Advanced standing-questions ?

[Henna]

Hi,
If any of the advanced standing students have any questions please post it here. It would help everyone in the long run . ( PM'ing me will only help you )
I've been thru this process & Iam almost stepping into the program, so I guess I
might be able students who just started off with their applications ...
Iam sure I wont be able to answer many of your questions , but I guess others in
a similar position might be able to help us out. This will help all of us ..

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[Henna]

[/QUOThanks for the replies on this as well as the question about residencies.Well I am
still waiting for my Part 1 results and I will be applying only next year,I
guess.Anyway,I heard that USC has changed their curriculum to PBL.Is it the same
for international students or do they have a regular curriculum for international
students.Also I would also appreciate if u could tell me why u would choose USC
over BU.I would really appreciate if u could compare the 2 on the following
points:Tuition,quality of education,the school itself and also thepeople who
interviewed u.I would also appreciate if u could share ur experience about the
interviews.TE]
------------------------------------
Hi drmouse,
USC has a PBL curriculum only for the regular batch , but from the next academic year they will be switching on to the PBL curriculum even for the advance standing students.

I haven't entirely decided where I'll join ( thou I placed my deposit at USC),,,so once I do that I'll let you know why I chose it ! USC & BU are both very good schools.. Iam still waiting for other interviews etc so I havent made a final decision.
Tuition for PASS program is almost the same in all the univ.
I cant say abt the quality of education .... Iam guessing it'll be great !
.
Interviews are not a big deal......honest ! It's very cool , laid-back , they just want to get to know you, your attitude & approach etc ...

 

[Henna]

Hi,
Is anyone going to UCSF for the IDS interview (feb 22nd & 23rd )?

 

[quicksand]

Hi perplexed,
I have been looking for this kind of offer for sometime .Thank you.

When did u apply & how long did it take before you heard from the schools , aslo how many schools did u apply to ,, I appleid for nyu, uop,pitt's & lomalinda also.
Thank you again for your help.

 

[groovy]

perplexed,
you are a kind soul helping fellow international students!
why do some schools insist on a gpa? what is a decent one that can assure you an interview?
how do we learn and practice for technical tests in california?
are you on a waiting list anywhere? if so what can be done at that stage to keep the schools interest in you alive?
thanks...and sorry for my exhaustive queries!

 

[Henna]

Hi,
Jeeeees.... Look what I got myself into ......

Docie,

why do some schools insist on a gpa? what is a decent one that can assure you an interview?
....

GPA is req by all the schools , GPA over 3.0 is good but not a must for an interview.I know of ppl who have got accepted with GPA around 2.7 & 2.6 . I think it helps to explain to them how we are scored back home .... Each school has a different method of scoring, so low or high GPA doesnt really make a lot of sense .....does it ?
The most important score is still the part 1 score..GPA, part 2 are all secondary.
...........

[/i]how do we learn and practice for technical tests in california?
...........

You are on your own buddy ! hehehe .
You have to practice on typodonts, try to do all the fixed & operative part ( inlays , onlays , crowns , class 2's etc ),,,its always safe to do that. huh yeah ! Its tough but its worth it as the practical work matters a LOT ! No school is going to help u with that !


are you on a waiting list anywhere? if so what can be done at that stage to keep the schools interest in you alive?
.............
Iam also on the waiting list in one of the schools... Most schools don't even give the ranking for the waiting list ..that's so annoying , isnt it ?
Just keep waiting for the phone to ring all the time ......

There's isnt much we can do actually .. may be just call them up once in a while .
Hope this helps .
Good luck !

 

[Henna]

Hi slash,
U r welcome !
[I have appleid to a few schools with pass program but I havent heard from any yet dont know what i did wrong.

........

Please check with them & see if your application is complete, ask them if they received your NDB scores , ECE etc. Call them ASAP . Aslo check the deadlines for all the schools.

[/i]When did u apply & how long did it take before you heard from the schools , aslo how many schools did u apply to ,, I appleid for nyu, uop,pitt's & lomalinda also.

I applied well within the deadlines for each school. Its always better to do that than wait for the end of the date of submission.

Good luck !

 

[quicksand]

Yuh huh!!!! I got a call!!!

 

[Henna]

Guess what !
I got accepted at UOP .... Iam all excited !
Good luck to you slash.
Desi girl , did u hear from UOP too ? If you do let me know.

 

[groovy]

slash,
just wondering when you applied to uop as i am waiting for an interview call myself.i applied in january and was told they are going to send letters in march after they have reviewed the entire pool of candidates.am i missing anything here?

 

[groovy]

perplexed,
congratulations on your acceptance at uop!
oh boy...you can now pick and choose!

 

[quicksand]

docie,
I applied in last oct...& have been waiting this long .... I think you'll also get a call for interview soon ...

 

[groovy]

perplexed,
thanks for your input.it surely helps to get the right perspective on things.
just wondering if you had passed part-2 at the time of your interviews.

 

[Henna]

Hi docie,
Thnx !
How many schools have you applied to so far ? I am not sure but I think students who apply after dec are pooled in with the dec NDB batch ...so dont panic as yet ...
Good luck!

 

[Henna]

no I havent given part 2 yet , have u ?

 

[groovy]

my part-2 test is on 26th feb on the computer.the preparation is driving me crazy!

 

[groovy]

desi girl,
i guess we are in the same boat as i am also waiting to hear from nyu and uop.i have heard that an interview is not mandatory at nyu and if they like the application they call you to join.

 

[Henna]

I've postponed it for the nth time now .... <img src="graemlins/laughy.gif" border="0" alt="[Laughy]" /> I just couldnt concentrate with distractions (interviews etc so far ). Will have to start studying for it soon .


All the very best to you !

 

[quicksand]

Perplexed could you please tell me about the didactics in UOP also about the interview process. thank you.
And congrats to you.. You must be very good with your practical skills please help me out . <img src="graemlins/lovey.gif" border="0" alt="[Lovey]" />

 

[protocol]

Hi,
Does anyone know when NYU will be calling for interivews , also how many seat do they have .. I heard they get lots of applicants.

thanks !

 

[Henna]

Hi slash,
Hope you got it. If you can please post that material here so others can see it too . Iam not well versed with computers to do that .Thank you in advance.

 

[drmouse]

Hi Perplexed,

Congratulations.And thanks for ur previous replies.U are really a nice person as u are helping out so many others.Am still waiting for my Part 1 results.They are driving me crazy.Anyway,good luck with ur schools and do let me know which school u decide on finally.
Take care and have a nice day............

 

[orange04]

Hi!!Congrats Perplexed Perplexed how do u go abt practicing for the technical exams . Could u tell me where we could get the typhodonts and the rotary instruments.And how u prepared for the exams . Your view would be very helpful. Thanks .

 

[Henna]

•••quote:••• Perplexed how do u go abt practicing for the technical exams . Could u tell me where we could get the typhodonts and the rotary instruments.And how u prepared for the exams . Your view would be very helpful. Thanks ••••For the tech exams you will have to get a compressor, you can contact your local dentist for this they might allow you to practice during the non working hrs OR contact a dental intrument agent ( eg ash temple etc) they do lend it at times , make sure to say that its not for any clinic but only for your practice at home.
YOu'll have to either borrow the hand piece & typo or buy one . Typo is around $USD 260/- handpiece around $350/- Hand Instruments are also important for final finishing dont forget to get those.

Riksh & drmoose , thnx & good luck !

 

[Henna]

also refer to FPD & operative text books !

 

[orange04]

hi Perplexed !! thanks a lot for the info & help

 

[nps]

BU INTERVIEW
did anyone who interviewed in BU in early/mid january,hear from them as yet?any idea anyone,as to when they send out acceptance letters etc..?

 

[Henna]

Hi nps,
If you were interviewed mid jan then I think it'll take atleast a month ( from the time u interviewed) before you hear from them ,,& also they go by scores ie to say they select the above 90's first & so on .
good luck !

 

[nps]

Thanks for the reply..am a bit too anxious about the outcome of the interviews..

 

[Henna]

I've decided not to accept BU's offer, will be sending them a letter today , that will open up another space for you

 

[groovy]

hi,
i have been accepted at nyu.but because of all the negative responses about this school i do not feel that good.any reassurances?

 

[Henna]

Congrats Docie !

•••quote:••• i have been accepted at nyu.but because of all the negative responses about this school i do not feel that good.any reassurances? ••••That's a trick question for me .. :wink:

Well ! lets see the good points..

-You wont have lack of patients.
-You get to live in NYC.
-They do have PG programs.
-You'll have lots of friends as it'll be a big class.
- Everyone has there own views abt schools , who knows you might end up loving it there.

If you are not too happy abt it you can keep it as your back up ,, wait for other schools & see how that goes. Well I guess you'll have to place a deposit for them to hold your place, yeah !
What are the other interviews u attended so far ?
Docie, you can PM me if you want to get into the details of this.

 

[nps]

I have also been accepted into NYU,well what are u guys planning to do abt.. the financial loans?What are the options we have for the fin. aid/loans?any idea?
Thanks.

 

[Henna]

Iam applying for the international loan thru TERI , I dont have too many options . That's the only loan I can apply for !
The other loans ( if its applicable ) would be the federal loan , stafford loans etc ... I dont have any details on that thou.

 

[nps]

Most of the loans seem to require a permanent resident/citizen of this country as a co-signer..are there any loans which do not have such requirements,for students who do not have a person to co-sign for them?

 

[Henna]

Not that I know of . sorry .

This is just a wild shot . If you are from India , Indian govt might have some kind of loans for Indian students studying abroad.

 

[nps]

Any idea as to how early/late you can start applying for the loans and be sure that it reaches the school on time,assuming that the school starts in july end/august?

 

[Henna]

which loan r u talking abt?

 

[nps]

private loans,in general..

 

[Henna]

I only know abt TERI,it takes abt 3-5 wks .

 

[Henna]

or 4-6wks max

 

[groovy]

nps,

are you accepting nyu and paying up the deposit?
do you have any idea if they do offer a 2 yr program to some students?

 

[nps]

I am waiting to see if i get accepted in any other 2 YEAR DDS/DMD program..in that case i will relinquish nyu,well, from this year onwards,they do not offer the 2 year course...

 

[Henna]

For loans -( advance standing students )
You can look into

<a href="http://www.SALLIEMAE.com" target="_blank">www.SALLIEMAE.com</a>
(1-888-288-4846)
<a href="http://www.NELLIEMAE.com" target="_blank">www.NELLIEMAE.com</a>
(1-888-288-4846)
<a href="http://www.TERI.org" target="_blank">www.TERI.org</a>
(1-800-255-8374)

 

[drmouse]

Hi everyone,

All u guys are really wonderful and of great help because u all share ur experiences on this board.Now I am very much junior to u all.I mean I took my part 1 in dec and didnot do too well.I got only 83 .I know it is a pretty low score and I don't think I have chances of getting into any school at all.I know that most people get scores above 88 and so on.Does anyone know of anybody who has ever got into any dental school with such a low score or even has been invited for an interview for that matter.Also I was thinking about retaking Part 1 but am not too sure of what to do.I will have to reatke the whole exam and I did pretty well on Dental Anat and don't want to mess with the score.Also I tried speaking to the NDB and they told me that they report the latest score and also that they know of students who do worse on retakes and then are in a mess.Can anyone please guide me.All of u who are getting in some school,can u please share ur scores with me.Also do u guys think that taking Part 2 will improve my chances of getting into some school or is it that there will be no difference.Please...please help me.I would really appreciate all ur help............

 

[Henna]

Hi drmouse,
First of all congrats ! You did good !( & good to hear from u again )! You've got very good scores, having said that I would also say that NDB part 1 being a competitive exam with very few seats & too many applicants its hard to get into a good school without high scores.
From my observation , I feel that dec batch generally lack a certain amt of advantage that the july batch has . Dec batch get less choices to choose from when it comes to applying to schools as most schools are closed for addmission for that year even before you get your results, right ?
So you have very few schools at hand right now , I would go ahead & apply anyways but I would also have a contingency plan.
If you decide to give an exam to improve your chances PLEASE retake PART 1, taking part 2 for the first time is not going to help you much, you are much more well versed in NDB 1 now so it to your advantage to take that again . Moreover very very few schools ask for part 2 & the schools who dont have that as an "requirement" will not even consider ur NDB 2 scores .
Yes ! Some students do bad on their next attempt....so ??? That need not be you. I would give myself a couple of weeks & then start with my preparation,,,may be look into the question papers etc .. I think Kaplan helps too, you can also get dental decks etc .. Its all so fresh in your memory right now , it wont be hard to get it all back & to get into the rhythm. It'll be way easier this time !
And yes .. I know ppl who have had 79% - 82 % who have got accepted in good schools ..but its way past their deadline for you to apply.( I also think it was their practical skills that helped them )
Good luck !

 

[groovy]

i think you should apply immediately to nyu who considers applicants with 80 and above.
i have heard of lot of people who have got in with those scores there as well as other places.
in the meantime you could retake the test and activate your application file in schools later with recent scores if you are not lucky this time.

 

[steiner19er]

A question? Who are the posters on this topic? Is it for people in non-US dental schools that are tyring to get into a US dental school?

 

[Henna]

Yes ! We are dentists who graduated from non US dental schools, so to practice in North America we need to go back to a US-dental school ,its a 2-3 yr program .

 

[steiner19er]

thats what I thought, thanks for the info. Makes me greatful that I was born here. good luck getting in