**Official 2023 Ortho PASS/Interviews/Match/Non-Match**

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Ortho Applicant 17 said:
I'm applying this year and haven't gotten in yet, so take this for what it's worth, but here is my advice.

1. Maintain the highest grades possible but do not overly stress about them. I know someone who got in that was ranked 50 something out of 145.
2. Start writing your personal statement now. I really good personal statement can balance out lower than average stats in other areas. Try answering the question "What are some threats to the orthodontic specialty and what am I going to do personal to fight those threats and protect/contribute to the specialty?" A friend of mine took that approach in his statement and many program directors loved it.
3. Connect with your dean and tell him or her you are interested in applying. Connect with your Ortho faculty, even if it's just over email and tell them you would like to shadow or set up a meeting. Be bold and confident about it. The worst they can say is no. If they truly are as unapproachable as you claim you can always reach out to private practice orthos and shadow them. Connections are so important. You have to be a little scrappy with it sometimes because people are busy, but very few orthodontists are truly unapproachable. Don't try to get a letter from them. Just be professional and build genuine connections. The letters will come naturally.
4. Try hard to do well on the GRE as it seems that is becoming more important over time as a way to set people apart. That being said there are a few schools that don't even look at it.
5. Apply far and wide! I applied to 24 schools, all match and got 2 interviews. My stats are 3.99 GPA and 6/145 in the class. My GRE was not great and maybe that accounts for only getting 2 invites, but also part of this you have to remember is just a numbers game. Truth is, nearly everyone who is applying is top notch in their own way and I feel like part of it just comes down to luck. You could try applying to both non match and match schools, but keep in mind that many match schools ask you to sign a statement that you are only applying exclusively to match schools, and if you get in to a non match school you would have to withdraw from the match completely and cancel any pending interviews planned to occur after your acceptance to the non match school.
6. Not matching is not the end of the world. There is a post match process and even if you don't get that, spending a year working general or doing a GPR will only make your application stronger. Some schools even prefer to take people that have work experience and aren't just right out of school.

Whatever happens, best of luck! Don't give up!
Click to expand...
If you don't mind sharing, what was your GRE score? Can't imagine it could have been that bad where its keeping you from getting more interviews but what do I know. Did you feel like you had adequate research/leadership/LORs?
 
Ortho Applicant 17 said:
I'm applying this year and haven't gotten in yet, so take this for what it's worth, but here is my advice.

1. Maintain the highest grades possible but do not overly stress about them. I know someone who got in that was ranked 50 something out of 145.
2. Start writing your personal statement now. I really good personal statement can balance out lower than average stats in other areas. Try answering the question "What are some threats to the orthodontic specialty and what am I going to do personal to fight those threats and protect/contribute to the specialty?" A friend of mine took that approach in his statement and many program directors loved it.
3. Connect with your dean and tell him or her you are interested in applying. Connect with your Ortho faculty, even if it's just over email and tell them you would like to shadow or set up a meeting. Be bold and confident about it. The worst they can say is no. If they truly are as unapproachable as you claim you can always reach out to private practice orthos and shadow them. Connections are so important. You have to be a little scrappy with it sometimes because people are busy, but very few orthodontists are truly unapproachable. Don't try to get a letter from them. Just be professional and build genuine connections. The letters will come naturally.
4. Try hard to do well on the GRE as it seems that is becoming more important over time as a way to set people apart. That being said there are a few schools that don't even look at it.
5. Apply far and wide! I applied to 24 schools, all match and got 2 interviews. My stats are 3.99 GPA and 6/145 in the class. My GRE was not great and maybe that accounts for only getting 2 invites, but also part of this you have to remember is just a numbers game. Truth is, nearly everyone who is applying is top notch in their own way and I feel like part of it just comes down to luck. You could try applying to both non match and match schools, but keep in mind that many match schools ask you to sign a statement that you are only applying exclusively to match schools, and if you get in to a non match school you would have to withdraw from the match completely and cancel any pending interviews planned to occur after your acceptance to the non match school.
6. Not matching is not the end of the world. There is a post match process and even if you don't get that, spending a year working general or doing a GPR will only make your application stronger. Some schools even prefer to take people that have work experience and aren't just right out of school.

Whatever happens, best of luck! Don't give up!
Click to expand...
Thank you! Best of luck to you this year.
 
Ortho Applicant 17 said:
I'm applying this year and haven't gotten in yet, so take this for what it's worth, but here is my advice.

1. Maintain the highest grades possible but do not overly stress about them. I know someone who got in that was ranked 50 something out of 145.
2. Start writing your personal statement now. I really good personal statement can balance out lower than average stats in other areas. Try answering the question "What are some threats to the orthodontic specialty and what am I going to do personal to fight those threats and protect/contribute to the specialty?" A friend of mine took that approach in his statement and many program directors loved it.
3. Connect with your dean and tell him or her you are interested in applying. Connect with your Ortho faculty, even if it's just over email and tell them you would like to shadow or set up a meeting. Be bold and confident about it. The worst they can say is no. If they truly are as unapproachable as you claim you can always reach out to private practice orthos and shadow them. Connections are so important. You have to be a little scrappy with it sometimes because people are busy, but very few orthodontists are truly unapproachable. Don't try to get a letter from them. Just be professional and build genuine connections. The letters will come naturally.
4. Try hard to do well on the GRE as it seems that is becoming more important over time as a way to set people apart. That being said there are a few schools that don't even look at it.
5. Apply far and wide! I applied to 24 schools, all match and got 2 interviews. My stats are 3.99 GPA and 6/145 in the class. My GRE was not great and maybe that accounts for only getting 2 invites, but also part of this you have to remember is just a numbers game. Truth is, nearly everyone who is applying is top notch in their own way and I feel like part of it just comes down to luck. You could try applying to both non match and match schools, but keep in mind that many match schools ask you to sign a statement that you are only applying exclusively to match schools, and if you get in to a non match school you would have to withdraw from the match completely and cancel any pending interviews planned to occur after your acceptance to the non match school.
6. Not matching is not the end of the world. There is a post match process and even if you don't get that, spending a year working general or doing a GPR will only make your application stronger. Some schools even prefer to take people that have work experience and aren't just right out of school.

Whatever happens, best of luck! Don't give up!
Click to expand...
2 interviews are great
But something doesn't add up..
3.99 gpa with research and worked on their ps statment for a year!
Applying to 24 schools.
I am betting either your ps or one of the LOR weren't great!
My bet your PS.
Which still great you got 2 interviews and hopefully you get into your top choice!
 
Ortho Applicant 17 said:
I'm applying this year and haven't gotten in yet, so take this for what it's worth, but here is my advice.

1. Maintain the highest grades possible but do not overly stress about them. I know someone who got in that was ranked 50 something out of 145.
2. Start writing your personal statement now. I really good personal statement can balance out lower than average stats in other areas. Try answering the question "What are some threats to the orthodontic specialty and what am I going to do personal to fight those threats and protect/contribute to the specialty?" A friend of mine took that approach in his statement and many program directors loved it.
3. Connect with your dean and tell him or her you are interested in applying. Connect with your Ortho faculty, even if it's just over email and tell them you would like to shadow or set up a meeting. Be bold and confident about it. The worst they can say is no. If they truly are as unapproachable as you claim you can always reach out to private practice orthos and shadow them. Connections are so important. You have to be a little scrappy with it sometimes because people are busy, but very few orthodontists are truly unapproachable. Don't try to get a letter from them. Just be professional and build genuine connections. The letters will come naturally.
4. Try hard to do well on the GRE as it seems that is becoming more important over time as a way to set people apart. That being said there are a few schools that don't even look at it.
5. Apply far and wide! I applied to 24 schools, all match and got 2 interviews. My stats are 3.99 GPA and 6/145 in the class. My GRE was not great and maybe that accounts for only getting 2 invites, but also part of this you have to remember is just a numbers game. Truth is, nearly everyone who is applying is top notch in their own way and I feel like part of it just comes down to luck. You could try applying to both non match and match schools, but keep in mind that many match schools ask you to sign a statement that you are only applying exclusively to match schools, and if you get in to a non match school you would have to withdraw from the match completely and cancel any pending interviews planned to occur after your acceptance to the non match school.
6. Not matching is not the end of the world. There is a post match process and even if you don't get that, spending a year working general or doing a GPR will only make your application stronger. Some schools even prefer to take people that have work experience and aren't just right out of school.

Whatever happens, best of luck! Don't give up!
Click to expand...

Faefly said:
2 interviews are great
But something doesn't add up..
3.99 gpa with research and worked on their ps statment for a year!
Applying to 24 schools.
I am betting either your ps or one of the LOR weren't great!
My bet your PS.
Which still great you got 2 interviews and hopefully you get into your top choice!
Click to expand...
Exactly, sorry for “intruding” but your application sounds really good. I think one of your LORs did damage. This can happen, if you can’t completely trust all of them.. i think 2 interviews is more than enough to match, but eeeven if not, reapply and think of changing these people for rec
 
cocoandeve said:
Exactly, sorry for “intruding” but your application sounds really good. I think one of your LORs did damage. This can happen, if you can’t completely trust all of them.. i think 2 interviews is more than enough to match, but eeeven if not, reapply and think of changing these people for rec
Click to expand...
speaking of LORs, how do you know who to ask? How to ensure you get good ones? I'm a D3 so I'm applying next cycle but this is the one aspect of my app I'm most worried about since I like to fly under the radar and am very self-reliant so I rarely if ever ask professors for help (I generally consider this a good quality but its now kind of biting me in the ass). I also absolutely abhor ass kissing/being fake, what do??
 
paamp said:
speaking of LORs, how do you know who to ask? How to ensure you get good ones? I'm a D3 so I'm applying next cycle but this is the one aspect of my app I'm most worried about since I like to fly under the radar and am very self-reliant so I rarely if ever ask professors for help (I generally consider this a good quality but its now kind of biting me in the ass). I also absolutely abhor ass kissing/being fake, what do??
Click to expand...
I understand how you feel, I was the same in school (and as a plus, the professors in my school don’t like helping students go into specialty for their own petty reasons.) This was my second time applying, the first I thought I had to get lors from “well known” professors in the field I wanted to study. Except for two people that I had worked with and knew would give me a good recommendation because they liked me, I didn’t really know the others. And they had a reputation for not being kind. One of them even told me to my face that they didn’t want to because I hadn’t reached out to them during my studies to work for them. But I insisted and they gave one but I am sure it was trash. I didn’t get any interviews last year. This time I stayed away from all these people and didn’t ask anyone from my school because I didn’t feel like anyone knew me well. I asked people with whom I have worked closely and I knew they wrote very nice things. This year Ive had interviews at very strong programs.
My point is- let the programs know you and not leave it to people who don’t care or dont know you to write about you. I wouldn’t trust someone who doesn’t know anything about me to be responsible for evaluating me.
A very important trick i learned- when you ask them, pay attention to how they answer. If they say “absolutely, send me a link!” or something to that end, it means they will write nice things.
 
cocoandeve said:
I understand how you feel, I was the same in school (and as a plus, the professors in my school don’t like helping students go into specialty for their own petty reasons.) This was my second time applying, the first I thought I had to get lors from “well known” professors in the field I wanted to study. Except for two people that I had worked with and knew would give me a good recommendation because they liked me, I didn’t really know the others. And they had a reputation for not being kind. One of them even told me to my face that they didn’t want to because I hadn’t reached out to them during my studies to work for them. But I insisted and they gave one but I am sure it was trash. I didn’t get any interviews last year. This time I stayed away from all these people and didn’t ask anyone from my school because I didn’t feel like anyone knew me well. I asked people with whom I have worked closely and I knew they wrote very nice things. This year Ive had interviews at very strong programs.
My point is- let the programs know you and not leave it to people who don’t care or dont know you to write about you. I wouldn’t trust someone who doesn’t know anything about me to be responsible for evaluating me.
A very important trick i learned- when you ask them, pay attention to how they answer. If they say “absolutely, send me a link!” or something to that end, it means they will write nice things.
Click to expand...
Agreeed. Pretty sure my clinic superviser didn't write a good one of me, when I asked them, they technically scolded me and said they will write everyone who send them the link from adea pass in order, and they don't want to be bothered by us asking about it. I don't think they trashed me, but I don't think it was very good. Just ok.
one faculty was so eager to write me one, he said send me, send me the request right now, he did it in one day, so I assume it was nice
You can tell who cares and who doesn't by their reaction when you ask.
 
Faefly said:
Agreeed. Pretty sure my clinic superviser didn't write a good one of me, when I asked them, they technically scolded me and said they will write everyone who send them the link from adea pass in order, and they don't want to be bothered by us asking about it. I don't think they trashed me, but I don't think it was very good. Just ok.
one faculty was so eager to write me one, he said send me, send me the request right now, he did it in one day, so I assume it was nice
You can tell who cares and who doesn't by their reaction when you ask.
Click to expand...
Exactly. If it’s not easy, leave them out. I remember this year at first I had asked someone and didn’t like their behavior but they said ok. Then I was anxious and a friend said “this should be the easiest part of your application and if you’re anxious, leave them out” so i politely found an excuse and erased them and gave it to someone less known but better person
 
milktoof2 said:
  1. 9/9 (email) University of Oklahoma, October 21st (in person) with social October 20th (night before)
  2. 8/16 (email) Mayo Clinic 9/30 Virtual
  3. 8/19 (email) Iowa , In-person social 10/13 and interview 10/14
  4. 8/22 (email) University of Illinois at Chicago 10/12 or 10/13 or 10/14
  5. 8/23 (phone call) Loma Linda 10/11 for morning or afternoon interview (in-person).
  6. 08/26 (email) University of Manitoba, in person 10/3 and 10/4
  7. 8/28 (email) Tufts, 09/15, 09/16 in-person or virtual if you can't make it; social the day before (details to follow)
  8. 8/30 (email) Indiana, 10/06, 10/07 in-person, with a social on 10/06
  9. 9/2 (email) UNLV, 10/7 or 10/14 in-person.
  10. 9/2 (email) University of Colorado 9/29-10/1 in-person
  11. 9/6 (email) LSU, either 10/27 or 10/28 in-person, social on 10/27 evening
  12. 9/9 (phone call) University of Michigan 10/10 or 10/17 (in-person), social night before
  13. 9/9 (email) UTSA, either 10/7 or 10/21 (in-person), social night before
  14. 9/9 (email) University of Florida, 10/10 (in person), social night before
  15. 9/9 (email) University of Tennessee, 10/14 (in person), social night before
  16. 9/10 (email) University of Washington, 10/10 (in-person), social night before
  17. 9/12 (phone call) UAB, 10/13 or 10/14 (in-person)
  18. 9/13 (phone call) University of Nebraska, 10/11 or 10/12 (in-person). Social the evening before.
  19. 9/13 (email) Harvard University, 10/28 (in-person), social night before
  20. 9/13 (email) UMKC, 10/17 in person interview with resident social 10/16
  21. 9/13 (email) OSU 10/10, 10/11 in person interview with resident social 10/9
  22. 9/14 (call) Albert Einstein interview on October 12th w/ social on the 11th.
  23. 9/14 (email) St. Barnabas Oct 12 interview with non-mandatory social on the 11th
  24. 9/15 (email) University of South Carolina Oct 14 or Oct 28 interviews
  25. 9/15 (email) ASDOH Oct 3 or Oct 4 interviews with social Oct 3
  26. 9/16 (email) Saint Louis University, 10/11 or 10/12 and 10/19 or 10/20 (in-person). Social the evening before.
  27. 9/16 (phone call) UNC, 10/24 or 10/25 in person. Social the evening before
  28. 9/16, 9/23 (email) CTOR (NJ), 9/30, 10/7 interview and social on the 29th.
  29. 9/16 (email) UCSF, interview on 10/18 in person
  30. 9/19 (email) Pittsburgh, interview on 10/24 or 10/25 in person.
  31. 9/19 (email) BU, dates not confirmed by they have in person and online
  32. 9/20 (email) UOP, interview on 10/17 or 10/18 in person, social night before
  33. 9/20 (phone call) Texas A&M, 10/25, 10/26, or 10/27 (in-person) with socials offered the night before each date
  34. 9/20 (email) OHSU, virtual interview on 10/19 or 10/20
  35. 9/20 (email and phone) Roseman, virtual interview on 10/11 or 10/12
  36. 9/20, 9/23 (email) Columbia, October 17, 18, 24, or 25 social the night before the date you pick.
  37. 9/20, 9/23, 9/26 (phone call) Eastman Institute (Rochester), virtual interview several dates offered
  38. 9/21 (email) Buffalo, October 21 or 24th, social information TBD
  39. 9/21 (phone-call) Bronxcare, October 10 or 11, social on the 10th
  40. 9/21 (email) Montefiore NY, Zoom interview and zoom social. On October 11/12th or 13/14th
  41. 9/21 (email/phone call): Louisville, 10/20 or 10/21 (in person)
  42. 9/22 (email) NSU in-person interview on October 20th and 24th, social the night before
  43. 9/22 VCU (email): October 27th (full day) + October 28th (half day)
  44. 9/22 UCLA (email): October 14th (8:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
  45. 9/26 (email) University of Minnesota : October 24th (in person) with social the night before.
  46. 9/26 (phone and email): University of Kentucky, October 24th (in person), with social October 23rd (night before)
  47. 9/29 (email) University of Detroit Mercy: Nov. 3rd (virtual) or Nov. 4th (in-person) with social the evening of the 3rd.
  48. 9/29 (email) Penn, October 12th on zoom (there may have been other dates but the email had assigned a date already)
  49. 9/29 (phone call) UConn, 10/20 or 10/21 (in person), social information TBD
  50. 9/29 (email): University of Texas at Houston, 10/27 or 10/28 (in person) with socials the night before
  51. 9/29 (email): University of Maryland, 10/20 (in person) social night before and night of
  52. 9/30 (email): Rutgrs, 10/21 &10/24 (in person)
  53. 9/30 (email) Western University, 10/17 (zoom)
  54. 10/3 (email) Temple, 10/24 and 10/28 (in person) with a social the day before.
  55. 10/3 (email) UBC, 11/5 (online)
  56. 10/3 (emal): Case Western, 11/2 PM or 11/3 AM (in person) with social 11/2 evening
  57. 10/4 (email) West Virginia, 10/30 in person with social 10/30 evening
  58. 10/4 (phone) Medstar, 10/29 virtual
  59. 10/6 (email) Stony Brook, 10/25 virtual social, 10/27 (zoom)
  60. 10/9 (?) Marquette, October 27 or 28
  61. 10/12 (email) Maimonides 11/8 in-person
  62. 10/12 (email) NYU October 27 or 28 in- person
  63. ??? (???) Toronto, October 28th
  64. 10/18 (email) Georgia School of Orthodontics, Oct 19 - 26th virtual
  65. 10/19 (email): Jacksonville Oct 24 or 25th, online
  66. 10/19 (email): Howard, November 3rd
  67. ??? (???): Augusta, website said they were interviewing at some point in October.
  • University of Alberta
  • USC
  • University of Montreal
Updating the list....
Click to expand...
University of Montreal already did their interviews 2 weeks ago, and University of Alberta is holding theirs on Monday
 
  1. 9/9 (email) University of Oklahoma, October 21st (in person) with social October 20th (night before)
  2. 8/16 (email) Mayo Clinic 9/30 Virtual
  3. 8/19 (email) Iowa , In-person social 10/13 and interview 10/14
  4. 8/22 (email) University of Illinois at Chicago 10/12 or 10/13 or 10/14
  5. 8/23 (phone call) Loma Linda 10/11 for morning or afternoon interview (in-person).
  6. 08/26 (email) University of Manitoba, in person 10/3 and 10/4
  7. 8/28 (email) Tufts, 09/15, 09/16 in-person or virtual if you can't make it; social the day before (details to follow)
  8. 8/30 (email) Indiana, 10/06, 10/07 in-person, with a social on 10/06
  9. 9/2 (email) UNLV, 10/7 or 10/14 in-person.
  10. 9/2 (email) University of Colorado 9/29-10/1 in-person
  11. 9/6 (email) LSU, either 10/27 or 10/28 in-person, social on 10/27 evening
  12. 9/9 (phone call) University of Michigan 10/10 or 10/17 (in-person), social night before
  13. 9/9 (email) UTSA, either 10/7 or 10/21 (in-person), social night before
  14. 9/9 (email) University of Florida, 10/10 (in person), social night before
  15. 9/9 (email) University of Tennessee, 10/14 (in person), social night before
  16. 9/10 (email) University of Washington, 10/10 (in-person), social night before
  17. 9/12 (phone call) UAB, 10/13 or 10/14 (in-person)
  18. 9/13 (phone call) University of Nebraska, 10/11 or 10/12 (in-person). Social the evening before.
  19. 9/13 (email) Harvard University, 10/28 (in-person), social night before
  20. 9/13 (email) UMKC, 10/17 in person interview with resident social 10/16
  21. 9/13 (email) OSU 10/10, 10/11 in person interview with resident social 10/9
  22. 9/14 (call) Albert Einstein interview on October 12th w/ social on the 11th.
  23. 9/14 (email) St. Barnabas Oct 12 interview with non-mandatory social on the 11th
  24. 9/15 (email) University of South Carolina Oct 14 or Oct 28 interviews
  25. 9/15 (email) ASDOH Oct 3 or Oct 4 interviews with social Oct 3
  26. 9/16 (email) Saint Louis University, 10/11 or 10/12 and 10/19 or 10/20 (in-person). Social the evening before.
  27. 9/16 (phone call) UNC, 10/24 or 10/25 in person. Social the evening before
  28. 9/16, 9/23 (email) CTOR (NJ), 9/30, 10/7 interview and social on the 29th.
  29. 9/16 (email) UCSF, interview on 10/18 in person
  30. 9/19 (email) Pittsburgh, interview on 10/24 or 10/25 in person.
  31. 9/19 (email) BU, dates not confirmed by they have in person and online
  32. 9/20 (email) UOP, interview on 10/17 or 10/18 in person, social night before
  33. 9/20 (phone call) Texas A&M, 10/25, 10/26, or 10/27 (in-person) with socials offered the night before each date
  34. 9/20 (email) OHSU, virtual interview on 10/19 or 10/20
  35. 9/20 (email and phone) Roseman, virtual interview on 10/11 or 10/12
  36. 9/20, 9/23 (email) Columbia, October 17, 18, 24, or 25 social the night before the date you pick.
  37. 9/20, 9/23, 9/26 (phone call) Eastman Institute (Rochester), virtual interview several dates offered
  38. 9/21 (email) Buffalo, October 21 or 24th, social information TBD
  39. 9/21 (phone-call) Bronxcare, October 10 or 11, social on the 10th
  40. 9/21 (email) Montefiore NY, Zoom interview and zoom social. On October 11/12th or 13/14th
  41. 9/21 (email/phone call): Louisville, 10/20 or 10/21 (in person)
  42. 9/22 (email) NSU in-person interview on October 20th and 24th, social the night before
  43. 9/22 VCU (email): October 27th (full day) + October 28th (half day)
  44. 9/22 UCLA (email): October 14th (8:30 AM to 5:00 PM)
  45. 9/26 (email) University of Minnesota : October 24th (in person) with social the night before.
  46. 9/26 (phone and email): University of Kentucky, October 24th (in person), with social October 23rd (night before)
  47. 9/29 (email) University of Detroit Mercy: Nov. 3rd (virtual) or Nov. 4th (in-person) with social the evening of the 3rd.
  48. 9/29 (email) Penn, October 12th on zoom (there may have been other dates but the email had assigned a date already)
  49. 9/29 (phone call) UConn, 10/20 or 10/21 (in person), social information TBD
  50. 9/29 (email): University of Texas at Houston, 10/27 or 10/28 (in person) with socials the night before
  51. 9/29 (email): University of Maryland, 10/20 (in person) social night before and night of
  52. 9/30 (email): Rutgrs, 10/21 &10/24 (in person)
  53. 9/30 (email) Western University, 10/17 (zoom)
  54. 10/3 (email) Temple, 10/24 and 10/28 (in person) with a social the day before.
  55. 10/3 (email) UBC, 11/5 (online)
  56. 10/3 (emal): Case Western, 11/2 PM or 11/3 AM (in person) with social 11/2 evening
  57. 10/4 (email) West Virginia, 10/30 in person with social 10/30 evening
  58. 10/4 (phone) Medstar, 10/29 virtual
  59. 10/6 (email) Stony Brook, 10/25 virtual social, 10/27 (zoom)
  60. 10/9 (?) Marquette, October 27 or 28
  61. 10/12 (email) Maimonides 11/8 in-person
  62. 10/12 (email) NYU October 27 or 28 in- person
  63. ??? (???) Toronto, October 28th
  64. 10/18 (email) Georgia School of Orthodontics, Oct 19 - 26th virtual
  65. 10/19 (email): Jacksonville Oct 24 or 25th, online
  66. 10/19 (email): Howard, November 3rd
  67. ??? (???): Augusta, website said they were interviewing at some point in October.
  68. ??? (???): University of Montreal, two weeks ago
  69. ??? (???): University of Alberta, October 31st
  70. 10/26 (email): USC, November 7th
Updating the list one last time....good luck everyone
 
paamp said:
speaking of LORs, how do you know who to ask? How to ensure you get good ones? I'm a D3 so I'm applying next cycle but this is the one aspect of my app I'm most worried about since I like to fly under the radar and am very self-reliant so I rarely if ever ask professors for help (I generally consider this a good quality but its now kind of biting me in the ass). I also absolutely abhor ass kissing/being fake, what do??
Click to expand...
I think a side effect of COVID and the increase of remote classes is the lack of relationships that are naturally developed between students and faculty. This makes it very difficult for the student to ask for letters of recommendation. I was class president of my class, had tons of interaction with faculty via email, but felt like a lot of my professors would not be able to recognize me in person. The way that schools have shifted to a more remote learning environment requires that the students be more deliberate about relationship development with faculty.

There were a couple of things that I felt like may have helped me receive strong letters of recommendation.

1) About a year before applying, I chose around 10-12 professors/people who I thought highly of and I decided that I would make an effort to get to know them better. I understand the desire to not be a suck up just to get something from someone - I hope you understand that I am not recommending that. What I am recommending is to go out of your way to get to know more people. When you do this, good letter writers will naturally come out of the woodworks! As I made an effort to show genuine interest in my faculty and their lives, I had multiple faculty members offer to write me letters of recommendation without solicitation - these are the types of letters that you want! If someone offers to write you a letter without you asking, chances are they are going to write you a great letter!

2) Personally, I feel that it is better to receive a great letter from someone lesser known than a mediocre letter from someone well-known. While there is value in receiving a letter from someone well known in dentistry/orthodontics, it is only valuable if it is a good letter. Don't feel like you absolutely have to get a letter from certain individuals if you are not confident that they will write you a good letter. That being said, if you are wondering who programs like to hear from in LORs, check out the following survey from 2011 (a little dated but still good info!).

pocketdentistry.com

Applicant selection procedures for orthodontic specialty programs in the United States: Survey of program directors

Introduction With the recent changes in scoring of the National Board Dental Examinations and grading systems in some dental schools, ranking prospective orthodontic applicants has become a challen…
pocketdentistry.com

Program directors ranked in order who they like to hear from in LORs. The list is as follows:

1) Orthodontic Department Chairs
2) Orthodontic Graduate Program Directors
3) Orthodontic Predoctoral Program Directors
4) Research Advisor
5) Orthodontic Faculty
6) Dean of Dental School
7) Private Practice Orthodontist
8) General Dentist
9) Other Dental Specialist
10) Program Alumni
11) Current Orthodontic Resident
12) College Advisor

For what its worth, I received letters of recommendation from:
1) Predoctoral Orthodontic Section Head at my school (my school does not have a ortho residency)
2) My research advisor
3) The clinic director at my school
4) My attending faculty that I worked with most often in clinic
5) A faculty member who taught our TMD class at my school
6) The dean of my dental school

3) I also made a point to ask my peers in years above me who they asked for LORs from. They had great info on who they would not ask again, who responded favorably, who they had to remind over and over again to write it, etc. They offered me great info and steered me away from poor letter writers! I would ask around and ask for advice from those who applied in the few years before you.

I have yet to get in (applying this cycle) so I don't know for sure how great my LORs were, but I did receive 18 interview invites!

Hope this helps!
 
Last edited:
crown18 said:
I think a side effect of COVID and the increase of remote classes is the lack of relationships that are naturally developed between students and faculty. This makes it very difficult for the student to ask for letters of recommendation. I was class president of my class, had tons of interaction with faculty via email, but felt like a lot of my professors would not be able to recognize me in person. The way that schools have shifted to a more remote learning environment requires that the students be more deliberate about relationship development with faculty.

There were a couple of things that I felt like may have helped me receive strong letters of recommendation.

1) About a year before applying, I chose around 10-12 professors/people who I thought highly of and I decided that I would make an effort to get to know them better. I understand the desire to not be a suck up just to get something from someone - I hope you understand that I am not recommending that. What I am recommending is to go out of your way to get to know more people. When you do this, good letter writers will naturally come out of the woodworks! As I made an effort to show genuine interest in my faculty and their lives, I had multiple faculty members offer to write me letters of recommendation without solicitation - these are the types of letters that you want! If someone offers to write you a letter without you asking, chances are they are going to write you a great letter!

2) Personally, I feel that it is better to receive a great letter from someone lesser known than a mediocre letter from someone well-known. While there is value in receiving a letter from someone well known in dentistry/orthodontics, it is only valuable if it is a good letter. Don't feel like you absolutely have to get a letter from certain individuals if you are not confident that they will write you a good letter. That being said, if you are wondering who programs like to hear from in LORs, check out the following survey from 2011 (a little dated but still good info!).

pocketdentistry.com

Applicant selection procedures for orthodontic specialty programs in the United States: Survey of program directors

Introduction With the recent changes in scoring of the National Board Dental Examinations and grading systems in some dental schools, ranking prospective orthodontic applicants has become a challen…
pocketdentistry.com

Program directors ranked in order who they like to hear from in LORs. The list is as follows:

1) Orthodontic Department Chairs
2) Orthodontic Graduate Program Directors
3) Orthodontic Predoctoral Program Directors
4) Research Advisor
5) Orthodontic Faculty
6) Dean of Dental School
7) Private Practice Orthodontist
8) General Dentist
9) Other Dental Specialist
10) Program Alumni
11) Current Orthodontic Resident
12) College Advisor

For what its worth, I received letters of recommendation from:
1) Predoctoral Orthodontic Section Head at my school (my school does not have a ortho residency)
2) My research advisor
3) The clinic director at my school
4) My attending faculty that I worked with most often in clinic
5) A faculty member who taught our TMD class at my school
6) The dean of my dental school

3) I also made a point to ask my peers in years above me who they asked for LORs from. They had great info on who they would not ask again, who responded favorably, who they had to remind over and over again to write it, etc. They offered me great info and steered me away from poor letter writers! I would ask around and ask for advice from those who applied in the few years before you.

I have yet to get in (applying this cycle) so I don't know for sure how great my LORs were, but I did receive 18 interview invites!

Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Holy smokes, 18 II?? Leave some for the rest of us mortals lol. Jokes aside that's incredible and thank you for sharing some of your wisdom on an important but oft overlooked aspect of applications, really appreciate the write up! Just curious, how many interviews will you actually be attending out of those 18?
 
Does anyone know about CTOR Academy's tuition? There's nothing on their website and they don't respond to emails/phone calls.
 
doctorortho said:
Does anyone know about CTOR Academy's tuition? There's nothing on their website and they don't respond to emails/phone calls.
Click to expand...
36495E3B-A3B2-43C7-A303-499B3A0855BE.jpeg


Big Hoss
 
So no one here thinks it's sketchy that they don't clearly list their tuition on their website?
 
Did they start sending acceptance? I haven’t heard from them.
 
Did you all have a social? I interviewed last week and haven’t received an invitation for the zoom.
 
Is anyone planning on going to GSO if you don’t match in anywhere else?
 
Hey guys! So I didn’t match last year. The director at my top program told me that they’ll rank me highly and they suggest I do the same. Since match is somewhat convoluted, how good of a chance do I have? Just don’t want to be disappointed again this year lol
 
GoOU said:
Hey guys! So I didn’t match last year. The director at my top program told me that they’ll rank me highly and they suggest I do the same. Since match is somewhat convoluted, how good of a chance do I have? Just don’t want to be disappointed again this year lol
Click to expand...
Rank the programs as they suit you best, and do not focus on anything else. Good luck!
 
GoOU said:
Hey guys! So I didn’t match last year. The director at my top program told me that they’ll rank me highly and they suggest I do the same. Since match is somewhat convoluted, how good of a chance do I have? Just don’t want to be disappointed again this year lol
Click to expand...
The program director could say that to every interviewee, you have no idea. They shouldn’t be saying stuff like that at all tbh. But like ortho-ftd stated, rank the programs in order of your true preferences, do not DO NOT try to play the match game.
 
MIIMtodent said:
The program director could say that to every interviewee, you have no idea. They shouldn’t be saying stuff like that at all tbh. But like ortho-ftd stated, rank the programs in order of your true preferences, do not DO NOT try to play the match game.
Click to expand...
That’s true I suppose. It’s the program I liked the most, I def wouldn’t rank one over the other just because of that. Thanks a lot!
 
Another waiting period. Let us all pray 🙏🏻 and remember it’s not the end of the world if you don’t match this year. The goal is the same, but the route is different.
 
Hi all, I’ve applied about 5 cycles now and haven’t match anywhere. Is it worth it for me to go to Georgia if I can go in? I will not have any loans.
 
CaliDDS1986 said:
Hi all, I’ve applied about 5 cycles now and haven’t match anywhere. Is it worth it for me to go to Georgia if I can go in? I will not have any loans.
Click to expand...
ummm yeah, especially after 5 years of participating in MATCH And post-MATCH.

how many schools/programs are you applying to, is your net wide enough?

You interview every cycle? It may be how you interview.

Might as well go with GSO unless you really want that specialist certification. Hell you could’ve done GSO about twice when adding up all the years applying.

Last time I checked GSO is CODA accredited. I guess because it’s new, people just like to **** on em. If GSO was my ONLY opportunity year after year, I would go for it.
 
Docortho1212 said:
ummm yeah, especially after 5 years of participating in MATCH And post-MATCH.

how many schools/programs are you applying to, is your net wide enough?

You interview every cycle? It may be how you interview.

Might as well go with GSO unless you really want that specialist certification. Hell you could’ve done GSO about twice when adding up all the years applying.

Last time I checked GSO is CODA accredited. I guess because it’s new, people just like to **** on em. If GSO was my ONLY opportunity year after year, I would go for it.
Click to expand...

Is the education worth the cost?
 
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