Got rejected from Harvard

[klutzy1987]

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do you think that coming from a school like stony brook with heavy clinical work puts you at an advantage over columbia for getting residency?

From what I gather, on the east coast Stonybrook is one of the highest regarded schools. If you are applying to an east coast residency program I would go there over Columbia. Again though thats just my opinion.

 

[RAK1987]

the ironic part of this whole mess is that about 97% of columbia grads go on to specialize... so it can't be that bad....

also, i feel that people should look into this information themselves, not just reading SDN - and make their own judgments about what they want from their education... just my opinion.

 

[glk2101]

the ironic part of this whole mess is that about 97% of columbia grads go on to specialize... so it can't be that bad....

also, i feel that people should look into this information themselves, not just reading SDN - and make their own judgments about what they want from their education... just my opinion.

yea but gpr isnt specializing..thats just to practice.
i think some people go to gpr and then specialize after that

 

[achilles2]

From what I gather, on the east coast Stonybrook is one of the highest regarded schools. If you are applying to an east coast residency program I would go there over Columbia. Again though thats just my opinion.

at my interview they said the average DAT score is a 22 now.....not too shabby a program if you ask me 😛

clinical is AMAZING there...second year you start to build your own patient base and they remains with your for your entire career there, even if you refer them out for procedures outside your abilities you get them back. Basically its an excellent mimic of real life.

 

[Contach]

do you think that coming from a school like stony brook with heavy clinical work puts you at an advantage over columbia for getting residency?

whats the specialization rate at stony brook?

 

[glk2101]

whats the specialization rate at stony brook?

if you look at their website, they have some stats. if i remember, about 6-7 went straight to specialize, while almost everyone else did a gpr or aegd residency..speaking to students, they told me sometimes people will do these 1 year programs before going on to specialize

 

[achilles2]

whats the specialization rate at stony brook?

It works a tad different in NY. A year residency is required now in NY (Stony Brook before hand pushed for a year residency). After residency specialization rate is pretty high, I am not sure what the specialization rate is before your rotation, but since a year rotation would increase your selection strength I would imagine most would attempt to get the rotation of their choice which coming from Stony Brook is often possible.

 

[DCRedskinsRule]

What residency program have you spoken to. I shadowed a residency program director and she said that columbia grads have exceptional didactic backgound but severely lacking in clinic. Additionally I have spoken to several recent dental school graduates and they all echoed the same thing, Columbia grads are signifigantly behind graduates from most other programs when it comes to clinic.

Aren't most northeast schools this way...?

Just a little cheapshot coming from a blue-collar state school lol 😀😎

 

[sajjy]

Aren't most northeast schools this way...?

Just a little cheapshot coming from a blue-collar state school lol 😀😎

There are (correct me if i am wrong) only 4 schools in the US that have two years of med school as a part of their curriculum: Harvard, UConn, Columbia and Stony Brook. These schools are heavy on didactics and clinic exposure starts at the second half of the second year. But these four schools send a lot of their students into specialty (not AEGD or GPR). Harvard and Columbia definitely have high specialization rate. Along with that, around half of the class from UConn goes into specialty and i assume same is for Stony Brook.
For the past few years, students at UConn are able to get into their choice of specialty which includes 8 students (8 applied to OMFS from the class of 45)getting into OMFS for the past 2 years.

 

[pbrooks]

If I had to guess, it'd be your GPA... and then some of your ECs (to a lesser degree). Based on predents, it seems like Harvard weighs GPA pretty heavily (even moreso than DAT scores). Everyone who has gotten an interview has a GPA (both science and overall) that is no less than ~3.80, while AA and TS scores (for the most part) are in the 20-22 range...

I had an interview at Harvard, and I am the one on predents with the lowest stats in GPA and DAT.
I think that based on what i have heard Harvard looks at GPA first, then research type stuff. I am doing a MSc in dentistry, putting braces on mice for my research. So although my GPA isnt stellar they (and other research-focused schools) find my master's project interesting, and it may make me stand out.

 

[prydA]

I had an interview at Harvard, and I am the one on predents with the lowest stats in GPA and DAT.
I think that based on what i have heard Harvard looks at GPA first, then research type stuff. I am doing a MSc in dentistry, putting braces on mice for my research. So although my GPA isnt stellar they (and other research-focused schools) find my master's project interesting, and it may make me stand out.

i would give up everything... just to be a mouse dentist. everything. every. thing.

 

[aarondds]

Sure.

3.8+ GPA, 24+ DAT, extraordinary life experiences, multiple published papers.

Oh, never mind. I just remembered you have 3.5/19.

with that score and wanna go to harvard? let think about if you get in, can you survive man?

 

[Daydream46]

i would give up everything... just to be a mouse dentist. everything. every. thing.

this reminds me of a book...

🙂 mouse dentist

 

[pbrooks]

this reminds me of a book...

🙂 mouse dentist

hehe, that looks just like me.... 🙂

 

[isurus22]

From someone who actually goes to Harvard...There is no magic recipe to get in. I know the Dean of Admissions very well, and she reads the entire application, looking for something that makes you unique. This goes for the Med School as well. I had a moderate GPA, average DAT scores, but had lots of "life experience". Personality, People skills, self-drive, etc. etc. I expected my classmates (Med and Dental) to be nerdy, rich, stuck-up, super smart, top of there class etc. You are much more likely to find very-touchy feely, "went to Africa to start an AIDS clinic" types. People that have done a lot for other people, and didn't do things just because they look good on applications.
If you take a year off and do something unique you have a very good chance of getting in. Once you are here it is very laid back. Pass-Fail, very supportive faculty etc.
I love it here, but I don't know if I would delay school a year just to get in here, that is an awfully big gamble.
HSDM class of 2011

 

[Plopper]

From someone who actually goes to Harvard...There is no magic recipe to get in. I know the Dean of Admissions very well, and she reads the entire application, looking for something that makes you unique. This goes for the Med School as well. I had a moderate GPA, average DAT scores, but had lots of "life experience". Personality, People skills, self-drive, etc. etc. I expected my classmates (Med and Dental) to be nerdy, rich, stuck-up, super smart, top of there class etc. You are much more likely to find very-touchy feely, "went to Africa to start an AIDS clinic" types. People that have done a lot for other people, and didn't do things just because they look good on applications.
If you take a year off and do something unique you have a very good chance of getting in. Once you are here it is very laid back. Pass-Fail, very supportive faculty etc.
I love it here, but I don't know if I would delay school a year just to get in here, that is an awfully big gamble.
HSDM class of 2011

"very laid back. Pass-Fail, very supportive faculty"
that's what i really liked about it when i was there, and i too have a modest gpa and averagish gpa, but scores aren't everything in life, and they certainly won't ensure your success as a practicing dentist after dental school

 

[Clubby]

So if you only applied to Harvard, how does it show them that you really want to be a dentist?