Any underdogs end up specializing?

[purduephigam]

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I've worked incredibly hard since my sophomore year of undergrad (switched majors) in order to achieve my goal of dental school. After being denied from 10 schools last year, I enrolled in a biology masters program and reapplied. I was recently accepted into my first choice and couldn't be happier. Now the thought of specializing has always interested me, yet still intimidates me being that you to stay at the top of your class. I've been told to start out thinking you'd like to specialize, because someone who hadn't thought about it, might change their mind later on. If this is the case, then you'd have the grades to help with your newfound goal.

My main question is, is there anyone out there who has been in a similar situation as me and in fact ended up specializing, or will specialize? Regardless, I'll start out gunning as I am sure all other kids in my class, but the key is to stay at the top. I realize different people have different goals, but is it worth the "extra effort" and all the stresses that accompany it?

 

[Ramathorn]

I've worked incredibly hard since my sophomore year of undergrad (switched majors) in order to achieve my goal of dental school. After being denied from 10 schools last year, I enrolled in a biology masters program and reapplied. I was recently accepted into my first choice and couldn't be happier. Now the thought of specializing has always interested me, yet still intimidates me being that you to stay at the top of your class. I've been told to start out thinking you'd like to specialize, because someone who hadn't thought about it, might change their mind later on. If this is the case, then you'd have the grades to help with your newfound goal.

My main question is, is there anyone out there who has been in a similar situation as me and in fact ended up specializing, or will specialize? Regardless, I'll start out gunning as I am sure all other kids in my class, but the key is to stay at the top. I realize different people have different goals, but is it worth the "extra effort" and all the stresses that accompany it?

Depends what you want to specialize in really. Prosth, perio, and peds aren't as competetive as ortho and oms.

Of course, some people who do poorly in college end up doing well in dental school. Yah-E had a college GPA below 3.0, did a post-bac or something, and went to nova. He got 90 on part I and is now in oral surgery at LSU, md program.

 

[Jediwendell]

I can give you my story and you can decide if you can do it or not.

I went to a small school in KY that had an average GPA of 2.7. I was very average. I applied to dental school on a whim as my father was a dentist. He hated dentistry, however, and I wasn't that into going in reality. I was kindof bummed that I wasn't going to go to medical school and there was nothing I could really do about it. I only got an interview at the University of Kentucky, likely due to nepotism as my father went there and did extremely well. Some of the faculty that were there know him well, and hey, I got an interview. In the end, I got wait listed and figured I wouldn't apply again. I wasn't too optimistic. To help my try and figure out what I wanted to do with my life I started working as a runner for a law firm and it SUCKED bigtime. Law is generally terrible and I came to see that in my eight months or so in working there. Then fate stepped in. I got a call one day prior to classes starting because somebody decided to not show up and they thought I might be interested since I was in town. I of course said yes and went on to finish 3rd in my class, get the best step one board score at UK in more than 5 years and get into OMS at San Antonio in a 6 year MD program. People with much better scores than me going into dental school actually managed to flunk out or finish in the bottom third. What I learned is that it is all about effort. If you study, you will do well. If you put in that extra 15% you will do well. Of course as everybody on here knows I am now in ortho but that is a different story.

If there was hope for me there is hope for everybody.

As far as specializing, keep the top specialty in your sights at all times, be it ortho or endo, and if you don't want to do it when the time comes then don't. If you finish out of the top quarter or so of your class most specialties are essentially off limits and you do not want to be stuck in a position where you want to specialize and can't.

 

[FreshBreath]

When you start dental school, it is like starting with a new slate. Does not matter if you got in the first time, or the second, and does not matter what you did in undergrad. If you work hard, are dedicated, and stay focused you can specialize. Plain and simple.

Good luck!

 

[Yah-E]

You'll have to work hard and be proactive!

Sure I had a poor undergraduate numbers, but I made it up by being in the top 1/4 of my dental class and got a 90% on Part 1 (minimal cutoff set by many OMFS programs). What also helped me was my extracurricular participations including almost a 5 month worth of OMFS externships and my involvement in SGA.

If you want it, then you can do it, but everything rides on you.

Good luck.

 

[purduephigam]

Thanks for all the tips guys/gals. I am looking forward to starting in the fall!