If you're a foreign trained dentist and looking for residency

[dentallknow]

Hey guys, interview season's about to come and I guess many of you who're not CODA graduates must be thinking of the same question that I had when I was applying - Does graduating from a foreign dental school mean that it's impossible for me to get into a residency?

Hell no! And I'm saying that cuz I got in a ORTHODONTICS program last year despite graduating from a dental school in Asia. I got interview offers from more than ten schools across the US and matched to my number one program. And I'm not an orthodontist in my country, just a general dentist who got off dental school for a year.

What I'm saying is, as long as you have the grades and a statement that looks good, it is DEFINITELY possible to receive interviews, even from competitive programs like ortho. I didn't have much faith when I was applying, but from what my experience has told me, never be afraid and lose confidence! If I can do it, so can you. Fight on!

if you have any questions, feel free to PM at [email protected]

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Ortho-2020]

Can you share with us which schools you got offers from?

 

[Ortho-2020]

Can you also share your profile? If you don’t mind

 

[dentallknow]

Yes, I got offers from UCLA, U of Washington, Ohio state U, Boston U, Indiana U, NYU, Columbia, UPenn, U of Minnesota, Case Western Reserve, U of Detroit Mercy, and Harvard. It looks like a long list as I wasn't so sure about being able to get an interview as a foreign graduate. So I applied for 17 schools (didn't get offer from UCSF, UIC, UConn, UNC and Michigan) and got 12 invites, which was way more than my expectation ( i remember from the statistics on PASS that the average ortho applicant receives 4 invites out of 15 application).

I'd say the main factors would be a good GPA and some research background. I also think the way you present yourself in your statement is especially important during your interview. I initially thought that schools wouldn't take the time to really read your statement, but I was WRONG! Well at least they do read what you write once they decided to give you an invite. There were many interviews when the faculties actually started the conversation by asking about the story I wrote inside my statement. I'm very lucky that I received great help while constructing my statement, and I cannot stress how important it is to present yourself in an interesting and passionate way.

The interviews themselves were pretty chill. It's actually easy to be remembered by the faculty as I easily stood out as the guy who flew a long way for the interview. Most were just conversations and chit chats. Of course you have to prepare for some of the most common questions, and I really suggest you know the story you mentioned in the statement by heart. Having written a good story, it helped me navigate through most of my interviews and provided many good answers to different questions. It also helped by redirecting their questions to continue on your story , and after several interviews, you sort of anticipate the next question already. Anyway, please take A LOT OF EFFORT in forming your statement.

Feel free to contact me at my mail regarding the application and interview. I can share some resources and where I got help from.

 

[Lassy]

I’ve sent you an email a week ago, but I am not sure whether you seen it! (Or it may have landed in your spams?)

 

[Endomy]

Thanks for sharing!

How important the GRE is in your experience? What's considered a good score?

Good luck with everything!

 

[osahon7]

I sent you a mail . Please check your email

Hey guys, interview season's about to come and I guess many of you who're not CODA graduates must be thinking of the same question that I had when I was applying - Does graduating from a foreign dental school mean that it's impossible for me to get into a residency?

Hell no! And I'm saying that cuz I got in a ORTHODONTICS program last year despite graduating from a dental school in Asia. I got interview offers from more than ten schools across the US and matched to my number one program. And I'm not an orthodontist in my country, just a general dentist who got off dental school for a year.

What I'm saying is, as long as you have the grades and a statement that looks good, it is DEFINITELY possible to receive interviews, even from competitive programs like ortho. I didn't have much faith when I was applying, but from what my experience has told me, never be afraid and lose confidence! If I can do it, so can you. Fight on!

if you have any questions, feel free to PM at [email protected]

 

[Lassy]

Btw OP how were you eligible for UCLA? Did you email them and they made an exception for you? UCLA doesn’t allow foreign trained dentists, and I just checked again, it is still the case. They only want ADA DDS DMD graduated students.