Gap year experience,
from the PERSPECTIVE of a reapplicant
The following account was graciously given to me from an individual who wished to remain anonymous. He wanted to help others who may be in the same position that he once experienced.
To that individual, thank you for sharing your story so that others may learn from your experiences.
To that individual, thank you for sharing your story so that others may learn from your experiences.
The three years and two application cycles it took me to get into dental school taught me some valuable lessons that have payed dividends as a dental student. Those lessons are as follow:
1. How I learn best includes both self-studying and collaboration with others
2. Assessing myself honestly and listening to feedback then taking action to improve
3. Asking for help when I need it
4. Having more patience when learning new things and being confident that improvement will come with time.
The beginning of my three gap years began with a meeting between myself and the dean of admissions at UNCs dental school. I was graduating in the spring and was planning to apply to dental schools that summer. I knew my GPA was on the low end and wanted to get a feel for how strong (or weak) of an applicant I was. I was advised to apply to and complete some form of post-graduate education before applying. While not what I wanted to hear, I knew if I wanted to get into dental school I had to do it.
Fast forward six months or so and I was starting a two-year Master’s program. I soon became good friends with three of my classmates and we began studying as a group for all of our classes. We all found this to be tremendously helpful and I credit our group study sessions as one of the reasons for my success in the Master’s program.
Once the first year of grad school was under my belt I decided to apply to dental school. The ideal timeline being that I would finish grad school the following spring and start dental school that fall. Long story short, I applied, interviewed at two schools, and was subsequently denied. After a short grieving period, it was time to reassess my situation and decide how to proceed.
Academics were still the weakest area of my application so I put most of my focus there. There were a number of prerequisite classes that I earned C’s or C-minuses in during undergrad. During my first application cycle, by recommendation of one of the schools I was applying to, I retook the class that I previously earned a C in and earned an A. I figured I should prove to myself and admissions committees that I could do just as well in all prerequisite courses. So, I did just that and over the course of the next year retook and earned A’s in other courses that I did not do stellar in during undergrad. I should also mention that during my first application cycle, at the behest of one of the schools I applied to, I retook and improved my DAT score by two points. Finally, before reapplying, I rewrote my personal statement and got all new letters of recommendation.
As I was applying for the second time, I began looking for a job since I had just completed the Master’s program. I had been working part time during school as a tutor but knew I wanted a full time job, hopefully one dental related. As luck would have it, there was an opening for a lab technician assistant in the Orthodontics Department at the UNC School of Dentistry. This turned out to be the one of the most rewarding experiences of my gap years.
Working in the lab was both frustrating and exciting, but most importantly is was a growing experience. My job mainly consisted of pouring and trimming stone models, making retainers, and fabricating indirect bonding set ups (used to put multiple brackets on teeth at once). These were all completely new skills and it took me several months to become proficient at each of those job duties. This time is where I learned the most about asking for help when I need it and remaining patient while learning. It is extremely rewarding to work at learning a new skill and reach the point of proficiency where it’s no longer frustrating, but fun. Even more rewarding was being able to teach new orthodontic assistants and residents some of those skills.
After a couple of interviews, and much waiting, I was accepted by UNC and began last fall. The road to get there was not the one I originally imagined, but I wouldn’t change any of it.