University of the Pacific International Dental Studies Program (IDS)

So, you cleared your boards and scored very well and now you are getting ready to apply for dental schools, lets talk about the different choices that you have and all the international dental programs that are available to you. Since I am a Pacific graduate, it makes sense that I start with the International Dental Studies Program (IDS) for foreign trained dentists at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in the University of the Pacific, San Francisco, CA

This is a two years program that culminates with a DDS degree, 22 students are accepted each year and the program starts in July.

Application Process:

The program starts accepting applications usually in May and continues to accept them until the September deadline (deadlines may vary from one year to another, check the school web site for more details).
You can get a copy of the most recent application packet here.
You need to submit the following:
- Completed application form.
- $75 application fee.
- C.V. (make it professional, good looking, this is one of the most powerful ways to grab the attention of admission personnel and administrators, etc). I recommend this software for that purpose.
- Dental goals statement, describe what you intend to do in your future career in dentistry, go over your short and long term goals, talk about specialty training if that is your passion, if you are into teaching and education you have to mention that, whatever it is that you want to make out of your program, write it here, and write it well.
- 2 letters of recommendation.
- NBDE part I scores (80 is the minimum).
- TOEFL scores (A minimum score of 92 or above (internet-based version), 580 or above (paper-based version) or 237 or above (computer-based version) is required.
- Dental degree from the foreign dental school. (Provisional degrees are not accepted).
- ECE course-by-course evaluation (minimum GPA of 2.0).

After reviewing all received applications, the program will invite selected applicants for the interview and technique exam sometime in September or October, you will be asked to pay a small fee to participate in the technique exam. The technique exam details are released a day or two before the exam, but it usually consists of two preps (class II amalgam and PFM prep).

You will be assigned a faculty member who will conduct the interview, for the most part this interview should go smoothly, most, if not all, Pacific faculty are very friendly, and they are interested in finding out if you will be a good candidate and a good match for the school, talk to them, answer their questions, and ask them your own questions, and be honest.

Your overall performance on the technique exam, interview, and all the other items in your application will determine if you will get in or not, no body really knows the exact formula used in making those decisions, so do your best in every aspect, and hopefully a good all-around application will get you in.

Tuition & Fees:

As expected, this program is expensive, not that other programs are not, here is a rough breakdown of the tuition and some of the fees as of 2008:
Tuition: 1st yr: $73,000 & 2nd yr: $77,000
Student doctoral kit: $14,000
Instruments Management fee: over $5,000 for both years
When you add up all other fees, the total estimated annual expenses come up to $96,000 for the first year and $86,000 for the second year. Please visit the school website for more detailed information about tuition and fees.

Contact information:

International Dental Studies Office
University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry
2155 Webster Street, Suite 409
San Francisco, CA 94115-2399
United States of America

415.929.6428 or 415.929.6688
Fax: 415.749.3334
IDS@pacific.edu

You can also check out the new Pacific Dugoni students forum, you can ask questions there and interact with current IDS students.

Now I know I am biased, but honestly, this is one of the best schools you can get into, they are famous for many things, but most important, their humanistic environment, friendly atmosphere, and clinical excellence. You can read more about the Dugoni Experience here.