Interview soon, unsure how to answer possible question.

[TheSandlapper]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hello, I have an interview tomorrow and I'm uncertain how to answer the question of what I would do if I'm not admitted. From what I understand they want to hear that you'll just keep applying but honestly I'm not sure if that's very realistic, I have debts, I'm going to be getting married soon and I feel that even though dentistry is something I want to pursue I have to be realistic and responsible. I'm not saying I wouldn't try again but if another opportunity arises I would probably take it. Anyone else feel this way and how would you (did you) answer a question like that?

 

[oralcare123]

Choose the right answer not the truthful one. Do you still want to be admitted? Then it is important to show, that you are serious and passionate about that. They really do not need to know all your circumstances . Tell them, that you will improve your application and apply again

 

[w4nt2baDDS]

They can really ask this question two different ways.

1)What would you pursue if you couldn't do dentistry?
2) What would you do if you did not get accepted this cycle?

I think they ask question number 1 to try to understand what other interests you may have. For me, I would pursue a PhD program so I could teach at a university and do research. Your answer could be dramatically different than mine.

For question 2, I think the responsible thing and best answer is to say you would double down and apply again.

but if another opportunity arises I would probably take it.

In the long run dentistry will beat nearly all of these opportunities. If you can find a job that makes 80K plus with good job security and the potential to grow to 140K after a 20 year career (which would probably end up being 175-200K when you consider inflation over the next 20 years) then maybe you should snag that opportunity. The quick ticket to middle class america, however, is only getting rarer and rarer and dentistry is one of the finest ways to become more than financially stable, well educated, and a future community leader. I'm pretty sure if you dig in now and become a dentist both you and your wife will be thankful you did in a decade from now. Don't get discouraged when you're so close to the finish line! Did you do poorly on the DAT, have a weak GPA? What's making you second guess yourself? Have confidence, own your interviews, and look forward to starting next fall.

Also, you can always work while you're applying to dental schools to alleviate some/all of the immediate financial strains.

 

[TheSandlapper]

Thanks guys, this is both helpful and encouraging. I guess this is probably fueled in part by a recent financial hiccup I hadn't counted on and just being generally exhausted by school. Best of luck to all of you.

 

[virtualmaster999]

They can really ask this question two different ways.

1)What would you pursue if you couldn't do dentistry?
2) What would you do if you did not get accepted this cycle?

I think they ask question number 1 to try to understand what other interests you may have. For me, I would pursue a PhD program so I could teach at a university and do research. Your answer could be dramatically different than mine.

For question 2, I think the responsible thing and best answer is to say you would double down and apply again.



In the long run dentistry will beat nearly all of these opportunities. If you can find a job that makes 80K plus with good job security and the potential to grow to 140K after a 20 year career (which would probably end up being 175-200K when you consider inflation over the next 20 years) then maybe you should snag that opportunity. The quick ticket to middle class america, however, is only getting rarer and rarer and dentistry is one of the finest ways to become more than financially stable, well educated, and a future community leader. I'm pretty sure if you dig in now and become a dentist both you and your wife will be thankful you did in a decade from now. Don't get discouraged when you're so close to the finish line! Did you do poorly on the DAT, have a weak GPA? What's making you second guess yourself? Have confidence, own your interviews, and look forward to starting next fall.

Also, you can always work while you're applying to dental schools to alleviate some/all of the immediate financial strains.

For both answers, could you say that there is no other career that you could picture yourself doing besides dentistry, and that you would do everything and anything possible to become a dentist (apply again, increase stats, etc)? Or is that only good for the second option?

 

[w4nt2baDDS]

For both answers, could you say that there is no other career that you could picture yourself doing besides dentistry, and that you would do everything and anything possible to become a dentist (apply again, increase stats, etc)? Or is that only good for the second option?

Depends on the interviewer's intent. I would say, you should always mention how dentistry is your first choice and that you'd do anything to obtain your goal and then mention "but if I had no other choice but to choose a different career...." yada yada yada. Your primary goal is sell yourself 100% on dentistry... because everyone knows that taking the DAT, getting LORs, completing and paying for AADSAS application, paying for and completing secondaries, and flying across the country for interviews isn't convincing enough lol

It's great to show your unwavering passion for dentistry but it is also okay to let them know you're smart enough to land on your feet if dentistry somehow didn't work out. Bottom line, answer their questions but always express your enthusiasm for dentistry at the same time.

I'm not a pro at interviews but that's how I'm approaching these types of questions.

 

[virtualmaster999]

I found this thread, which is additionally helpful for more feedback!

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/interview-qs-if-not-dentistry-then-what.952953/