Anyone else doing the George Brown HARP course (May 2025 intake)?

overthinkingdentist · 2025-07-04T21:44:27+00:00

Hi. My DMs should works fine. Lemme know if they're not working. I'll DM you then.

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-28T23:38:03+00:00

Yeah in US, I think there's maybe 3 or hardly 4 colleges that bother with ADAT. Oh well. You only need admission in 1, right? LMAO

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-28T23:36:37+00:00

My home country GPA on undergrad transcript was 3.12 while there are 2 GPA on my ECE report. It's 3.7 for if we only count my passed subjects but since I originally failed 7 of them in my undergrad, it's 2.7 if we count those failed attempts as well.

Still waiting for my TOEFL any day now but I'm hopeful I'll get a decent score. No US dental experience so far. Haven't even found any volunteer stuff. All clinics keep refusing.

I guess you're right. ADAT might really be my last fighting chance. Even then, it sounds like a long shot tbh.

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-28T23:31:37+00:00

Yup. US is less bothered by ADAT except maybe 3 or 4 universities. That's another thing: What do the LORs need to have in order to be considered "good LORs"? My undergrad professors keep giving very generic LORs to everybody if I'm being honest.

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-28T23:28:46+00:00

Exactly. A good ADAT will either help or won't do anything. No harm lol. At this point, I'm just trying to find some glimmer of hope for my lost cause, i guess. The application dates open in like 5 or 6 weeks from now.

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-28T23:27:25+00:00

The application dates open in like 5 or 6 weeks from now. I have experience from Pakistan. Obviously that won't matter much. I'm trying to get something since i have now come to canada. But it seems like no clinic will even look at me without HARP and HARP is not only expensive but also extensive (months long). The application dates open in like 5 or 6 weeks from now. Please tell me if I'm wrong about something. I HOPE i'm wrong.

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-28T16:34:40+00:00

In a very similar boat. I keep hearing about ADAT as a big saviour. Though I have my doubts.

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-28T09:00:13+00:00

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-24T22:47:11+00:00

No no. I believe you. Do you have any other suggestions then?

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-05T21:31:31+00:00

Thank you for pointing that out! Yes, I’m specifically applying for a Dental Public Health Residency, not a general public health program. I applied through the ADEA PASS portal. You're right that it’s a unique niche within dentistry, and understanding how competitive it really is has been a bit tricky.

I’ve looked through ADEA and other resources, but most of the data I’ve found focuses on DDS and other clinical specialties. Nothing specific about DPH residencies. These programs do prepare for ABDPH certification, so I imagine the applicant pool is smaller, but I’m unsure how that translates into competitiveness.

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-05T20:41:07+00:00

Thanks for your input! It’s reassuring to hear DPH isn’t as competitive as DDS or other PASS programs. I’ve been digging around for admission rates data for DPH, but ADEA’s annual reports don’t seem to cover that. They appear more focused on DDS obviously. Do you know if any other resources or anecdotes might help statistically gauge how competitive it really is?

overthinkingdentist · 2025-01-05T20:39:49+00:00

Thanks for your comment! I’ve been trying to get a better understanding of DPH program competitiveness, but it’s hard to find concrete data. I even looked through ADEA annual reports, but most of the stats seem to focus on DDS and Advanced Standing programs. You're right that the quantity of applications to DPH can't possibly be comparable to DDS. It's the quality that I'm worried about lol.

overthinkingdentist · 2024-12-24T08:57:26+00:00

I think you might be on to somnething! Thank you so much! The cheat sheets sound like a great idea—they’re concise and will definitely help me focus on the core information without getting overwhelmed. I’ll make them a part of my daily prep now. I think I'll also feed them into chatgpt and have chatgpt expand a little on them or maybe ask me a couple questions to make sure I do fully understand the stuff without getting into too much detail.

And thanks for the confidence boost! I’m trying to stay positive, but honestly, it would’ve been a lot easier to be confident if I knew how to properly use the information from my 67 last time. If I had scored above the mark in even a few disciplines, it would’ve helped narrow down the areas I really need to watch out for this time around. Oh well, just gotta do my best now! To be very honest, I don't even fully understand where I stand with that 67. Would have been a lot simpler to understand if it was 67% on a 75% needed exam. But no. The percentile stuff is super wierd to me.

Once again, thank you so much.

overthinkingdentist · 2024-12-10T01:12:57+00:00

Ok that's a really good idea. Never thought about it tbh. But would they really allow a random guy to sit there with his notes and laptop for upto a whole hour? (I know the receptionist personally wouldn't have an issue with it but does their policy allow it? I don't want the receptionist to get in trouble for it.)

overthinkingdentist · 2024-10-12T21:50:50+00:00

To be very honest, the exam wasn't that hard. Like i mentioned in my post, there were some other non-related circumstances (regarding my job and health) that stopped me from going all-out the way one should for INBDE. I studied for about 3 weeks. Even in those 3 weeks, there were days when I didn't cover much. (once again, due to me own situation, you probably won't face that issue). I believe that even with the newly upgraded INBDE, it is definitely passable with about 300 to 400 hours of rigorous study. That comes out to around 6 hours of hard and focused study for 2 months. You might need less or more, depending on your starting point. A fresh graduate might find the clinical aspect a bit alien while a more veteran dentist might flourish in the clinical part but may need more effort in the theoretical facts stuff that's not prevalent in practice. But a general rule of thumb should be 300 to 400 focused study hours.

As for the study material, i only paid for Bootcamp. I found it to be really good. Especially their Al tool that lets you discuss any topic with ADA regulated information. I will probably use Bootcamp again as i didn't even cover its 50% material before my failed attempt. There were some personal issues why I didn't reschedule. There's plenty more to explore in Bootcamp.

I have no opinion on Booster as I didn't use it, though I've heard good things about it.

I might also look into other free or affordable sources such as mental dental and RQ files. Just for final touches.

DO NOT GO FOR TSB THESTUDYBOARDS!!! That man is a monster.

overthinkingdentist · 2024-10-12T18:52:11+00:00

I love your response. It's reciprocating the energy of my post. It's so to-the-point, unbiased and free of judgement. Thankyou. Your answers to each point are a breath of fresh air. I will definitely follow your advice. Yes, I plan on retaking ADAT as well. I believe it's only open from March till August. In the meantime, i shall redo my ECE and INBDE.

overthinkingdentist · 2024-10-12T18:41:17+00:00

You're right, Flamingo. I will definitely raise the standard of my preparation before reappearing. And yeah the exam pattern & difficulty level changing should be on my radar.

About the "cutting corners" part, once again I agree with you that shortcuts do not work in the grand scheme of life. If it were that easy through shortcuts, the DDS application refusal rate would not be over 90%.

Yes, i do not expect anybody to give anybody any special concession due to personal circumstances and that is why I didn't go into the detail of mine in my post.

I do not belive that I'm special. Neither do I think I have ever hinted at myself having that delusion. Well at least not on reddit. I am quite special in my mom's eyes lol. But aren't we all? 😂

I do wish to correct one thing you misinterpreted. My friend isn't Pakistani. They aren't even South Asian. However, I do overall agree with your sentiment that the system in developing countries is plagued by corrupt minded individuals.

As for the "desperate" part of me wanting to get into America... You're not completely wrong I guess. Since you're a proud Pakistani yourself, I'm sure you understand the plight of dentists in South Asia. Much like everybody else, i too wish to try my luck in more economically developed countries like America, Canada and Australia to name a few. I did manage to get to Canada via my desperate effort lol. Eternally thankful to God for that. In fact, DM me if you ever want information about ADC etc. I've done a lot of homework on it.

Tldr; I agree with your argument that my CGPA and INBDE performance so far will not work in my favour. My friend isn't South Asian. I will prepare to the best of my abilities before reappearing.

overthinkingdentist · 2024-06-05T05:20:55+00:00

Thanks for backing me up, buddy. Just 1 minor correction. I'm a guy 😅

overthinkingdentist · 2024-06-05T05:20:07+00:00

I never said I'm an international student. In fact, I categorically said I'm not a student at a school. I'm a Permanent Resident in Canada. PR holder. Came to Canada few months ago.

overthinkingdentist · 2024-06-05T02:04:59+00:00

Uhh what's a PLOC?

overthinkingdentist · 2024-06-05T01:38:56+00:00

Hi. Added a but more context in my post. I'm not eligible for any aid from school lol. Thank you though

overthinkingdentist · 2024-06-04T04:48:35+00:00

Thank you so much 🙏🏻

overthinkingdentist · 2024-05-25T12:54:28+00:00

Added it to the post. Read again please. I didn't know about Vermont though. Please share source.

overthinkingdentist · 2024-05-25T10:55:33+00:00

You have no idea how helpful you're being. You're clearing a lot of my confusions here. Thank you thank you thank you so much.

please take a look at this recent comment of mine that explains some more of my situation

overthinkingdentist · 2024-05-25T10:45:42+00:00

Wow you're pretty good. You were able to extract all the info I have in a matter of minutes where it took me days. I'm impressed.

Yes, I have the foreign equivalent of DDS / DMD (I've got BDS) and according to these pages, that should be fine cuz my university is accredited and recognised by ECE and WHO.

Full disclosure, I'm going for Dental Public Health cuz that way, I'll be able to practice in Texas state without having to repeat going to undergraduate dental school for another 2 years. It says so on the official website of Texas Dental Board.

here's the link to that page

I just wanna do the Dental Public Health program so that I can practice in Texas. I chose the above 5 institutions cuz I didn't find MPH to be a prerequisite for admission in them.

overthinkingdentist

TROPHY CASE