Looking for some opinions...

[Rach7]

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So yesterday, I had an interview... throughout the day (which was this particular school's first day of conducting interviews), the current students assured us that the interview was just a way for the ADCOM to have a conversation with us, and get to know us as a person. I thought it was really nice of them to try to get us to relax before the one-on-one interview. Safe to say, my interview was not quite what I imagined. He started by commenting positively about my DAT scores and my shadowing and internship experiences, but then it went downhill. My interviewer raised his concerns, multiple times, about me being out of school for 2 years. I'm 22 years old, and I graduated in 2009. I haven't been sitting on the couch for 2 years either, I have a full-time job in the dental field. He also mentioned that their ADCOM likes to see students fresh out of university. As a result, I don't have a good feeling about my chances at this school. I though the average age of matriculants was 24 or 25? I'm just really confused about the experience, and just wondering if anyone has any thoughts to share...

 

[cbizzle7994]

So yesterday, I had an interview... throughout the day (which was this particular school's first day of conducting interviews), the current students assured us that the interview was just a way for the ADCOM to have a conversation with us, and get to know us as a person. I thought it was really nice of them to try to get us to relax before the one-on-one interview. Safe to say, my interview was not quite what I imagined. He started by commenting positively about my DAT scores and my shadowing and internship experiences, but then it went downhill. My interviewer raised his concerns, multiple times, about me being out of school for 2 years. I'm 22 years old, and I graduated in 2009. I haven't been sitting on the couch for 2 years either, I have a full-time job in the dental field. He also mentioned that their ADCOM likes to see students fresh out of university. As a result, I don't have a good feeling about my chances at this school. I though the average age of matriculants was 24 or 25? I'm just really confused about the experience, and just wondering if anyone has any thoughts to share...

it sounds to me like the interviewer was just trying to rattle you in order to see how would you respond to the pressure. they wouldn't invite you to an interview if they had no interest in you as an applicant. his goal was most likely to see how you respond to stress. as long as you were relaxed and were able to defend yourself well, i'm sure the interview went fine!

 

[jmt1984]

I think the interview experience can vary a lot by the school, but I can't blame them for asking pointed questions to non-traditional applicants. (I am one myself) In your particular case, it is almost that they were alluding to you not being able to handle the rigors of D-school. 'being fresh out of a university' sounds to me a lot like 'do you remember anything from college'

Two years is not a long time, and you have worked in a relevant field. Did you interview with anyone else that day? How else did the rest of the day go?

I wouldn't worry about it, you had a good enough application to get an interview, and you might just be over-analyzing the situation. Its over now, just sit back and wait.👍

 

[yappy]

It says on your predents you interviewed at four locations and were not accepted. Did you ever hear why? Was it an interview or have you updated your stats.(this is the drawback of predents you see someone was rejected yet it only shows their reapplication stats).

 

[Rach7]

It says on your predents you interviewed at four locations and were not accepted. Did you ever hear why? Was it an interview or have you updated your stats.(this is the drawback of predents you see someone was rejected yet it only shows their reapplication stats).

I don't have predents, this is my first time applying...

The rest of the day went fine, I hope. He was the only person who interviewed me, but there were 2 other professors/administrators interviewing the remaining students as well.

I had my first interview at another school about 2 weeks ago, and I think it went well. My interviewer there didn't express concern about taking 2 years off; in fact, she seemed genuinely interested in hearing about what I've been doing since graduation.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone, I hope I'm just getting stressed over nothing. It seems like the other interviewees had good interviews though; several mentioned that they barely mentioned dentistry and spent the whole time discussing other interests like sports, favorite restaurants, and music.

Finally, and this is just me trying to make myself feel better, my interviewer has negative reviews on ratemyprofessors.com as well as in the interview feedback section on SDN. I wonder if that weighs into the decision as well...

 

[odontologia]

I don't have predents, this is my first time applying...

The rest of the day went fine, I hope. He was the only person who interviewed me, but there were 2 other professors/administrators interviewing the remaining students as well.

I had my first interview at another school about 2 weeks ago, and I think it went well. My interviewer there didn't express concern about taking 2 years off; in fact, she seemed genuinely interested in hearing about what I've been doing since graduation.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone, I hope I'm just getting stressed over nothing. It seems like the other interviewees had good interviews though; several mentioned that they barely mentioned dentistry and spent the whole time discussing other interests like sports, favorite restaurants, and music.

Finally, and this is just me trying to make myself feel better, my interviewer has negative reviews on ratemyprofessors.com as well as in the interview feedback section on SDN. I wonder if that weighs into the decision as well...

what you need to realize is that the adcoms are trying to see if you are a good FIT for their school, they are trying to get to know you better personally that's why they're delving more into personal interests.

best advice: be relaxed, be yourself, i know it sounds clichee but really think about this while you are in front of the interviewer..... good luck!

 

[UBDent19]

Sounds like Baylor.

 

[Denteeth]

Sounds like Baylor.

I was about to say that 🙂

a very typical Baylor response to any academic gaps ....

 

[redchesus]

I think the adcom was testing you. Did you go on to say how being 2 years out would actually make you a better candidate? You gotta turn that perceived "weakness" into a "strength". That's the whole point. Things like real world experience and maturity are definitely worth mentioning.

BTW, applying to D-school 2 years after college is not considered non-traditional, you know. At both of my interviews so far, the ratio has been 50/50 in terms of people still in college and people who have been out working a year or two. Non-traditional is like 30+ with a previous career.

 

[Rach7]

Nope, wasn't at Baylor...

Interestingly enough, only 1 other person at my interview had already graduated college. I felt a bit out of place.

My interviewer exactly didn't ask me if I felt prepared for the rigors of a dental school curriculum. He told me he felt I wasn't prepared... in a rather long-winded rant. I should have tried to interject with my own retort, but at the time I felt rather defeated, and probably didn't defend my abilities the way I should have. Live and learn I guess, just sucks that hindsight is 20/20 and I'm realizing this NOW🙁

 

[Montserrat]

Yeah... You need to "spin" that to your advantage. For reference, watch CNN. A lot of students coming out of college are pretty wet behind the ears. Having two years of working/life experience is a bonus. Sounds like he set you up for one heck of a good retort -- if you get the chance in the future, nail the response.

 

[FreeFallin]

Rach7, I'm sorry to hear about your interview going "downhill" with being out of school for 2 years. Well, I've been out of traditional undergrad for 5 years. So, I'll be anxious to see if the ADCOM brings up my gap between undergrad and dental school. But, I'm extremely proud to say that I went to dental hygiene school and have been an RDH in the interim. You do bring up an interesting point that some schools may bring up the fact that some applicants have been out of school for a year or years. We'll see how the rest of my interviews go. I'm staying positive. Best of luck to you Rach7!

 

[Rach7]

Thanks for the advice everyone, maybe others will learn from this experience...

I should add that my interviewer suggested I take more classes and send those grades to schools, because it would be better if I appeared to be "constantly learning" and using my brain in that manner. Did he really expect me to take classes starting in January? Most schools will have made a decision by then, since it's after December 1st. He said that he suspected this is why my application is sitting on the desks of adcoms at other schools, and that I should have a choice of where to go to school.