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

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011110 said:
You don’t think it’s worth it to just reapply or stay a GP? What benefits does the specialist tag give?
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not having to work as GP (assuming you don't like that)
not wasting another year and another year and another year because what will change next year?
Say you go to GPR, you will still apply again while you are still in GPR, what have you accomplished so far? you just graduated 2 months ago and what you have to show for?
l know many people who have very high gpa and still didn't get more than 1 interview.
So yeah, it is def worth it if you want to be an orthodontist.
The only bad side is that they don't do federal loan, and it's a 3 year program.
 
011110 said:
You don’t think it’s worth it to just reapply or stay a GP? What benefits does the specialist tag give?
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More $$$$. Ideally speacilaist earn more. I think it will pay off in the long run. Plus i actually wanna be one.

My program director at my Gpr broke down the economics between specialist and GP….specializing is the way to go.
 
Docortho1212 said:
Ima shoot for the scholarship they offer. Otherwise, private loans. I’ll pay any dime for that specialist tag.
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And that is how they can charge exuberant prices... They know there will always be a customer willing to pay for that specialist tag and the price will only go higher.
 
thenitidentalguy said:
And that is how they can charge exuberant prices... They know there will always be a customer willing to pay for that specialist tag and the price will only go higher.
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I don’t make the rules. I just play the game. Good luck to you.
 
Bobstreet said:

Hi everyone! I wanted to create a common thread for anyone looking to switch interview dates so that they're easily accessible. Every request is listed chronologically and directly quoted from the OP. If I'm missing something or if you no longer need to switch, feel free to edit and repost an update. Hope this helps!​

​

carrots918​

Hi! Is anyone interviewing at UNC on 10/24 able to please switch dates with me? I am signed up for the 10/25 date and am unable to attend that day. Please let me know, thank you very much!!

nightowl54​

@ UNC Chapel Hill interviewees: I’m currently scheduled to interview on Tuesday 10/25, but I’m looking to switch to Monday 10/24. Please DM me if you can/want to switch!

snaparay293798​

If anyone has an interview at Texas A&M on October 25th or 26th and would be willing to switch to October 27th, please let me know! I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!

OrthoHopeful1234​

I'm having the same issue! If someone could switch to the 27th who has an interview on the 25th or 26th?

teethschool​

Third person but worth a shot. If you have a Texas A&M interview on 10/25 or 10/26 and would be willing to switch to 10/27, please let me know! Thanks!

future_nostalgia​

Anyone interviewing at UConn on 10/20 that is willing to switch to 10/21 please let me know! thanks!!

samboedee​

If anyone has a Pittsburgh interview on Tuesday 10/25 and wants to switch to Monday 10/24, please let me know!

dentzo​

Can anyone can switch Texas A&M dates? I have the 10/27 interview date but need to switch to 10/25 or 10/26. If anyone needs to switch to 10/27 and wants to swap, let me know. Thx!

Bobstreet​

Anyone interviewing at Detroit Mercy and able to switch interview times? I'm currently scheduled for 8:00 AM (EST) on November 3rd for a virtual interview and am hoping to switch to an in-person interview on November 4th or a different virtual interview time on November 3rd.

dentig​

UNC interviewees......does anyone want to switch me dates? I am currently scheduled to interview on Monday Oct 24 with the social the night before but need to switch to Tuesday Oct 25. Are there any UNC interviewees that want to switch from Tuesday to Monday? DM me if you're interested.

Bobstreet​

Anyone interviewing at Marquette on Friday 10/28 and able to switch interview dates? I'm currently scheduled for a Thursday interview but will only able to attend the Friday interviews.
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@Bobstreet are you still looking for someone to switch Detroit Mercy? I messaged you.
 
jcldds said:
Have we heard anything from Jacksonville?
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at this point I gave up, should've went to their open house event, maybe they would have liked me enough to send an invite my way 😀
 
Faefly said:
at this point I gave up, should've went to their open house event, maybe they would have liked me enough to send an invite my way 😀
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Lol, the open house is this thursday
 
Docortho1212 said:
Ima shoot for the scholarship they offer. Otherwise, private loans. I’ll pay any dime for that specialist tag.
Click to expand...
not smart

You’re way better off working as a GP for a year and reapplying to get into a program that won’t churn out an untrained orthodontist and putting you in nearly half a million dollars in debt
 
Faefly said:
not having to work as GP (assuming you don't like that)
not wasting another year and another year and another year because what will change next year?
Say you go to GPR, you will still apply again while you are still in GPR, what have you accomplished so far? you just graduated 2 months ago and what you have to show for?
l know many people who have very high gpa and still didn't get more than 1 interview.
So yeah, it is def worth it if you want to be an orthodontist.
The only bad side is that they don't do federal loan, and it's a 3 year program.
Click to expand...
There were two people in my class in dental school who didn’t get any interviews, worked as GPs for a year, reapplied with a revamped personal statement, recommendations, etc and ended up marching in he next cycle at programs significantly better than the scam that is GSO
 
blablabla1 said:
There were two people in my class in dental school who didn’t get any interviews, worked as GPs for a year, reapplied with a revamped personal statement, recommendations, etc and ended up marching in he next cycle at programs significantly better than the scam that is GSO
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Sounds personal.
 
Faefly said:
at this point I gave up, should've went to their open house event, maybe they would have liked me enough to send an invite my way 😀
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I emailed the JU grad admissions guy who the open house email came from. He said that open house invite was completely separate from Ortho interviews, and that interview invites would be coming out this week.
 
wafflemire said:
I emailed the JU grad admissions guy who the open house email came from. He said that open house invite was completely separate from Ortho interviews, and that interview invites would be coming out this week.
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His wording was “not related in any way”. I think it was just a mass advertising email sent out with very poor timing
 
Docortho1212 said:
Sounds personal.
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That program affects the viability of the entire specialty and also churns out untrained orthodontists. It's not personal, but it does affect every single person who currently is or wants to become an orthodontist.

The only people who blindly defend GSO on SDN are the ones whose resume is too poor to get an interview at a legitimate orthodontic residency
 
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  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
  • University of Alberta
  • USC
  • Howard
  • Augusta
  • University of Montreal
 
blablabla1 said:
That program affects the viability of the entire specialty and also churns out untrained orthodontists. It's not personal, but it does affect every single person who currently is or wants to become an orthodontist.

The only people who blindly defend GSO on SDN are the ones whose resume is too poor to get an interview at a legitimate orthodontic residency
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Didn’t apply there but I wonder how the program got accredited. I’m passionate about orthodontics but this is definitely not the route to do so. I feel like you have to sacrifice so much to go there. Just wait another year and shoot your shot again while making money. Don’t be desperate, be wise.
 
Parrot$84 said:
Didn’t apply there but I wonder how the program got accredited. I’m passionate about orthodontics but this is definitely not the route to do so. I feel like you have to sacrifice so much to go there. Just wait another year and shoot your shot again while making money. Don’t be desperate, be wise.
Click to expand...
The bar for accreditation is woefully low. And CODA does not care one bit about the viability of the field since they very easily fall for the fake plea of “increasing access to care.” Case in point: GSO was just approved to increase their class size to 45 per class. They are now able to have more residents in ONE class than the largest ortho program in the country (Saint Louis University) has in their ENTIRE program.

Gotta love capitalist greed hiding behind the facade of “increasing access to care.” They very well know the vast majority of their students will never touch an underserved area after graduation. It’s a money machine, not a proper educational organization. Which is evidenced by the fact that they don’t even accept student loans.

There will always be those desperate enough to go to GSO despite all the many red flags. Good luck to them, they’ll need it
 
blablabla1 said:
That program affects the viability of the entire specialty and also churns out untrained orthodontists. It's not personal, but it does affect every single person who currently is or wants to become an orthodontist.

The only people who blindly defend GSO on SDN are the ones whose resume is too poor to get an interview at a legitimate orthodontic residency
Click to expand...
Why do you have this point of view? I truly wanna know. (I do have other interviews btw).

But what makes one program more legitimate than the next? Not rhetorical. Right now I’m an outsider trying to enter whatever door I can.

Is it a “protect the specialty” thing and you don’t like the amount of orthodontist graduated by the school? Tell me what the scoop is. This will potentially make good talking points for my Interview later next week.
 
blablabla1 said:
The bar for accreditation is woefully low. And CODA does not care one bit about the viability of the field since they very easily fall for the fake plea of “increasing access to care.” Case in point: GSO was just approved to increase their class size to 45 per class. They are now able to have more residents in ONE class than the largest ortho program in the country (Saint Louis University) has in their ENTIRE program.

Gotta love capitalist greed hiding behind the facade of “increasing access to care.” They very well know the vast majority of their students will never touch an underserved area after graduation. It’s a money machine, not a proper educational organization. Which is evidenced by the fact that they don’t even accept student loans.

There will always be those desperate enough to go to GSO despite all the many red flags. Good luck to them, they’ll need it
Click to expand...
Malice in your heart. But “no friends in medicine” so to speak so I get it. To my knowledge they will accept loans later in the future but relatively new programs are not eligible for federal funding perhaps.

But again. You mentioned untrained orthodontist in a previous post. Like is that rumor behind this program?
 
Parrot$84 said:
Didn’t apply there but I wonder how the program got accredited. I’m passionate about orthodontics but this is definitely not the route to do so. I feel like you have to sacrifice so much to go there. Just wait another year and shoot your shot again while making money. Don’t be desperate, be wise.
Click to expand...
What makes it unwise if they offer the same thing? I’m interested in your POV. again, my allegiance isn’t anywhere, I’m only an aspirant at the moment. Lol
 
For those that interviewed at UNLV: Did everyone receive an email about vaccination status? Did any of you not get this email from UNLV?
 
If one has some gpr interviews that takes place in nov/dec, can we still do match for ortho, and attend these interviews. There is a really low chance of me getting matched, so I don't know what is the protocol in this case. Can they know we are in match for ortho?
 
Faefly said:
If one has some gpr interviews that takes place in nov/dec, can we still do match for ortho, and attend these interviews. There is a really low chance of me getting matched, so I don't know what is the protocol in this case. Can they know we are in match for ortho?
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can’t match twice. But if one does not match during phase 1. He/she should be able to participate in phase 2.
 
011110 said:
Serious question, how does anyone plan to pay the tuition and fees for Georgia? I just calculated tuition and fees for the 3 years and it’s $381,000! This is not including living expenses and other expenditures l, which could easily add another $50-75k per year. Is it even worth it at that point if it’s the only program we get in?
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Something to consider as well is how you are perceived by your peers, namely other orthodontists. I'm not saying that this is fair but it is the reality that there are certain programs that are not well respected by those in the field.
 
gocougars said:
Something to consider as well is how you are perceived by your peers, namely other orthodontists. I'm not saying that this is fair but it is the reality that there are certain programs that are not well respected by those in the field.
Click to expand...

Absolutely. Very few in the ortho community respect GSO. One program director from a top tier Ortho program from whom I sought advice from when I was applying to programs told me that GSO (among a couple other programs) was beneath me and that I should not even bother wasting my money to apply. Keep in mind I was told this even though my stats (3.69 GPA) were considered low for an Ortho applicant
 
blablabla1 said:
Absolutely. Very few in the ortho community respect GSO. One program director from a top tier Ortho program from whom I sought advice from when I was applying to programs told me that GSO (among a couple other programs) was beneath me and that I should not even bother wasting my money to apply. Keep in mind I was told this even though my stats (3.69 GPA) were considered low for an Ortho applicant
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing. Do you mind also sharing the couple other programs that were discussed?
 
  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....
 
Hello everyone. I am looking at applying next year to residency, so Im sorry for crashing this year’s thread. I am getting nervous and anxious about the possibility of not getting into a program. I am wondering as I plan out this next year what the best options moving forward are. My gpa is around 3.75 (I expect it to maintain around that before applications), my class rank is 30/120 (this may fluctuate since many in my class are pushing for residencies), I have some research from under grad, and am starting ortho research soon. I am worried about getting letter of recommendations from ortho faculty, as many of them are not approachable at my school. I still have yet to take the GRE, but Im worried with the research I’ve done that my application wouldn’t be competitive due to my class rank, and possibly the fault of having a strong letter of rec from an ortho faculty.
Should I look at going through the match? Or applying to schools not part of the match? Or would that be a waste, and should I just be looking to apply to an internship program? The one thing I have learned from this forum is that GSO is not an option, i’d rather take my loses. Thanks!
 
KingCycle said:
Hello everyone. I am looking at applying next year to residency, so Im sorry for crashing this year’s thread. I am getting nervous and anxious about the possibility of not getting into a program. I am wondering as I plan out this next year what the best options moving forward are. My gpa is around 3.75 (I expect it to maintain around that before applications), my class rank is 30/120 (this may fluctuate since many in my class are pushing for residencies), I have some research from under grad, and am starting ortho research soon. I am worried about getting letter of recommendations from ortho faculty, as many of them are not approachable at my school. I still have yet to take the GRE, but Im worried with the research I’ve done that my application wouldn’t be competitive due to my class rank, and possibly the fault of having a strong letter of rec from an ortho faculty.
Should I look at going through the match? Or applying to schools not part of the match? Or would that be a waste, and should I just be looking to apply to an internship program? The one thing I have learned from this forum is that GSO is not an option, i’d rather take my loses. Thanks!
Click to expand...
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!
 
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