Ideal OMFS Applicant Q&A

[Typical Average Student]

I will have the chance to talk to a panel of oral surgeons here at my school (UT-Houston) about what an ideal applicant looks like and am compiling a list of questions that y'all may have.
Please feel free to comment them below and I will be sure to ask them. I will have the answers by Jan 23rd.

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[Scumbag_Steve]

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[Typical Average Student]

1. I understand that the quality of your time on externships and what you were able to learn about the field there are more important, but is there any hard number on the amount of time/number of place you should be externing? (This question due to the cost/time constraints that have to be considered)
- There is no set number of externships. Of course, you should try to make the most of your time. One thing that is of particular concern is if another student from the same school as you has more externships than you. The person with less externships will usually be questioned about what they've been doing in terms of time management.


6. What type of criteria did you use when crafting your rank list?
- Grades, Rank, CBSE, externships, extracurriculars, and overall character especially ETHICS. The ideal candidate should fit in with the school and the program.

9. What are the best questions to ask during your interview to project interest in the program and search for information that would be valuable in making your rank list without sounding aggressively standoffish or prying (you don't have to use these words, but I'm basically saying what should I ask without being "that guy").
- Your interviews will usually be around 15 minutes, you will not have time to ask any questions to the interviewer. Instead, you should be prepared to answer any question truthfully and honestly and be able to think on your feet.

 

[Aspiring4OMFS]

1. I understand that the quality of your time on externships and what you were able to learn about the field there are more important, but is there any hard number on the amount of time/number of place you should be externing? (This question due to the cost/time constraints that have to be considered)

2. What are the best questions to ask the residents during your externships to see if the program in question is one to which you would like to apply?

3. Since quality of programs can change with the people running them, how to you get a feel for whether or not a program with directors/chairs that are close to retirement will handle a transition to new leadership, and how can you get a feel if the leadership will be in transition within your 6 years there?

4. Are there any skills that we can practice on our own time in order to be more useful during externships/try to dampen the learning curve for when we enter residency?

5. If you're lucky enough to be in a position where you're granted many interviews, where do you feel comfortable in declining to attend the remaining ones at programs in which you aren't particularly interested?

6. What type of criteria did you use when crafting your rank list?

7. Could you elaborate on the regional intricacies of the balance of power between OMFS, ENT, and plastics in terms of which contested areas are more dominated by OMFS for each particular program? (For instance, anecdotally I've heard that "in the South you have a lot more leeway in terms of cancer and trauma than other places). No idea whether or not this is true, but I wanted to be able to get a clearer picture of how geographical region affects things like these.)

8. If you are interested in starting a family during residency, what are the best ways to prepare? How will you be looked at if you take particular periods of time off for the birth of the child?

9. What are the best questions to ask during your interview to project interest in the program and search for information that would be valuable in making your rank list without sounding aggressively standoffish or prying (you don't have to use these words, but I'm basically saying what should I ask without being "that guy").

These are just a few questions that come to mind. I would be really excited if you got answers for even a single one of them! Thanks for doing this!

That is a great list of questions!! Please update me as you get any more information on these.