students residing in the dent/med building. you can get more info (and even the guy's email) from Tuft's webpage.

good luck to everyone...

Comet

 

[youheard]

Thank you kaelkastro for your understanding. I know you are no "fans of gays" , but I do appreciate your tolerance of others who are different than you.

Owusu, I hope you would not use the word "******" again as that is extremely insulting and hurtful. We have the "under 3.0 Club" on here for people whose GPA are under 3.0, so why can't we have a support group for students who are gay, please explain that fact to me? This forum is set up for us to address our concerns and share our thinkings, not for you to be bashing others.

Tinker, I don't know where I will go next year, it's all up in the air. As soon as I know, I will let you know. Thank you so much for your support and understanding, hopefully next year, we will be classmates at UCSF.

Comet, thank you very much for your support as well. Tufts does have a great support system, and you can really feel that too when you visit the campus. Where are you headed next year?

 

[tinker bell]

Will u be interviewing at ucsf any time soon?

 

[space kacy]

There's an openly gay student @ Michigan. He's a couple years ahead of me so I don't know him, but I don't think your sexual preference will hurt you. After all, that would be illegal right?

C'mon, owusu. Just recently, someone started a post about applicants w/ felony convictions. Oh yeah, that was you. It's nice to see that you have "standards". Either support people or don't. Just don't be hateful about it. That's not cool.

 

[kaelkastro]

I apologize for the comment I made earlier about " I am not a fan of gays". It was not intended to be derogatory. I was just trying to stop the guy before me from making those nasty comments.

 

[youheard]

Thanks to everyone for your support!!!! It's so comforting to know that so many of my future colleagues are open minded and accepting. Thank you, and I wish you all the best of luck. Please keep in touch and let me know where you will all be going to school.

Kaelkastro, I never took your term as derogatory, and thank you so much for standing up for me, I truly appreciate it. Best of luck to you in your pursuit in dentistry. Where are you headed this coming Fall.

Tinker, I will be interviewing at UCSF later this month. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[tinker bell]

Hey, getting an interview at ucsf is not a piece of cake. It says that you have a very good stats and a nice personality. I know UCSF looks carefully into this. They don't just interview because of the stats.
Good luck to you and let me know how it goes. What's the date? I'll be out of town mostly but if u have any questions about the school, feel free to ask. Are u from the bay area? U seems to know the area well.
Tink

 

[FiXToofs]

who cares if you are gay or straight or whatever. what does sexuallity have to do with wanting to become a dentist.

 

[youheard]

Sexuality has nothing to do with wanting to become a dentist, however, homosexuality is still an issue that is not widely accepted by a lot of people, and for me (personally), I would like to attend a school that will have a support system there for me in case I need it.

Let me ask you this question, would you want to go to school that will not provide a tutoring if you are struggling with classes? That's the same idea. I do not want to go to a school where I would be discriminated against because of my sexual orientation, and then find in addition that there are no support in school for this issue.

 

[reena]

youheard,

i am a D1 at UCSF and can shed some light on the gay community here. in the dental school itself, the gay population is relatively small. apparently, there are 2 who are currently 'out' in our class, one being my closest friend here, and none in the other classes (D2-D4). ucsf however does have a GLBT community, and i know for a fact that they meet every friday night for coffee and dinner. it's a pretty tight community and being in SF is definitely an additional plus.

good luck with whichever school you choose, and if you have any more questions, post away!

 

[s.mutans]

It does not matter what school you go to. If you want to be a dentist, be a dentist. Having support at the University will not help (my opinion). The dental School is not going to be at the "Castro" It's who you will be associating with. Don't limit yourself to UCSF. Find out the whole Story about the school. There has always been inferred San Francisco welcomes homosexuality and it is where a lot of homosexuals live. It is probably true, BUT you will be so busy with school that you will forget you are gay. Your classmates will(hopefully) treat you equal as anyone else. Face the fact that you will meet every type of person in the health field. Even people who do not like gays. You have to find your Social Contacts and create your own support group (gay or not).

What other schools are you interested in? Any urbanized city will probably have probably have support groups. I really don't think Social support for being gay should be a priority inchoosing a dental school. My point is that choose wisely! UCSF is where I would like to go also! Let me know how your interview goes. Did that link help out at all? When you do go to your interview, bring it up to Barbra, she is supernice.

 

[youheard]

Hi S. Mutan:

Thank you, the website is very helpful. I agree with you that having support should not be the deciding factor for me. Obviously, I would not pick a school that has the best support system yet has the worst reputation. However, I do believe that a support system will help tremendously.

Everyone needs support in one way or the other, whether it be finacial, academic, or otherwise. No matter what the problem is, it is always comforting to know that there is there is that support system at the school that will help guide you through these difficult periods.

Like Reena mentioned, it is comforting for me to know that there is a GLBT community at UCSF, and that there are "out" students on the campus because I know that if I do attend UCSF that there are other people who understands what I am going through.

Have you interviewed at UCSF? Other schools I am interested in are UCLA, UOP, Tufts, and USC.

Thank you so much for your suggestion and feedback

 

[youheard]

Hi Reena:

Thank you so much for your reply, I really appreciate it. Like I said in the previous post, it is comforting to know that if I do attend UCSF that a support system is already there for me in case I needed. And it so great to hear that you are so accepting as well.

How do you like UCSF so far? Any advice for my interview?

I wish you all the best, and hopefully I will join you at UCSF next year.

 

[s.mutans]

YOu will be fine in those cities! It's not like you will be in the boonies where people will be shocked at homosexuality. Its 2003!!!! Well, good luck. I did interview at UCSF. I have not heard anything yet. I would really like to know if there have been any formal acceptances via letters or phone calls. I was in the first batch interview. So if any one else has been formally accepted, that tells me that I am on the Alternate List. Well good luck! Let us know how your interview goes. UCSF is a wonderful school!

 

[FiXToofs]

youheard,
i dont understand your question. how do you compare academic needs with needs of homosexuals. i have issues in my personal life that universities dont offer support for also. however i do not search for schools to apply to based on if they offer programs to help me with my personal life. i just dont understand how you are relating sexual preference with academics.

 

[youheard]

Fixtoofs:

I am not relating academic to sexual preference. I am only stating that support comes in different forms and format. Some people need academic help, and some people need emotional help. I am simply saying does the school that I want to go to have qualified people that students can go talk to if they have issues outside of academics?

Like you, I am not researching for schools to apply based on if they offer programs to help with my personal life. It is not like I am looking for schools that will help me find dates. I already know which schools I want to attend, but among those schools, I am looking to see which schools will provide me with the most of what I look for in a university, and that includes a support for people of different sexual orientation.

I know this probably doesn't answer your question completely, but I hope it sheds some light on your post.

 

[Stanford Fencer]

wow... reena... haven't seen you here in a long time. how are things going at UCSF?

 

[hogan]

Since we are on the subject of dental students with special needs and situation. Which schools are most accepting of left handed dentists. In the offices I have seen, most operatories are set up for right handed dentists. This maybe more of a problem than sexual orientation! What do you think?

 

[DesiDentist]

Hogan,

Left handed students get some good deals. At temple you have window seats in the dental anatomy lab, at NOVA your cubicle is always next to a window where you can see the serene beauty other than your patients mouth. I'm not a lefty, but I sure am jealous of you guys.

DesiDentist

 

[youheard]

Hi S. Mutan:

Don't depair, it's still too early to know if you are on the alternate list or not. What is your stats if you don't mind me asking. I wish you the best of luck. Where are you thinking of going besides UCSF?

 

[youheard]

I have gotten quite a few nice feedback on this post, and I thank you everyone for their inputs. If you are shy about posting up here, feel free to leave me a message through PM.

 

[Bonkers29]

Since the other LGBT thread was closed.. I'm going to repost something.. I hope this'll help predents pick which dental schools to apply to or attend.

America’s 25 Most Liberal Cities (in descending order)
1 Detroit Michigan
2 Gary Indiana
3 Berkeley California
4 Washington, D.C.
5 Oakland California
6 Inglewood California
7 Newark New Jersey
8 Cambridge Massachusetts
9 San Francisco California
10 Flint Michigan
11 Cleveland Ohio
12 Hartford Connecticut
13 Paterson New Jersey
14 Baltimore Maryland
15 New Haven Connecticut
16 Seattle Washington
17 Chicago Illinois
18 Philadelphia Pennsylvania
19 Birmingham Alabama
20 St. Louis Missouri
21 New York New York
22 Providence Rhode Island
23 Minneapolis Minnesota
24 Boston Massachusetts
25 Buffalo New York

America’s 25 Most Conservative Cities (in descending order)
1 Provo Utah
2 Lubbock Texas
3 Abilene Texas
4 Hialeah Florida
5 Plano Texas
6 Colorado Springs Colorado
7 Gilbert Arizona
8 Bakersfield California
9 Lafayette Louisiana
10 Orange California
11 Escondido California
12 Allentown Pennsylvania
13 Mesa Arizona
14 Arlington Texas
15 Peoria Arizona
16 Cape Coral Florida
17 Garden Grove California
18 Simi Valley California
19 Corona California
20 Clearwater Florida
21 West Valley City Utah
22 Oklahoma City Oklahoma
23 Overland Park Kansas
24 Anchorage Alaska
25 Huntington Beach California

 

[PDizzle]

Hey Youheard, have you considered not being gay?? It might make your life easier. Give it a try.

















I'm so kidding! I have been in the east bay area all my life. I did my undergrad in Berkeley and now am going to UCSF. I can't speak for the rest of the country but if you're gonna be gay dude, SF is the place to be. No one in this entire area gives a rat's a$$ about being gay. It's a non-issue here. You don't need support groups because it's such a "no biggie" here.

Good luck on getting into UCSF and if you do, I'll cya in Sep! Wait, that last part made it seem I was hitting on you.....forget that last part! j/k

 

[JohnUNLV]

Sexuality has nothing to do with wanting to become a dentist, however, homosexuality is still an issue that is not widely accepted by a lot of people, and for me (personally), I would like to attend a school that will have a support system there for me in case I need it.

Let me ask you this question, would you want to go to school that will not provide a tutoring if you are struggling with classes? That's the same idea. I do not want to go to a school where I would be discriminated against because of my sexual orientation, and then find in addition that there are no support in school for this issue.

Tutoring is the same has hand holding for gays?

Not to sound rude but, cant you call your mom, or friends or other family? Why does a school HAVE to have a support system JUST FOR YOU? I dont get it. How can this seriously be a major concern?

 

[JohnUNLV]

Since the other LGBT thread was closed.. I'm going to repost something.. I hope this'll help predents pick which dental schools to apply to or attend.

America’s 25 Most Liberal Cities (in descending order)
1 Detroit Michigan
2 Gary Indiana
3 Berkeley California
4 Washington, D.C.
5 Oakland California
6 Inglewood California
7 Newark New Jersey
8 Cambridge Massachusetts
9 San Francisco California
10 Flint Michigan
11 Cleveland Ohio
12 Hartford Connecticut
13 Paterson New Jersey
14 Baltimore Maryland
15 New Haven Connecticut
16 Seattle Washington
17 Chicago Illinois
18 Philadelphia Pennsylvania
19 Birmingham Alabama
20 St. Louis Missouri
21 New York New York
22 Providence Rhode Island
23 Minneapolis Minnesota
24 Boston Massachusetts
25 Buffalo New York

America’s 25 Most Conservative Cities (in descending order)
1 Provo Utah
2 Lubbock Texas
3 Abilene Texas
4 Hialeah Florida
5 Plano Texas
6 Colorado Springs Colorado
7 Gilbert Arizona
8 Bakersfield California
9 Lafayette Louisiana
10 Orange California
11 Escondido California
12 Allentown Pennsylvania
13 Mesa Arizona
14 Arlington Texas
15 Peoria Arizona
16 Cape Coral Florida
17 Garden Grove California
18 Simi Valley California
19 Corona California
20 Clearwater Florida
21 West Valley City Utah
22 Oklahoma City Oklahoma
23 Overland Park Kansas
24 Anchorage Alaska
25 Huntington Beach California

Where did you pull this from? Just some internet poll or something?

 

[tinman831]

Where did you pull this from? Just some internet poll or something?

http://votingresearch.org/USAstudynationalrelease.pdf

 

[JohnUNLV]

http://votingresearch.org/USAstudynationalrelease.pdf

just a poll.

 

[Rezdawg]

Good luck on getting into UCSF and if you do, I'll cya in Sep!

Those posts were from 3 years ago, so the dude is probabaly a 3rd year right now, somewhere.

 

[vaio]

whats up with all these gay threadsss

 

[NerdIAm]

wow, someone dug up a really really old thread!

 

[jrm]

It is probably true that most dental schools are conservative, however I do not believe that your sexual preferences ought to deter you in any way from pursuing dentistry.

In fact, I don't think it will harm your application, at all. Good luck with your pursuits!

It's good to see a dental student say he doesn't think sexual preference will harm an applicant. Not sure where in AZ you're from, but I am from Mesa and experienced a lot of grief for being out in high school. It was important for me to discuss this adversity in my personal statement.

 

[aggie-master]

I'm left handed and I have an openly gay cousin that wants to be a doctor.

Have you talked to any gay dentists and checked to see if being openly gay affected their practice? I doubt it would have any impact on getting into school or how you are treated at school, but I wonder if people might discriminate against a gay dentist enough to the point where it would affect his/her profits.

 

[Cablindian]

Tutoring is the same has hand holding for gays?

Not to sound rude but, cant you call your mom, or friends or other family? Why does a school HAVE to have a support system JUST FOR YOU? I dont get it. How can this seriously be a major concern?

Discrimination IS a major concern because it still exists. I don't believe a support system is "hand-holding." It is merely an outlet for people of similar interests and backgrounds to share their frustrations and experiences. I wonder if you would say the same thing about a support system for minorities...
I'm assuming you've never been discriminated against.

 

[1FutureDDS]

um, i don't go in to my interview and say i like to be with chicks....so there is no reason for you to go in and say you like to be with dudes....


They will never know, or even care. you aren't special, so forget it.

 

[dancedancekj]

um, i don't go in to my interview and say i like to be with chicks....so there is no reason for you to go in and say you like to be with dudes....

Off the topic, of course there's nothing special about being in the majority... however, I do get what you're saying and you are correct: your sexuality should and will have little to do with your admission process and how the majority of people treat you.