university of colorado

[dentbombay]

i was wondering if any1 could tell me anything abt the advanced standing program at the university of colorado....it is a relatively new program started in 2005 and i thnk they enroll abt 10 students a year.i browsed thru their website but couldnt find much in terms of externship opportunities and kinds.i would appreciate any information abt the school .

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[Dr Jordanian]

i was wondering if any1 could tell me anything abt the advanced standing program at the university of colorado....it is a relatively new program started in 2005 and i thnk they enroll abt 10 students a year.i browsed thru their website but couldnt find much in terms of externship opportunities and kinds.i would appreciate any information abt the school .

hi dentbombay,
iam a graduate of the colorado isp ....i didn`t really hear of any externships within the school itself....at least the specialty programs that are available within the school itself. we had the GPR , the newly perio program and the ortho in the third floor....
many of my colleagues had to go to different states for a week each (or so) for their ortho, perio, OMS externships.....Dr Harvan will excuse u from clinic during those times. overall, the program is pretty good and the facility you will be working in is probably one of the most up-to-date nation wide!
unlike other international programs in other schools where the foreign students will always be of 2nd priority to the school. the only minus they would have is probably that the requirements for graduation is crazy! and most of us had to RUN all the way untill the last day to be able to graduate ...but after that u realize its better than fighting for a chair for ur patient like what u would have to do in schools like NYU or BU .
the school also provides digital x-rays and chairside computer systems which i didn`t see in many other schools like : NYU, UIC, BU, Buffalo, Loma Linda, USC, Nebraska ...etc who (AT THE TIME OF MY VISITS) were much less advanced in regards to their facility and their equipments.
a lot of hard work is expected though!

good luck

 

[drkooks]

hi can u tell us ur scores in part 1 ...
i got an 84 and i am not sure if i will be accepted in colorado with such a score

 

[Dr Jordanian]

hi can u tell us ur scores in part 1 ...
i got an 84 and i am not sure if i will be accepted in colorado with such a score

hi drkooks,
actually the director DR Harvan doesn`t care about ur scores AS LONG AS YOU MAKE IT TO THE INTERVIEW INVITES. once you r invited you will probably have an equal chance to everybody else. the way he evaluates applicants is based on a 100 points interview evaluation. 20% is given to the personal interview (i would say its a 99% personal questions , very rare dental q.s) and the rest 80% goes to the practical exam. a class2 amalgm prep #19, a full gold crown prep on #3 and waxing exercise (just geometrical forms nothing dental) . so, as u can see its all about the practical exam, but at the same time u can`t ignore the personal interview. each committee of two ( an isp-2 student and a faculty member) meets 6-7 applicants and if u were put at the bottom ....its a problem! .....i saw people placed on 2nd or 3rd and still get accepted after doing good on the practical exam. each interviewer will write some notes and will classify u according to : highly recommend/rec/ not rec.!
in general, Dr Harvan LOVES great hand skills.
my own #.s are: part1: 89
part2: 85
Toefl: 273 the older computer based.
but i know many graduates who had much less than that and they got accepted and graduated with no problem. ur #.s should not be a problem IF U GOT THE INTERVIEW! nobody really knows how does he do his invites initially!!....try to add all of ur life experience, motivation,...etc....everything counts.....and they DO read everything that u write in ur personal statement, application,....etc! and if u don`t have much.....make up some....nobody will track it.....just make it look believable!

good luck

 

[Dr Jordanian]

just more info in response to an email i got....:

more about the practical exams for the colorado isp program:

the isp program has 20 seats and they interview around 96 applicants divided over two dates.....48 each day......u will get a 45 minute personal interview and a 3-hour practical exam....if i were u ....i would divide the time into two hours for the dental preps and at least one hour for the waxing exercise.....if u go below that u run the risk of not being able to finish ur waxing exercise in time....if u don`t finish that in time or if u prepare the wrong teeth ....u r DOOMED!!!

for the dental section: we use KILGORE typodonts ....in my opinion , they felt a bit different than columbia`s....easier , i think!
u will only get the exam instruments and u should bring at least : an enamel hatchet ( small one) to break the enamel walls in class 2 prep.....i would also advise u to bring a needle diamond to break the crown contacts without hitting the adjacent....the school will give u all other burs....i just thought the needle given was a bit too large !!
u can also wedge it during opening of the contact and....u can also polish using polishing strips ( all is present in the sim clinic and u can ask for if they don`t give u any!)....
we had electric hand pieces in the sim clinic ....u can choose the exact speed....it can be 1-40.....meaning 1000-40000 rpm.....i would do the hard cutting at 10 and then go down to 4-5 for the polishing.....with the same bur.....as u can see....u don`t have to use dull burs.

for the waxing exercise: u have to use three kinds (colors ) of wax.....sticky orange wax ( must be melted ) and fitted over a stamped paper that will be given to u....it has a two small circles a smaller and a bigger one, u should melt the wax and fit it in between the two drawn circles....around 3 mm thickness....to look like a car tire! just the size of the tip of ur finger on that paper....
the 2nd is an S-shaped that u should fill with soft red wax make it look like a small donut .....
in both, make sur to cover the internal space of these forms entirely but the outer lines of those drawings should be visible with no wax over them ....the wax should be 1-1.5 mm high.....they would tell u there is no preference for the height other than to make it look nice and smooth ....but i have noticed that 1.5 mm wax looked much nicer overall...
the sticky wax can be purchased from: henry schien company( see their web site to order the folowing items) and the item info are:
Sticky Wax Sticks Bulk Pkg 120Bx

Item Code: 1238675
Manufacturer: Belle De St. Claire
Category: Waxes
Subcategory: Sticky

the red wax (the s-shape) is under:
(not a 100% sure about this one!)
Boxing Wax Strips Red 35 Bx

Item Code: 1234189
Manufacturer: Belle De St. Claire
Category: Waxes
Subcategory: Boxing

and the last and third waxing exercise is using a green wax sticks....they are pretty solid (hard) like a bar of soap....and u need to carve it at one side to have a sharpe end and the other side to simply round it ....then create a 90 degree angle rectangular box at the middle extending to half the thickness of the stick....several people find this to be the hardest and most time consuming ....
it seems that this is the item in henry schien:
Inlay Wax Sticks Hard Green 1Lb/Ea

Item Code: 2355844
Manufacturer: Corning Rubber Co Inc
Category: Waxes
Subcategory: Crown & Bridge
iam not also a 100% sure about this item being the exact brand used in school (no picture there!)....
u will be allowed to use a wax carver instrument....a spoon on one side and a knife on the other.....last year dr harvan told us that its the only instrument allowed....but then he ended up allowing some other instruments brought by the candidates! so u go figure on that one!

also considering the experience thing....most of our students had some sort of experience and i feel that Dr harvan valued that more than any scores issue....my experience after being part of this is that most applicants give too much attention to scores and forget that they r dealing with human interviewers and not machines....personal preference is probably much bigger than any other factor....! part 2 might give u better chances if everything else was equal....even though i highly doubt it will have that much effect .....even a grade or two difference on part one is probably worthless if u know how to carry urself in the interview session ....this would usually come with practice and doing more than one interview....everyone will improve with every new interview....

i hope that helped......
i will go ahead and post this as well for everyone else....
good luck

 

[dr.ndc]

Dr Jordanian it was an Excellent post with quite detailed information regarding the practicals. I appreciate ur effort.. thanks a lot

 

[santy]

hi dentbombay,
iam a graduate of the colorado isp ....i didn`t really hear of any externships within the school itself....at least the specialty programs that are available within the school itself. we had the GPR , the newly perio program and the ortho in the third floor....
many of my colleagues had to go to different states for a week each (or so) for their ortho, perio, OMS externships.....Dr Harvan will excuse u from clinic during those times. overall, the program is pretty good and the facility you will be working in is probably one of the most up-to-date nation wide!
unlike other international programs in other schools where the foreign students will always be of 2nd priority to the school. the only minus they would have is probably that the requirements for graduation is crazy! and most of us had to RUN all the way untill the last day to be able to graduate ...but after that u realize its better than fighting for a chair for ur patient like what u would have to do in schools like NYU or BU .
the school also provides digital x-rays and chairside computer systems which i didn`t see in many other schools like : NYU, UIC, BU, Buffalo, Loma Linda, USC, Nebraska ...etc who (AT THE TIME OF MY VISITS) were much less advanced in regards to their facility and their equipments.
a lot of hard work is expected though!

good luck

can you please tell me about my chance in the university of colorodo. my stat is part1 87 (new pattern) and part2 78 and toefl ibt 94. I have not applied yet but was wondering that according to their website they say that toefl ibt 95 minimum, if less than the minimum scores application will be rejected. please guide me i am confused should i apply or take toefl again. thank you in advance. iam permanent resident of canada.

 

[Dr Jordanian]

can you please tell me about my chance in the university of colorodo. my stat is part1 87 (new pattern) and part2 78 and toefl ibt 94. I have not applied yet but was wondering that according to their website they say that toefl ibt 95 minimum, if less than the minimum scores application will be rejected. please guide me i am confused should i apply or take toefl again. thank you in advance. iam permanent resident of canada.

santy,
SUPPOSEDLY, those numbers are the the minimums for the acceptance of an application. although, if i was in your shoe, I would try to contact Dr Harvan through Jane miller and try to be the exception since u only missed by one grade. since you have everything else okay, i think its worth giving it another try on the toefl. you will have to be extremely careful not to go even lower than a 94. take to jane and explain your situation preferably on the phone and try to get the director`s phone or at least his email and take it from there.

*what to do: u r running the risk of getting even a lower score on ur toefl.

*solution: apply to colorado and make sure ur older toefl is forworded to the school and work on trying to contact the director throw jane. On the other front, re-take ur toefl only after u know for sure that they have mailed the older score reports! this might protect you from any BIG problems with the new score. if everything goes fine with ur new one, foreword another score report at that moment ASAP. residency is not an issue in colorado don`t worry about that. the only difference here is that u will end up getting private loans with slightly higher rates than those of the government loans, the difference is minimum and its probably the least of your worries.

regards

 

[Dr Jordanian]

Dr Jordanian it was an Excellent post with quite detailed information regarding the practicals. I appreciate ur effort.. thanks a lot

thanks Dr.ndc,
although i would be careful about the items that i have provided since they might change the type of wax used in the test. but even with that, you would still have a good clue about the practicals, u have to work with ur own hands to get the point. i guess this is just the whole idea behind dentistry.

merry christmas

 

[santy]

santy,
SUPPOSEDLY, those numbers are the the minimums for the acceptance of an application. although, if i was in your shoe, I would try to contact Dr Harvan through Jane miller and try to be the exception since u only missed by one grade. since you have everything else okay, i think its worth giving it another try on the toefl. you will have to be extremely careful not to go even lower than a 94. take to jane and explain your situation preferably on the phone and try to get the director`s phone or at least his email and take it from there.

*what to do: u r running the risk of getting even a lower score on ur toefl.

*solution: apply to colorado and make sure ur older toefl is forworded to the school and work on trying to contact the director throw jane. On the other front, re-take ur toefl only after u know for sure that they have mailed the older score reports! this might protect you from any BIG problems with the new score. if everything goes fine with ur new one, foreword another score report at that moment ASAP. residency is not an issue in colorado don`t worry about that. the only difference here is that u will end up getting private loans with slightly higher rates than those of the government loans, the difference is minimum and its probably the least of your worries.

regards

Dear Dr. Jordanian thank you very much for your guidance. I really appreciate it. I would do according to you.

 

[dentbombay]

thanks a ton Dr. Jordanian....uve provided with a lot of useful information.


can u tell me when the process of enrollment begins??
the wax exercises seem pretty weird....wonder how people complete these..

 

[Dr Jordanian]

thanks a ton Dr. Jordanian....uve provided with a lot of useful information.

stats
nbde part 1-92
TOEFL-113
GPA-3.26
Indian
Work exp-abt 10 months in india.(wondering if this will suffice)

can u tell me when the process of enrollment begins??
the wax exercises seem pretty weird....wonder how people complete these..

well, I don`t think u will have a problem anywhere with ur #.s !
considering colorado`s ISP, its really hard to be able to tell what the director really appreciates more to give an applicant an interview! during my interviews almost 2.5-3 years ago, I realized that directors might appreciate your work as a dental assistant in the US even more than any foreign dentist experience...which never made much since to me! they just want u to know the US system, so thats something u might need to add ( or make up!) ....
the basic rule is: ALWAYS LIE, MAKE IT BELIVABLE, NEVER GET CAUGHT!

about the wax exercise, I never believed in those issues that describe hand skill as a pure "none-science-related artistic skill" ....but many do ...in the field of dentistry.....especially the older and more old fashioned dentist who compromise most program directors.....what can u do there other than trying to adjust, at least untill u get there....u will have just to get the stuff and start practicing! nothing more....don`t forget that ur #.s will probably make little difference once u get the interview...its all about the practicals!


i believe the application cycle is still open ( haven`t looked at the web page in a while!) ....the program starts at jan, 2 ....with the orientation around december 15th ....
just practice as much as u can, thats basically the only way to make it throw the interview...

regards

 

[dentbombay]

oh..so do they have the same wax exercises every year??thats a good thing then.
abt giving more importance to the 1s with a DA exp,its STILL prevelant, wonder y
thanks again...

 

[Dr Jordanian]

oh..so do they have the same wax exercises every year??thats a good thing then.
abt giving more importance to the 1s with a DA exp,its STILL prevelant, wonder y
thanks again...

ur welcome,
so far its the same exam ....for the first 4 classes that got tested.

 

[doctordent31]

hi does ne 1 have ne idea if u get a call at Colorado dental school approx in which month do they call u for d interview n practical exam?

n thanks dr jordanian u r god sent
at times wen 1 is tryin to get info n all 1 gets is bits n pieces u gave it al in 1 go

thanks again

 

[saru88]

hi guys

i posted my application about three weeks ago and have received no correspondence at all.... called them a lot of times and left messages but still nothing....can anyone here tell me how much time after receiving your application do they respond?

please post your stats here if you get an interview call....mine are
nbde 87/82... new pattern
ece 3.92
toefl 113

and thankyou so much dr Jordanian....you have given us the most comprehensive pieces of information

 

[addy81]

could u pls guide bout the wavier form... which coloumn should i decide to tick on.. am confused...

 

[akg]

hi guys

i posted my application about three weeks ago and have received no correspondence at all.... called them a lot of times and left messages but still nothing....can anyone here tell me how much time after receiving your application do they respond?

please post your stats here if you get an interview call....mine are
nbde 87/82... new pattern
ece 3.92
toefl 113

and thankyou so much dr Jordanian....you have given us the most comprehensive pieces of information

As far as i know , colorado ISP has a "norm" that it only contacts the applicants 4-6 weeks after the application deadline. so may be in April or May they might acknowledge about the application status.

 

[saru88]

As far as i know , colorado ISP has a "norm" that it only contacts the applicants 4-6 weeks after the application deadline. so may be in April or May they might acknowledge about the application status.

thanks akg for the info.......i think i should just be patient....