Cumulative grade point average and orthodontic work experience were the most significant factors affecting candidates looking to obtain interviews for orthodontic postgraduate programs, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (Angle Orthodontist, March 2010, Vol. 80:2, pp. 373-377).
The study authors evaluated numerous applicant credentials associated with receiving interviews to postgraduate orthodontic programs. Using a mailed questionnaire survey and data from application files, they reviewed 68 applicants and evaluated 22 variables, including academic, work, and personal characteristics.
The authors found statistically significant associations among interview category and age, number of programs applied to, grade in orthodontic course, grade point average, scores from part I of the National Board Dental Examination, academic honors, research, recommendation letter from orthodontic faculty, general practice residency, work experience, and community service.
Based upon their findings, orthodontic programs are interested in "rounded, well-balanced individuals who excel at more than one thing," they concluded.
"The results are useful for both applicants and program directors," the authors wrote. "Prospective applicants can be aware of the qualities that orthodontic programs value when screening applicants in the first stage of the selection process and shape their academic and extracurricular experiences accordingly. Orthodontic programs can use this information to evaluate their own selection process."
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