P/F Schools and Implications on OMFS

[753698]

Okay.

I'm going to stop stoking the flames of this dumpster fire.

Sorry if I sounded hostile. I'm serious,you keep saying I'm in way over my head. I would like to know where I'm going wrong so I can be more informed next time.
A lot of pre dents find advice from practicing dentists valuable.
A lot of them probably also choose D schools based on their goals in the future, so it's important they aren't misinformed. For example if I knew I only wanted to be a GP I would probably be trying to go to the cheapest school possible. Different situation if I want to specialize.

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[Likkriue]

I think we are begging you not to write walls of texts on a subject you are still not familiar with and won’t be familiar with until you begin and start dental school. Why? Every dental school has a different curriculum and dynamic and it’s impossible to gauge how one works over another. You have to get in, learn how the moving parts work and only then will you find some of the answers you are looking for.

 

[princeafrica]

LoL OMFS & P/F threads are always entertaining.

 

[753698]

I think we are begging you not to write walls of texts on a subject you are still not familiar with and won’t be familiar with until you begin and start dental school. Why? Every dental school has a different curriculum and dynamic and it’s impossible to gauge how one works over another. You have to get in, learn how the moving parts work and only then will you find some of the answers you are looking for.

Do you mean during the interviews? Would it be rude to ask about how their school does in terms of specializing during interviews or do applicants usually ask those types of questions? I'm not really sure what is appropriate and what is not.

Thanks

 

[Likkriue]

Do you mean during the interviews? Would it be rude to ask about how their school does in terms of specializing during interviews or do applicants usually ask those types of questions? I'm not really sure what is appropriate and what is not.

Thanks

No when you are an actual student. You don’t know how a school works until a semester has gone by. EG How faculty likes things being done, what you have to keep on top of administratively, how your office of education works. Things change a lot every year so don’t ask these questions now because whatever they tell you now can be completely different when you begin(faculty retiring or moving on). Remember it’s dynamic.

No matter how much research I did on my school it did not prepare me for how my school is like. And my experience is different from the the class ahead of me and the class below me from my school alone due to policy changes every year. So imagine you trying to figure out how a completely different school compares to another. Impossible.

 

[753698]

No when you are an actual student. You don’t know how a school works until a semester has gone by. EG How faculty likes things being done, what you have to keep on top of administratively, how your office of education works. Things change a lot every year so don’t ask these questions now because whatever they tell you now can be completely different when you begin(faculty retiring or moving on). Remember it’s dynamic.

No matter how much research I did on my school it did not prepare me for how my school is like. And my experience is different from the the class ahead of me and the class below me from my school alone due to policy changes every year. So imagine you trying to figure out how a completely different school compares to another. Impossible.

Oh alright understood. But once you are an actual student isn't it too late? If you don't like how things are run you just have to suck it up and deal with it for 4 years?

 

[Likkriue]

Oh alright understood. But once you are an actual student isn't it too late? If you don't like how things are run you just have to suck it up and deal with it for 4 years?

Welcome to professional school

 

[BluntForceTrauma]

I think we are begging you not to write walls of texts on a subject you are still not familiar with and won’t be familiar with until you begin and start dental school. Why? Every dental school has a different curriculum and dynamic and it’s impossible to gauge how one works over another. You have to get in, learn how the moving parts work and only then will you find some of the answers you are looking for.

You deserve a medal too.

 

[ab117]

Oh alright understood. But once you are an actual student isn't it too late? If you don't like how things are run you just have to suck it up and deal with it for 4 years?

what this should all be telling you is no, it's not too late, people will still match into residencies from effectively every single school in the country, and therefore these things you're trying to consider should be way down on your priority list of what to look for in a school (if even on the list at all). They're dynamic like Likkriue said, and you can't effect them, and they make very little difference on anyone's chances of getting into any kind of specialty program. Remember also that admissions is really unpredictable.

It's true that you should be applying intelligently to maximize your chances of acceptance and going to a school that's affordable and that you like but even with good stats there's a huge element of randomness based on specific things different school are looking for and whether they'll like your app or not before even interviewing. People with 3.8-4.0 GPAs and 24 DATs still get rejected from every school they apply to. Maybe less frequently than those with worse stats, but it happens, because nobody except the schools know exactly what the schools are looking for. Depending on everything you end up including on your app in a couple years, is it even slightly realistic that you'll be interviewed and accepted at a "prestigious" pass/fail school? Maybe, but maybe not, and that's about all that anyone can really say on the matter. You should instead be focusing on questions like "does this dental school ever accept people from my undergrad let alone my state?" Your only real concern right now is maximizing your probability of being accepted to at least one dental school. Once you properly curate your application list and get interviewed and accepted to more than one school that you decided was a good idea to apply to, you can decide between those schools and your choice should be heavily dictated by cost.

Once you then start school, if you are the kind of determined, self-motivated person that can learn 2 years of medical curriculum by yourself to do well on the CBSE while getting nearly straight A's all four years of school, you will successfully match to an OMFS residency completely regardless of which dental school you attend. Remember that every step along this path, people like BlackThought who legitimately know more than you because of years of education and experience, will try to help you and may even one day have a say in whether or not you match into a program and making public claims based on misunderstandings like "not very many OMFS are matching out of graded schools" and trying to tell those people that they'd better not think you're naive or call them out because you think they're making assumptions and stuff like that is not going to work in your favor.

 

[753698]

what this should all be telling you is no, it's not too late, people will still match into residencies from effectively every single school in the country, and therefore these things you're trying to consider should be way down on your priority list of what to look for in a school (if even on the list at all). They're dynamic like Likkriue said, and you can't effect them, and they make very little difference on anyone's chances of getting into any kind of specialty program. Remember also that admissions is really unpredictable.

It's true that you should be applying intelligently to maximize your chances of acceptance and going to a school that's affordable and that you like but even with good stats there's a huge element of randomness based on specific things different school are looking for and whether they'll like your app or not before even interviewing. People with 3.8-4.0 GPAs and 24 DATs still get rejected from every school they apply to. Maybe less frequently than those with worse stats, but it happens, because nobody except the schools know exactly what the schools are looking for. Depending on everything you end up including on your app in a couple years, is it even slightly realistic that you'll be interviewed and accepted at a "prestigious" pass/fail school? Maybe, but maybe not, and that's about all that anyone can really say on the matter. You should instead be focusing on questions like "does this dental school ever accept people from my undergrad let alone my state?" Your only real concern right now is maximizing your probability of being accepted to at least one dental school. Once you properly curate your application list and get interviewed and accepted to more than one school that you decided was a good idea to apply to, you can decide between those schools and your choice should be heavily dictated by cost.

Once you then start school, if you are the kind of determined, self-motivated person that can learn 2 years of medical curriculum by yourself to do well on the CBSE while getting nearly straight A's all four years of school, you will successfully match to an OMFS residency completely regardless of which dental school you attend. Remember that every step along this path, people like BlackThought who legitimately know more than you because of years of education and experience, will try to help you and may even one day have a say in whether or not you match into a program and making public claims based on misunderstandings like "not very many OMFS are matching out of graded schools" and trying to tell those people that they'd better not think you're naive or call them out because you think they're making assumptions and stuff like that is not going to work in your favor.

Understood. It's time for me to put my head down and grind it out. Longest decade of my life

 

[BluntForceTrauma]

Understood. It's time for me to put my head down and grind it out. Longest decade of my life

And you haven't even started school or residency yet. Lol

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Just

go

to

the

cheapest

school

!

Big Hoss out!

 

[schmoob]

Overall, yes I do want to be a dentist. 100%. But I don't want to only be a clinician, I want to be more than that. If that makes any sense.

People dont give general dentistry enough credit. There is so much to it and people really oversimplify and make assumptions. We are not simply tooth mechanics, there is alot to learn about diagnosis and pathologies.
General Dentists refer cases to specialists for what is outside their abilities and scope. That means that as a General Dentist, you can become proficient in the areas you enjoy. That includes diagnosis AND treatment.

Many pre-dents and dental students talk about OMS because it's the "sexy" specialty. Yes the people who get into these programs are very intelligent, driven, and motivated; very impressive. But, it doesnt mean there aren't VERY good general dentists who do very well.

As mentioned earlier, if your interest is extractions and implants and not in a hospital setting, OMS isnt for you. Is it really wise to go through another 4-6 years of HARD training to learn about procedures that you'll have no interest in doing? For me personally, I have never had interest in OMS because of situations like cutting open a child for BSSO, or trying to put together the pieces of a child's face after they've been beaten senselessly by an adult, or fell out a window, or crushed between two cars. Or what about a radical neck resection on a wonderful, sweet pediatric patient who you know will not survive long? I have a soft spot for kids. Anyway, it wasnt worth it for me to put myself through the stress of all of that training and procedures to not even want to use them when I finish.

I thought I had all the specialties figured out too, but it wasnt until I really worked closely with all of them that I had a better understanding. For example, Prosthodontics is really impressive, the things they learn about when it comes to diagnosis and tx planning says alot about their training. Same goes for Oral Pathology. They learn ALOT about medicine; the breadth AND depth they know is mindblowing. But most predents and DS's aren't interested in other specialties because they think they dont have the same earning power as ortho or OMS. Or that if you're just a general dentist then you weren't smart enough to specialize or wont make good money.

If your goal is to make lots of money, specializing is not the only way to do it.

 

[BluntForceTrauma]

People dont give general dentistry enough credit. There is so much to it and people really oversimplify and make assumptions. We are not simply tooth mechanics, there is alot to learn about diagnosis and pathologies.
General Dentists refer cases to specialists for what is outside their abilities and scope. That means that as a General Dentist, you can become proficient in the areas you enjoy. That includes diagnosis AND treatment.

Many pre-dents and dental students talk about OMS because it's the "sexy" specialty. Yes the people who get into these programs are very intelligent, driven, and motivated; very impressive. But, it doesnt mean there aren't VERY good general dentists who do very well.

As mentioned earlier, if your interest is extractions and implants and not in a hospital setting, OMS isnt for you. Is it really wise to go through another 4-6 years of HARD training to learn about procedures that you'll have no interest in doing? For me personally, I have never had interest in OMS because of situations like cutting open a child for BSSO, or trying to put together the pieces of a child's face after they've been beaten senselessly by an adult, or fell out a window, or crushed between two cars. Or what about a radical neck resection on a wonderful, sweet pediatric patient who you know will not survive long? I have a soft spot for kids. Anyway, it wasnt worth it for me to put myself through the stress of all of that training and procedures to not even want to use them when I finish.

I thought I had all the specialties figured out too, but it wasnt until I really worked closely with all of them that I had a better understanding. For example, Prosthodontics is really impressive, the things they learn about when it comes to diagnosis and tx planning says alot about their training. Same goes for Oral Pathology. They learn ALOT about medicine; the breadth AND depth they know is mindblowing. But most predents and DS's aren't interested in other specialties because they think they dont have the same earning power as ortho or OMS. Or that if you're just a general dentist then you weren't smart enough to specialize or wont make good money.

If your goal is to make lots of money, specializing is not the only way to do it.

Ah Schmoob, the hero we deserve

 

[drsunu1994]

My apologies, this is sort of off topic from OP but is there a general consensus that student from a state school, generally, has a disadvantage at matching in OMFS to a private dental? Been doing A LOT of thinking and research lately about trying this field, tho it may seem like it may be too late for me considering how my first semester of D1 year went.

 

[Mr.Scalpel]

My apologies, this is sort of off topic from OP but is there a general consensus that student from a state school, generally, has a disadvantage at matching in OMFS to a private dental? Been doing A LOT of thinking and research lately about trying this field, tho it may seem like it may be too late for me considering how my first semester of D1 year went.

Let Me Google That

 

[Xtract]

1) Hand skills are over discussed in the pre-dental school phase. People rarely talk about it during dental school. Being average or below average in pre-clinical lab will not determine your OMFS fate. I can guarantee you that. No one cares about how nice your class 2 box is or how smooth and shiney you wax up is. If they suck, whatever. It wont preclude you from OMFS.

2) You do not need to be top 5% of your class to do OMFS. Of course it helps. But not a prerequisite like you make it seem.

3) You state the CBSE "score is proportional to the amount of time you spend studying for it." That is false and a dangerous mentality to have to be quite honest. It's way more about how you use the resources than the amount of time. I know many people that started studying for the CBSE at the start of dental school and barely scratched a 65 when they took it. Others studied efficiently and effectively for 6months scores very well. Whoever told you "more time = better score" was not giving you the full picture. Tell them they are wrong.

3) CBSE will be the most important thing about your application regardless of the type of dental school you went to.

4) You are overthinking things/making too many assumptions about the OMFS application process. Go to a dental school you like, ideally with an associated OMFS program. Take it from there.

Hi BlackThought, I am preparing to study for my CBSE and wanted your feedback on what an efficient methodology is in terms of tackling this exam.
We have winter break coming up (3 weeks long) and I plan on taking my first CBSE February 2020 (winter semester of second year). I plan on watching all sketchy micro/pharm, as well as pathoma. That's probably most of what I'll do in the three weeks I would say. If you could provide some advice or feedback on this I'd appreciate it

 

[BlackThought]

Hi BlackThought, I am preparing to study for my CBSE and wanted your feedback on what an efficient methodology is in terms of tackling this exam.
We have winter break coming up (3 weeks long) and I plan on taking my first CBSE February 2020 (winter semester of second year). I plan on watching all sketchy micro/pharm, as well as pathoma. That's probably most of what I'll do in the three weeks I would say. If you could provide some advice or feedback on this I'd appreciate it

There are numerous threads that go into the details of this and tbh, people have different ways of tackleing the studying for this. I'll briefly describe my approach to it, but keep in mind that I ~4 years removed from taking the CBSE, but did take the Step 1 two years ago. Im not sure if there are other resources out there now.

I started with a single round a Pathoma, annotating directly into First Aid (FA) so that I didn't have multiple resources to flip through. With this foundation I started UWorld questions on tutor mode. Getting through 10-15 question a day is a good goal focusing on reading the full explanation for each question. Supplement these questions with SketchyMicro and re-watch any necessary Pathoma videos. In the end it's UW which will be your highest yield studying source as it teaches you HY concepts while also getting you accustomed to the question format on the CBSE/Step 1.

Based on what you are saying, time may be a bit limited and I'd focus primarily on UW. Keep in mind that you can take the CBSE again so just keep at it.

Good luck

 

[omfsing]

OP have you thought of perio?