Current Ortho residents... please help

[dropthebox]

Hey everyone... I'm new to SDN and am looking for some good advice. I am a second year dental student and am interested in Ortho. I currently have a 3.78 GPA, am heavily involved at the school, and have tons of volunteer hours racked up. For those of you who have been around the block, do you think it is necessary for me to get involved in research? Also, is it too soon to try and build a relationship with the ortho faculty even though we haven't taken any ortho courses yet? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

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[Blue Moose]

Just keep your GPA up, keep your attitude positive in dental school and enjoy what you're doing. That will lead to good letters of rec, apply to as many programs as possible, and you will get in somewhere. Research always helps, but if you have good LOR and good GPA then you will get an interview somewhere. Once you get an interview its all up to your personality, not your research or your grades.

 

[amalgamator42]

Just keep your GPA up, keep your attitude positive in dental school and enjoy what you're doing. That will lead to good letters of rec, apply to as many programs as possible, and you will get in somewhere. Research always helps, but if you have good LOR and good GPA then you will get an interview somewhere. Once you get an interview its all up to your personality, not your research or your grades.

This is dangerous advice. GPA means nothing, it's NBDE score, class rank (at schools that do this), and who you know (LOR). Research is important, since it allows you to get good LOR and shows initiative. Very important is establishing a relationship with the ortho dept. Your own program is your best shot, and next best is programs where your previous classmates have gotten into or in the same region. Your ortho chair probably knows other ortho chairs, and if you have a LOR from his, then it carries more weight.

I feel like I've written this advice many times before...do some searching and read some of my older posts and others.

What is the worst that could happen if you work extra hard? There will always be someone willing to work harder than you...