Anyone applying to just one school?

[Dr IWannaBe]

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I live in Georgia and do not plan on moving (33 years old with 3 kids). I plan to apply the next cycle (2007-to Medical College of GA - tuition is unbelievable, $49,000+ for all four years!!) and hopefully I'll get in . If I fail to get in, I guess I'll try again next time. I just finished my first pre-req and got an A in Physics and the lab, so I'm on my way. Anyway, are any of you putting all of your eggs in one basket?

 

[fightingspirit]

I live in Georgia and do not plan on moving (33 years old with 3 kids). I plan to apply the next cycle (2007-to Medical College of GA - tuition is unbelievable, $49,000+ for all four years!!) and hopefully I'll get in . If I fail to get in, I guess I'll try again next time. I just finished my first pre-req and got an A in Physics and the lab, so I'm on my way. Anyway, are any of you putting all of your eggs in one basket?

hey there, i lived in atlanta for 2 years and looooooooooooved it. georgia is a cool state. baaaaaaaaad traffic though. anyways, i have not heard of a single SDNer who has applied to one school. even if one has superior qualifications to get into d-school x, one is afraid to apply just to that school lest being viewed as an applicant interested in school x as opposed to becoming a dentist.

MCG is made for people like you and if you explain your situation, they will surely take you in. you can proly get away with applying to MCG only. if you said UMD, columbia or UCLA, then i would discourage you from putting your eggs in one basket. but for MCG, you'd mostl likely get away with it. 🙂

 

[melissamcg]

it is a completely seperate application from AADSAS so I say go for it. Try to apply as early as possible so u can hopefully get an interview really early. Depending on how the interview goes, you can make a decision based on that. I applied to other schools just in case, but waited to send secondary applications until I heard from MCG in early Dec. Good Luck!!!

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

it is a completely seperate application from AADSAS so I say go for it. Try to apply as early as possible so u can hopefully get an interview really early. Depending on how the interview goes, you can make a decision based on that. I applied to other schools just in case, but waited to send secondary applications until I heard from MCG in early Dec. Good Luck!!!

Did you get accepted to MCG? If so, how was the interview process?

 

[jorUW]

Did you get accepted to MCG? If so, how was the interview process?

Last Cycle I only applied to the University of Washington. I absolutely wasnt able to leave the Seattle area until 2007 for personal reasons so I thought what the heck I'll toss in my name. I'm just graduating this spring, so worst case scenario for me was take a year off and gain more dental experience. I interviewed but was rejected in the end. This cycle I will apply all over the country. It was a risk, but you know your situation better than anyone else.

 

[L8DYV]

I live in Georgia and do not plan on moving (33 years old with 3 kids). I plan to apply the next cycle (2007-to Medical College of GA - tuition is unbelievable, $49,000+ for all four years!!) and hopefully I'll get in . If I fail to get in, I guess I'll try again next time. I just finished my first pre-req and got an A in Physics and the lab, so I'm on my way. Anyway, are any of you putting all of your eggs in one basket?

Family is definitely important and I can see why you would want to stay nearby. If your stats are competetive, you should have no problems getting in! Wow, cheap tuition, that's like 2/3 the cost of my one year at UCLA! Good luck to you!

 

[aphistis]

The OP's situation mirrors mine exactly. IUSD is the only school I applied to, and I managed to get in despite doing virtually *everything* wrong during the admissions process. Dental school admissions have grown markedly more competitive even in the few years since I applied, but I just wanted to chime in as somebody who's been in your situation and had things work out for the best. Good luck. 🙂

 

[tuftsdent]

I live in Georgia and do not plan on moving (33 years old with 3 kids). I plan to apply the next cycle (2007-to Medical College of GA - tuition is unbelievable, $49,000+ for all four years!!) and hopefully I'll get in . If I fail to get in, I guess I'll try again next time. I just finished my first pre-req and got an A in Physics and the lab, so I'm on my way. Anyway, are any of you putting all of your eggs in one basket?

I think you should apply to more than one school..worst case scenario you don't get into that one school you applied to. its better to have options. good luck
Tufts University school of Dental Medicine D'10

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

The OP's situation mirrors mine exactly. IUSD is the only school I applied to, and I managed to get in despite doing virtually *everything* wrong during the admissions process. Dental school admissions have grown markedly more competitive even in the few years since I applied, but I just wanted to chime in as somebody who's been in your situation and had things work out for the best. Good luck. 🙂

Nice! Very encouraging. How many kids and how were you able to spend time with family and study during school? I have already met with the director of admissions and she seems very nice (I guess they all do until they reject you!) I'll continue to keep in contact with her so during application time, I'm not just another number.

 

[aphistis]

Nice! Very encouraging. How many kids and how were you able to spend time with family and study during school? I have already met with the director of admissions and she seems very nice (I guess they all do until they reject you!) I'll continue to keep in contact with her so during application time, I'm not just another number.

No kids for us, actually; it's just my wife & me. The only time I've really had trouble with family time was during the meat grinder of second year, and since it's something everyone at IUSD knows about, I was about to warn her ahead of time that we'd spend some time not seeing each other much.

The only two cautions I'd give you are 1) having kids might make things a little tougher sometimes (from a making-time-for-everyone perspective) than if it was just the two of you, and 2) I'm pretty much the quintessence of anti-gunner-dom, and I don't have a 4.0 in dental school. If maintaining perfect grades at all cost will be a priority for you, then that will add to the challenge as well.

All that said, the short version is that it's definitely possible to balance family and school. Plenty of people have done it before, and as long as you're prepared, you ought to be fine. Good luck in school!

 

[sumozmom]

I live in Georgia and do not plan on moving (33 years old with 3 kids). I plan to apply the next cycle (2007-to Medical College of GA - tuition is unbelievable, $49,000+ for all four years!!) and hopefully I'll get in . If I fail to get in, I guess I'll try again next time. I just finished my first pre-req and got an A in Physics and the lab, so I'm on my way. Anyway, are any of you putting all of your eggs in one basket?

Hey congrats on the A!
I thought about doing that ...just UNLV...but my GPA scares me and is not competative enough and I do not wan't to take any chances. I have familey in Fulton County I think(N of Atlanta)....any way I would like to apply to the school there BUT i'm not a resident. I will prob apply to NYU ( I'm from there) UOP, Even try Columbia.....( u know -why not?!) My kids and I will go where ever I get in. 🙂

 

[leia05]

If you're confident of your stats, don't waste your money applying to a lot of schools. I researched a bit and knew how I compared to other applicants at the two schools to which I applied, so I knew I had a fairly decent shot of being accepted to both (and was accepted at both). If I can do it, you can too 🙂 Word of advice, having experience helps along with the stats if you're willing to gamble on one school.

 

[MCGHopeful]

Hi.

I am in a VERY similar boat as yourself. No kids yet, but married and 35 yrs old right now. Been working in the software industry for about 11 years with the last 5 as a contractor at the Centers for Disease Control.

Obviously, MCG is far and away my first choice. But, I cannot emphasize enough that if dentistry is what you want to do, apply to more than MCG. Even though MCG accepts 62 students, about half of those are reapplicants. So, that cuts it down to about 30 slots. On top of that, I do know they try to keep the classes 50/50 with the male/female thing. So, that cuts it even further. I do not want to sound discouraging at all, just know it will be tough. Hate to sound cliche, but if it was easy, everyone would be doing it 🙂

Best of luck and hopefully we will cross paths....really hoping we cross paths as fellow students at MCG! How awesome that would be. Feel free to PM me...where are taking your pre-req classes? By the way, congrats on the A.

 

[jaerob]

I wish I had applied to just one school; I'd say go for it if you're confident in your scores 👍 you'll be happy with the extra funds saved 🙂

 

[Maxillicious]

I think the X Factor is definately your GPA and DATs at this point.

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

I think you should apply to more than one school..worst case scenario you don't get into that one school you applied to. its better to have options. good luck
Tufts University school of Dental Medicine D'10

I appreciate the input. But the good thing about MCG is that they do give priority to reapplicants, so if I do not get in the first year, then I guess I'll try again the following year. I also have a wife and three kids, so it is very very appealing to come out of D-school owing as little as possible, so MCG is looking REALLY good, even if it means waiting another year, which I do not anticipate happening, though!

 

[MALOKINMARTIN]

one school is suicide

 

[polarnut]

always keep your options open. if you definitely want to be a dentist, then moving should also be part of the plan. dental education is an investment and as such there will be sacrifices. i'm sure there are many factors that go against you moving your entire family to another location, but also think of what a career in dentistry will do for you and your family. if you dont want to move your family, maybe you can just move alone?

i just think it's not worthwhile to spend all that energy and money to apply to just one school and hope that you get in. sure you can apply again next year but you are 33! every year counts. when i graduated from college i planned on taking a year off and then my boss told me a year means losing $150,000. you put that into mutual fund or whatever and in 20 years that comes out to be 20 million or something. so in essence, by delaying for a year, you are losing millions and jillions of dollars.

IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO TELL YOUR WIFE!?

no, sir.