secondary and interview

[Blue Tooth]

Waiting,

I can understand the expense issue. During undergrad orientation, they tell all the freshmen, "Congrats, you now attend the most expensive public school in the nation." The holds true for all schools at the University (especially for out of state students b/c the U only gets a measly 15-18% of its yearly budget from the state. The rest must come elsewhere). Unfortunately, there's pretty much no way in hell you can get residency ever here. They're tough in every school, undergrad or grad. Unless you can prove <begin exageration> that you were born here, live here, went to school here, never plan on leaving, have a cemetary plot already purchased, etc </exageration> they won't give you residency. go to http://www.umich.edu/~regoff/resreg.html to see the official policies and guidelines on residency. Speaking of which, I heard that UNC used to be fairly easy to get residency but that they've been toughening up. Is that true?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[waiting]

yeah, that's true...UNC is cracking down on granting residency status. I've been here since Dec. 2000, got my license right away, been working full-time, and have been living w/my parents who moved here in Jan. 2000. My residency app. got scrutinized and they called me back a few times to question some of the info I'd given. I ended up being classified as a non-resident who will most likely be a resident by the time of matriculation. Basically, you need to prove that you've been living here for the 12 mos. prior to when you begin schooling. I'm not sure if you can apply for in-state status here after going to school for a year...I'll ask at the interview and let you know....in the meanwhile, can I send you some $ for my cemetary plot in Ann Arbor?!

 

[wasabi007]

thanks mspurtell! i'm glad you clarified things for me...now i'm not nearly as confused...it makes much more sense that they don't have everyone answer the same question down the line. thank you and good luck on your other interviews!

 

[skim2]

Hey reena
I also have an interview at Upenn on 10/11
I might see you there...

Good Luck..

skim2.

 

[snowman]

hi, guys

here is my interview dates so far:

BU 10/13 (SF)
Mich 10/19
Upenn 11/1
Temp 11/2
Uconn 11/5
Uop 11/12
Buff 11/15

received letter, havn't fix date yet:
pitt

am i going to see any of you guys?

 

[snowman]

for everyone:

interview date is coming for these who finished secondary and interview, please post it to help others!

if you learned or got any info from this bbs in the past, now it is time for u to give something back

i am very sure these date and feedback not only will help your future classmates, but also it is going to help the people apply next year!

w/ these posts and date, it is really easy to figure out the real timeline for the secondary & interview for different schools.

wash your guys the best!

 

[anamod]

I have interviews at
Boston Oct 19
Minnesota Oct 1 (went extremely well)
CWRU have not set up date yet
I would be happy to answer questions about Minnestoa

 

[Blue Tooth]

Hey anamod,
I'm going to Minnesota and a few weeks and I've got a few questions for you about the interview. What was it like intesisty-wise? I get the impression that most schools seem to be pretty laid back. How did you like the facilities/campus? I've never been before but generally I'm pretty high on schools that are located in a major urban area. Also, how is the school overall doing? Their new dean was a former chair at my school and I've heard that he was having some issues with some faculty giving him problems with the changes he was trying to institute. Did you get any of that (prolly from students I imagine)? Thanks

 

[ricegirl]

I had my interviews with UT San Antonio yesterday, and they were very easy. The school is pretty nice, it has new clinics and they are planning to remodel the labs soon as well. I have an interview coming up at Baylor on the 15th -- will I be seeing anyone else there?

ricegirl

 

[anamod]

It was real laid back. I was at ease throughtout the whole time. The questions were average, no curveballs. The facilities are good. They are updating them, new chairs and cubicles. But the one thing that really blew me away was the "State of the Art" dentistry area. Instead of updating the whole clinical area once they will be purchasing the newest cutting-edge equipment when it's available and adding it to this area. If I'm accepted there that is where I will attend.

 

[anamod]

Also the students seemed real happy with there school, the only problem I heard from them was patient load. They are in the middle of resturcturing this system so that each student has no problem meeting the requirements for graduation. From what I understood this lack of patients was a small problem and it's being worked out.

 

[snowman]

hi, anamod & ricegirl

good job! real glad your guys enjoy the interview.

 

[snowman]

for baccurso

my interview at mich on 10/19, and i will be in ann arbor after 2pm on 10/18. do u have time that afternoon?

if i can meet u in ann arbor, i will let you know the detail about the interview.

 

[Blue Tooth]

Snowman, thanks for the offer but I'm not all that concerned about UM's interview. I know the school really well since I've worked there for about a year and a half and I know members of the Adcom who told me what the interview will be like. If you have any questions about AA or UM in general, I have plenty of knowledge of that subject so it's no prob for me to answer them.

 

[snowman]

baccurso, glad to find u know mich really well. i do have a few questions:

1. what is the format of mich interview? any essay or group interview? do they read my file before talk to me? how many people gives interview?

2. anything special about dental program in mich? to your understand, what is the best & worst parts except expensive?

3. any fun around the campus or in Detroit? i have two to three days there.


thanks!

 

[Blue Tooth]

1. It's very laid back. You go on a tour, hear various profs talk about programs to school does and how great they are, etc. The actual interview part occurs during lunch when you eat with dental students. Members of the adcom are assigned a few interviewees each and they come find you during lunch and talk to you. Not intense, it's generally remarked by most that it was one of the most relaxed if not the most relaxed interview they had. I'm not sure about how much they review your file beforehand. It might depend on the adcom member.

2. Overall it's a good school. The 2 biggest drawbacks are the preclinic which is pretty old. It needs to be redone but they say that every year and nothing's been done yet. Every year it's talked about but for some reason not addressed. The other is that soem students have problems with the patient pool. AA is a pretty diverse city with lots of range of incomes. Most of the patients coem from the elderly or medicare/medicaid. Also, sometimes a few of the specialties get taken by the grad students first so dental students can have some problems getting endo for example.

As for what to do when you're here. The bar scence in town varies especially depending on the night. But on campus the house parties have been taking over most of the social scene the pasy year or so since the Greek system is on the decline. If you want to go downtown Detroit, it's about 30-40 minutes. There are some new casinos, clubs, bars, etc that have opened up recently. The nightlife is coming back down there but you'd need to know where to go, you can't just go and expect to find tons of stuff. If we had a football game that weekend at home I'd tell you to get tix but we're at Iowa. You can however go to a hockey game Sat night. If you're not familar with college hockey, Yost Ice Arena is generally considered the hardest place to play, similar to Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke for Bball. If you have any more specific questions, email me at [email protected]

Brent

 

[MsPurtell]

Hi everyone,

I'm back from interviewing at BU and Tufts. I know several of you are headed there for interviews in the near future and I just wanted to tell you that both schools had very nice admissions staffs and deans. So, don't be worried! For both interviews, the style was very laid back and relaxed, the questions were VERY predictable and I was totally NOT nervous (which for me is very unusual).

If any of you want to ask more about the schools or interviews, just ask!

Margaret

 

[snowman]

Brent: thanks for the detail about MU, and i couldn't think of any questions on top of my head the dentist who i worked for was from your school, and he highly recommanded MU. that is why i apply...

it helps a lot, i think now i am ready. thanks againg!

 

[snowman]

just finished Mich interview.

it is a great trip! i spent 4 days in Ann Arbor and really love that small town. it is a nice town and everybody i met are so friendly. in addition, the fall is very beautiful. i met many dential students there, and they are very helpful. these students seems very happy w/ their school.

after visited most of the campus, i saw two museums and two games at night. really enjoy every moment in MU. it is something i could never forget in my life.

the interview is very laid back, and it only took 15 mins. mine is w/ Dr. Woolfolk, she did ask questions about why dentistry? why u type questions; and we spent most of time talk about myself and my job, and also the clinc that i worked...

hope that help

 

[snowman]

for the people who finished Uconn interview, would u please share the following questions?

- the format of interview (essay? blind? 1 on 1?)

- what questions do they ask?

- any fun places around farmington?

- the best & the worst parts of Uconn dental school

thanx a lot!

 

[snowman]

my interview update

ucsf 11/9

 

[ricegirl]

baylor interview: 3 1 on 1 interviews which last 20 mins (they don't let you go over). the interviews are pretty relaxed, and the dean of admissions tells you which questions they are likely to ask. the interviewers have your complete file in front of them and generally ask you questions based off of it. the dean of admissions is also one of the folks who will interview you. one asked me what i was looking for in a dental school - which i had never heard before, but it was an interesting question to think about.

 

[Blue Tooth]

UConn interview:

I was there a few weeks ago and it was my first interview. Mine was 2 on 1. they said that like to do that if they ahve enough faculty members versus interviewees on that particular day. They good cop/bad copped me so it was kinda interesting. One guy gave me cream puff questions (why do you want to be a dentist, what researh have you done, classes, what else do you like, etc). The other guy would try to make me contradict myself based on the things I said and what hey had HIGHLIHTED in my personal statement. It was interesting. He was asking really abstract stuff. Politics, public health, education, philosophy, etc. Kinda interesting. As for the school, very good, very nice facilities. The students were great and there was a lot of interclass cooperation. Everyone helps each other out (partly because it's all P/F). Curriculum in my opinion is outstanding. Very hard but when you're done you know your ****. Probably one of the reasons they have such a high specialty placement.

The Bad. It sucks there. There's nothing to do around, no where to eat. Maybe I'm spoiled by being in Ann Arbor but I kinda like to go out somewhere nearby for lunch, not bring it or eat in the hospital cafeteria. The students by and large don't live near campus, they have to drive in. The comment that stuck in my mind were the students who said "when we can't take it any more here we drive a few hours to NYC or Boston." the fact that they have to say that concerns me. Mind you my opinion is influenced by the fact that it just didn't click for me. I'm personally not ready for that hospital, totally professional atmosphere. I need some undergrad fun appeal too. I think it be a much better place to go for specialty training but not for dental school.

well that's my more than 2 cents

Also, they're really lenient to get residency after 12 months which is a huge plus.

 

[waiting]

baccurso,

thanx so much for the UConn info! I'm headed to columbia tom. and then uconn on monday...you're comments about the 'totally professional' atmosphere were really interesting....like u, i'm not really looking for that just yet, i want someplace more chill w/more outlets to relax when need be....then again, though, I wanna do OMS so specialty placement is key....we'll see...thanks!

 

[snowman]

thanx guys for the valuable input!

honestly, i am really proud of your guys! class 2005 & people on this board proved themself to be kind, friendly, and willing to help.

alot time, giver is much happier than a taker

i turly hope more people join us to share your experience w/ interviews & secondary. not only for your future classmates & people will apply next year, but also for yourself. for you being a honored health professional.

i am proud to be a part of SDNeres!

 

[ricegirl]

Hey y'all,

I got the phone call invite from UoP today! quite excited about getting to do some real travelling. I'll be there in the beginning of December. 2 questions:

1- How was the interview/school for those who have been there?

2- Are December (and post-Dec) interviewees at a severe disadvantage? I was told at my last interview that this school (UT Houston) tries to fill about 2/3 of their class with their first round of acceptances. After waiting 6 weeks or so for replies, they then send out the 2nd round of acceptances... input?

thanks.
ricegirl

 

[jayjay]

Hey ricegirl, congrats on your UofP interview Quick question for you or anyone else who has heard back from UofP. When did you turn in your AADSAS App? I sent mine in about a month ago and I wanted to know when I might hear from the school. I live in San francisco and i'm hoping to stay here for school.
Thanks in advance

 

[ricegirl]

jayjay,

I hate to tell you this, but you have a long wait ahead of you. I submitted my application in the second half of August, and it took about 2 months to process. I would go ahead and send UoP your rec letters and transcripts without going through AADSAS. It's a bigger hassle on your part, but at least then when your application is processed your application will be complete.

ricegirl

 

[ayoon80]

hey guys~*
Hope to see some of u guys soon ^_^
secondaries: ucsf, ucla, LLU
Interviews so far: LLU

 

[waiting]

Hey Ricegirl,

Well, I was at Pacific & UCSF last week for interviews....the scoop on Pacific---and this is straight from the Dean of Admissions mouth--- once you get an interview you've essentially been ACCEPTED....over the past 3 years, they've accepted 98% (that's the exact figure he gave) of the interviewees. The 2% they didn't accept included a dude who couldn't speak English that well, and another who had trouble communicating. Both of these individuals took classes to remedy their problems and were later admitted. So, the bottom line is if you got the interview, congrats, you're in!

I thought Pacific was a beautiful school with some of the best facilities I've seen anywhere (and I've interviewed at 10 places). The people, both faculty and students, were all super nice & excited about their school. They have a very solid clinical program and their grads seem to do quite well. Personally, though, I don't like the big class size (140), super $ tuition (64K/yr.!), and I'm more focused on specializing and getting research experience. Not that you can't do that at Pacific, but it's definitely more of a challenge.

As for UCSF, I'd by lying if I didn't say I was VERY dissappointed....they're facilities truly suck, the atmosphere is very chaotic, and the schedule for interviewees is very poorly organized. My interviewers were both very pretentious and had this UCSF is God mentality....nevertheless, if u wanna do research/specialty it's the place to be, as they lead the nation in funding by a huge margin over everyone else....the students seemed pretty happy too and it's quite easy to establish Calif. residency if you're an out-of-stater like moi....

hope this helps

 

[ricegirl]

waiting,

thanks SSSSSSSSSOOOOO much for your info about UoP and UCSF! I feel like I feel much more prepared for it. Where did you stay while you were in San Fran?

thanks-
ricegirl

 

[snowman]

hi, ricegirl

when is your uop interview?

anyway, really glad for u
waiting's post about uop is very comprehesive, thanx! my uop interview is next monday. if you have any specific question, let me know. so i can ask them before you come

just came back from phili last night, and it is fun trip to upenn, temple and uconn. still very sleepy.
anyone has questions about these schools, just ask.

i'll talk to your guy later, worked whole day, just neeed a break

 

[waiting]

Snowman,

what was your opinion of uconn? I was very impressed by their academic preparation and stuff (they're big on their board schores) but I don't know how much I like the school itself....the lack of a campus was an issue with me. I don't know if I could stand just being in the hospital all day for four years....and the class is really, really small and they kept emphasizing how hard the curriculum is....but they do match very well, so I'm torn....I was just curious what your opinion was.....??

 

[waiting]

oops, 'scores,' not 'schores!'

 

[snowman]

hi, waiting

uconn is a very different school in many ways to me.

the part that i like: small class size; nice location; excellent NB; high specilized rate; p/f system; self-motivated sys; low cost... of course, i like Mark Twain, and his house is right there

the part that i donot like: class w/ med student; essay test; hartford is 35F right now, and it will below zero in the winter; hospital like maze; a small town no where to go...

in short, conn is a relative well belanced school in both acedemic and clinic to me. excellent prog but somehow very serious learning evirom

they keep talking that it is a hard program, it might come from the student pool (the people whom i interviewed w/ have gpa and dat average 3.6-3.7 & 22), and the bad med student

what do u think?

 

[ricegirl]

snowman, howdy!

I haven't decided when I'm going to go to UoP - either Dec 6, 10 , or 13th.

HEY!!! I got invited to Harvard!!! phone call just now - this board must be good luck!!! I'll be there Dec 11th!!!

ricegirl

 

[snowman]

hi, ricegirl

really glad for u, actually i am proud of you. being a student, i am sure it is a dream for a lot of people

you must did something right. i know that a lot of students did not get interview there even they have nice stat. do u mind to share?
i am just curious what Harvard want from their students?

good luck w/ your interview!

 

[ricegirl]

Hi, y'all,

I'll be happy to share.

I performed well on my DAT: 24/21. My GPA is pretty strong, by no means super-stellar, around 3.6 sci, 3.7 overall.

I have externed with an oral surgeon and I have research experience with the TMJ at my university and at a dental school. I will have my name on a couple of papers in the next year or so.

From my interview experiences so far, it seems like schools really dig the research experience. I was kind of worried that I was not 'more involved' at school, but I no one has really asked much about that. To be frank, the interviews are really too short for them to dwell on any one topic. Plus, you do have some control over where the conversation goes, so you can lead the interview to areas that you may be stronger in.

Okay, I have a question now -- what days does UCSF allow you to select from for interviewing? I'm trying to buy some tickets soon for UoP but I haven't heard yet from UCSF. I'm hoping that they'll be flexible with my schedule.

thanks - you guys are the best
ricegirl

 

[snowman]

hi, ricegirl

nice stat
i just came back from ucsf interview, it is a long day for me.

i received the day by phone, and the date that they offer fit my schdule ok. donot know any other date open b/c i never received a mail/email from them.

it is safe to call Babra Richardson @ 415-476-2737. if others know the date, please post it to help

 

[wasabi007]

hi waiting and snowman...

congrats on your interviews at uop and ucsf! i was wondering if you wouldn't mind sharing what both of those interviews were like in terms of format--laid back? one on one? group interview? interview with student/faculty/staff? did they grill you with tough questions or was it more conversational with the typical/predictable quetions? i'm going to interview at uop on 11/19....nervous... =S oh yeah...did anyone take public transportation to uop? if so, was it a relatively easy process?

thanks!!

-wasabi007

 

[waiting]

wasabi,

Pacific was very laid back...2, 1-on-1 interviews, one w/a student and another w/a prof. The student had read my essay and just wanted to have a friendly conversation, while the prof. had my file in front of her and seemed to be looking at it for the first time while talking w/me...again, just typical questions and more wanting to see why I wanted to go to Pacific.

My UCSF experience wasn't too good...you're supposed to have 1 faculty and 1 student interview, but I ended up having 2 facult interviews b/c they couldn't find a student one for me....During the interview they look at what you wrote to the essay question they ask you to respond to in the morning...my first prof. interviewer was just very taciturn, responding to my questions and attempts at small talk w/one or two word answers and just had this air of boredom about her...my second interviewer at least talked more, but was a very arrogant and got defensive when I tried to ask him questions about UCSF and why they did certain things one way or another...I think during the interview he reiterated the fact that "UCSF is the best public dental school in the U.S." 6 times!! very pretentious.....

 

[wasabi007]

hi waiting...

thanks for your reply! i'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience at ucsf... it's really too bad cuz i would expect much better from "the best public school" so you had to write an impromptu essay during the interview?? sounds like temple's interview...

i'm glad that uop went smoother for you...thanks so much for the info! really appreciate it!

-wasabi007

 

[snowman]

hi, wasabi007

i just came back from uop interview about 10 mins ago.
i drove to uop and they have two public parking lots there, so the parking is not a problem. maybe public transportation is a better choice, but today is such a rainy day.

anyway, uop interview is laidback, one on one, you are interviewed by both prof. and student. student is very friendly, and interview w/ student there is really fun. of course, it depend on the people who you talk to, some people do ask hard question. prof interview is about a hour, and student interview is about 30 mins.

ucsf interview is less formal, it is also two interviews. one student and one prof. i was very lucky b/c both of them are very friendly to me, even more friendly than people in uop. but my interview w/ sf is not as good as uop, because i was very tired that day due to fly too much recently. prof interview took about 40 mins and student interview is about 25 mins.

most of the interview that i went are laidback, and questions are reasonable. no pressure and chanllege questions at all. do not worry, you will do great, let me know how it goes.

too bad i have to fly to NY tomorrow, god bless you all who had to fly at these time.

 

[wasabi007]

hi snowman,

thanks for sharing your experiences at uop and ucsf! i'm going to uop tomorrow! the feeling of nervousness escalates as tomorrow looms nearer... hope it goes as well as your experiences at uop! good luck in ny!

-wasabi007

 

[wasabi007]

hi snowman,

i was planning on taking public transportation to uop; however, it look like there's rain in tomorrow's forecast, so i have decided to drive. where were the parking lots you mentioned? about how much to park there for 1 day? thanks!

-wasabi007

 

[snowman]

hi, wasabi007

there are two parking lots @ uop, one under the same building of dental school, the other one on the other side of dental school.

regarding the fee, 20 or 24 for one day. make sure parking on the one which is not the same building w/ dental school (i donot remember the name of the parking lot). uop might pay for your parking only if you park in that parking lot.

good luck w/ your interview!

 

[wasabi007]

hi all,

just got back from my uop interview today...it was AWESOME! waiting and snowman were right on the money when they said that it was laid back and friendly. i felt that my uop experience was so good...that i'll share it a bit more in depth with you guys...hopefully it'll help you with your interviews.

i decided to drive there because there was rain in the forecast. if you park in the pacific professional parking lot across the street from the school on 2100 webster...uop will give you a voucher...thus you save $24! (thanks for the tip snowman!) i thought that was pretty nice of them...so the day started off with registration...most of us were there pretty early, so we were sitting at a reserved table for us in the cafeteria area, waiting for orientation. i was very pleasantly surprised when a handfull of uop students ambled over and started talking to us...asking us who we were interviewing with...and commenting on those people...giving us hints and advice for our interviews! how completely friendly and approachable were the people at uop!

later we split up into separate groups...some interviewing before lunch...some after lunch...during my free time...i went down to the clinics and just walked around...when i got close to one of the chairs...a couple of 1st years invited me to chat...they were practicing scaling on each other it turns out...they were completely open with information about their experiences...and took time to talk with me. the attending professor actually walked over too and started chatting with me about uop. again, everyone was so friendly!! i couldn't believe it!

the student interview was VERY laid back...just a conversation where you get a chance to get to know the school better...and they get a chance to see what type of person you are...my student interviewer had read my essay...and was asking me about my extracurriculars...and what i have been doing since graduation....very very very laid back..

then came my faculty interview...at first i was a bit intimidated...he let me ask all my questions first so to be sure i would walk away with all the answers after the day was over....after i bombarded him with my list of questions, it was my turn...i was a bit surprised when he asked me to "tell him a story"...he wanted to hear me talk...he didn't care what the story was about...whether it was fiction or real...he just wanted to hear a story. and then from there it was a string of typical questions...however, one more thing that took me by surprise, was when he asked me who i thought is the most influential person in my life....i gave him my reply...however, he wasn't satisfied it seemed....he told me to think back 1000 years and come up with someone who i thought was influential in history...that was a bit tougher...didn't expect that....but overall it was a lovely conversation that i had with the faculty interviewer...

i'm very very impressed by uop...by the people, the environment, as well as the spankin' new pre-clinical labs...seriously top of the line...now if only tuition wasn't quite so expensive...it'd be an awesome place to go to dental school...

 

[Doggie]

I interviewed at UOP last year......

The first impression that I got of them was that they were very very very very very full of themselves. All they ever did throughout the entire interview was talk about how much better they are than UCSF. Dr. Yarborough (one of the admission committee i think) goes on and on about how terrible ucsf's program is. He then justifies how having one less year of dental school would actually help you "save" money and allow u ONE WHOLE EXTRA YEAR to earn money....what a load of BS! They still charge like 60k a year.....and still they insist that in the long run, it saves u money. Personally, I think that schools shouldnt look down upon other schools. Dont get me wrong......I dont hate the school or anything....I still like the faculty and the facility there.

Anyways, I interviewed with this old retired dentist....somewhat overweight and balding....very nice guy. The interview was very relaxing and isnt as bad as the "typical" interviews. Half the times when i was trying to respond to his question, he would help me get to the right answer.....hehe.

I eventually got accepted......I paid my $1000 deposit.........and later I found out that I got accepted to my #1 choice.....but it was too late for me to get my deposit back from UOP. Maybe that's why I am so bitter......hehe.

Anyways...the school is great if you only want to become a general dentist......if you are aiming to specialize, uop is not the place for you to go.

Good luck.

 

[reena]

hi doggie,

i recall reading some of your earlier posts, and i think you've chose to attend columbia dental. is this correct? how are things going thus far? it's always nice to know how things fare after you started school.

reena

 

[skim2]

Hey guys...

I'd like to update my interviews.
Here we go..

I have an interview at USC on 11/27 and 11/28.
then UCSF on 11/30.....

wish me luck..

bye.bye