Sometimes in life, patterns pop up to give us hints. In this case, I've gotten almost the same email 3 times in the last 4 days! So... I think it might be time to visit this topic in its own post.
1. Location, location, location.
This is, in my opinion, the overwhelming and... essentially... only factor you should consider when ranking your AEGD bases. AEGD experiences vary significantly based on who the faculty is at your AEGD, and location has almost nothing at all to do with this. Pick a base that's located where you want to be and don't give it a second thought. If you just can't help yourself and want to give it a second thought, keep reading.
2. Faculty.
This is very hard to pin down. Faculty members are coming and going all the time, making it nearly impossible to make a judgement call on an AEGD base on this. However, if you must, you can consider emailing the residency directors at each base and requesting to get in contact with some of the current residents. You can pick their brain about who might be there and what experiences they have been offered as far as number of crowns, implant experience, etc.
3. Other stuff.
Travis AFB has an Oral Surgery program. Theoretically, this will limit the number of cases flowing to the AEGD program. However, it's well known that AEGD residents are expected to do wisdom teeth cases, so it's not as if you're going to run dry on them. I wouldn't put a ton of weight into this.
Your AEGD base of choice has virtually no bearing on what base you might get after your AEGD.
That's about it! In summary... location. Go where you want to go and don't worry about the other details. It's a lot to track down to rank bases that are really just telling the Air Force what you want and aren't a guarantee anyway.
Thank you so much for this post! My husband is about to interview at Scott AFB next week for the AEGD program (he's entering his D4 year).
ReplyDeleteWe're really excited to start ranking places to go and will hope for the best to see if we get some of top choices!
Do you have any advice for the interview? Things like what to wear, the types of questions the interview asks, etc.?
What to wear: I wore a nice button-down shirt with a tie and jacket. I think it's really important to look professional.
DeleteInterview: I have very fuzzy memories of my AEGD interview to be honest, and I don't know how much that matters as far as getting the base you want. There are generic questions about where you see yourself in 5 or 10 years, and questions about your motivation to join the Air Force in the first place. Obviously more questions will be geared towards how doing an AEGD will bring benefit to the Air Force, too. Always approach the question like you're applying for a job and how YOU (or your husband...) can bring value to the Air Force if they accept you to the AEGD program.
1 more thing to keep in mind. Almost everyone gets an AEGD. It's rare not to, but it does happen. Have him go in relaxed, but prepared and confident!
Thank you for sharing all this helpful information. Another AEGD question: in the recent D3 timeline sent out, there's mention of contacting the AFPC about interviewing early before the application is sent out in July. What's that about? Is it recommended to interview early?
ReplyDeleteThat timing sounds weird. I would seek clarification on that, because I didn't interview until after all my stuff was submitted.
DeleteMy grandson is in aegd and says he works in the morning and gets home and studies till 2 or 3 in the am. Is this typical of all the programs
ReplyDelete