please advice

[nysa]

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Hi Everyone.....Please help..

i took nbde part 1 in 2009 scored 86
toefl-103
gpa 3.78
observeship - 3mos in 2008.
did apply for few university but got rejected.

I am really confused what to do now should i do DH or apply for advanced DDS?
I have 2 kids toddler and infant... i am not confident with kids and home will i be able to study?
I got GC few months back...i reside in chicago......

Please somebody advice......🙁

 

[goldendoc]

I think if you have plans of continuing dentistry you should definitely try for an advanced standing program. Your scores aren't bad.And anyway with the new pass/fail system the importance of scores has become lesser.Work on building you resume. Resume doing some volunteering/observership. YOu do stand a good chance if you work on your resume and write a good SOP. SOP has a great role to play in getting called for interviews,Once you get an interview call, you can/should prove yourself through the skill tests.

 

[kimandeep]

hey my scores are:-
NBDE Part 1 - 76
TOEFL 93
GPA 3.53 (course by course)
do i stand a chance to get admitted? i know the answer will be no.. but still, if there anything that i could do to raise the possibility, except TOEFL scores as i am already preparing to take it again.
I was dubious to start with part 2 preparation as i don't want to lose my chance and want to dedicate proper time in its preparation. Is there any specific school that can...luckily...give me a chance??

 

[goldendoc]

Noone can exactly predict your chances. But it will definitely be useful if you write part 2 as well as build your resume by doing volunteer/ observer jobs. And a good SOP will help you too. Now that NBDE has become pass/ fail, I think your lower score has relatively lesser significance. Good luck.

 

[kimandeep]

Thank you.
That made me confident as i was also thinking to do the same. Is there any possibility that the lower scores can backfire me.... as other's scores will be unknown, so their chances of being good performer can be better.. but in my case, they will automatically know where i stand... i am still in doubt whether this pass- fail system will do any favor to me. I am currently volunteering in a bone marrow donation drive as a member of an awareness group. If i somehow get something in written about the participation, can it be of any use? All that i can do is to build my resume..

 

[kimandeep]

Also, I have another query. As most of the dental schools mention a minimum of 80 or 85 percentiles in part 1 as their requirement, should i try with my 76? Even when they mentioned above 80's to apply, will my application be worth consideration? I have a fear of rejection!
I seriously want to get admitted in University of washington.. but they mentioned 80 percentile as their minimum requirement. What should i do?
please help...

 

[goldendoc]

If they mention 85 as their minimum requirement, I'm not sure. I think it may be a good idea to e-mail them asking them if their requirements have changed now that the scoring system has changed.
But there are many other universities which have75 as the minimum requirement.

WE cannot say exactly how they are going to evaluate from this year. So it's a good idea to apply wherever they say the minimum requirement is 75. Even when it was a pass/ fail system people who had score in 70s have got in with their good experience, resume , Sop and part 2 score to complement.
And your volunteering job is good.
It'll definitely be a plus on your resume. If someone can give a reco letter it'll be good. Unlike in India, it's not necessary to get everything in writing. Just writing your experience is good enough too. Of course US reco letters do have a good weightage. It may be nice if you can try to volunteer/ oberve in a clinic. Recommendation letter from there will be useful too.

And SOP has a big role to play in getting invited for interviews. Do get help from people who are good at writing. Get as many people as possible to review it. Make sure it's unique, without too many long sentences or grammatical errors. It should make you stand out in the crowd .

 

[kimandeep]

Thank you so much. Its a great encouragement to see your reply. I will definitely try to volunteer in a clinic. I will also try to get a recommendation letter from my current volunteer job. I will inform on this thread after getting information from schools about their changed criteria, if any.Again, thank you soo much.

 

[kimandeep]

http://www.adea.org/dental_education_pathways/CAAPID/Pages/CAAPIDDirectory.aspx
This is a good source of information for updated information. This link provides further links to many dental college application requirements. I hope it help others too.