Pedo residency and low grades

[Trident88]

I'm a current dental student at the bottom 1/3 of the class, is there any shot for pedo or is it a lost cause? I've been doing outreach programs, research, active in class leadership and plan to do more networking, etc.
Honest advice w/o criticism is appreciated.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[ubdental]

Pedo has been more competitive in the past couple of years, but it doesn't mean you have to have brilliant grades to get in. If you are sure you want to go the Pedo route, then don't give up trying to better your grades. There are schools that don't have grades and/or ranking. Now the boards are P/F, so I think it is more unfair for people with grades like you. If you have grades, then programs will judge you by it. So do your best to better your grades in the remaining year(s) of dental school. Continue to do those extracurricular activities (helpful to have pedo related). Visit programs that you're interested in. Do externships with them if you can. When you apply, consider applying to both hospital based and university based programs. University based programs collect tuition, so they are a bit less competitive, but it's still a good investment if you really want to do pedo. Just look at your Ortho and Perio friends, they have to pay tuition for their training too. Last but not least, if you don't get in the first round, do a GPR with Pedo concentration, and reapply. There are many fantastic pediatric dentists out there who did not get in the first time they applied. Keep your hopes alive. Good luck.

 

[lwen5]

I'm a current dental student at the bottom 1/3 of the class, is there any shot for pedo or is it a lost cause? I've been doing outreach programs, research, active in class leadership and plan to do more networking, etc.
Honest advice w/o criticism is appreciated.

Don't worry there has been a gigantic proliferation in residency programs and a huge increase in number of spots. Apply to lutheran medical, they take like 50 people each year.

 

[smiles4miles]

Don't worry there has been a gigantic proliferation in residency programs and a huge increase in number of spots. Apply to lutheran medical, they take like 50 people each year.

^^^ why you hating on Lutheran programs??? some are actually really good. no one is forcing you to go there

and to the OP, you can def get in if you have enough motivation--it might take a year or two of being in a gpr but don't give up. and visit many many programs for a full week externship

 

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

^^^ why you hating on Lutheran programs??? some are actually really good. no one is forcing you to go there

I dont think Iwen5 was hating on lutheran, he was being serious. They really do have about 50 spots to fill. And each year they have post match spots to fill, which you will only be a contender for if you've interviewed at lutheran programs. To the original poster, I say apply anyway. Some programs don't care as much about the grades.

Lutheran does have some really good programs. Unfortunately they also have some really lousy programs. Some of the programs they have been throwing together recently are not very well established or are in clinics that are not ready to support a program, nor do they have the consistent support they need from lutheran. It makes it an extremely difficult and poor experience for residents in the early building stages of the program, or worse, closing of programs after just a few years and making residents relocate (like the Maine site, which just cancelled interviews and is shutting down).

You're right, no one is forced to go anyway. But it sucks to be a resident in a poor program that will be held to the same standard as someone who attended a strong program. Hopefully things will balance out now that the AAPD is enforcing specific graduation criteria. Either way, it beats the hell out of being a general dentist

 

[Trident88]

thanks for the motivation guys! i'm going to speak to as many Pedo residents and docs as I can to get more knowledge on the matter. And I am willing to relocate so hopefully that would help me.

 

[Silent Cool]

I'm a current dental student at the bottom 1/3 of the class, is there any shot for pedo or is it a lost cause? I've been doing outreach programs, research, active in class leadership and plan to do more networking, etc.
Honest advice w/o criticism is appreciated.

Trident,

If you do some searches on this forum, you will soon realize that Pedo doesn't care all that much about your grades. What they *do* care about, however, is your personality. Do you have the 'Pedo' personality? Warm, bubbly, happy-go-lucky? If so, then you're in. If you don't get in your first time, re-apply and in the interim make sure someone can write you a letter that vouches for your bubbly personality.
Remember that, even though Pedo is lucrative, a lot of people don't want to do it because kids can be a pain in the ass.
You'll get it if you want it.

good luck
-sc

 

[Wax n Relax]

Trident,

If you do some searches on this forum, you will soon realize that Pedo doesn't care all that much about your grades. What they *do* care about, however, is your personality. Do you have the 'Pedo' personality? Warm, bubbly, happy-go-lucky? If so, then you're in. If you don't get in your first time, re-apply and in the interim make sure someone can write you a letter that vouches for your bubbly personality.
Remember that, even though Pedo is lucrative, a lot of people don't want to do it because kids can be a pain in the ass.
You'll get it if you want it.

good luck
-sc

Pedo is becoming more and more competitive each year. In the past, the bolded statement was relevant, but grades are coming into play much more. Yes, personality is huge, but you have to be competitive to get interviews. GPR's and PP certainly help if your grades are stellar though.

 

[lwen5]

Pedo is becoming more and more competitive each year. In the past, the bolded statement was relevant, but grades are coming into play much more. Yes, personality is huge, but you have to be competitive to get interviews. GPR's and PP certainly help if your grades are stellar though.

"More and more competitive" than what? Perio or prostho lol. There has been and there will continue to be a gigantic increase in the number of pediatric residencies/positions.

 

[Silent Cool]

"More and more competitive" than what? Perio or prostho lol. There has been and there will continue to be a gigantic increase in the number of pediatric residencies/positions.

Supply is catching up to demand, baby....

 

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

I'm a current dental student at the bottom 1/3 of the class, is there any shot for pedo or is it a lost cause? I've been doing outreach programs, research, active in class leadership and plan to do more networking, etc.
Honest advice w/o criticism is appreciated.

I was looking at applications today for the residents we interviewed. I noticed many that are in the 40-50th percentile in their class, and even an applicant that has a cumulative 2.9 GPA and is ranked 70 something of 100. THESE ARE APPLICANTS THAT WE OFFERED INTERVIEWS TO. Once you get the interview the scores are pretty much out the window and you are on the same playing field as everyone else. So do your best, but don't give up on applying because of low grades.

Obviously most of these applicants had other strong aspects to their applications, such as previous GPR, lots of extracurriculars, good recommendations, etc. That stuff counts too. If you're grades arent where you would like them to be, find some other ways to make your application stand out.

 

[Silent Cool]

I was looking at applications today for the residents we interviewed. I noticed many that are in the 40-50th percentile in their class, and even an applicant that has a cumulative 2.9 GPA and is ranked 70 something of 100. THESE ARE APPLICANTS THAT WE OFFERED INTERVIEWS TO. Once you get the interview the scores are pretty much out the window and you are on the same playing field as everyone else. So do your best, but don't give up on applying because of low grades.

Obviously most of these applicants had other strong aspects to their applications, such as previous GPR, lots of extracurriculars, good recommendations, etc. That stuff counts too. If you're grades arent where you would like them to be, find some other ways to make your application stand out.

Yup.
Like I said before...Pedo is not that competitive. A lot of people don't want to deal with kids, despite the generally higher income. And yes, Pedo programs are opening like wildfire. OP, I will give you the same advice that I gave on the Ortho thread: apply to every program that you can reasonably afford. I was stunned when I discovered that many Ortho applicants applied to only 7-8 programs. Are you kidding me? Seriously, apply to every frickin' program you can afford. Also take comfort knowing that most Pedo programs pay you (unlike Ortho, Pros, and Endo).

Seriously, you will be fine so long as your letters and interviews show your fun-loving, bubbly personality. That's what Pedo PDs are looking for.

good luck