Grades needed to specialize

[letsgfuad]

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So i am just wondering the grades needed to consider specializing. Do you need all A's or B's. What do you think the average GPA is for each specialization. I assume some are more competitive than others.

 

[SugarNaCl]

So i am just wondering the grades needed to consider specializing. Do you need all A's or B's. What do you think the average GPA is for each specialization. I assume some are more competitive than others.

Some are MUCH more competitive than others. For ortho and for oral surgery, you really have to be top 5-10% in class rank and on the National Boards.

For Endo, Pedo, Path, Perio and Prosth, you still have to do well, but likely top 3rd would be ok for some programs (educated guess).

For GPRs etc...they rec having over a 3.0 and top half of class.

 

[Dukie]

Some are MUCH more competitive than others. For ortho and for oral surgery, you really have to be top 5-10% in class rank and on the National Boards.

For Endo, Pedo, Path, Perio and Prosth, you still have to do well, but likely top 3rd would be ok for some programs (educated guess).

For GPRs etc...they rec having over a 3.0 and top half of class.

I would add endo and pedo to that top group. Endo has always been very difficult to get in to and pedo has become very popular recently, as well.

 

[gryffindor]

GPA doesn't matter. What class rank the GPA converts to is much more important. If having a 3.7 at school A makes you valedictorian, that is much more impressive than having a 3.8 at school B with a rank of 25/90.

 

[capisce?]

I would add endo and pedo to that top group. Endo has always been very difficult to get in to and pedo has become very popular recently, as well.

pedo applicants have increased proportional to the number of dental schools out there. popular opinion is that it is "more popular" but the pass statistics tell a different story.

 

[Contach]

GPA doesn't matter. What class rank the GPA converts to is much more important. If having a 3.7 at school A makes you valedictorian, that is much more impressive than having a 3.8 at school B with a rank of 25/90.

So someone wanting to specialize should go to a dental school with a low entrance GPA and relatively lower DAT scores b/c this is where they are probably smarter than his/her classmates?

So ivy-leagues and top-tiered dental schools are out of the question?

Am I interpreting this correctly?

 

[Count Orlok]

so Someone Wanting To Specialize Should Go To A Dental School With A Low Entrance Gpa And Relatively Lower Dat Scores B/c This Is Where They Are Probably Smarter Than His/her Classmates?

So Ivy-leagues And Top-tiered Dental Schools Are Out Of The Question?

Am I Interpreting This Correctly?

No

 

[armorshell]

No

IMO, he's interpreting it fine. Not that it would be the ideal to go to a school with low entrance stats, but if you're good enough to get into an Ivy league school you're probably smart enough to do pretty dang well just about anywhere else.

 

[condoleezarice]

It wouldn't matter since columbia and harvard are pass/fail.

 

[gryffindor]

So someone wanting to specialize should go to a dental school with a low entrance GPA and relatively lower DAT scores b/c this is where they are probably smarter than his/her classmates?

So ivy-leagues and top-tiered dental schools are out of the question?

Am I interpreting this correctly?

Nope. Just because you have a bunch of slackers in college who start dental school with a 3.2 average in your class doesn't mean anything. Plenty of those slackers can get to dental school and decide to kick to butt because they're gunning after Ortho/OMS just as much as you. I've also seen students come in with high GPAs from fancy colleges not be able to hack it in dental school because getting As in dental school requires rote memorization; these people got good grades in college because they were good at writing essays about concepts.

Dental school is a different ball game from undergrad. Undergrad was used to weed out those who couldn't hack college in general and the better students are the ones going on to dental school. GPAs in dental school aren't as cut and dry as GPAs from college. The #1 student that graduated in my dental class (a lowly state school) was the only student to graduate with a GPA higher than 3.75. It was near impossible to graduate with a 4.0 from my dental school, even if you were the smartest and most talented dentist. Compare that to other dental schools where I have heard the entire top 10 sits above a 3.9.

 

[blankguy]

Nope. Just because you have a bunch of slackers in college who start dental school with a 3.2 average in your class doesn't mean anything. Plenty of those slackers can get to dental school and decide to kick to butt because they're gunning after Ortho/OMS just as much as you. I've also seen students come in with high GPAs from fancy colleges not be able to hack it in dental school because getting As in dental school requires rote memorization; these people got good grades in college because they were good at writing essays about concepts.

Dental school is a different ball game from undergrad. Undergrad was used to weed out those who couldn't hack college in general and the better students are the ones going on to dental school. GPAs in dental school aren't as cut and dry as GPAs from college. The #1 student that graduated in my dental class (a lowly state school) was the only student to graduate with a GPA higher than 3.75. It was near impossible to graduate with a 4.0 from my dental school, even if you were the smartest and most talented dentist. Compare that to other dental schools where I have heard the entire top 10 sits above a 3.9.

Don't you think if the entire top 10 were to sit above 3.9 the school may have to make an adjustment in their curriculum?

 

[armorshell]

Don't you think if the entire top 10 were to sit above 3.9 the school may have to make an adjustment in their curriculum?

Why would they?

 

[Rajan247]

You have to be top 10 to 20 to be extremely competitive and be plain jane.

If your mediocre and rub shoulders with the right people (heads of department) and prove them you are worthy. You can be just as competitive, as faculty and staff know your material wealth and how much of an asset you can be. You have to prove yourself.

People who want to specialize dont always get what they want and become general practitioners. This is by no means a bad thing.

I dont know your grades but lets say your middle of the road for arguments sake

Fundamentally, the beautiful thing about dentistry is that you can further your education in areas of specialty that you have interest in without having to specialize, so dont other people in your class discourage you. Just work your ass off is you want to specialize and if you dont work, your ass off so that your patients get the care they deserve.

In short, you will need A's, a few B's are ok, and a personality is optional Also, a wicked board score does help make you look good on paper.

 

[Contach]

This is contrary to what others have been saying. GPA doesn't matter: class rank does.
What happens in schools with Pass/Fail? How do they calculate rank?
Which schools give pass/fail? Sounds like a sweeet system?

You have to be top 10 to 20 to be extremely competitive and be plain jane.

If your mediocre and rub shoulders with the right people (heads of department) and prove them you are worthy. You can be just as competitive, as faculty and staff know your material wealth and how much of an asset you can be. You have to prove yourself.

People who want to specialize dont always get what they want and become general practitioners. This is by no means a bad thing.

I dont know your grades but lets say your middle of the road for arguments sake

Fundamentally, the beautiful thing about dentistry is that you can further your education in areas of specialty that you have interest in without having to specialize, so dont other people in your class discourage you. Just work your ass off is you want to specialize and if you dont work, your ass off so that your patients get the care they deserve.

In short, you will need A's, a few B's are ok, and a personality is optional Also, a wicked board score does help make you look good on paper.

 

[Rajan247]

This is contrary to what others have been saying. GPA doesn't matter: class rank does.
What happens in schools with Pass/Fail? How do they calculate rank?
Which schools give pass/fail? Sounds like a sweeet system?

At most schools Class Rank is calculated from GPA. I cant speak for Pass/Fail Schools because, i don't go to one. At our school we get a A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, there are no +/-.

From what I have heard, grades are still given and that is used to calculate rank, however overall, the class is pass/fail.

Class rank and grades are one in the same. Class rank describes your GPA in relation to you class.

 

[blankguy]

If rank is dependant on GPA, why would GPA not matter? Wouldn't it be better to rephrase it that programs look at rank but not GPA eventhough GPA determines rank? 😕

Also how often do you run into situations where the top 10 people are in the 3.9 GPA range? Isn't that very rare?😕

 

[armorshell]

They're saying GPA doesn't matter when you're looking at it alone across programs. They're saying that if say the average dental school GPA of an accepted ortho student was 3.6, that wouldn't mean you can just get a 3.6 and be happy, because at some schools that might be middle of the class. Rank is much more standardized across schools.

What would be much more useful is a thread about comparing rank to GPA at different dental schools.

 

[1992Corolla]

^^^^^Which depends on each class at each dental school. My GPA in the class of 2010 puts me at a better ranking than my GPA in the class of 2009 for example.

In other words your class rank is only between your class and is dependent on GPA. This is pretty basic stuff and should be easier to understand than biochem...

I also doubt that everyone will start posting thier GPA and class rank to start comparing.