PreDental Q&A Session with Boise State - Dr. Gallagher's Podcast x Dose of Dental Podcast #134

- Gap Year Gold: How Taking a Break Helped Me Excel in Dental School

- From Gym Bros to Dental Mentors

- Dental School Burnout? These Study Hacks Might Save You:

- My Secrets in Hindsight Now As An Oral Surgery Resident

- How to Ace Dental School Interviews Without Sounding Like a Robot

- Dentistry vs. Medicine: Why I Chose Teeth Over Gangrene Toes

Questions:

04:30 – Who are you & Where are you from?

04:50 – Why did you choose the 4-year oral surgery track over a 6-year MD track?

06:25 – Why dentistry over medicine?

08:22 – What did you do in undergrad to help your dental school application?

10:02 – What classes helped prepare you for dental school?

12:00 – What made you stand out as an applicant?

13:12 – What do you recommend for students who can’t shadow faculty dentists?

14:50 – Why did you take a gap year?

18:10 – What were you looking for in a dental school?

22:09 – How did you handle dental school interviews without sounding arrogant?

25:55 – How did you study and organize for exams in dental school?

29:45 – How did you prevent burnout?

33:34 – What makes a strong applicant for a specialty?

35:50 – What would you have done if you didn’t match into a residency?

38:44 – Can you reapply to GPR/AEGD if you don’t match into specialty?

39:24 – How did you reach out to residency programs?

40:10 – How did you assess residency culture?

41:20 – When did you extern?

42:22 – What do you do during externships to stand out?

43:55 – What do you wish you knew in undergrad?

45:50 – What advice would you give your past self?

48:07 – What would you do if you hadn’t gone into dentistry?

50:05 – How did you become a surgical assistant?

51:05 – How do finances and loans work in dental school?

53:25 – What are your thoughts on the DAT scoring change?

Quotes & Wisdom:

“You need to eliminate distractions and focus on the next action that moves you forward.”

“Self-awareness is the #1 key throughout this process.”

“Don’t be afraid to do that thing or explore those things that you haven’t done before.”

“Every exam you’re unhappy with is just another learning experience—don’t let it linger, let it motivate.”

“The gap year is your exploration year. Try new things, travel, learn a language, pick up an instrument.”

“The interview is not an exam, it’s a conversation—just chat with the person.”

“My dream has always been to produce music. But you need to be able to live, so I chose dentistry—and I’m grateful for that choice.”

“Use your to-do list. When you’re overwhelmed, go back to the list and start crossing things off.”

“Anyone can be a founder of something in college. Everyone has different skills—team up and create.”

Now available on:

- Dr. Gallagher’s Podcast & YouTube Channel

- Dose of Dental Podcast #134

My watch in this episode = Citizen Calibre 2100 Chrono Panda

- 4.2025

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