Smedp?

Started by nmsufuturedds
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nmsufuturedds

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7+ Year Member
Just wondering if anyone has gone to an SMDEP program, I'm a sophomore and I'm really interested in attending the dental ""camp"". I was hoping to hear about other people's experiences before I apply! My GPA right now is god-awful (really messed up my freshman year) but I'm an ethnic minority and I do a lot of shadowing, community service, and I'm really involved in my school's pre-detal society. Do you think I'll make it in? Any advice/feedback would be helpful! 🙂
 
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I did SMDEP a few years ago. The purpose of this program is to expose underrepresented minorities in medicine/dentistry to the field, so being an underrepresented minority is one of the most critical factors in being accepted- more important than GPA I think. I would say it's not too difficult to get accepted based on people who I know who got accepted.

Overall, I had a good experience at SMDEP. It was fun living in a new city for the summer. I met so many friends who I still keep in touch with. We got mentors at my program site, and I still talk to mine from time to time- I asked them a lot of questions when I was studying for my DAT and applying to schools. You take classes, attend seminars, and get clinical shadowing experience once a week in different departments. Each program has its own schedule- some programs have more clinical shadowing than others while some focus on classes/academic preparation.
One thing I reallyyy didn't enjoy was taking classes every day though. I did the program after my sophomore year and I had already taken all of the classes they made us take (physics, ochem, biochem, genetics), so the classes weren't beneficial for me.

I definitely recommend the program though. Everything is paid for (travel expenses, food, housing) AND you get a stipend. Plus, it looks great on your application and you can talk about it a lot during interviews. So why not? 🙂
 
I will mention that Case SMDEP predents do some waxing, take an abbreviated dental anatomy class, and try their hands at sealants on extracted teeth. I think we are the only site that has a separate set of hands on activities for predents while the ptemeds are observing physicians. Hopefully people who went to other sites can correct me on that.
 
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It is truly a great program. I did SMDEP at UW and I definitely felt like I learned a lot. It is a great opportunity to make connections and keep in touch with various professionals in your desired field. Good luck! Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.
 
Hello everyone!

I am an SMDEP student ambassador for the 2014 application cycle! I am here to assist you guys with the application process! I was elected as an ambassador two months ago and I can answer questions about any and everything about SMDEP. I attended the partook in the program this past summer as a Pre-dental student and it was stupendous! In return, I would greatly appreciate if you ladies and gents could enter my name: "Bobby Glover-Alonzo" in the section that says "who referred you" where they ask how you learned about SMDEP or something along those lines. If I recruit many pre-health students, SMDEP will help me prepare for my DAT exam. Thank you all SO very much! If you may have questions, tag my name on any of the SMDEP threads or simply email me at [email protected].

Best of luck in your Pre-health endeavors!

Bobby. 🙂
 
Mr.Smile12 said:
I will mention that Case SMDEP predents do some waxing, take an abbreviated dental anatomy class, and try their hands at sealants on extracted teeth. I think we are the only site that has a separate set of hands on activities for predents while the ptemeds are observing physicians. Hopefully people who went to other sites can correct me on that.
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No, UW has observations in dental offices every week for predents, and all students go through a hands on dental simulation with waxing, composite filings (though on plastic teeth), and impressions
 
You should submit very strong letters of recs and essays--those are a must! Aside from this, you will be given the opportunity to state as to why you received the grades that you did. Lastly, your GPA and etc depends greatly on the sites that you are applying to. If you are applying to Columbia for example, I am pretty sure that they will be looking for a fairly high GPA. Make realistic decisions when selecting your sites and you will be fine! 🙂
 
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