chances of getting into endodontics program right out of school

[hedstrom91]

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i have read that it is very very very very hard to get into endo straight out of dental school.
i read many threads in the past, but those were from many years ago.
has it changed now? or is it still the same?
fyi, i'm currently ranked 5 out of 70 at my dental school.

thank you

 

[zriceman]

It is do able. Just apply and see what happens. Also apply to GPR in case first round does not work for you, your chance will increase for second round.

 

[Logs]

It is still very hard to get into a program straight from dental school. Many directors I have spoken to prefer experience outside of dental school for varies reason. Very few programs still "take a chance" with someone right out of dental school but each year the number it seems is getting lower.

 

[MtEndo]

it is definitely do-able to get into AN endo program. if you don't care about which program, then it's definitely doable.
however, it's different if you want to get in somewhere that is either prestigious or pays stipends.
i ranked 2/75 at my school - i received interviews this year, and i did get into two endo programs - none that i actually want to go to. i'm sure after GPR, more opportunities will open up for me next year.
for example, i've been informed that columbia accepts 6 people, but 3 with experience and 3 straight out of school. and of the 3 straight out of school, they usually accept 2 or 3 columbia students... so... it's probably impossible to get into columbia straight out of school. (i didn't get in)
for tips, i did hear that doing an externship most likely gets you an interview at a specific school.
i would think that being straight out of school may give you an advantage in studying for ADAT in the years to come... but i may be wrong...

 

[premac]

IMO, since you have pretty good rank, you just need to have the other things to be a "complete applicant".
Just try to be an excellent applicant that the director would ponder, 'If I don't accept this person this year, he/she is probably going to be accepted somewhere else".
I think some good things to have in your application are:
1. Research experience (especially for schools that are known to have a lot of AAE presenters)
2. Amazing letters of rec (very important!)
3. Extracurricular activities with emphasis on leadership and community service (things that you can talk about during the interview, too)
4. Externships in specific endo programs if they have one (shows dedication and interest towards that program)
Most importantly, be able to show early interest towards the field of endodontics.
Good news is that ADAT will probably take a bigger role next year - getting an amazing score will probably make it harder for the directors to not select you for an interview.

You'd be surprised how many programs don't mind 4th year dental students.
I'm currently a 4th yr dental student - I applied to 6 programs (Columbia, Penn, UCLA, Harvard, UIC, and Albert Einstein) and got interviews in 5 of them (all except AE). So... have hope!

Good luck!

 

[ALTOSS]

I'll add my two cents - one thing that struck me while I was on the interview trail was that the program directors are very concerned with selecting an ideal group of candidates that would work and get along well like a family. I really don't think there is a magic number or ratio of D4s vs graduates. One director told me the selection process would be a lot easier for him if he would just offer positions to the candidates with the highest numbers. My friend's program has all with work experience, while in my year I am the only one with any post dental school work experience, and in both of the programs the ratio has been varied every year. You will land interviews as long as your stats are solid, and you will offered a position if they find you a good fit for the group, regardless of your years of dental experience.

 

[premac]

I'll add my two cents - one thing that struck me while I was on the interview trail was that the program directors are very concerned with selecting an ideal group of candidates that would work and get along well like a family. I really don't think there is a magic number or ratio of D4s vs graduates. One director told me the selection process would be a lot easier for him if he would just offer positions to the candidates with the highest numbers. My friend's program has all with work experience, while in my year I am the only one with any post dental school work experience, and in both of the programs the ratio has been varied every year. You will land interviews as long as your stats are solid, and you will offered a position if they find you a good fit for the group, regardless of your years of dental experience.

completely agreed

 

[Localnative]

one guy matriculated directly from high school
HIGHLY unusual.
hope that helps.

 

[ElenaDDS]

completely agreed

What was your class rank if you dont mind my asking?! Thats so many interviews for 4th year

 

[fellowstudent92]

What was your class rank if you dont mind my asking?! Thats so many interviews for 4th year

Would love to know this and as much more information as you would like to provide @premac to help us understand what you need to be at your level.

 

[premac]

What was your class rank if you dont mind my asking?! Thats so many interviews for 4th year

Would love to know this and as much more information as you would like to provide @premac to help us understand what you need to be at your level.

Thanks guys. I had rank 1 according to all the interviewers.
My application was just really packed with everything that screamed endodontics. These included research, awards, leadership positions, community service, advanced programs within the dental school, attendance at AAE, and endo externship. Also had amazing letters of rec because I became really close with the core endo faculty at my school.

Hope that helps!

Premac

 

[Chamilitary]

From my experience:

I interviewed mostly at programs that offered stipends and they really seemed to place an emphasis on experience. Many of the applicants completed an AEGD/GPR and had 3-5 (or more) years of clinical experience. There were also a large number of prior military candidates being interviewed.

The programs with larger class sizes that did not offer a stipend seemed to interview more people in general and seemed to interview more people who were coming right out of school or their AEGD/GPR as compared to programs that offered stipends.

Being said, if you're set on starting your residency right out of dental school, I would apply to a variety of programs. If you're set on going to a paid residency, I would do a an AEGD/GPR to build up your experience. Additionally, I would make sure that you have strong LORs from Endodontic Faculty / Mentors and have a documented history of your interest in Endodontics (i.e. AAE membership, attend AAE meeting, Endodontics CE, etc). Research wouldn't hurt, but I didn't get the impression that the clinical based programs placed much emphasis on past research experience.

 

[waldo13]

Two questions.
1. If someone does not get into an Endo program right out of dental school which route would be the most beneficial to strengthen a resume for the following year, a 1 year GPR, 1 year AEGD or one year of private practice?
2. Does anyone have a list of which schools are "top notch" and which are "bottom of the barrel?" I've had no luck finding rankings.
Thanks in advance.

 

[waldo13]

it is definitely do-able to get into AN endo program. if you don't care about which program, then it's definitely doable.
however, it's different if you want to get in somewhere that is either prestigious or pays stipends.
i ranked 2/75 at my school - i received interviews this year, and i did get into two endo programs - none that i actually want to go to. i'm sure after GPR, more opportunities will open up for me next year.
for example, i've been informed that columbia accepts 6 people, but 3 with experience and 3 straight out of school. and of the 3 straight out of school, they usually accept 2 or 3 columbia students... so... it's probably impossible to get into columbia straight out of school. (i didn't get in)
for tips, i did hear that doing an externship most likely gets you an interview at a specific school.
i would think that being straight out of school may give you an advantage in studying for ADAT in the years to come... but i may be wrong...

Which schools did you decide not to accept their offer?

 

[MtEndo]

Which schools did you decide not to accept their offer?

i'd rather not mention the names; since that may seem like they are "worse" programs. not true!!!!! just not the programs that I was looking for.