Chances at orthodontic residency with high GPA but low class rank

[walterwhitedds]

I'm currently a first year dental student with a high interest in orthodontics. I have a 4.0 after semester 1, however I have good reason to believe that around half of my class also has that GPA. Our school ranks on a 4.0 scale so everyone with that gpa will be ranked #1. I talked to 3rd and 4th years and apparently well over 10% of their class still has a 4.0 GPA. They say there are students who have only made one B in three years and are ranked around #15-20. There's a course right now that I don't think I can pull back up to an A before it ends. If all else goes well I would finish my first year with over a 3.9 GPA but might be ranked #30 in my class and will likely never get into the top 10-15 even if I made A's on everything from here on. How does this realistically affect one's chances at matching if they have a high GPA but a ranking around #20? I wouldn't want to think a single B could bar someone out of a lifelong profession but I never imagined that I would be entering a school where a 3.99 would put you out of the top 10%.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[New_Vegas]

Your school must have insane grade inflation. I didn't even finish dental school with a 3.9 and I was in the top 5% of my class (my class was bigger than 100 dental students). I couldn't even imagine someone getting close to a 4.0 at my school lol.

Ortho is really competitive, and having a high rank is a huge part of it, so if you are going to get a B, just do your best to get As in all of your other classes throughout the rest of dental school to give yourself the best shot possible. Don't count yourself out even if you get a B, just keep going if this is what you really want to do and you can find a way to make it work.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Your school must have insane grade inflation.

This.

Big Hoss