17 April 2026

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Answering the Call to Become a Gator Dentist

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Some admissions experiences can make an applicant feel like a statistic being analyzed or, as first-year Florida dental student Nate Fordham put it, like a “mushroom”: kept in the dark and fed formalities.  

“I remember one school — I’m not going to say which one,” Fordham explained, teeing up a particularly off-putting anecdote. “The email opened with ‘Dear applicant’ and then a number. I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re literally just a number to these people.’” 

His experience with the UF College of Dentistry stood apart from the get-go.  

“I was blown away by the kindness at this school,” Fordham said.  

Personalized communication at each step of his admissions journey gave Fordham a glimpse into UFCD’s culture where everyone is seen and valued before they ever step into a clinic or classroom. Warm interactions with current dental students during his October 2024 on-campus interview only deepened that impression; Fordham could see a future as a Gator Dentist.  

“I knew this was somewhere that would invest in me as much as I’m investing in them,” he said. “I told everybody: UF is the school I want to go to; it’s my number one.”    

Although he was initially offered a place on the waitlist for the DMD Class of 2029, Fordham’s resolve didn’t waver. UFCD remained his dream school, and by June of 2025, he had submitted a re-application expecting to be considered for the Class of 2030.  

Fordham stayed focused on gaining experience and strengthening his candidacy in a general dentist’s office while working toward his expanded functions dental assistant license. 

“I’m passionate about this field,” Fordham said. “So, the more I do, the more I’m exposed to, the better professional I’ll be later on.”    

He settled into what he thought would be a productive year of anticipation. Then, in September 2025, Fordham got a phone call — the kind “you just don’t forget.” He was between assisting patients at work in a dental office when his phone buzzed with a number from Gainesville.  

“I recognized that 352 area code,” he said. “My boss, who went to UF, was like, ‘you should answer that’.”    

Fordham expected, at most, a cordial invitation to return for another interview with the Class of 2030 candidates. His modest hopes were far exceeded. The call Fordham answered from UFCD Associate Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid Pamela Sandow, D.M.D., became, as he put it, “probably the coolest conversation I ever had over the phone.” 

One week into the fall semester, a member of the Class of 2029 changed their mind about dental school, unexpectedly opening a seat for Fordham.  

“It would be an honor to have you at the school,” Sandow told Fordham.  

She wasn’t calling to simply check a box or fill a seat. Her words were genuine. Sandow remembered his interview nearly a year earlier and recognized the value he would bring to the college. 

“You said in your interview that you’re versatile,” Sandow recalled over the phone, referencing his dynamic military family upbringing. “We’re going to put that to the test.”  

Her offer was the exact news Fordham had held out hope for, but it meant joining after the semester was already underway. Technically, he’d missed about a week of formal instruction (and orientation), but he also lost the summer runway most students use to handle housing, immunization requirements and other preparations.  

Despite the need for a prompt answer, Sandow understood the significance of this decision, encouraging him to consult with his parents and take time to think about it.  

“‘I’m going to talk to them, but the answer is yes,’” he told Sandow. “‘It would be an honor for me to go there.’”

He understood that a sprint would be necessary to get up to speed with his classmates and assimilate into their pace of progression, but was eager to tackle that challenge.  

“I understand there are some people who would opt to wait another year and have more time to prepare,” he said. “But I wanted to take it on.”  

Sandow prepared his expectations for the race ahead: “We’ll get you where you need to be and you’ll spread your wings and fly, but it’s going to be two hard weeks.” 

Even before arriving in Gainesville a few days later, Fordham felt that he was far from alone in what could have been a daunting transition.  

“If you need help, you should absolutely ask for it; we’re here for you,” he recalled Sandow saying. “We’re a team.” 

The 72 hours following this life-changing call were defined by constant coordination from UFCD’s administrative teams. Before making the move to the Swamp, Fordham raced to secure immunization forms, complete a background check, finish requisite trainings and, of course, order his ceil-blue scrubs.  

During this intense period, Fordham credits UFCD Admissions Officer III Sarah Bowser for being his reliable relay partner.  

“I felt like I had her full attention,” Fordham said, lightheartedly dubbing her the greatest of all time or, “the GOAT.” 

She provided regular status updates for behind-the-scenes logistics and helped him easily clear any hurdles that emerged along the way. The backing he received from staff like Bowser spelled out a clear message of encouragement for him: “We’re going to get you over the finish line.”   

Throughout the flurry of forms and administrative acrobatics that made his late entry smooth, Fordham valued the human authenticity the admissions team showed him.

Sandow and Abel Gilbert, UFCD’s associate director of admissions, frequently paused the process to prioritize Fordham’s well-being over his paperwork, often asking the questions that mattered most: Have you taken a breath today? Are you still processing it? How are you doing mentally? 

“It was nice for someone to [simply] ask, ‘how are you?’,” Fordham said.  

The college’s commitment to his success quickly shifted from the admissions office to the simulation lab. The Friday before he officially joined his DMD peers, Fordham had a one-on-one intensive training with Hind Hussein, B.D.S., an assistant professor in restorative dental sciences. 

“Hussein, who’s my dental anatomy professor, was a little worried because [the rest of the class] had the whole summer to [prepare]” he said. “She wanted to get an evaluation of where I was before I started on Monday, just so she could start thinking about how to integrate me into the class with so little time before our first psychomotor [exam].” 

In a single afternoon, Hussein helped Fordham bridge the gap, condensing nearly two weeks of foundational hand-skills and waxing techniques into a four-hour session.  

“She was like, ‘Alright, are you ready to wax? Let’s get to work!’” Fordham said.  

Wearing his scrubs for the first time made the transition feel even more concrete. While he joked that he initially felt like he was “cosplaying as a dental student,” Hussein’s affirmation made the identity feel real.  

By the end of the day, she offered the ultimate validation: “Congratulations, you just did the first two weeks of sim lab.”  

Fordham’s next hurdle was an academic choice: Sit for the first round of exams only two weeks after joining the program with the risk of needing to remediate, or postpone them, which would put him on a different curricular pace from his classmates. 

“I’d rather have a really hard two weeks and then be caught up,” he said, willing to grind if that meant being on track with his class. Fordham saw the opportunity to join study groups of peers working through the same curriculum as the most effective way to truly socially integrate. 

“When anything challenges you or you have to step up to meet expectations, you learn a lot,” he said. “By the grace of God, I got over that first big hump of tests and exams.”  

In fact, he “knocked them out of the park.”   

He had a few 15-hour study days, but Fordham was embraced by his 92 classmates, all eager to ensure their newest cohort member never fell behind. 

He credits first-year peers like Nicholas Brunetti, John Jackal, Jaycee Englehard, Isiah Reilly, Diane Fakhre, Fernanda Antezana and Natalie Bello for “going above and beyond” to rally around him with reassurance and resources. He also acknowledges the second‑ and third‑year tutors he was connected with through the UFCD Office of Student Affairs and Involvement for providing essential study materials and guidance that helped him succeed. 

“When you have 92 other people willing to help you accomplish something — and like I said, they’re the kind of people I was describing: smart, funny, brilliant, caring — 92 of those kind of people coming to lift you up, I felt love.” 

In a way, Fordham was grateful for his unexpected and untraditional entry into the UFCD Class of 2029. The mental preparation from Sandow combined with the college community’s investment in him set Fordham up for an exceptional first semester of dental school. 

“I feel blessed to have had this experience,” he said. “While I didn’t have the traditional route most people take, I’m kind of glad it happened because it made me realize a lot of truths about life.” 

On the other side of a not-so-simple admissions journey, Fordham offers refreshingly straightforward advice for navigating the often-intimidating process of applying to dental school.    

“When you start the application cycle, you’ve got to give yourself some grace,” he said. “You can’t lose that faith. You can’t lose sight of why you’re doing this. Stay the course. Find a place that aligns with what you value in an institution and go for it.”

Source: https://dental.ufl.edu/