I came into dental school knowing I did not want to specialize but I also want to learn as much as I can because dental school is your opportunity to gain experience and learn under someone else’s license! I think this was very well put because didactic courses are weighted way heavier on your class rank than the clinical stuff so you really have to figure out what you want to prioritize accordingly depending on your career aspirations.
That's smart man, you'll have tons of opportunities to pursue your own direction after school too. I've done a bunch of different CE (Dawson FMR stuff, ortho, implant placement) and it takes a while to kind of find your niche - where what you are good at lines up with your patient base. Good luck man!
I know people who are ranked pretty high but have a horrible time in clinic and lab work. I dislike how didactics are worth more than lab... Doesn't really make sense. I'm more focused on lab and clinic work but haven't really slipped far behind in didactic. Above average is good enough for me.
This stresses me out more. I’m applying to dental school this application cycle and I want to get a closer look at orthodontics because I that specialty interests me. Now I’m super nervous about wanting to specialize. 😰
Hey Kendall, Don't let it stress you out! It's funny, I actually asked a friend of mine (orthodontist) about this and he said that he will never let anyone shadow him unless they shadow a general dentist first - he says that you need to fall in love with dentistry before you specialize, otherwise you may be disappointed. Dentistry is a good career, and I believe that if you can make it into dental school you can probably make it into an ortho residency but it will take a lot of work.
Thanks for checking it out! I did a little bit on that in the "is dental school worth it" video, but will definitely keep it in mind for future videos!!
What a great question. As far as I know, GPRs and AEGDs are less competitive, but rank might matter some. I will try to ask someone who did one. I do have a couple friends that were ranked about where I was (70-80 of about 110) that both got into GPRs without issue. As far as it being worth it, I think it could be for sure with the right residency depending on what you do. If you do a surgery-heavy GPR with implants and sedation that would put you way ahead of everyone one year out of dental school. I think it completely depends on the individual residency so it wouldn't hurt to ask around if you are looking at specific residencies. I know there are other residencies where it's basically like a D5 year. It could also depends on what your other job prospects are. In my year of public health, I almost looked at that like a residency - minimal pressure to produce, a ton of extractions, an environment with other more experienced dentists, etc.
What are your thoughts on the weight that specialty programs place on grades if you’ve been out practicing for say 4 years after dental school? Do you think grades matter less compared to coming straight out of school? I know different specialties/programs require additional entry exams too.
Hey Logan! I wish I had a specific answer for you. I would think grades would matter less the further out you are, but I think they still do matter along with board scores. You could always connect with residencies you are looking at and just ask how you can make yourself a more competitive applicant. Not everyone who goes into a specialty is top ten with 90%+ board scores. Good luck!
