Matching into Residency from a pass/no pass dental program

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Makeyourbed

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Has anyone applied to a residency program from a Dental school such as Roseman that doesn’t use grading system but a pass/ no pass. How does it work? How do they even rate you?


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As as OMFS goes.

Most Pass/Fail schools are prestigious such as UCLA, Harvard etc. so its easy to look past having no grades.

But long story short, do well on the CBSE and externships and thats 90% of it to get interviews.

No clue about other specialties.
 
Has anyone applied to a residency program from a Dental school such as Roseman that doesn’t use grading system but a pass/ no pass. How does it work? How do they even rate you?


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My peds program director doesn’t like P/F grading. They have no idea how you did in dental school. Many P/F schools will still allude to your class rank in your dean’s letter when you apply. Doing well on the ADAT or CBSE gives program directors a quantifiable metric to evaluate you on.

That said, OP, if you’re going to Roseman you may want to think twice about specializing. Roseman will leave you $600,000 in debt and specializing can add on another $200,000+. $600,000 is bad enough, $800,000 in student loans is financial suicide. You’d be accumulating $55,000/year in interest. And since you’re paying that $800,000 back with after tax money, you’ll need to earn $70,000/year JUST TO COVER YOUR INTEREST. Really think about that for a minute. Imagine having to earn more than the median US household income just to keep your student loans from snowballing.

Big Hoss
 
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My peds program director doesn’t like P/F grading. They have no idea how you did in dental school. Many P/F schools will still allude to your class rank in your dean’s letter when you apply. Doing well on the ADAT or CBSE gives program directors a quantifiable metric to evaluate you on.

That said, OP, if you’re going to Roseman you may want to think twice about specializing. Roseman will leave you $600,000 in debt and specializing can add on another $200,000+. $600,000 is bad enough, $800,000 in student loans is financial suicide. You’d be accumulating $55,000/year in interest. And since you’re paying that $800,000 back with after tax money, you’ll need to earn $70,000/year JUST TO COVER YOUR INTEREST. Really think about that for a minute. Imagine having to earn more than the median US household income just to keep your student loans from snowballing.

Big Hoss
Not trying to instigate anything, but isn’t it kinda unfair to say things like this when we don’t know anything about the OP or how they paid for dental school? Or if they even went to Roseman in the first place?
 
Not trying to instigate anything, but isn’t it kinda unfair to say things like this when we don’t know anything about the OP or how they paid for dental school? Or if they even went to Roseman in the first place?

It’s not unfair...he’s just giving sound advice for OP to consider. When you graduate with that much debt you really have to make sure you know what you’re doing.

I know a handful of people who specialized with $700k debt...so it’s possible...but you better know your financial future very accurately before you commit.
 
Not trying to instigate anything, but isn’t it kinda unfair to say things like this when we don’t know anything about the OP or how they paid for dental school? Or if they even went to Roseman in the first place?

OP wrote in other postings that he was accepted to Roseman.
 
I agree with caffeine jitters, OP did not ask for financial advice. I always find finances to be personal and was super annoyed during interviews when faculty/residents asked if I had loans
 
I agree with caffeine jitters, OP did not ask for financial advice. I always find finances to be personal and was super annoyed during interviews when faculty/residents asked if I had loans
The sad reality is the number one thing affecting dental students is student loans. Once you take out student loans, you can't put the genie back in the bottle. You have to pay them. If you attend a school like Roseman, the very first question you should be asking yourself is if you can even afford to specialize. 600k dental debt + 200k for a specialty like ortho makes no sense.
 
The sad reality is the number one thing affecting dental students is student loans. Once you take out student loans, you can't put the genie back in the bottle. You have to pay them. If you attend a school like Roseman, the very first question you should be asking yourself is if you can even afford to specialize. 600k dental debt + 200k for a specialty like ortho makes no sense.

err plenty of people do it so chill out
 
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The sad reality is the number one thing affecting dental students is student loans. Once you take out student loans, you can't put the genie back in the bottle. You have to pay them. If you attend a school like Roseman, the very first question you should be asking yourself is if you can even afford to specialize. 600k dental debt + 200k for a specialty like ortho makes no sense.
I don’t think anyone is debating this. It’s pretty obvious that exorbitant amounts of debt can be debilitating... it just becomes annoying when people assume things about another’s financial situation, especially when the primary aim of this post was P/F schools and residency - not “hey, should I apply to ortho? this is my debt load btw”
 
600k dental debt + 200k for a specialty like ortho makes no sense.
I find this so amusing. Why is ortho the whipping boy around here on SDN? This website has such a weird culture, which is why I rarely come here. Based on the most recent data I could find (2018 - table 3), orthodontists made the second highest of any specialty, second to oral surgery. But, that's subject to fluctuation. And somebody shouldn't choose a specialty based on how much it pays anyway. If you find you would hate yourself going to work every day you probably shouldn't do a job no matter how much it pays. On the contrary, if you love what you are doing then its up to the individual to decide if the price tag is worth it for them.
 
I find this so amusing. Why is ortho the whipping boy around here on SDN? This website has such a weird culture, which is why I rarely come here. Based on the most recent data I could find (2018 - table 3), orthodontists made the second highest of any specialty, second to oral surgery. But, that's subject to fluctuation. And somebody shouldn't choose a specialty based on how much it pays anyway. If you find you would hate yourself going to work every day you probably shouldn't do a job no matter how much it pays. On the contrary, if you love what you are doing then its up to the individual to decide if the price tag is worth it for them.
Let's say you're 600k in dental school debt and then go 200k in debt for ortho like I said. By the time interest has accrued, you'll be looking at 1 million dollars in debt. How can you possibly justify that? I'm not knocking ortho as a profession, it's clearly a sweet gig, I'm knocking the ridiculous debt load it takes to get there. Listen to this orthodontist on Dave Ramsey. He knows he's in a financial mess.
 
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Let's say you're 600k in dental school debt and then go 200k in debt for ortho like I said. By the time interest has accrued, you'll be looking at 1 million dollars in debt. How can you possibly justify that? I'm not knocking ortho as a profession, it's clearly a sweet gig, I'm knocking the ridiculous debt load it takes to get there. Listen to this orthodontist on Dave Ramsey. He knows he's in a financial mess.

No, get that, believe me. And I agree 100% about the debt. Luckily I'll be graduating with a fraction of that.

But literally no one was talking about ortho. Lol. When bringing up debt and specializing why is it never the periodontist, or the endodontist, or oral surgeon? Certainly there are unethical programs in all those fields too that charge ridiculous tuition prices. I'm just pointing out the weird culture that exists on this website.
 
No, get that, believe me. And I agree 100% about the debt. Luckily I'll be graduating with a fraction of that.

But literally no one was talking about ortho. Lol. When bringing up debt and specializing why is it never the periodontist, or the endodontist, or oral surgeon? Certainly there are unethical programs in all those fields too that charge ridiculous tuition prices. I'm just pointing out the weird culture that exists on this website.

No oral surgery programs charge tuition-they all pay a stipend (at least for all 4 year programs). This is probably because part of oral surgery falls within in the realm of actual medicine.
 
No oral surgery programs charge tuition-they all pay a stipend (at least for all 4 year programs). This is probably because part of oral surgery falls within in the realm of actual medicine.
Or rather they are hospital associated programs. There are ortho hospital programs that don't charge tuition either, and give a stipend. But I talked to a director of an OMFS program who said that they get the same stipend medical residents, however it was spread throughout 6 years of the OMFS program instead of the 4 years for a medical resident. Not sure if they had to pay for the 2 years of medical rotations they had to do either. But anyways, this OMFS director told me they had students graduate with over a million dollars of debt. So yeah dental residents graduating with sick amounts of debt is not unique to ortho.
 
Or rather they are hospital associated programs. There are ortho hospital programs that don't charge tuition either, and give a stipend. But I talked to a director of an OMFS program who said that they get the same stipend medical residents, however it was spread throughout 6 years of the OMFS program instead of the 4 years for a medical resident. Not sure if they had to pay for the 2 years of medical rotations they had to do either. But anyways, this OMFS director told me they had students graduate with over a million dollars of debt. So yeah dental residents graduating with sick amounts of debt is not unique to ortho.

There is no way any OMFS resident can have 1 million in debt unless they went to a place like NYU dental and have loans from undergrad as well. Most OMFS residencies that are 6 years long do have tuition for 2 years, but that is usually a max of $100k more (and this is really the absolute max). Most will only add $40-50k to your debt load principle. Some 6 year OMFS programs even pay full stipend all 6 years ($65-70) like NYU OMFS residency.

Even if they have 1 million in debt, which I still find hard to believe, they can just work for Aspen and pay off almost all of it in 3-4 years.
 
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My schools endo program charges over $200k and most people come in after doing an AEGD or GPR. One of the endos is in 600K debt.
Does the endo program make applicants provide bank statements as part of the application?

There are entire dental schools, not just individual programs, that I’d consider as pay-to-play. Care to guess which ones? 😉

Big Hoss
 
There is no way any OMFS resident can have 1 million in debt unless they went to a place like NYU dental and have loans from undergrad as well. Most OMFS residencies that are 6 years long do have tuition for 2 years, but that is usually a max of $100k more (and this is really the absolute max). Most will only add $40-50k to your debt load principle. Some 6 year OMFS programs even pay full stipend all 6 years ($65-70) like NYU OMFS residency.

Even if they have 1 million in debt, which I still find hard to believe, they can just work for Aspen and pay off almost all of it in 3-4 years.
There is a way it can happen. I was literally speaking to a former dean of admissions of an OMFS program who was involved with the CDCA exam and he said it was happening all the time at his school. Think about it, you go to an expensive private school, then you pay for two more years of school. Interest accrues the whole time, then you make a miserable amount while you are a resident.. He said it was about $27,000-$30,000 per year (because you have to stretch the stipend over 6 years) which depending on where you live may not cover all of the cost of living per year... It's easy to see how the cost of attendance + living costs + interest could put you over one million.
 
There is a way it can happen. I was literally speaking to a former dean of admissions of an OMFS program who was involved with the CDCA exam and he said it was happening all the time at his school. Think about it, you go to an expensive private school, then you pay for two more years of school. Interest accrues the whole time, then you make a miserable amount while you are a resident.. He said it was about $27,000-$30,000 per year (because you have to stretch the stipend over 6 years) which depending on where you live may not cover all of the cost of living per year... It's easy to see how the cost of attendance + living costs + interest could put you over one million.

Even so, its extremely unlikely. And there is no such thing as a "dean" of admissions of an OMFS program.
 
Even so, its extremely unlikely. And there is no such thing as a "dean" of admissions of an OMFS program.
Meant to say the dean of the program. And it's not "extremely unlikely". It happens. Who are you calling a liar, me or him? I bet I could hook you up with his information if you want to chat.
 
I remind everyone to treat each other with respect.
Your account has the most amount of badges, I’m really impressed! (Staff, admin, mod, physician, faculty, lifetime donor, verified expert, 7 year member) By far the most I’ve seen lol
 
Does the endo program make applicants provide bank statements as part of the application?

There are entire dental schools, not just individual programs, that I’d consider as pay-to-play. Care to guess which ones? 😉

Big Hoss
I guess I go to a pay to play school, but it's not Ivy nor a DO affiliated dental school. Very respectable actually.
 
I go to p/f and never had any questions on that during interviews. The large majority of people that applied to residency programs at my school matched. Take it for what that's worth I suppose.
 
Hypothetically if someone does go to an expensive pay to play school, OMFS would be the best route financially where it’s not total financial suicide? (Of course if it’s what you want to do too).
 
Hypothetically if someone does go to an expensive pay to play school, OMFS would be the best route financially where it’s not total financial suicide? (Of course if it’s what you want to do too).
Easier said than done. OMFS has around a 50% Match rate, and that doesn’t factor in applicants that didn’t get a single interview.


Big Hoss
 
Easier said than done. OMFS has around a 50% Match rate, and that doesn’t factor in applicants that didn’t get a single interview.


Big Hoss

You kind of are a d*** who just puts people down. I’m not arguing it’s easy at all. Was a hypothetical question. You also don’t have the slightest clue what my stats are.

Thanks for answering my question too!
 
You kind of are a d*** who just puts people down. I’m not arguing it’s easy at all. Was a hypothetical question. You also don’t have the slightest clue what my stats are.

Thanks for answering my question too!
You proposed that people neck deep in debt go into OMFS to dig themselves out of it. People following that “advice” should know what they’re up against. Hence my response. Sorry you don’t like statistics.

Big Hoss
 
You proposed that people neck deep in debt go into OMFS to dig themselves out of it. People following that “advice” should know what they’re up against. Hence my response. Sorry you don’t like statistics.

Big Hoss

Don't like statistics? I have hopes of getting into an OMFS program and have scored well on the CBSE to do so (80+). I don't see how my message suggests I "don't like statistics". I also don't see how I proposed that people go into OMFS to dig themselves out of debt AT ALL. I was asking if OMFS would be the best to get into if you are in a ton of debt from a financial perspective. I go to a pay-to-play school and was wondering, hence the hypothetical question.

I came here with a simple question and you have yet to answer it. Why even comment? Some people might say Endo would be better financially if you get into a hospital residency since its shorter than OMFS residency.
 
Don't like statistics? I have hopes of getting into an OMFS program and have scored well on the CBSE to do so (80+). I don't see how my message suggests I "don't like statistics". I also don't see how I proposed that people go into OMFS to dig themselves out of debt AT ALL. I was asking if OMFS would be the best to get into if you are in a ton of debt from a financial perspective. I go to a pay-to-play school and was wondering, hence the hypothetical question.

I came here with a simple question and you have yet to answer it. Why even comment? Some people might say Endo would be better financially if you get into a hospital residency since its shorter than OMFS residency.

Don't worry about Big Time Hoosier. He thrives off putting people down from what I've seen.

I think OMFS would be the best route for sure. Endo hospital residency right out of dental school might give it a run, but that's unheard of. I'm also at a super expensive school and am now trying to figure out if I want 6 or 4 yr program. The debt freaks me out too!

If you do plan on working academia or at a hospital vs private practice, I'm honestly not sure. Hopefully others chime in!
 
Don't like statistics? I have hopes of getting into an OMFS program and have scored well on the CBSE to do so (80+). I don't see how my message suggests I "don't like statistics". I also don't see how I proposed that people go into OMFS to dig themselves out of debt AT ALL. I was asking if OMFS would be the best to get into if you are in a ton of debt from a financial perspective. I go to a pay-to-play school and was wondering, hence the hypothetical question.

I came here with a simple question and you have yet to answer it. Why even comment? Some people might say Endo would be better financially if you get into a hospital residency since its shorter than OMFS residency.
If I were you, I’d shoot for a 4 year OMFS program over a 6 year program. That gives you two more years of earning potential and you’re not adding on 2 years of med school tuition. That’s what I would do, but you do you.

Big Hoss
 
Maybe it's just me but it seems like any of the specialties could be great to go into so long as you have the grades and EC's to do so responsibly. Most peds programs pay and don't charge. A decent number of endo and perio programs offer a stipend or charge a reasonable rate (<30K). There are also some ortho programs that provide a stipend or offer low tuition rates. The problem seems to be when people already have a large debt burden and might not have the grades to specialize but proceed to attend a pay to play program anyways.
 
Has anyone applied to a residency program from a Dental school such as Roseman that doesn’t use grading system but a pass/ no pass. How does it work? How do they even rate you?


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Going back to the original question - from what I've heard (my DS had grades), the P/NP DS programs still have internal ranks that get communicated by the dean writing your LOR. They read your essay, they text colleagues at your school to ask what you're like on the clinic floor, and the interview is critical.

In terms of specializing, different specialties are looking for different things (ortho only wants a high class rank, OS leans heavily on CBSE but considers class rank to a degree, Peds is rank but really personality, Endo usually requires a GPR year anyways, Prosth wants to know if you have the hand skills and the mental capacity for complex treatment plans.)

If there's a specialty you really want, learn as much about the profession and then go for it. Don't stress how the grading system works for or against you. Or the finances. You're investing in your education/profession.

And much of the stuff everyone is saying applies to life before March 2020...who knows what the profession will look like in 5, 10, 20 years.

4 weeks ago, it would be impossible to believe 300+ million Americans would be instructed to stay at home for an entire month...

Who knows - general dentists may get the last laugh since they'll be more inclined to keep as many referrals as possible when the economy starts up again.

Gl with your journey
 
I agree with caffeine jitters, OP did not ask for financial advice. I always find finances to be personal and was super annoyed during interviews when faculty/residents asked if I had loans


That is truly shocking. I cannot believe there are residents, let alone faculty, that are so immature and unethical to ask prospective students about their personal finances.
 
What Dynex 2013 said. Really sound advice. I've heard anecdotally that the "internal rank" was a myth (I went to a graded dental school with class ranks so I have no personal experience) but there has to be some metric a school keeps track of. I know my friends medical school had: pass/ high pass/ honors grading scheme and no class rank but a high # of high pass and honors clearly looks good. how exactly is your school graded? just pass/ fail?. take the ADAT and do above average. this can only help.

The problem seems to be when people already have a large debt burden and might not have the grades to specialize but proceed to attend a pay to play program anyways.

have to tip toe around the term "pay to play" as it seems to be politically incorrect but I would have to agree with the above. this holds for any investment. It's just math. statistically most people think they are above average so they take on 600K to be a dentist because the "average salary" wont apply to them. be careful.

That is truly shocking. I cannot believe there are residents, let alone faculty, that are so immature and unethical to ask prospective students about their personal finances.
Are you saying they ask you about personal finances during a residency or dental school interview? I never once had that experience. what school is doing that?
 
Has anyone applied to a residency program from a Dental school such as Roseman that doesn’t use grading system but a pass/ no pass. How does it work? How do they even rate you?

I went to a true P/F school - no honors, etc. I was asked a two or three times on the interview trail how I think that program should rank me because they are having a hard time comparing me to the other applicants because the only number I had was my CBSE. I still was able to match and all 8 out of 8 of my classmates who applied to OMS matched, so it did not end up being as large of an impediment as it might seem. There are a lot of other factors that go into this process other than which school you went to such as inherent intelligence, motivation, hand skills, people skills, etc. Just something to think about.
 
It’s been awhile since I’ve been on this thread and wow so many membership status changes
Many of you are forgetting that the most important part of choosing a specialty is which one you’re naturally drawn to. I had no idea I wanted to do OS until my rotation... and since then didn’t have an affinity towards any of the other specialties ...literally was struggling to stay awake on all the other rotations
 
Hi
I was a GPR PD for 15 years. I never asked anyone about their finances, as it is not relative to the admissions process. As far as the OP's original question, P/F schools are difficult, but the dean's letter spells out the applicants stats, so the PD's are aware of where the applicant stands in relation to the entire class. Never had a problem with this, and certainly admitted many residents from P/F schools. I would not worry. Put your app together well, and it will be competitive.
 
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