MCG Interview and General Information Q&A

[maksidaa]

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Hi guys, I'm a first year at MGC and I thought I would start a thread for all of you applying to MCG so that you can compare notes, and if you'd like, you can ask me questions you have about the school, application process, costs, etc.
I know how bad it can be trying to get into school, and I think it's nice to reach out to those coming in to try and smooth out the process and make the decision easier for them. Good luck to all of you! You can do it and one day it'll all be a distant memory!

 

[notcreative618]

Since it is a small school, do you know if they have reviewed or accepted students from early interviws yet?

 

[maksidaa]

Since it is a small school, do you know if they have reviewed or accepted students from early interviws yet?

I wish I had an answer for you, but I'm not sure about any decisions they made about admittances yet. From what they've explained to us before, they sit down a week or 2 after an interview group goes through and then evaluate each applicant and make an informal decision.. Sometimes that means the applicant is rejected outright, or they take a wait-and-see approach until they've gone through more interviews, and sometimes they make an acceptance decision. I haven't personally sat in on these meetings, but these are things I've been told before.

 

[Lonely Sol]

Hey maksidaa, thats really nice of you to start the thread for us MCG applicants. Here is my Question.

I have 3.3 GPA and a DAT score of 23/21/22 (you can see detailed score on the predent link on the left). I am also a second year applicant, didnt get in the first time because my GPA was like 3.1 and DAT score of 20/20/20. I am also doing Master's in Organic CHemistry this year (1 year only, will be done in spring). I was wondering, do you think I have a chance this year or should I start looking for Jobs with CDC and stuff until 2009 cycle. I am really scared because I only got an interview at MCG (Sept. 7) and havent heard back from any other school. What do you think?
--Thank you

 

[maksidaa]

Hey Lonely, your stats look really nice. A few questions first:
-Shadowing/assisting experience?
-GPA trend?
-Have you talked to Mrs. Perry about your application?

I think as a 2nd year applicant you stand a good chance at getting accepted, especially with a Sept 7 interview dates. Early interviews are usually a good sign, so unless you have a major issue with one of the questions above or you bombed your interview then I would guess that you're more likely to get accepted than not.
Every year applicants are getting better and better, and 2nd year applicants are more numerous. As a 2nd year applicant the adcoms are more likely to accept you over a comparable 1st year applicant b/c you've shown a true desire to get in and a willingness to improve (once you're in school they'll require a lot of you so they want to see early on that you can respond positively to their demands).

As a safety net I would still start looking for jobs you might be interested in since nothing is guaranteed, but don't stress too much over it. Things have a way of working out.

 

[Lonely Sol]

Hey Lonely, your stats look really nice. A few questions first:
-Shadowing/assisting experience?
-GPA trend?
-Have you talked to Mrs. Perry about your application?

I think as a 2nd year applicant you stand a good chance at getting accepted, especially with a Sept 7 interview dates. Early interviews are usually a good sign, so unless you have a major issue with one of the questions above or you bombed your interview then I would guess that you're more likely to get accepted than not.
Every year applicants are getting better and better, and 2nd year applicants are more numerous. As a 2nd year applicant the adcoms are more likely to accept you over a comparable 1st year applicant b/c you've shown a true desire to get in and a willingness to improve (once you're in school they'll require a lot of you so they want to see early on that you can respond positively to their demands).

As a safety net I would still start looking for jobs you might be interested in since nothing is guaranteed, but don't stress too much over it. Things have a way of working out.

Hey, sorry it took so long to reply, I've been busy with grad school. Anyways, I have been shadowing for2 years now and just stopped shadowing in october.

As far as my GPA goes, I made mistakes first years of college but ever since I changed my major to premed, I have been gettign A and B. so I have been showing an upward trend.

And the interview, I think went weel. I had Dr. brackett and Mrs. Tarver. They were both pretty laid back. I am just scared about not getting in anywhere and will have to do this all over again. It would suck but I will do it if I have to.

I just want to thank you for your help!

 

[HenryH]

maksidaa -- do you think the MCG adcoms would frown upon only taking the first semester of Anatomy & Physiology? I'm currently in that class (A&P I), and I don't think I want to take the second half; I'm also taking the Organic Chemistries this year, and I would rather be able to focus more study time on that class than A&P, which isn't even a pre-req. for dental school.

So, what do you think? Will I place myself at a disadvantage (application-wise) if I don't take A&P II?

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

I interviewed at MCG recently and it seemed liked a really supportive atmosphere. Can you tell us hopefuls how difficult the curriculum is. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when they talked about the difficulty of school. I am assuming that 3-4 hours daily, at least 6 days per week is the norm to do pretty well (top half of class)? And to be honest, with 29-30 hours per semester, is this enough study time?

 

[Lonely Sol]

I interviewed at MCG recently and it seemed liked a really supportive atmosphere. Can you tell us hopefuls how difficult the curriculum is. I have to admit, I was a bit nervous when they talked about the difficulty of school. I am assuming that 3-4 hours daily, at least 6 days per week is the norm to do pretty well (top half of class)? And to be honest, with 29-30 hours per semester, is this enough study time?

Well, the 3-4 hours daily is an estimate. I know I will have to do more than that because I want to do well so I guess it all depends on the person if you are the type that doesnt need to study that much because you get everything the first time than you will only need to study little and vice versa.

Btw, when did you have the interview, if you dont mind me asking?

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

Well, the 3-4 hours daily is an estimate. I know I will have to do more than that because I want to do well so I guess it all depends on the person if you are the type that doesnt need to study that much because you get everything the first time than you will only need to study little and vice versa.

Btw, when did you have the interview, if you dont mind me asking?

At the risk of revealing myself, I was one of the 12 who interviewed this past Thursday and Friday

 

[maksidaa]

Hey guys, sorry it took so long to respond, I got caught up in school for a while.

Anyways, as far as the A&P II class goes, I never even took A&P I, so unless you really want to take II then don't worry about it. It'll probably come in handy, but the adcoms aren't going to base a rejection or acceptance off of that one class. Focus on o-chem and you'll be fine.

And Lonely Sol, Dr. Brackett is great and I would guess that your interview went just fine. Mrs. Tarver can be tough on some applicants, but if you felt good about it then I wouldn't worry.

So far everyone at MCG has been really supportive and helpful (teachers, upper classmen, my own classmates, etc) and I couldn't have asked for a better 1st semester. It is definitely a lot of work, and depending on how well you want to do, it can be a ton of work. But generally you're surrounded by friendly, helpful people that you can work with to get some things done that would otherwise take up too much time. For instance, if your classmate makes really good study guides, then they'll probably send them out to everyone else (especially if you bring them food or something) and you won't have to spend 2-3 hours making up your own study guide. Of course, those that take should also give in return, so don't just be a taker.

I'd say that I average about 2 hours of studying a night, sometimes more, sometimes less. I'm decent in lab so I haven't had to spend any long hours in lab yet, and I took some good upper-level science classes in undergrad that have helped out a lot so far. You will take 29 hours or so your first semester, which means you're in class about 6 hours a day Monday-Friday. Some of those classes don't take much effort (Ethics, Intro to Dentistry, etc) but some take a lot (biochem, histology). If you're ok with mostly B's and some A's sprinkled in, I'd say 2 hours a day of studying out of class and maybe 2-3 hours over the weekend would be all you need. If you want to get into an ortho residency after d-school you'll need about a 3.7 gpa, which probably means 3-4 hours a day and maybe 6-8 hours on the weekend. If you want to be in the top half of the class, I'd say maybe 2-3 hours a night. Of course 2 hours sounds like a lot, but it's not really the same type of studying you would do in undergrad. In d-school all your tests are multiple choice, so instead of worrying about the details, you spend most of your time just familiarizing yourself with the major topics and covering as much material as you can in those 2 hours. I like to read the power points done by the professors and then read in the book if I don't understand something, and then I might quiz myself or get with a classmate and we'll quiz each other.

Ok, I'll stop there for now. Good luck to everyone and let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[DrTacoElf]

In d-school all your tests are multiple choice, so instead of worrying about the details, you spend most of your time just familiarizing yourself with the major topics and covering as much material as you can in those 2 hours.

Wait until you get to micro, it gives multiple choice a whole new meaning.

A
B
C
D
E
F
G

 

[Dr IWannaBe]

I was rummaging through MCG's website yesterday that gave me a "bit" of comfort. Last year they actually accepted 91 students to fill a class of 62. My guess is that many won't attend and I guess some are waitlisted. It's a bit more encouragement to those of us waiting for Dec 1st.

 

[bigstix808]

ok, this is kind of random...but what if you haven't heard ANYTHING from MCG... no interview invite, no rejection, nothing! it's killing me! i at least want to know one way or the other so i can start planning ahead. do i have to wait for dec 1st to get a rejection, or do those go out as soon as one IS rejected when ever that may be??

oh yea, one more Q, do they notify you via email for either rejection/interview/acceptance?

 

[SpikeyMike83]

Interview and Rejection via e-mail. Acceptance, certified mail. Waitlist, regular mail.

 

[toothgirl86]

the only way i heard from them is through e-mail