Originally posted by KAJALKIRAN
oh mannn! not again! how many questions do you wanna ask me? i thought this was a discussion going on, to express each one's views ..why are you getting to the personal level and asking me to evaluate your credibility as an applicant?
I'll start my discussion from here ,and I assure to you that this will be ONLY a discussion ¬hing else .So No hard feelings & I am not taking it to any personal level...........I promiss.
i think you best should know what you are! does my opinion make a differnce
I'll tell you a little bit about me & my cridentials in short ,Not becase your opinion does not make any difference to me,but maybe I can correct your definitions about "GOOD APPLICANTS +LESS QUALIFIED APPLICANTS " ,cause I know that so many people have the same definitions as yours .This is why I asked you to give me your definitions first befor I start .Once again...........am NOT here to fight or to show off or to impress anyone,I know & completly understand that there are many other applicants who are MORE qualified than me according to your definition .We are just expressing our points.
1)- I started my 1st grade at school when I was 4 years old only.
2)- 1989 : I got my highschool degree when I was only 16 years old & I got admitted to the faculty of Engineering .I was the YOUNGEST among the whole batch.
3)-1990 :I retook the highschool exams and I got a better GPA this time .I got admitted to the faculty of Medicine.I studied there from (1990 till 1992) .
4)- Then I migrated to Canada with my family.We setteled in the province of Quebec where the official language is French (90% of the population ).I enrolled in an adult education school to learn this New language during the day+ I had to learn English(my English was still at a biginer level) at home depending on myself.
At night,I worked all kinds of general works that you may immagine.You name it and I'll say ........McDonalds,Harvy's,pumping gas,store clerk......etc.Why did I do that?????,coz I did not have welthy parents that could support me .I had to stand up on my bare feet.
5)-I cold not make it to any Medical or Dental school here during 3,5 years.I was faced with a crucial choice, I had either to stay with my family as the status quo, without being able to achieve my goals, or I had to go back to my home country where I could follow up my family business and pursue my studies at the same time.
Back there I was enrolled at the dentistry school for a five-year program, which I completed with a good rating, obtaining a DDS degree. During that period I had certain extra-curricular activities as; working a part-time salesman for dental products, helping my professors at their clinics to get as much knowledge as I could. I attended a course in first aid at the Syrian Red Cross and volunteered some work for old people institution. I was awarded a certificate of appreciation from the Dean?s office for my activities at the Faculty of Dentistry.
I joined the Syrian army from 1999 till 2001.Those two years were divided into two stages .I spent the first 16 months working as a dental training officer where I held different tasks, sharing leadership with my lieutenant physician colleague of a 30 soldiers squad.
I could gain a general knowledge of diagnostic skills of diseases and traumas, treating people exposed to hyperthermia, infections and burns and facing special cases like patients of epilepsy, diabetes and asthma. I also performed some emergency tasks as stitching wounds, giving muscular shots and other paramedics,........etc.
I spent the remaining 8 months working as a full-time dentist at the military family clinic (8:00 am -2:30 PM), and from (5:30 PM - 9:00 PM) at my own clinic.
6)- At the end of 2001, I joined my family here .I took the DAT and applied for the 4 yearD.D.S program at six Canadian dental schools and I got rejected by all of them.
7)-I took the NDBE-1 in July/2003 and got 85 %.Thanks God I got accepted at UPENN now.
Note : this is just a short summary of what I have been through.
1. "good applicant" is an applicant who is more credible than others in the heirachy list based on his/her ACADEMICS, NBDE SCORES, RESEARCH EXP, ETC ETC AND NOT ETHNICITY OR NATIONALITY.
;
2. "less qualified applicant" is an applicant who is obviously below this above mentioned
Now;am gonna start my defense here using your own words.I know that you already said that your definition is not forwarded to a pesonal level against me.I just wanna argue on my behalf & on behalf of so many other applicants with low scores as mine.I am not trying to excuse here ,as a matter of fact I don't have to,am just explaining :
1)-My GPA :
In Syria we have a different grading system than yours or as the American one .Our courses are graded on a 100% scale.When we asked our dean why can't we get scores in the (80%-100%) range ,he answered " ONLY GOD CAN GET 90%-100%...........I GET 90%-80%.........AND YOU ALL SHOULD GET AVERAGES UNDER 80% " .A good score in our school is considered somthing between 60% to a 70%.
-One more thing about our dean's philosophy about scoring system is the following :He said " WE INTEND TO GIVE A GOOD STUDENT A GPA IN THE (60%-70% ) RANGE COZ :
a/- IF THIS STUDENT WENT TO STUDY ABROAD AND DID WELL IN THEIR EXAMS.........THEN THOSE UNIVERSITIES WILL SAY "WAO!!!!..........THIS IS A (60%-70%) GPA STUDENT AND HE GOT GREAT SCORES IN OUR EXAMS..........SO HOW IS IT GONNA BE FOR THE 90% GPA STUDENTS???
B/BUT IF THE STUDENT DID NOT GET GOOD SCORES IN THIER EXAMS..............THEN THOSE UNIVERSITIES HAVE NOTHING TO SAY AGAIST US,COZ THIS STUDENT IS ALREADY A (60%-70%) AVERAGE STUDENT.
I know that his principles may sound crazy,but thats how it works over there.Believe it or not it is up to you.
2)-MY TOEFL :
There is a very important point that maybe so many do not know here.In Syria,we ONLY study English as a minor or secondary course in schools & universities(2 hours /a week).All our books are in Arabic .English is not practiced in public outside these 2 hours.you may notice that in the mistakes that I make while writting.Till this moment,I have my dictionary beside me when I write on SDN.
3)- MY NDBE :
Am not gonna start telling my life story here,but let me tell you some hints ;
A/ I did these part-1preclinical courses about 8 years ago.I can not be compared to a fresh newly graduate.
B/Our cureculem is some how deffirent than the American one,and more important than that is what I mentioned erlier"our books are not in English ".So immagine what it took me to study these materials in English for the first time& after 8 years.
C/In syria there is no kaplan,and only few number of students can make it to USA,coz it is very very hard to get a visa.You can asses that by looking at the thread called (what is your ethnicity),tell me if you can find any other Syrian.
Take a look at my signature.........I have been posting it for about 8 monthes now ,and I have not been contacted by a single poor syrian dentist till now.Thanks God I built a good friendship with my Indian & non Indians friends here.I really upraise this frienship so highly.
4)- High scores are NOT the only thing that makes a good dentist.Tell me who do you think is more qualified???? a new fresh graduate who just got out of school and scored in high 90s or a dentist who has been practicing for 10 or 12 yers and got scores in low 80s????.
After all, I guess what matters the most to your patient is how profissional & skillful you are in doing your job ,not how much your scores are.Correct me if am wrong here !!!!.
also i guess barring Upenn, no other school is that creepy to deny admissions to qualified applicants! i think the IDP program there, should concentrate more on imparting dental schooling (to qualified applicants)
and once your country's qouta is filled, no matter how good you are, in comparison to applicants from other "countries" you will be rejected! thats sad and is clearly double standards!
As others said befor ,"At UPENN YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR" .It is not only about diversity or high scores or contries qouta . I have a SYRIAN friend with prt-1=95 ,part-2 =86 who got rejected at UPENN last year.
Maybe UPENN cares alot about ethnic diversity,but just tell me!! how many other universities that offer AS- programs do care about this issue........1 ??? 2 ???? out of 12 or more universities ,and you still find this small number hard for you to swallow??? .When I went to BU interview ,more than( 60 to 70 %) of AS-1 students where Indians(NO OFFENCE TO ANYONE HERE.
🙂 ),but I never said in my mind " Gosh...........they are taking all the spotes " . Don't you think that other minor species should have a chance....................at least in one university.
Why did they take me at UPENN ???
I really do NOT care .Even if am gonna be the applicant with the LOWEST scores in the whole class.I do not deny the luck factor involved ,But I guess that for sure they found somting intresting in me as a whole package!!!! .I really do not care whatever it is,even if they accepted me due to sympathy . Am just greatfull for the holy God for giving me this chance.
also mann ive nothing against you out here or with yur admissions and i was one among the people who congratulated you for your acceptance to Upenn....
I understand what you said here ,and I thank you with so much gratitude.One more time am just telling my own personal point of view & I hold nothing against you .This is a free forum as you said ,& everyone is free to say whatever he wants.Hopfully you still do not have any hard feelings against me after what I wrote on this post.
😉
" ,coz there is a member here who has this name.
