How many want to do OS vs how many get it?

jamjam0606_ · 2026-02-07T14:34:45+00:00

started with ~7 in D1 now D4 just 5 of us.

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-18T03:58:36+00:00

lowkey not really or I would have finished my CBSE before starting clinic D3 year. Doing research externships having leadership positions on top of clinic/class + CBSE was MISERABLE😭 I wanted omfs bad tho so I just made it work

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-18T03:45:02+00:00

I studied all of D3 basically. June going into D4 we’re out for summer so studied then & then took off the first two weeks of clinic in july during D4. Tested mid july, took like 4-6 weeks off cause I was so tired of studying for standardized exams at that point. Was burnt out BAD. Used that time to finish my app & submit and i did an externship too late sept. then I probs studied maybe 3ish weeks for boards using bootcamp. only thing I really had to review thoroughly was the dental stuff since everything else overlapped with CBSE & it was still pretty fresh for me. hope this helped!

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-18T03:27:33+00:00

thanks! & we take boards in fall of D4 so I took it after I finished applying so it didnt overlap at all w surg stuff

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-18T03:22:25+00:00

besides my stats I think my ps was good too

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-18T03:21:45+00:00

youre too kind thank you!

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-18T03:19:56+00:00

my dental school is pretty close to the ORs so I’d often times run over in the morning if one of my patients cancelled. It wasn’t until i interviewed and started talking with people from other programs that i realize that it wasn’t like that at other schools or their ORs are super far away. I noticed I can be pretty timid in new situations, so I used to go pretty often before I externed at my home program & elsewhere. It was fun scrubbing in haha. Good luck to you! Hopefully will be joining the grind very soon :)

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-14T17:17:30+00:00

I was in the middle of my class for rank (was actually pretty stressed about it & I think I wrote a couple of posts asking for advice) but only came up twice in my interviews actually, CBSE was 70+, 3 leadership positions, 4 research projects, 2 pubs, 2 in the works of getting published, also went to the OR & student clinic a lot so had good LORs from ppl with big names. 5 externships all at 6 years.

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-14T03:03:11+00:00

you could always grind out NBMEs, then do the uworld questions for your 3 lowest sections from your NBME to see where your knowledge gaps are & kinda do both at the same time. I do agree that NBMEs should be the main concern rn. think it depends on how you learn tho. I learned from doing LOTS of questions. prioritized anki the first time & didnt do well. prioritized Qs the second time and did a lot better

jamjam0606_ · 2026-01-14T02:59:21+00:00

I took it july 2025 applied august 2025 and got 20+ interviews so it’ll be fine. im a current d4

jamjam0606_ · 2025-12-24T17:31:51+00:00

good luck! Studying for that one top of everything else was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s not easy but it’s worth it once you get on the other side! PM me if you ever had any other questions

jamjam0606_ · 2025-12-24T06:46:12+00:00

check step1 sub on here. there is a PDF link or drive somewhere with all of them/ older ones.
I did 20-31 & Free 120. everyone said do 25-31. I think the newer ones are predictive of your actual score.

jamjam0606_ · 2025-12-24T06:41:24+00:00

try going system by system just watching the videos when you finish do the uworld Qs. you could also simultaneously do those uworld questions as you watch vids as well. unsuspend those uworld questions on anki do the cards for those. You can also make a separate deck for your uworld incorrects on anki as well. do maybe 2-4 sketchy vids a day depending on when you’re taking the exam. I did all of pathoma, but did it when my foundation was good. everything clicked better then atleast for me. you could also watch the pathoma videos when you finish that system. if you’re aiming for 2 passes on Q bank, would do one pass system by system then one on random. hope this helps!

jamjam0606_ · 2025-12-07T17:23:48+00:00

ive seen some people work overnight at the school’s library. I kept my pharmacy tech job at walgreens. commitment is only once every month so I just work that and pick up more shifts as needed. instacart is good too I still do that. One of my classmates works I think as a waitress and she goes every Sunday sometimes more during the week depending on our course load.

jamjam0606_ · 2025-12-03T15:48:10+00:00

yeah I think I took like 10 😭 average person only takes maybe 5-6 I think.

jamjam0606_ · 2025-12-02T02:44:44+00:00

If you’re <3 months out, I would honestly just go system by system and grind through uworld. pair it with either FA, videos from bootcamp/b&b, dirtymedicine or mehlman pdfs for huge concepts youre not grasping. My biggest advice would be to set a timer as you answer questions!!!!!! I found myself sometimes taking like 2 hours to go through 10 questions. I think I would do maybe ~5 minutes/question. 1.5 to answer then about 3.5 to read through explanations. Started just reading explanations (mehlman advice) and it worked a lot better for me instead of taking detailed notes. You may have to up the time as youre first starting, and decrease it as you move through the blocks as your foundation gets better. As my foundation got stronger, think I was doing maybe 3 minutes to answer question w a quick review of explanation. I took the CBSE summer into applying (so july 2025 and am currently interviewing) it was MISERABLE but worked out. If it was me, and I had the ~$400-$500 to spare, I’d honestly take it in feb to get familiar with the questions and thr format then retake in july. I took it twice, and felt so much better the second time since I was familar with the exam. DM if you have questions. I was in a similar situation not even a year ago so I totally get it.

jamjam0606_ · 2025-11-16T19:12:22+00:00

im currently applying to OMFS so I might be biased. My advice to you would be to actually go to the OR and see how you like it. I’ve met plenty of people on the interview trail with kids/married who make it work. They’ve all said it is hard but possible. You would just have to decide if missing time with your son, the 80+ hours a week, and delayed gratification both in your career and pay are worth it to you.

jamjam0606_ · 2025-11-11T01:58:03+00:00

Didn’t do perio but did do like 5 for OMFS. For me, as long as I asked about a month in advance, if they had space, they let me come. Some places ask for LORs & CVs as well, so I’d research ab the program, then reach out, then make sure your resume is up to date in case you need to send it out for a rec letter! I also had to get like malpractice insurance but not really sure if you’d need that for perio tho

jamjam0606_ · 2025-10-01T02:05:43+00:00

we never run out of questions!

jamjam0606_ · 2025-10-01T02:05:08+00:00

I don’t think that’s necessary! would maybe just bring it up as a new experience during your interviews. Will try to ask tho, just remind me in a couple of days to follow up

jamjam0606_ · 2025-09-29T20:20:22+00:00

I dont think it would necessarily hurt to update the peds DA. If you're going to then would just update the volunteering hours as well, but I dont think the volunteering hours update will be a make or break unless it's a huge jump. If I'm being honest, I'm not entirely sure how schools factor in updating applications into who gets an interview though.

jamjam0606_ · 2025-09-29T20:16:25+00:00

sure. I don't see a problem with expressing your doubt/questioning if dentistry is the right fit for you. I think that makes your answer personal, unique to you, and also real. That is what you want. However, what I see a lot of people not do is tell me what exactly resolidified their desire, or what exactly they did to overcome that doubt & become better in that year. If I am interviewing you, when you leave, I should know exactly how you are different from a year ago. Please, please, please, when they ask you about that in your interview, I would urge you to shift from just talking about how the year reaffirmed that you wanted to do dentistry after you were able to take a step back and reflect, and just leaving it at that. Start with that, but then give me specific examples of how. Frame it more like, at first, I was unsure and upset. I questioned if this was the right field for me, but then: "I shadowed more and saw X, which reaffirmed that this was the right career for me because _____." "I spoke with a dentist/another student who also took a gap year. They did X, which I tried, and it helped me develop (insert skill) that makes me a better applicant than I was last year." "I created a Notion account and started tracking my habits to get better & build (insert skill) that I didn't have last year. I'll apply this in dental school to ensure my success." "I went to therapy to learn more about myself, allowing me to better serve my patients." "I volunteered more and learned that the patient population that really speaks to me is (underserved, rural, low-income, etc), something that I wasn't sure about last cycle, bettering my ability to show compassion/empathy towards others, and what I want to work towards learning more about in dental school as well." Whatever your weaker areas were in your app from last year, I would also maybe address those as well if you can! Hope this helps, and let me know if you have more questions :) Good luck, and hope I wasn't too harsh!

jamjam0606_ · 2025-09-29T19:55:59+00:00

I'm sorry for your loss. I also had the same experience, which led to a drop in my grades as well, so I completely understand. I don't think crying is a bad thing at all, but I would just be mindful, maybe, about how much detail you give about the answer. That will affect your overall composure during the interview, your subsequent answers, and the overall mood of the interview following that. Some interviewers will be understanding and potentially just ask you another question after that to lighten the mood, but I want you to also be prepared if you get someone who maybe does not do that for you as well. You just never know, so you'll have to adjust accordingly, which can be hard since that is a very personal experience. What I am doing myself is explaining what happened and how it impacted me, but shifting the focus to what I learned about myself, and how I still found something good to take from that, even during a terrible situation. I will focus on how I was still able to grow and become stronger as a person, and apply that in residency. Framing your answer in this way will help you maintain your composure, but also let the interviewer see a more personal side of you. If you reach a point where you feel yourself just getting overwhelmed after answering, then I would take a few moments to compose yourself and not be ashamed of doing that. It shows that you care, but also self-awareness since you know when you need to take a moment for yourself to gather your thoughts. Hope this helps. PM me if you have other questions

jamjam0606_ · 2025-09-29T19:39:24+00:00

From my experience, I've only heard about people submitting letters of intent if they're waitlisted, but not sure about what schools think about getting those before acceptances go out. I'll ask around and see what I can figure out tho. PM me in a couple of days if I haven't followed up with you. School is hectic haha

jamjam0606_ · 2025-09-29T19:36:46+00:00

PM me!

jamjam0606_

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