please help me SUCCEED

[birdman12345]

The purpose of this thread is to discuss how I can boost my dental resume in order to get into a good GPR program. I just finished my first year of dental school and have a 3.0 average. I do not have any extra curricular activities, research, nor volunteer service. My question is: do I need such extra curricular activities in order to get into a good GPR program. What activities can I get involved in that can boost my dental resume and make me stand out from the crowd? Is it beneficial to Shadow a dentist during my summer break? I am looking for feedback on things I can do during my next 3 years in dental school which will make me a strong candidate for a GPR program and that will benefit my future career.

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[phremius]

Part I board scores. GPA/Class Ranking + Part I board or perhaps Part II if you take them early will pretty much determine your competitiveness for a GPR.

 

[pietrodds]

newsflash.... GPRs are not that competitive. In fact, many have trouble filling their slots. I recommend doing a VA hospital as there's lots of opportunity to do endo and pros and implants. This is what will have made doing a GPR worth the time. If you have average grades and good letters of rec then you should get an interview. The interview is what is going to get you in or not. Most want people with good communication skills and the board scores is secondary.

 

[scandalouslj]

I agree with the above poster, as well as some extracurriculars are very important, but before that, you need to work on your gpa. A 3.0 with nothing else is pretty poor.

 

[Gunner McGee]

I agree with the above poster, as well as some extracurriculars are very important, but before that, you need to work on your gpa. A 3.0 with nothing else is pretty poor.

Yeah with a 3.0 you will only get into just about any GPR.

 

[scandalouslj]

Wrong Gunner. Sure there are gpr's that have trouble filling spots, but dont let that fool you into thinking that they are for *****s. There are a number of programs that are very competative. You have to remember there are a lot of people in the top 10 at schools that decide not to specialize and do a gpr which makes some programs very competative. From my class at Penn alone 5 of the top ten all went into GPR's, and they all had 3.9's. One such program is Palmetto in SC. It is basically a pros GPR where the minimum cases are all over $10,000. I think the average gpa for the applicants that got in was a 3.8. I can say the same for some other programs. Its just like other specialties, you dont need a 3.8 to get into all oral surgery programs.

 

[Gunner McGee]

Wrong Gunner. Sure there are gpr's that have trouble filling spots, but dont let that fool you into thinking that they are for *****s. There are a number of programs that are very competative. You have to remember there are a lot of people in the top 10 at schools that decide not to specialize and do a gpr which makes some programs very competative. From my class at Penn alone 5 of the top ten all went into GPR's, and they all had 3.9's. One such program is Palmetto in SC. It is basically a pros GPR where the minimum cases are all over $10,000. I think the average gpa for the applicants that got in was a 3.8. I can say the same for some other programs. Its just like other specialties, you dont need a 3.8 to get into all oral surgery programs.

What are top 10 schools? And why would anyone want to do a GPR unless they feel they haven't gotten enough experience while in dental school? I have heard working your first year out of school pays way better than GPRs do.

 

[armorshell]

Wrong Gunner. Sure there are gpr's that have trouble filling spots, but dont let that fool you into thinking that they are for *****s. There are a number of programs that are very competative. You have to remember there are a lot of people in the top 10 at schools that decide not to specialize and do a gpr which makes some programs very competative. From my class at Penn alone 5 of the top ten all went into GPR's, and they all had 3.9's. One such program is Palmetto in SC. It is basically a pros GPR where the minimum cases are all over $10,000. I think the average gpa for the applicants that got in was a 3.8. I can say the same for some other programs. Its just like other specialties, you dont need a 3.8 to get into all oral surgery programs.

"Just about any GPR" doesn't mean "Every GPR"

 

[Jone]

Palmetto, along with 3 or 4 very competitive GPR's that come to mind, will give you guaranteed top-notch experiences that you would be hard pressed to find in your 1st year out of dental school.
Without connections, it's quiet likely, as a new graduate, you will find yourself doing the gruntwork of some practice owner who wants to focus on crown and bridge, implants, and the more lucrative procedures, while you pick up his scraps.

And why would anyone want to do a GPR unless they feel they haven't gotten enough experience while in dental school? I have heard working your first year out of school pays way better than GPRs do.