choosing schools

[zayna02]

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I'm debating between which dental school to go to. As of now, I would like to specialize in the future. Do you think it would be harder to get into a specialty program if you graduated from SIU vs. Indiana, Michigan, or UIC? Those are my four choices, and I have no idea which one to choose. I really liked all the schools, but SIU is the cheapest. It would be difficult to do research there, and I've heard that research helps when applying for a specialty. HELP!

 

[UNLV OMS GUNNABE]

As far as research goes, if I can find research at UNLV ,anyone can find research anywhere. You just might have to look harder!

 

[UBTom]

to Zayna:

You can probably find research opportunities at all four schools. The trick is to do it early-- Try to contact the faculty who does research at the school you are looking to go to NOW and see if they got lab positions available for the summer before you start your freshman year. Explain to them that you are an incoming freshman who is very interested in laboratory research.

The websites of all four schools you listed do indeed have information on research (the faculty, their email addresses and other contact info). You can get started with those.

Just remember that if you want to specialize, you should not only do research, but also get good GPA and NBDE scores as well.

HTH.

 

[maxell123]

As a new dental student. Isnt it better to hold off research for the summer between year 1 and 2?

 

[UBTom]

Well, if you wait until the summer after freshman year, there are two problems:

1) unlike undegrad summers which can be as long as 4 months (May to September), dental school summers can be short... My dental school for example gives only 1.5 months for freshman summer. One will not accomplish much research in just 1.5 months.

2) Why wait until a time when EVERYBODY will be looking for research jobs? Early bird gets the worm.

Best do it early. Call up the research faculty and ask if there are any lab positions available. If you are lucky you can get a lot of research in before dental school starts.

HTH.

 

[River13]

That's good advice from Tom. I was able to do 2 months of solid research before freshman year started. Though I was also able to do a project later on in the middle of dental school, it was so competitive that all the faculty willing to help were nearly all taken by then--in which case the early research would have been all that I could have done without killing myself to find a preceptor.

 

[zayna02]

Thanks for all of the advice. One more question - is doing research an essential part of the application when applying for specialty programs?

 

[ibo man]

Try and get in first, and see how you like dentistry, and how well you fare on your classes before you worry about specializing. Here at SIU you can do research if you want. It isn't that hard to get.

 

[River13]

Research helps in all specialties, yes. My impression is that it is more important if you want to do Ortho or Endo, less impt. for OMS, Pedo, Perio...though it varies by specific programs...for ex. its important at some OMS residencies, though looking at the specialty as a whole, less impt. than for Endo/Ortho.

I picked my dental school based on its ability to help me specialize, and am glad I did, so I would disagree with Ibo Man. I don't think there's anything wrong with shooting for a specialty even before dental school as long as you know you'd love general practice in case things don't work out.

 

[Zurich5]

Originally posted by zayna02
I'm debating between which dental school to go to. As of now, I would like to specialize in the future. Do you think it would be harder to get into a specialty program if you graduated from SIU vs. Indiana, Michigan, or UIC? Those are my four choices, and I have no idea which one to choose. I really liked all the schools, but SIU is the cheapest. It would be difficult to do research there, and I've heard that research helps when applying for a specialty. HELP!

Zanya,
I was accepted to the same schools you are listing. I?m going to UIC next year and thought it fitted me better than IU or SIU (I went to IU for undergrad, and have a brother at SIU). PM me if you need anything.

 

[gryffindor]

Originally posted by River13
Research helps in all specialties, yes. My impression is that it is more important if you want to do Ortho or Endo, less impt. for OMS, Pedo, Perio...though it varies by specific programs...for ex. its important at some OMS residencies, though looking at the specialty as a whole, less impt. than for Endo/Ortho.

Even for ortho, research is not that critical if you have strong numbers to overshadow it (like #1 rank, 95 boards - or something like that). I found that the only thing my extensive (relatively speaking) research background did for me at the ortho interviews is bring on the question "So, do you think you'd want to pursue an Ortho/PhD?"

Many candidates for OMS & Pedo from our school had no research yet multiple interviews (like 6 to 11 interviews) We'll see on Monday how successful they were. Everyone that got into ortho had something research-like on their application, although the credibility of that research is definitely shady for some of them. Yet they all got in - goes to show the numbers count more than the quality of the research.

My guess is that it wouldn't be any harder to get into a specialty from SIU. If you're so concerned, ask the administration how many graduates usually go on to specialize. If a few go each year, then specializing is certainly attainable from SIU. Except for specialty factory schools like Harvard, most schools only have a few students from each school specialize while the majority will be general dentists. From our school, it is usually between 10 and 20% pursue a specialty.

 

[Jone]

I already called SIU and they have NO data on specialty match rates.

That's inexcusable if you ask me. I mean, how could you not anticipate that this is a question that potential candidates will probably ask you... geez.

Originally posted by griffin04


My guess is that it wouldn't be any harder to get into a specialty from SIU. If you're so concerned, ask the administration how many graduates usually go on to specialize.

 

[gryffindor]

OK, well then ask some recent graduates of the school if any of their classmates went on to specialize. And ask some current fourth years if any current seniors are going to be pursuing specialties either next year or in the near future.

It's not impossible to find the answer. Our school also does not keep specialty match rate data - stuff like 4/4 placed in OMS last year, 1/2 placed in endo, etc. When I started my post-grad applications last summer, I asked my administration the same questions - "How many students in the past few classes applied to _____ and got in? And how many got in on subsequent attempt?" They had no answers to those questions. As a senior dental student, I too was surprised to find out that they didn't have such numbers about previous classes. But people specialize every year, so it isn't impossible.

It's not "inexcusable" if you ask me. If you want to be an Oral Surgeon, then you'll do whatever it takes to get there. Knowing that 1/3 placed into Oral Surgery from SIU versus 3/3 at UIC is not a big deal, and as a pre-dent it shouldn't influence your decision too much. Those 2/3 who didn't place from SIU aren't doomed forever, they can always do an OMS fellowship for a year and try again.

 

[preludexl]

Originally posted by zayna02
Thanks for all of the advice. One more question - is doing research an essential part of the application when applying for specialty programs?

Ya know I asked my grandpa, retired dental prof., that very question in a long conversation yesterday.....albeit in a different context.

Going to a school that already has the specialty is your best bet.....not so much what the rep of that school is. Then again, he pointed out that that may not hold as much water as it used to and he is no longer involved in admissions nowadays. His final statement was to get into the dual DDS/specialty programs if you want to be assured.

 

[ItsGavinC]

Originally posted by preludexl
His final statement was to get into the dual DDS/specialty programs if you want to be assured.

Are you referring to programs that accept students out of undergrad with the intenet of awarding them a dental degree AND a masters specialty degree? I've never heard of such programs.