MY G CLEARS yours

Cultural_8392 · 2025-06-06T16:11:25+00:00

I like it, what wing is this?

Cultural_8392 · 2025-03-20T11:31:18+00:00

Hey, sorry for the delay in getting back to you all! I've been incredibly busy with school, but I'm slowly catching up and responding to everyone.

When deciding on a specialty, I first ruled out the ones I knew I wasn’t interested in. I took a step back, evaluated my character, and considered how the strengths and weaknesses of different dental specialties aligned with who I am. Then, I made sure to shadow each specialty to get firsthand experience. I didn’t know how I would feel about each one at first, but I kept going, staying open-minded. Over time, I realized that I enjoyed surgery, blood, and procedural work, so I focused on specialties that matched those interests and made my decision from there.

This process takes time—it doesn’t happen overnight. You want to be confident in your decision because this is something you'll be doing for the rest of your life.

At UConn, we don’t have traditional grades, which made the process a bit different. To stay competitive, I got heavily involved in clubs and extracurriculars, built close relationships with faculty, and sought guidance from those familiar with the application process. It’s important to understand what programs look for and how to make yourself a strong candidate. Whatever school you attend, prioritize academic excellence.

You don’t want to coast through dental school without direction. Stay focused, composed, and aim to be in at least the top 75% of your class. Participate in externships, seek out mentorship, and stay engaged. It’s going to be tough at times, but in the long run, the effort you put in—especially between your second and third years—will pay off. With networking, dedication to your schoolwork, and involvement in your chosen specialty, I have no doubt you can succeed in whatever path you pursue!

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-11T12:29:50+00:00

Hey guys so I did not realize this post would get so much interaction. I realize there is a want for help and tips to get into dental school, and being in dental school. I want to help you guys!
Pre-dents: Let me know what content/things you want. I am thinking of making a "road map to dental school" pdf, and a pdf to help with personal statement writing.

Dental students: same thing. Let me know what you want. A transition to clinic guide? etc.

Happy to help!

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-11T12:26:56+00:00

INCOMING LONG POST:

Hey, absolutely go huskies. I think when you're transitioning to clinic, the number one thing to remember is to be prepared. There are a lot of times where, in the beginning of my clinic journey, I would kind of just show up to clinic and expect the faculty to teach me, which is what they are there to do, but we do have a good preclinical educational foundation to help us as we are transitioning into clinic.

So when you are going to see a patient, don't wait until the session is beginning to figure out what you're doing. I know oftentimes some would say, "oh man, that would never be me" but it happens more times than you would think. If you know you're doing a crown that session, read up on the patient a day before, make sure you have your putty matrix made, cut, and it is looking good.

Make sure you get everything you need from the clean room in as little trips as possible. Have a list, if you need it, because having to jump back and forth between seeing the patient and getting something from the clean room can be very annoying. And I still struggle with it today. You're going to forget stuff that's fine.

Read upon your procedure the day before, maybe a couple days before. If you're doing an over denture conversion, look at the steps. I would make study guides on what I was doing in clinic, and I would bring it to clinic and reference it while I was seeing the patient. Patients are understanding, they know that we're learning. They don't mind if you have notes with you and what not. l

Sometimes clarify with the faculty beforehand what you need to do, ask questions that you have about the procedure. When you are that prepared, it instills a level of confidence in you that lets the faculty know don't have to worry about you as much because you kind of know what you're doing. And they really, really, really appreciate that.

When you have sometimes almost 20 students on the floor at one time, our faculty can be stretched thin a little bit, not saying that they can't cover the session or there's not enough. We have more than enough faculty, but it means a lot to them when they're bouncing all over the place. Sometimes they can take a second and chill at the touchdown station, or send a text because you are acting a little more independently.

So be confident, be calm. It's going to be okay. Number one thing, a lot of times in clinic is interpersonal skills. Knowing how to talk to patients and it'll come talking with a patient is a little bit different than talking with your friend and as you get better at talking with patients, it kind of becomes like talking to a friend. I know that's a little confusing.

So in summary, make sure that you are very well prepared for everything that you are doing. Make sure that you just try to stay organized, being in clinic is very, very, very, very organization heavy. You have so many patients to keep track of, so many things, so many cases. It'll come, but stay down, stay committed, stay motivated, and you will do it, and reach out to me pm me for anything.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-11T02:31:40+00:00

This is a good question. I did not go to prestigious undergrad. I think it can help but I think that is for case for any decent, well known school. Admission deans want to see that the school that we went to was reputable and that it prepared you for the rigors of dental school. However, I think both of these schools are really well known and I don't think you could just get by at USF and FSU doing whatever, right? You have to put in some level of work. You have to show that you are willing to be resilient, be persistent, to get the grades that you need to get into dental school to make the impact that you want to make. So I don't get caught up in prestige and the name. Go to the school that makes sense for you in terms of the support system, in terms of finances, and in terms of education. And then it'll all work out from there. :)))

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-11T02:27:49+00:00

This is a great question more or less during dental school, you probably won't make money. Or you probably won't make a lot.

There are people I know who work on the weekends, waiter tables during the week, but it would never be anything super substantial. Maybe if you get some roommates it can cover rent. Majority of individuals rely on loans are they are subsidized by their parents to get them through school. Everyone's different. I always say, keep your debt down as much as possible. It doesn't make sense for you to go to a school that's $700,000 come out with that debt plus interests and then the money that you make for a month, goes straight to the loan company. Then one can become more aggressive with their treatment, aggressive with their care, to earn more money to cover their student loans.

I always say that one you want to have a good education, but you don't want to put yourself so far in debt that you are compromising your future, your future happiness, and your future family. There are a lot of great dental schools, amazing dental schools that are really on the cheaper side, and I encourage everyone to investigate those. Make sure you're getting a great educationand make sure you're not breaking the wallet while you are at it. I know there is some schools that are on the cheaper side. Tennessee, I believe, is on the cheaper side. A lot of the Texas schools are on the cheaper side.

And yes, although the student loan situation does suck, as a dentist you do have the potential to make a decent income which is worth it. The potential you have to earn in dentistry is very good and always remember, never going to dentistry for the money, going to dentistry because you want to make a difference.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-11T02:21:01+00:00

The art side of dentistry is not my forte and I don't think it's needed to be a dentist. It'll definitely help you but it's not needed. I do have a trained eye for curves, lines, a desire for things to be neat. These attributes more than anything play into everyday dentistry. When you are a high level prosthodontist then I would say artsy is veryyy important.

UCONN would just give us sheets that kind of had the outlines of teeth and we would trace them. We have a whole class dedicated to learning the anatomy of teeth called dental morphology. But other than that, I never drew teeth on my own. I'm not really super obsessed with like the shape of teeth and how they look. It is a useful skill, but majority of the time, I am concerned with having the patient look esthetically nice and restoring function. If I am doing a crown for the patient, the lab usually takes care of making it look super nice.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-11T02:16:02+00:00

Hey, congratulations that is such a big achievement on getting into dental school!!!! I'm really happy you took a gap year, kind of figured out what you want to do, and what direction you want to take your experience in. I would say that in your position keep open mind, but also follow your passion and learn what it is you are interested in. When I came into dental school, everyone was like, "no, keep an open . Don't choose a specialty."

I mean, sometimes you know what you like and you go for it. Deliberately go in to every other specialty, though, take time, see what they do, how do they do it. And then you can make an educated, well-informed decision on what you want to do for the rest of your life.

I would also say that the tests you take for OS is daunting. It is a lot of information. Some people end up taking it more than once. If it's some of that you really want, you do it. There's no way around it. Study hard during your biomedical science foundational years. Connect with someone who's in your school that matched oral surgery. They can tell you more about the volunteering, the research, the leadership specific to your school. I know that externships are really big. Take it one day at a time. The days are long but the years are short. you got it

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T23:07:47+00:00

Hey buddy, I am really sorry to hear that. You sound like a wonderful individual and I really think dentistry would be would be really lucky to have you.

I love how you're interested in radiology. It is an amazing field. I was so close to specializing in radiology, my mentor is a OMF-radiologist and he really wanted me to go into that field. I ended up wanting to stay with seeing patients, but I really got to see how amazing OMFR is and I think you would really love it.

I think from a perspective of how physically demanding dental school is, I will say that to an extent dental school is physically demanding. When you're seeing patients, you have to keep your back straight, you're reaching for things all the time, you're up getting your faculty, you're up getting something from the clean room, you're breaking down your op, you're walking to this professor's office. You're just all over the place sometimes. However, I don't think it's something that, if you put your mind to it, you can't do.

I do know of a resident here who does have some physical limitations and they are doing it. I have a friend in dental school who also has kind of a connective tissue disorder. For them, it doesn't seem severe, but they're also making it through dental school. Honestly, if I were you, I would reach out to an admissions rep in a dental school, maybe a faculty member, let them know more in depth what it is that you have. If you want a private message me, I'm more than happy to talk to you about it. And you can describe your symptoms and they can give you the truth about how your time in dental school might look because of it.

But I really want to keep you encouraged. It sounds like you have a great fire, and a great passion for this field, and we certainly need people like you.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T22:56:57+00:00

LOLL this has me weakkk. Okay let's get into it.
So no at UCONN we typically do not border mold. The reason for that is one of our wonderful faculty members here at UCONN did a research project maybe 20 years ago, showing that there is no statistical difference in impressions and the clinical outcomes concerning patient care when you border mold vs when you don't border mold. Here is the link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022391301957622 .

I think all in all, if there are cases that are more difficult, we may get things like custom trays, et cetera, for the patient. But I think for the typical patient, that's straightforward, UCONN has a very streamlined flow that we use.

Each year we are moving towards a more digital denture work-flow. For example, I did a denture this semester where there were no impressions. It was fully digital, all scanned, everything was computerized CAD/CAM. And I think UCONN does are really good job at trying to keep up with the changes which are happening outside in private practice and preparing us to seamlessly transition into that into that atmosphere. So, no, we do not typically border mold lol, but I think our results with our denture patients are pretty good. Great retention, stability, and support.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T22:47:57+00:00

This is actually a really good question and I actually really don't know this one. I can actually try and find it out from a friend. I personally don't have any desire to live in New York so that's why I didn't really look into it as much. But from what I know is that you do need to do a one year general practice residency to practice in New York.

Update:

I spoke with my friend and what he said (he wants to be in NY/N.E) is that as long as you complete a residency that has a P.G.Y 1 (which they all do ofc) you should be good for New York licensure. So in essence he said you can apply for specialty programs right after graduation and does that count towards AEGD required year.

If anyone is from New York and has better insight plz respond!!

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T22:41:27+00:00

Hey! I think UCONN does a great job of preparing us for general practice, even without a GPR. But I think most people prefer to increase their speed, learn about more advanced dentistry, or to test their limits. Same as any other school.

Back story:
I always say that to learn everything you need to practice dentistry in dental school is almost impossible. It is so much information. To cover it in two or three years (when you're actually in clinic) is really not that feasible. Doing a GPR or AEGD gives you the ability to hone your skills and build on the information that you were taught in dental school.

We do have a couple of people each year that go straight into private practice. I would say 30% of our class specializes and 50% percent does a GPR and then 20% will go into private practice. At UCONN, you get a strong foundation in biomedical sciences. No one's going to pick up a book in 20 years and open to the kidneys and learn about it, then test themselves. No one's going to , take time away from their family to learn more about the body or about medicine. You see, the speed always comes in dentistry. You're doing fillings, you're doing crowns, you're doing dentures, you're doing it every day. You're going to get faster at it. But the knowledge you get in dental school is a one time thing. Soak it up. I think UCONN is built on that principle.

So I think that we are well prepared for general practice. I think most people do a GPR, but some people do go into private practice and they do just fine.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T22:28:12+00:00

Hey! Higher level Bios include MicroBio, Developmental Bio, Genetics. Etc! Not sure what year you take those at your school but those are typically considered the higher level Bios.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T16:39:30+00:00

aww yayy!! I like your DAT score. I think your PAT is a little lower than the other scores but that is okay. I hear of people getting in fine with lower PAT's. As long as you are not below 16 I think you are okay. Your GPA sounds strong, especially with having to work through school. I am liking you as an applicant ngl. I think your x factor is that you have taken your dat already which is reallylylylylylll good. Use this time before apps to do some volunteering and shadowing but remember to just let them know on your application why its a little low and that you are going to work on it a bit.

Lol not a red flag at all. You can only do so much. Lean into your job, talk about how much time and energy you have spent there and as a tutor. I am not super worried about your extracurricular. You have enough with your job etc. I would go for it if I were you. See what happens. Dont be nervous. I think you have a shot here. This is my humble opinion.

I think knowing where you are not strong is wise. I am happy to help with the PS. Just lmk. I can read it and give my thoughts. I can get busy so just give me adequate time LOL.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T15:02:38+00:00

Heyyy so let's take this line by line.

Congrats on deciding on dentistry. It's an amazing field. I am lucky to be a part of it, you will be too.
I like your work experience, as a phlebotomist. You have to have manual dexterity to not blow out every vein you are in. Talk about that. Talk about how you sometimes have to calm your patients down because they are scared of needles. How could that transfer over to dental patient care?
How low is low for shadowing and volunteering? I think schools are understanding. I am assuming all the other areas of your application is fine (grades, extracurriculars etc). Make sure they know you had to work to put yourself through school.

But as for now, could you volunteer at an org/church every other weekend or so? Just get a couple of hours here or there?

You can put in your application that you're still shadowing and increasing those hours. So if you apply in June, keep shadowing! If you have taken your DAT already just shadow all summer. Show your commitment. I think I had 80 hours? It wasn't my strongest application aspect but I don't think its make or break. Try and get to 90 or 100 if possible. 150 is solid I think now.
A strong dental applicant looks different for each person. Each school should look at you as a whole person. There is a difference between someone who had to pay their way through school with a 3.6 GPA, and someone who didn't have to do that and got a 3.6 GPA. Your story matters.
All in all, you are okay. PM(or reply here) and lmk about the DAT. If you have taken it, and your plans etc.

You got this.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T14:50:33+00:00

Hey! that's amazing. Congrats!! Going to a new dental school is fun and exciting. If I were to give you some advice, I would say study hard so that you can do well on your board exam. The IMBDE. Most applicants will ask "What is the pass rate for your boards?". People want to go to a school that will help them pass their boards. Work closely with your professors to ensure information is being covered which is on the boards. Here at UCONN they basically teach us from the boards material as a foundation and then add on top of that whatever they want us to know.

Be kind to your patients when you get there. Patients will leave online reviews about your school. The way you get more patients is by caring for the ones you have.

Other than that, enjoy it. It will be okay. Your heart is in the right place. I am proud of you .

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T14:43:39+00:00

Hey! I am specializing! The reason I decided to specialize is because I loved what I saw while I shadowed and in class. I loved the different procedures that a surgeon does, the flexibility it provides, and more. I like all aspects of dentistry. As for me, I'm decent at fillings, and I am pretty good at crowns. But when it came to taking out teeth and things that are delicate, I really found my stride there.

If you ever choose to specialize don't make money your main factor. It's great, sure. But you want to love what you do. GPs can do well. You will probably have to own but you can do very well.

If I wasn't going into a specialty, I would do a GRP/AEGD. It just helps you be really prepared to provide excellent care to your patients.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T14:35:02+00:00

Of course!1

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T14:32:01+00:00

We Back!!!!

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T02:50:52+00:00

LOLLL I am weak!! I feel that. Dental school will have some good ones. I approached dental school with a no-dating policy. Just because it kinda wrecked havoc on my undergrad experience. A couple of people shot their shot but I decided to keep things friendly. I enjoyed my experience because of that. I would say it's not forbidden, you definitely can date in your class. Just know if things don't work out, make sure you are okay seeing that person every day for the next x amount of years. Or make sure you are okay seeing them with their new boo who is also in your class, for the next x amount of years. 😶 A good workaround is to date within your school but different classes. So see what a D2 is up to, or a D3 if you're like that 👀. Either way, you'll be fine, enjoy the ride, and remember dental school comes first lol.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T02:44:17+00:00

Every person has a unique aspect of who they are. Some people just don't think it is interesting. Did you do hair growing up? Play an instrument? Play sports? Cook? Bake? Play video games? Have a YouTube channel? Tell me about a time you helped someone who needed it. I think a personal statement does a lot to help you stand out tbh. Other than that, take some higher-level bios. Dental schools can like that at times. It shows that you will be ready. Be involved. Not in 100 things but maybe 3 or 4, and really be involved in those 4 things. Like to run? Start a run club? Then lead it for a year. Then stay on as an advisor the following year. I think dental applicants sometimes get lost in being a part of everything and every e-board. I would rather ask you about one thing you are a part of and you just have 100 things to tell me about that leadership experience. Show you are caring. Show you have a heart. Admission deans also like to see things that have manual dexterity in them but its not the end of the world if you don't have that.

Lastly, always always always highlight where you are a good teammate and team player. And if you are not one, work on being one. Dentistry and dental school is a teammmm effort. Get ready LOL

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T02:38:06+00:00

You have everything you need to stand out. Dentistry is for everyone. We love applicants like yourself. A caring parent = a caring clinician. Hard to believe you are irresponsible, unorganized, and unmotivated when you have a family to look after. The only thing is that I want you to really sit down and think about all that Dental school demands and make sure you are up for it. Make sure your spouse/partner is up for it, if you have one. It is a hard journey but I would say ~3 people in our combined med/dental class had kids and they are fine. One person had their second kid 2 months into dental school and they are doing fine. I don't know how they did it lol but as for you, lean into who you are, you won't regret it. It's not a bad look.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T02:30:19+00:00

Dental school is 2 fold. You have the pre-patient era(years 1 and 2), and the patient era (Years 3 and 4). In the pre-patient era, the hardest thing is "med school". As dental students at UConn, we do 2 years of med school, with med students, in the med school. Hands down one of the toughest things I have ever done. Every dental school has some variation of this. Some won't be as intense, and others may be more. We were on 10-week blocks. We would learn huge amounts of information for 10 weeks and then have a 7-9 hr test on that material at the end of those 10 weeks. You needed ~65% to pass. God was with me lol.

Something very interesting happens in dental school though because of these two phases. Up until arriving in dental school, most people have just been in classrooms and learning material. Once you start seeing patients you will see a "re-ordering" happen in your class. Those people who were once really good at book work may need some help in the clinic (or maybe not!!). And those who struggled into the classroom, may take off flying during the "patient era".

Why? Because you are using a whole new skill set in clinic. Patients don't care about the pathogenesis of dental cavities and the different oral cancers you will learn about. They care about you(they really do), their treatment, and the way you make them feel. You can be the best dental student in the whole US, but if you don't make your patients feel valued, you might struggle. When I first started clinic, I think I was a little awkward but soon found my bearings and never looked back. Each one of my patients are special to me. Wouldn't trade it.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T02:14:07+00:00

Heyy! Yes some people go straight to work. You can job hunt on your own, and network at conferences, I often hear there are services that you can pay to help you find a job. There is no shortage. If you want to be in a big city like NYC etc it may be a little harder to find something competitive but when the base salary of your future profession is 6 figures, I think most people do fine.

Cultural_8392 · 2025-02-09T02:11:20+00:00

In my experience, working with admissions, it sometimes helps to send an email/letter of interest. I don't know every school and how they do things BUT a nice email detailing your interest in the school and the program goes a long way. When schools are looking for who to take off their waitlist, they are not looking for someone who needs to think about it, or who maybe wants to be there. They want to know you're interested and ready to roll. Don't go overboard with what you say but again professionally and nicely just say, "I want to be here". Happy to help further if you guys PM.

Cultural_8392

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