anyone hear from the UCSF/SFSU dental post bac program yet?

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Great meeting you guys. You will hear back from the program probably within a week.

Thanks for the info Steve, I enjoyed meeting everyone from the program as well as some of the other candidates.

For anyone that still has an upcoming interview, I will provide a semi brief overview of how my interview went today.

Cliffs Notes Version: Everyone was friendly and it created a relaxed atmosphere. There were two interviews: formal and informal. Prepare like it is a dental school interview (reading over the questions on the application is a good place to start). Relax. Be yourself. Enjoy. Good luck!

Verbose version: I got one of the early spots (8:30) and arrived a little after 8:00. Current participants in the program greeted us at the door. We went into a waiting room, where we were provided with bagels, juice and water (a nice touch, I must say). Dr. Rothman came in an introduced himself to everyone individually and explained the general format for the interview process. The students introduced themselves as well.

Everyone was very friendly, which helped me relax and students stayed with us in the waiting room and answered any questions we had about the program and predental rigors (AADSAS, prerequisites, etc.). It was a high energy, friendly atmosphere.

Our interviews consisted of 2 parts: a formal part with predetermined questions and an informal part that revolved around dentistry, other aspects of my application, and life in general. The interviews were conducted mostly by students with Dr. Rothman conducting some of the interviews as well. I don't know how it was decided who would interview with Dr. Rothman, so try not to psych yourself out if you do/don't interview with him. Relax, be prepared, be yourself and you will do fine!

My first interview was the formal one. I started at 8:30 and lasted half an hour. I had a break from 9:00 to 9:30, then had my second interview from 9:30 to 10:00. After that we got a tour of the campus (thanks Steve!). Others hung around after their interview, unfortunately, I had to drive down to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for my makeup biology field trip, so I was not able to stay.

I am very impressed with the program. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The program participants work as a team to support and help each other work towards the goal of getting into dental school. It still amazes me that this is the case throughout the predental community, in my experience, considering the extreme competitiveness of getting into dental school.

Good luck to everyone who has interviewed or has yet to interview!

Brian

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i remember being told today was the last day of interviews for the reapplicant program. i'm praying for good news soon.
 
me too slashnroses19!! keep me updated!
 
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i am accepted to the 1.5 year disadvantaged reapplicant program. i'll be in the dorms july 8-august 1st. can't wait to meet the others and hopefully find a cool place to live in after that.
 
yay I got into 1 year reapplicant program! can't wait
 
I got accepted to the 1.5 yrs adjunct program. I cannot wait to start. Hope to see everyone there.
 
:( Waitlisted... for the adjunct program. I will, however, participate as a 'guest' and hope that a spot opens up. I don't know the reality of a spot opening up with only 10 available in the first place.

Congrats everyone. See you this summer.
 
i got accepted to the 1.5 program and will see some of you there. yey :D I didnt want to say anything before just in case i got rejected but i had a really good feeling after my interview and im so glad i was right.

what is everyone thinking of doing for housing cause $50 a day in the dorms seems like a lot.
 
in the acceptance email it said dorm would be free to us "funds permitting" but it looks like well get it at no charge as of now.
 
I was so devastated after checking the email at work. "guest " status invitation? what is that? And was there a difference between wait list and guest? How do you know if you are wait listed.. Ack. looks like I put all my eggs in one basket. Now I am planning other avenues for my life.

If anyone knows more about guest/ wait list. please let me know.. And the cost is so expensive. What was the difference between adjunct and guest anyway? they sound kinda the same because as an adjunct you have to be proactive and find your own things anyway, as well as pay for ur own things.
 
I was so devastated after checking the email at work. "guest " status invitation? what is that? And was there a difference between wait list and guest? How do you know if you are wait listed.. Ack. looks like I put all my eggs in one basket. Now I am planning other avenues for my life.

If anyone knows more about guest/ wait list. please let me know.. And the cost is so expensive. What was the difference between adjunct and guest anyway? they sound kinda the same because as an adjunct you have to be proactive and find your own things anyway, as well as pay for ur own things.

Hey sexydds,

I am sorry to hear about your situation. I was shocked as well, because I thought my interviews went extremely well. Don't give up. There is no reason why you can't/shouldn't put together your own post-bacc program that accomplishes that same thing and will still help you when applying to dental school. Take the upper level bio classes you need and participate in any dental activities you can find.

The email I received specifically said that I have been put on the wait-list for the adjunct program. It then went on to say that instead of leaving me in an ambiguous position, that I was invited to participate as a guest. I Hope this is the information you were looking for.

Good luck.

Brian
 
has anyone filled out fafsa yet?

Yup. Filled it out last month.

I got my financial aid package from SFSU last week. Looks like Brian won't be needing a job this year!
 
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how long does it take from when you send your fafsa info to sfsu for them to mail you information?
 
how long does it take from when you send your fafsa info to sfsu for them to mail you information?

I submitted my FAFSA forms on May 9.

I received my financial aid package on May 21.

That's a pretty quick turnaround if you ask me. :)
 
Congrats to everyone that was accepted to the program! What exactly does "guest" mean? Are you still part of the program? I am planning on applying next year at this time & would like to know what they're looking for in the applicants that have been accepted? What do you think made you stand out whether in your stats or interview? Thanks in advance!
 
Any updates for those accepted to the program?
 
Congrats to everyone that was accepted to the program! What exactly does "guest" mean? Are you still part of the program?

I am not sure exactly what 'guest' means. The wait-list email indicated that "Guests are allowed to share a very limited number of the regular Dental Post-Bac activities and must cover their own expenses." However, I don't know exactly what activities I will/won't be able to participate in.

Over the summer I will participate in the DAT Prep Course and in the fall/spring I will take all of my courses at SFSU. And I will be trying my darnedest to get into the program and get as much out of guest participation as possible.

Good luck applying next year.
 
I submitted my FAFSA forms on May 9.

I received my financial aid package on May 21.

That's a pretty quick turnaround if you ask me. :)

i know you received your package weeks later but did they let you know earlier if you were granted the loan (via email etc) ? i just submitted mine electronically.
 
Seems like everyone is accepted to the 1.5 year program. Anyone accepted to the 1 year program?
 
I was invited to be a "guest" as well...

My situation: Ive applied twice, no luck. Thinking about applying a 3rd time this year, gonna take two classes this summer at UCI, then go to SFSU this fall (if everything works out well).

2.9'ish GPA, 20 AA, 22 PAT, plenty of real world dental exp (I make teeth), brother is an alumus from UOP (I really wanna go here)

My question: Should I apply now anyway? Or should I wait till next year, after a full year of additional classes? Im torn.
 
Dear Nar-

ur not completely alone. At least u tried. My stats are low, I always hold back. I think dont apply just to apply. You want to show you improved. Any how, I am torn too. I got invited as a guest, but I do not know if i will take it because i can't cover the living costs. In my opinion, through careful thinking, guest and adjunct seem to mean the same thing to me since both have to cover own expenses, both need to be proactive to find their preceptors etc. I really can't tell the difference.

Let me know if you have aim or anything.
 
I was invited to be a "guest" as well...

My situation: Ive applied twice, no luck. Thinking about applying a 3rd time this year, gonna take two classes this summer at UCI, then go to SFSU this fall (if everything works out well).

2.9'ish GPA, 20 AA, 22 PAT, plenty of real world dental exp (I make teeth), brother is an alumus from UOP (I really wanna go here)

My question: Should I apply now anyway? Or should I wait till next year, after a full year of additional classes? Im torn.


- Your DAT scores are good. Did you tried out of state schools? I know your heart is set on UOP but at the end of the day, a dentist graduate at another school is a dentist anywhere.
You should try to apply again this year. Don't ever give up.
Have a really really good personal statement!!!! Tell the reader a story.
 
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hey it looks like im goin to sfsu this fall....i got my acceptance and everything, and i have orientation this wednesday june 11th in socal. i need to figure out which classes i should take, considering that i already have my pre-reqs. any suggestions? i feel a bit lost, so if anyone else is in a similar situation, then message me, and lets talk

im also looking for housing. im probably gonna do the whole craigslist thing once i figure out how much $ i have to work with....but im open for suggestions, as i think it could be beneficial to find housing with a like minded person. lemme know
 
hey it looks like im goin to sfsu this fall....i got my acceptance and everything, and i have orientation this wednesday june 11th in socal. i need to figure out which classes i should take, considering that i already have my pre-reqs. any suggestions? i feel a bit lost, so if anyone else is in a similar situation, then message me, and lets talk

Maybe you've already taken these classes, but I am going to be taking anatomy, general microbiology, and general biochemistry in the fall and physiology, vertebrate histology, and "a course to be named later" in the spring. I was given the nod that these are good courses to take. If you haven't taken these courses already, take them. They are on UOPs "big five" list for courses that are "highly recommended" prior to dental school.

General guidance given at today's post-bac orientation was that any upper division biology course (300-600 level at SFSU) is a good candidate. We should get more guidance later in the summer and I will give you an update at that time if you're still interested.

Good luck.

Enjoy, Brian
 
Maybe you've already taken these classes, but I am going to be taking anatomy, general microbiology, and general biochemistry in the fall and physiology, vertebrate histology, and "a course to be named later" in the spring. I was given the nod that these are good courses to take. If you haven't taken these courses already, take them. They are on UOPs "big five" list for courses that are "highly recommended" prior to dental school.

General guidance given at today's post-bac orientation was that any upper division biology course (300-600 level at SFSU) is a good candidate. We should get more guidance later in the summer and I will give you an update at that time if you're still interested.

Good luck.

Enjoy, Brian

Hey bjbath,

I may be starting at SFSU soon and was wondering how your likeing your classes? Any specific courses/professors to stay away from at all costs?

Hows the program overall?
 
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