This was my first time applying. I used this website and the previous posts from other years to determine which schools to apply to based on similar stats for board scores, GPA, and experience. So it is important to me to post my stats in order to help others that were in the same boat as me. My stats were not great and I didn't really find my interest in pediatrics until I worked exclusively for a non-profit pediatric dental office for 3 years. My experience helped tremendously in gaining my acceptance to my matched program, the University of Louisville, my top choice! It also helped during the interview process that I was able to talk about all of my experiences (working with medically fragile children, children with autism, refugees, behavioral issues, etc...) I was also lucky to be able to become a faculty member at the University of Louisville that allowed dental students to rotate through our clinic. Had I applied right out of dental school, I don't think I would have gotten a good look by many schools. In fact, I never even considered specializing. I just hope it goes to show that by showing your passion, experience, having good letters of recommendation, and showing a little personality during your interview can go a long way toward matching with your top schools. I feel extremely blessed and hope that others that have not matched or are applying next year are encouraged to fight for their passion.
Location of Match: University of Louisville
Dental School Attended: University of Louisville
Year Earned DMD/DDS: 2010
International Student (yes/no): no
NBDE Part I/II / NBME scores: low 80s
Class Ranking: somewhere in the middle
Match/Non-Match: match
Externship(s)/where: none
Research: Master's in Engineering Project in Ergonomics (and to think I became a dentist)
Extracurriculars: mission trip to Dominican Republic, faculty member with UL dental school, worked for almost 3 years at non-profit pediatric dental office
Programs Applied to: 25
Interview Invites: 9
Interviews attended: 8
Programs Ranked: 8, matched with #1
Peace out and good luck!
