Tell me about Temple

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socloseithurts

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i've been hearing a lot of bad things about temple dental school: it has bad facilities, it's in a bad neighborhood, it's unsafe, you have to pay for the services you render if your patient can't pay for it, etc.

so, i was wondering, what are some good things? why do people choose to go to temple?

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The paying for patients thing ended in the past year or so. Clinics and classrooms are being renovated within the next two years. It is pretty much in the ghetto but it's not a warzone, Temple has a huge police force, and with common sense you'll be fine. Because of the rough neighborhood there are lots of people around who get dental care at the school, and Temple has done a good job of making their name synonymous with "strong clinical experience" on SDN.
 
The paying for patients thing ended in the past year or so. Clinics and classrooms are being renovated within the next two years. It is pretty much in the ghetto but it's not a warzone, Temple has a huge police force, and with common sense you'll be fine. Because of the rough neighborhood there are lots of people around who get dental care at the school, and Temple has done a good job of making their name synonymous with "strong clinical experience" on SDN.

oh, ok. thats good to hear. also, i hear that there isn't really a curriculum for the 3rd and 4th years. is that true? or do they throw you into the clinic without supervision or a mentor?
 
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It's in the bottom 10 of dental school rankings.
 
Take it from me, I go to temple. If you want a school with brand new equipment, in a new shiny neighborhood, that only has a few patients roll through the door a week, then Temple isn't for you.

Temple students get to see a ton of patients, yes there is supervision, its not a chop shop. Some of the facilities are older and there are some rumors going around that that may change. Bottom line, imo, if your choosing a Dschool based on how shiny there dental chairs look, then Temple isn't for you. Our dental chairs actually get the **** used out of them, and thats why people come to Temple, EXPERIENCE.
 
Take it from me, I go to temple. If you want a school with brand new equipment, in a new shiny neighborhood, that only has a few patients roll through the door a week, then Temple isn't for you.

Temple students get to see a ton of patients, yes there is supervision, its not a chop shop. Some of the facilities are older and there are some rumors going around that that may change. Bottom line, imo, if your choosing a Dschool based on how shiny there dental chairs look, then Temple isn't for you. Our dental chairs actually get the **** used out of them, and thats why people come to Temple, EXPERIENCE.


so, i'm guessing you like it? lol
 
It's in the bottom 10 of dental school rankings.

There is no current official ranking system for dental schools, I think you have been misinformed. I chose to go to Temple over UF and Nova (my state schools) - I am happy with my choice and it was certainly not a 'backup' school. Not really sure where you get off making generalizations like that.

To the OP, Temple's clinical experience is something that drew me to the school over others. I wanted to be a well rounded and experienced operative dentist upon graduation. The clinical requirements here are very high -- I wanted to go to a school like Case or Temple. UF and Nova (both good schools in their own way) had much lower clinical requirements, and also did not have the clinic volume to support it. So I chose to go to Temple.
 
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People go to Temple primarily as a backup school. I know you go there, but that is the reality.


Actually this isn't true-I got into 3 schools, but chose Temple over the other schools. I think it's close minded to make the assumption that it is a back up school. You should look at more important factors when choosing a school (such as the amount of experience you get) rather than new technology/pretty lecture halls, because these won't help you become a good dentist-experience will.
 
I have friend there that is a third year and he has set up a great website that talks about his experiences there. It has a lot of useful info check it out. www.dmdstudent.com
 
yea, i wish...i haven't gotten in. i haven't heard anything from them :(

Have you called them to ask the status of you application? Cause I submitted my secondary in Sept and didn't hear a thing back from them until I called last Wed to ask about my status since it was taking so long, then an hour later I got an email for an interview invite. You should call and ask them. Good luck
 
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You can learn everything you need to know about a Dental school by looking at their waiting area.

Temple -> hundreds of patients waiting to be seen, only standing room available.

That was enough for me to decide to go there, but then Brian mentioned how the new Dean got millions of dollars in his contract to use for renovating many different parts of the school... This place is overlooked by many, yet it produces some of the best Dentists in the country.
 
Have you called them to ask the status of you application? Cause I submitted my secondary in Sept and didn't hear a thing back from them until I called last Wed to ask about my status since it was taking so long, then an hour later I got an email for an interview invite. You should call and ask them. Good luck


Call the ADCOM office and ask for Brian Hahn. He will get it sorted out for you. FYI this is one of the few ADCOM offices that will actually pick up the phone for you which is nice...

(I have to give respect to Loma Linda, as well, you can get a hold of them at any time)
 
Call the ADCOM office and ask for Brian Hahn. He will get it sorted out for you. FYI this is one of the few ADCOM offices that will actually pick up the phone for you which is nice...

(I have to give respect to Loma Linda, as well, you can get a hold of them at any time)

Do you think e-mailing Brian is just as effective? I had an interview, they said we would hear back in 1-2 weeks, I haven't heard in over a month. I e-mailed him but didn't get a response.

Wondering if I'm basically rejected?
 
Simian - I'm attending Temple as well (top choice) though I've been accepted elsewhere. Would you still attend Temple if you were accepted into another school that you interviewed at?

You can learn everything you need to know about a Dental school by looking at their waiting area.

Temple -> hundreds of patients waiting to be seen, only standing room available.

That was enough for me to decide to go there, but then Brian mentioned how the new Dean got millions of dollars in his contract to use for renovating many different parts of the school... This place is overlooked by many, yet it produces some of the best Dentists in the country.
 
He seems to be good about emailing back within a few days. So yours must've slipped through the cracks. I'd definitely consider calling him ASAP.

Do you think e-mailing Brian is just as effective? I had an interview, they said we would hear back in 1-2 weeks, I haven't heard in over a month. I e-mailed him but didn't get a response.

Wondering if I'm basically rejected?
 
Do you think e-mailing Brian is just as effective? I had an interview, they said we would hear back in 1-2 weeks, I haven't heard in over a month. I e-mailed him but didn't get a response.

Wondering if I'm basically rejected?

I will PM you...

Simian - I'm attending Temple as well (top choice) though I've been accepted elsewhere. Would you still attend Temple if you were accepted into another school that you interviewed at?

The only other school I would consider over Temple at this point would be UW, and that is primarily because I could save over $150,000. I am very excited to be attending next year.
 
so, i called temple several times and left a message from brian hahn. then, i got an email today saying im not eligible for an interview. so that's a rejection. i feel great :shrug:
 
sorry to hear that. why do you think you weren't invited? did you apply late?

so, i called temple several times and left a message from brian hahn. then, i got an email today saying im not eligible for an interview. so that's a rejection. i feel great :shrug:
 
sorry to hear that. why do you think you weren't invited? did you apply late?


i honestly don't know. maybe i'm just not that great of an applicant? i applied like late june/early july. my GPA is 3.6 and sGPA is 3.3 and my DATs:

1st Attempt/2nd Attempt
PAT: 19 (76.8)/16 (36.7)
QR: 18 (74.1)/16 (50.9)
RC: 17 (26.3)/21 (80.2)
Bio: 18 (65.1)/19 (75.3)
GC: 19 (72.4)/21 (86.2)
OC: 19 (73.9)/22 (89.8)
TS: 19(76.7)/20 (84)
AA: 18(63.2)/19 (84)

so, someone please tell me what i can do to improve.
 
If you don't get in anywhere this year.... Reapply on May 15, or June 1 (I think they are moving it back for the new application cycle). Don't delay, get your transcripts in ASAP. Send in all of your secondary fees immediately after. I would consider retaking the DAT and pushing up your PAT/QR, your other scores are great. Call Brian early and bug him, let him know that you are really interested in attending. GL
 
If you don't get in anywhere this year.... Reapply on May 15, or June 1 (I think they are moving it back for the new application cycle). Don't delay, get your transcripts in ASAP. Send in all of your secondary fees immediately after. I would consider retaking the DAT and pushing up your PAT/QR, your other scores are great. Call Brian early and bug him, let him know that you are really interested in attending. GL


thanks. i've been thinking about taking the DAT again. and i'm currently applying to masters programs to raise my GPA. next cycle, i WILL get in....hopefully.
 
When will the renovations be done by?

The renovations to the school are scheduled to begin this summer. All of the operatories and other renovations are to be completed just before the class of 2013 begins their clinical work. Ofcourse these are expected dates so they are subject to change. But basically it means that in a while, Temple will have all new clinical technology and provide an even better clinical experience then it already does.
 
your PAT score is a little bit too low. try to aim at least a 19/20 ish.

also i heard that temple likes to only give acceptances to those who actually wrote a letter back to temple stating how much they loved the school and they wish to attend there.
 
your PAT score is a little bit too low. try to aim at least a 19/20 ish.

also i heard that temple likes to only give acceptances to those who actually wrote a letter back to temple stating how much they loved the school and they wish to attend there.



Very true, in the interview Brian tells you that they only want students who really want to go there. They are not looking for people who have Temple as a back up... Make sure you send the letter to display your desire in attending.
 
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Very true, in the interview Brian tells you that they only want students who really want to go there. They are not looking for people who have Temple as a back up... Make sure you send the letter to display your desire in attending.


grrr...i guess it's too late for that now, right? this is what their email said:

"We received your application to the Kornberg School of Dentistry. Based on a thorough, preliminary review of your application, you are not eligible to interview. The large number of applications received results in a highly competitive applicant pool, and your application does not meet the criteria."

thanks anyways, i'll keep that in mind for next time
 
Brian gave us a huge number in the interview for specialization, but it included GPR and AEGD, so I don't really know. Specializing is more on the student than it is on the school.
 
...so if you reached out to brian and have not heard back, does that mean the school is not interested in you? anyone know? thanks.
 
might just be too late in the cycle at this point
 
does anyone know if the class is full and how late in the year they interview? thanks.
 
does anyone know if the class is full and how late in the year they interview? thanks.

They are done interviewing at my interview Brian said we were the last ones to be interviewed. But i withdrew my application the next day so if you did interview i'm not sure how full the class is.
 
Thanks jdw22. I guess that is why I never heard back from Brian. :( I did not interview.

Best of luck to you!
 
Temple was actually my second interview. At first I was fuzzy about the school because people say the neighborhood sucks, horrible place to live in, high crime rate, and school sucks.

I went to temple's interview with these predisposition in mind. However, right after I entered the lobby and saw all the patients ready to be called in by the dental stuents, I immediately felt the difference. After the introduction and interview process, all the bad stuff about temple really doesn't stand on a strong basis. Most of them were conjectures and some fake. First, the neighborhood around temple is bad, well that is kind of true considering you read the newspaper and someone gets shot. However, there are good areas around too and frankly no place on earth is 100% safe. About the "school sucks claim" where so many people seem to bank on, god, Temple is the bomb. All dental school's curriculum is similiar in a way, but the clinical experience sets the school apart. Temple my friends has the most and the best clinical experience and availability.

After I received temple's acceptance, I just didn't care about other school's interview invite and acceptance at all. I knew Temple is for me and it is going to be great. :love: Which reminds me, don't judge a school from the exterior and physical looks, but look into the quality and training that you'll receive as thats the stuff you paid for :)
 
your PAT score is a little bit too low. try to aim at least a 19/20 ish.

also i heard that temple likes to only give acceptances to those who actually wrote a letter back to temple stating how much they loved the school and they wish to attend there.

100% true. I sent a thank you card to Brian immediatly after my interview specifically telling him " If accepted, I will choose temple over my state school"....got my acceptance email a week later
 
They are done interviewing at my interview Brian said we were the last ones to be interviewed. But i withdrew my application the next day so if you did interview i'm not sure how full the class is.

hmm that sucks considering they just sent me a secondary and asked for $30 which I sent them...
 
Anybody got a list or a website where people can find roomates at Temple Dental???? I would really appreciate any feedback. THanks.
 
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