interview questions

34. "What are some challenges you foresee as a dental student? as a dentist?"

As a dental student, being exposed to learning new things. We have never been exposed to learning about the mouth, so trying to learn all the concepts will be difficult at first. Or obviously trying to deal with the workload and stress. As a dentist, having so many responsibilities and being responsible for a patient, lots of costs if opening own practice/overhead, patients that are harder than others, high intensity, always being ready on the fly, physical stress

how has the dental profession changed over the past 25 years?

At its core dentistry is still the same, namely, the diagnosis and treatment of dental issues but the process has become more efficient due to the vast improvements in technology such as x-ray machines. The resources for training such as the simodont have also improved how well prepared dentists are by the time the start practicing on their own. -- TECHNOLOGY & maybe education as well? like oral cancer etc

10. "lecom is about giving back to the under-served and community. tell us about one of your community involvement activities and what you learned from it, positive or negative."

BPSOS

45. what will be your greatest challenge in completing dental school?

Balancing social life, rest, and school work

47. what do you think dentistry entails?

Being able to help people, having a steady job, leadership, ethics/honesty, owning your own business or not

43. what dental procudures have you seen?

Cleanings, fillings, implants, crown preps and crown implants, extractions, mouthguard impressions, core build up, wax up

64. are you aware of issues facing dentistry today?

Debt and patients not wanting the best procedure for them due to insurance not wanting to pay for it or them not being able to afford it. Also insurance companies not wanting to pay for certain procedures causing patients to have to pay out of pocket meaning only patients who can afford dental care actually get dental care.

62. what do you think a dentist does?

Diagnosing and treating patients with anything related to the mouth; also informing patients on how to have good dental hygiene

59. tell about an unethical situation and how you handled it

During my time working at the dental office my dentist, Dr. Simmons would sometimes not put on gloves while he was working with patients. Every time it happens and I'm in the room I would just try to give him gloves but sometimes he would refuse. I tried to talk to him about it but he's so old and hard headed he just brushed it off. I really couldn't do much because he is my boss.

20. "tell me something that is not on your resume that you would like us to know?"

I am extremely hardworking. This is my third time applying to dental school. I am extremely persistent and I do not give up. I think that's an extremely important quality for a dental student to have

9. "What is something you're proud of?"

I am proud of my degree in biology at UGA. I remember when I first started UGA mostly all of my friends were pursuing a biology degree in hopes of doing something in the medical field. Every year more and more of my friends switched their majors and dropped out of the rigorous science classes. I am proud of the fact that I was able to stick to what I originally what I wanted to go to school for and graduate with Magna Cum Laude honors.

5. "Tell us a quality a dentist must have."

I believe every dentist should have great interpersonal skills. Dentist are required to talk to patients about treatment and diagnosis, so being able to put them at ease and explain what is going on is a great quality to have. Also if a dentist were to want to open up their own practice they would have to enjoy interacting with different types of people.

21. How do you perform in a group?"

I believe that I perform well in a group, as a matter of fact I would rather work in a group setting because I am able to view different perspectives that I would not have considered if I were to work by myself. I also like the idea that being a group you're able to bounce ideas off of each other.

8. "Tell me about your independence (financially)?"

I completely dependent on my parents who will be financing dental school for me. I will probably take out some loans in the future that I will pay off myself.

35. "How do you deal with stress?"

I deal with stress by seeing if I can do anything about the situation. If it is out of my control then I try not to stress about it, and if it is something that I have control over I try to fix it to the best of my ability. I also like to do activities that I enjoy like working out or going out with my close friends when I'm stressed.

28. "How do you plan to pay off debt and have a successful business while helping the under served?"

I do not plan to be in debt, but if I was I would have to manage both in a way until I was stable. That might mean contributing more time to one than the other in the beginning. Working with underserved on the weekends?

27. "Why would you do well with PBL?"

I feel as though PBL would help me learn the information better than reading it out of a book. Thinking through and problem solving helps me retain the information better because I am learning the information while also applying it. At Baylor, the class sizes were smaller in the upper level sciences and in a few we did have a few times where we did do small groups and I found I learned the information better because I was able to see how other students learned the information and explain it to me as well as me explaining it to them. This exchange of ideas allowed me to understand the material better as well as look at the information in a different light. I also held a leadership position in my Baylor ASDA group where I balanced being a leader but also being apart of the team. We had to problem solve a lot of the time and discuss various issues which taught me a lot. I think PBL would really prepare me for when I become a dentist. A dentist has to problem solve with everyday issues, work as a leader and in a team with the front desk, hygenists, assistants, and patients

42. "Tell me about yourself?"

I grew up in a small village in Vietnam and my mom stayed at home while my dad taught math classes at a small school nearby. My parents decided that they wanted a better future for our family so they decided to barrow some money from my uncle to move to America when I was barely 3 years old. During that time I began eating too much sweets and began developing cavities, but my parents were not able to afford proper dental care so I had a lot of tooth problems. As I grew up and my parents were able to eventually afford dental care for me I began to realize how important dental care is. I would buy all the best dental products like a sonicare electric toothbrush and waterpik flosser. Eventually I would work at a dental office and I saw how my dentist was able to make such a huge impact on people's lives just by working on their teeth. The enjoyment I got out of working with happy patients allowed me to really consider dentistry as my career.

15. "Tell us about what made you pursue dentistry."

I have always enjoyed helping people. One of the first things we notice about people is there smile. A person's smile can be tied to their self confidence so by being able to fix someone's teeth I hope that I can strengthen their self confidence. I also really enjoy working with my hands. I would always help my dad fix things around the house and help him work on cars.

39. "how do you like to unwind from studying?"

I like to workout, play basketball, hangout with friends and family, watch a TV show, or cook myself a nice meal.

25. How did you study for DAT?

I studied for the DAT like a marathon. During that time I was working as a dental assistant so I had to figure out how to balance work and studying. I bought DAT bootcamp and attempted to try and follow the schedule that was provided but eventually I figured out what I was good at and what I needed work on and started making my own study schedule. I would run a timer in the background and once that timer hit a certain time I would stop studying for the day and give myself a break. I did that because I liked the idea that there was an end to studying for the day and that I didn't have to mindlessly study forever.

29. "What do you think of using electronic books?" "Are you comfortable with switching to ebooks?"

I think electronic books are great so I am very comfortable switching to ebooks. That means that I am able to access my books from anywhere whether it be on my phone or my computer which is great. It also lightens the load in our backpack and you know how notorious back problems are for dentist.

4. "In 10 years if you were a successful dentist, how would you define successful?"

I would define a successful dentist as someone who is motivated at their job and actually enjoys what they're doing. Because if I am motivated and enjoy what I'm doing I will always give everything my best effort regardless of the situation. I really enjoy helping people, so if I am happy that means that I am helping a lot of people.

63. If you could do something different with your education what would you do?

I would have changed my study habits during my first two years of college. I didn't manage my time well and would always study a day before all my major test. I would also like to have taken more classes that focused on manual dexterity like art or something along those lines.

71. what would you do if a patient didn't listen to you about flossing their teeth?

I would have to tell them the benefits and consequences of flossing and that the problem might get worse and require more treatment later if preventative measures are not taken. I will educate them on the benefits of flossing and over all oral health. I can not force them to do anything, but I can emphasize the long term consequences of noncompliance. If they refuse gingivitis therapies or periodontal therapies, I will get them to sign a waiver stating I have informed them of the treatment required and they know the consequences of deferring treatment.

17. "What would you do if you do not get into dental school this cycle?"

I would try to strengthen my application by adding more extra circular activities and if I had to I would retake the DAT. I would also try to get even more dental experience by working as a dental assistant at another office.

32. "Tell us your name, where are you from, and where did you go to school."

I'm Nguyen Mai, I am from Lawrenceville, GA and I went to school at University of Georgia .

11. "What are you looking for in a dental school?"

I'm looking for a dental school with faculty that care about its students. I want a dental school that is able to put a lot of its resources into helping the students to be able to be the best dentist that they can possibly be. By showing the students that the school cares I believe would help motivate the students and allow them to be successful.

3. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years I would like own my own dental office or be working in a dental office with other dentist, I would also like to go back to my home country of Vietnam and help underprivileged people by offering free dental care.

26. "How do you like the area?

It's really gorgeous here. First thing I notice while my dad and I were driving here was the beautiful water near the highway. Everyone is so friendly here and I like the idea that it's not too far away from my home in Georgia.

58. if you could highlight one thing on your app what would it be

Job as a dental assistant, it helped me see that being a dentist is something I really want to be, it also helped me see the business aspect of what owning a successful dental office is like

what are the most important qualities for dentists to have?

Leadership, communication skills, dexterity, creativity, likable

"Explain something you witnessed a dentist do or any incident in a dental clinic you would do differently"

My dentist was talking to a patient's daughter about what kind of dental treatment he recommended and the two misunderstood each other. The daughter was saying how she couldn't do the treatment right now because she was busy and my dentist thought that she meant that she wouldn't do the treatment at all. The daughter ended up crying and my dentist was aggressively telling her his opinion. In that situation I would have tried to communicate better with the daughter and ask her to clarify her situation better.

70. who has influenced you in this descion?

My family, friends, dentist, girlfriend

2. What is something quirky about yourself?

My girlfriend couldn't come with me to Florida for my interview because she had work, but she really wanted to be there for me and support me during the interview so she got me this. *show socks*

37. "Name one person who is the most influential in your life (not family member)."

My girlfriend. She always supports me not matter what I do.

23. "Our students may not yet have access to federal student loans. How to you plan on paying for dental school?

My parents will finance my dental education.

22. "We are in the business of producing general dentists. Do you plan to specialize?"

No, I do not plan on specializing. I like the idea of being a general dentist because you are constantly getting a variety of different procedures.

76. major ethical issues

Not having Dental insurance or finances to be able to afford the appropriate dental treatment

31. "Is PBL suited for you? Why? Give an example."

Ochem or bio class where I learned the information better in a group than by myself. We had certain harder problems that we had to problem solve as a group and come up with as an answer. I learned the information better when it was applied in this way.

60. what are your future goals

Opening up a dental office and traveling to under privilege areas and providing free or affordable dental care for anyone that needs it

7. "What is your experience with PBL and what are your thoughts on this type of learning?"

PBL in microbiology, it was the most enjoyable class I had taken at UGA. The teacher, Dr. Dolan, would do a quick lecture to provide us with the content we needed to solve a case study. We would work in groups to solve the case study and I liked how it was more sociable and interactive compared to a traditional lecture.

18. "What would be the most difficult part of being a dentist?"

Seeing patients turn down treatment offers due to not being able to afford the treatment. As I dentist I want to help as many people as I can to the best of my ability and to not be able to do that because a patient isn't financially stable would defeat my purpose of wanting to become a dentist.

1. What are your suggestions for the admissions office?

Something I will answer when I am there

19. "What were the names of the students who gave you the tour of campus?"

Something I will tell them there

56. give an example of a stressful situation and how you dealt with it

Taking the DAT while working as a dental assistant.

74. negative aspects of being a dentist?

The stress, debt, back problems, the negative connotation that dentist have high suicide rates

65. describe a day without stress

Waking up to no alarm and cooking myself a nice breakfast, go to the gym, hanging out with my friends and family, spending some quality time with my girlfriend and going to bed early

"Tell us something you would like to white-out and highlight in your application. (everyone mentioned grades to be whited out or highlighted..)"

White out my dropped chemistry class and highlight my upward trend in grades

77. what interests you about dentistry

anatomy of the mouth, that it is a form of art, caring for others, working with my hands

80. "describe one word that describe success in dentistry"

comfort--having your patients feel comfort and confidence under your care

81. "Describe a time you didn't have enough time to complete something in your life."

doing something for myself- like maybe joining a sorority or club volleyball team

14. "What is one word that you think will describe your life as a dental student?"

fulfilling- because I finally get to perform something I'm passionate about while helping others

57. one word to sum up what you need in order to be a successful dentist

motivated

72. what do you like best about our school?

pbl, clinical experience, state of the art facilities, good community, great teachers

68. describe people you work best with

people that are willing to listen to ideas and perspectives, but are also able to communicate their own ideas. I work well with all kinds of people, I've never really had problems with anyone, but if I did I would handle it as professionally as possible

79. how did you mange your time among all events

prioritizing what is important. You make time for what is important and you can do everything little by little

55. name on thing you do that helps with manual dexterity

proficient typer, playing video games on the computer

ethical issues

providing care when not appropiate, referrals when not appropiate, misleading advertising, overdiagnosing for financial gain

67. what do you like to do in your spare time

read, watch a tv show on netflix, play some video games with my friends, hanging out with my girlfriend, taking care of my our new dog Harrison

83. "How do you handle a large courseload?"

setting aside hours for each subject with full focus and distributing my time between them all; dealing with the hard subjects more than the easy ones

33. define "under served"

someone that does not have the everyday luxuries that we do/have trouble accessing healthcare due to financial or cultural background

75. two weaknesses, two strengths

strength: tenacity, empathy weakness: I have trouble saying no to people (doing things I don't want to do or having to do too much), confidence (At times I can be really shy and quiet)

how will dentistry change in the future?

technology again, hopefully more dental schools will open which will open more dentists established, insurance might change again

"Besides skills, what is one word that can be used to sum up what you need to be a successful dentist? Either go first or have six different answers ready, cause someone is probably gonna say what you wanted to say."

tenacity

78. humor

yes you have to laugh at yourself when times get stressful or you make a mistake. Life is a drag if you are always serious about everything. Also dentistry is all about smiles, which is related to humor