graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where
she majored in History. She then attended New Jersey Dental
School, where she obtained her DMD. She is currently studying
to become a specialist in Periodontics.
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Why did you major in history? |
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I wanted a well rounded education and found it
interesting.
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Do you feel that this puts you at a
disadvantage in comparision with dental school students who
majored in a science? |
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No. I still took the required science classes for
dental school admission and they provided a good
background, but I don't think that majoring in a science is
absolutely necessary. You are going to get a lot of science
after you graduate. I think I would have been burnt out if
I had done science for eight years straight.
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Is anyone in your family a
dentist? |
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No, but I always had good experiences with my dentist
as a child. I never had any cavities. Plus, the waiting
room had great toys and games!
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Did you always want to be a
dentist? |
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Actually, I was originally premed. I volunteered in a
hospital emergency room after freshman year and that made
me realize that it wasn't for me. Plus, I found out that
dentistry has a lot of advantages. I had wanted to be a
surgeon and liked to work with my hands. With dentistry I
could still work with my hands, but would also be able to
enjoy a better lifestyle than a surgeon.
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What was your most beneficial
experience pertaining to dentistry as an undergrad? |
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I shadowed a family friend that was a dentist for a few
weeks. It was really helpful and allowed me see what I
would be getting myself into. I mainly just watched, but
some of my friends worked as assistants to dentists, which
is also a good idea since it has the added plus of hands-on
experience. Even if you don't shadow or work as an
assistant, try and talk to a dentist. It can be anyone, but
it is good to hear how they like it and what they see as
pluses and minuses of the career.
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Is it hard as an undergraduate to
balance the challenging classes required for dental school
admissions with other interests? |
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I think it depends a lot on your personality. It can
definitely be pretty competitive, especially at a big
school. I was probably a little more overwhelmed than the
average student but once I decided to switch from premed to
predental some of the stress was taken away.
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Did your college have a pre-dental or
pre-health advisor and did they help? |
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Yes. I found the pre-health advisor through the Career
Services Center at Penn. She helped out because she knew a
lot about the DAT, classes, various dental schools, and so
on. Talking to your pre-health advisor is a good idea
because it helps you plan your undergrad courses and
organize the material for your dental school
application.
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Did you participate in any
extracurricular activities that were not related to
dentistry? |
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I wrote for the course review, was a UPENN hospital
volunteer, and was very involved in Hillel. Dental schools
love well-rounded students so being involved in things
outside of academics is a good idea. I also worked in a
soup kitchen. Schools always like to see community
service.
I did an independent study with a surgical oncologist too.
It gave me a great feel for what doing research is like and
gave me a chance to look at one small area in the health
field in more depth. The individual I worked with actually
ended up writing one of my recommendation letters as well.
Oh, and now that I think about it, a technique I learned
while doing the independent study just came up on an
exam.
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Did you go directly to NJDS? |
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I chose to go straight from Penn to dental school...I
just wanted to get it over with and get started.
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How many schools did you apply to and
how did you choose NJDS? Did you visit the schools? |
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I applied to 5 schools. When you go for interviews you
get a tour of the school. But you have to be careful, they
put on a show because they want you to pick their school.
It is important to try to talk to students. They are
usually candid since they weren't recruited or trained to
give you a tour. I chose NJDS because it was close to New
York City and they offered me a scholarship.
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How did you find the transition from
undergrad to grad? How was the type of work different? |
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NJDS was a big change for me because there was no real
campus life, unlike my undergraduate school. As far as
workload, you are in school a lot more. There is less down
time. There is
also much more lab work.
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What asset do you think is most
important for any prospective dental student or dentist to
possess? |
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I would say an eye for detail. You are dealing with,
and have to work in, extremely small areas. I think having
some general business knowledge is important as well,
especially so that you can understand how a practice works
and how to set one up. It would probably be a good idea to
take a class or two in some aspect of business as an
undergrad.
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What do you like most about the
profession? |
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It feels really good when you know that after you have
treated a patient the person will feel better and be
healthier than they were before. I also think that a great
bonus of the profession is that there are so many options.
You can have an academic career, do something with
research, teach, work in public health there are tons of
opportunities. You can even combine them.
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