Need advice on applying to OMS

[OMSpearo]

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[Tufts R Us]

No point in going into perio if you have the grades unless you really like doing cleanings

 

[agent2362]

I am a third year dental student and have realized that my interests have gravitated towards surgery. I have become interested in perio and oral surgery and have just started to pursue each. I am ranked 18/106 at the end of last year. I have been shadowing perio a lot and hanging out with the residents at my dental school. I have set up an externship over christmas break with OMFS. I am hoping I will be pulled towards one of these two specialties but it is unclear as of now. I know I need to start studying for the CBSE exam that is coming up in February? and that a competitive score on that will be a major deciding factor. I was just wondering how competitive of an applicant I would be, what range of scores are recommended on CBSE, and what I can do to make myself a stronger applicant?

I wish I had your problem. You are in a good position with your class rank. As far as I have gathered from others, 4 yr programs may or may not value the CBSE score over class rank. At many 4 year programs you likely would be okay with a 60+ on the CBSE. At 6yr schools 65+ is definitely preferred (with 70+ for more 'competitive' programs). I was in your shoes once and I dropped a considerable amount in class rank when I studied for the NBME CBSE. Many say that staying in the top 1/3 will still keep you a good candidate at most programs. It will definitely be a challenge to balance the two out. I would take a practice NBME right now to assess where you stand on the test. It's a rough test for most dental students. PM me if you want any specific study info. You probably want to start studying now.

 

[TeleportMassive]

I am a third year dental student and have realized that my interests have gravitated towards surgery. I have become interested in perio and oral surgery and have just started to pursue each. I am ranked 18/106 at the end of last year. I have been shadowing perio a lot and hanging out with the residents at my dental school. I have set up an externship over christmas break with OMFS. I am hoping I will be pulled towards one of these two specialties but it is unclear as of now. I know I need to start studying for the CBSE exam that is coming up in February? and that a competitive score on that will be a major deciding factor. I was just wondering how competitive of an applicant I would be, what range of scores are recommended on CBSE, and what I can do to make myself a stronger applicant?

70+ cbse and you should be fine man just crush that test. I was in your same position a year ago and scoring well on that test is what will get you in. Good luck!

 

[JR S]

70+ cbse and you should be fine man just crush that test. I was in your same position a year ago and scoring well on that test is what will get you in. Good luck!

As a program director of a 4 year program that recieves 130 applications for 2 positions, I can tell you it's:
1. Class rank.
2. CBSE.
3. Extern experience
4. Letters of recommendation.
5. Interpersonal skills and demonstration of common sense.
6. Internships.
7. Additional languages (Spanish)
In that order of importance.
I agree a 60 on the CBSE would be the minimum for a competitive 4 year program.