Peds Residency, No Interviews Yet

[HelloGuys]

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Hi everyone, looking for some honest feedback on my application this cycle.

I have applied to 19 pediatric residency programs. My class rank is 26/64. I have several pediatric-focused clinical experiences, including Give Kids a Smile, pediatric sealant clinics, a pediatric-focused dental mission trip, and a mobile dental clinic. I also have a bit of pediatric research, lots of leadership/service involvement, and two pediatric externships.

My application is pediatric-focused overall, with additional experience working with patients with special healthcare needs.

My main concern is that 9/19 programs have already sent out interviews, and I haven’t received any yet, including from the schools I had an externship at.

At this point, should I be concerned, or is it still relatively early in the cycle? I’d appreciate any honest feedback on my application or insight where my app may be weak.

 

[flashysmile]

Hi everyone, looking for some honest feedback on my application this cycle.

I have applied to 19 pediatric residency programs. My class rank is 26/64. I have several pediatric-focused clinical experiences, including Give Kids a Smile, pediatric sealant clinics, a pediatric-focused dental mission trip, and a mobile dental clinic. I also have a bit of pediatric research, lots of leadership/service involvement, and two pediatric externships.

My application is pediatric-focused overall, with additional experience working with patients with special healthcare needs.

My main concern is that 9/19 programs have already sent out interviews, and I haven’t received any yet, including from the schools I had an externship at.

At this point, should I be concerned, or is it still relatively early in the cycle? I’d appreciate any honest feedback on my application or insight where my app may be weak.

I’m in the same boat. It’s still early . Let’s hope for the best . Good luck !

 

[TheLastDance]

Hi everyone, looking for some honest feedback on my application this cycle.

I have applied to 19 pediatric residency programs. My class rank is 26/64. I have several pediatric-focused clinical experiences, including Give Kids a Smile, pediatric sealant clinics, a pediatric-focused dental mission trip, and a mobile dental clinic. I also have a bit of pediatric research, lots of leadership/service involvement, and two pediatric externships.

My application is pediatric-focused overall, with additional experience working with patients with special healthcare needs.

My main concern is that 9/19 programs have already sent out interviews, and I haven’t received any yet, including from the schools I had an externship at.

At this point, should I be concerned, or is it still relatively early in the cycle? I’d appreciate any honest feedback on my application or insight where my app may be weak.

We've all gone through it. Advice you need to hear:

(1) You applied to too few programs. 19 is barebones and any faculty at these programs will tell you. Everyone is specializing now. No one wants to do adult general dentistry with insurance. Your application net has to be 40+ programs in this process. It's gonna cost you 5K+ USD to do all this every cycle, minus the transport costs and secondary fees after. Plus half the programs don't even correspond to you that everything is complete. Disrespectful TBH, but the application game is simply a game now and nothing is respectful in how these programs operate. Ultimately a majority of them just want to take your money.

(2) We all have what you have in different ways. Outside of knowing directors personally or having LORs that they recognize in the specialty space, applying is mostly luck. No one is inherently special in this. If you want to "stand out," find a LOR that programs recognize.

(3) Externships don't really matter in pediatrics unless the program/director actually likes you. If they didn't like you or if they didn't know who you were outright, it probably doesn't help you to be there just to be there. The resident class isn't going to suddenly like you or advocate for you just because you were there. Programs have committees that review applications. If they don't like what they see in review they're not going to cater to a resident's opinion. The one exception to this rule in dentistry is OMFS. Externships can benefit you greatly in oral surgery circles and that's been happening for 50 years.