American interested in attending Canadian dental school

[clarkbar]

Hello, I'm a non-trad U.S. citizen interested in attending a Canadian dental school. Please fill me in on some basic information. How competitive is it for an American to gain acceptance to a Canadian program, how does an American finance such an education, and under what conditions/procedures can an American transfer his license to the USA? Thank you very much.

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[yangwang]

Hello, I'm a non-trad U.S. citizen interested in attending a Canadian dental school. Please fill me in on some basic information. How competitive is it for an American to gain acceptance to a Canadian program, how does an American finance such an education, and under what conditions/procedures can an American transfer his license to the USA? Thank you very much.

It's easier for you to gain admission to Canadian school than a Canadian citizen. With that said, you still need around 3.7-3.8 gpa. Tuition wise, intl student in Canada pay about $40-50k/year, so it's not much cheaper. As for loans, with an acceptance letter from any of the Canadian schools, you are eligible for credit line up to $200k at most Canadian banks.

Having seen University of Toronto dental school and several American dental schools, I think that while the admission standards are way lower in America, American dental schools produce superior dentists and businessmen. 🙂

Canada and US has reciprocity system, so coming back to practice would not be a problem (you might have to take the NBDE's). Though you might make more practicing in Canada since there's less of a saturation problem.

 

[lmaozedong1]

It's easier for you to gain admission to Canadian school than a Canadian citizen. With that said, you still need around 3.7-3.8 gpa. Tuition wise, intl student in Canada pay about $40-50k/year, so it's not much cheaper. As for loans, with an acceptance letter from any of the Canadian schools, you are eligible for credit line up to $200k at most Canadian banks.

Having seen University of Toronto dental school and several American dental schools, I think that while the admission standards are way lower in America, American dental schools produce superior dentists and businessmen. 🙂

Canada and US has reciprocity system, so coming back to practice would not be a problem (you might have to take the NBDE's). Though you might make more practicing in Canada since there's less of a saturation problem.

Uhhhhh, no. It has to do with the grading systems in each country. FAIL by you. Nice try though...

 

[cbizzle7994]

Uhhhhh, no. It has to do with the grading systems in each country. FAIL by you. Nice try though...

What are you talking about? I went to a Canadian university and the overall class average for science classes is around a 2.9-3.0. Not exactly grade inflation. Combine that with needing a 3.8 to be competitive, most Canadian dental schools are much more difficult to gain entry to than most US dental schools.

Why do you think so many Canadians apply to US schools? It's because they stand a better chance of getting in.

 

[Munchy]

Canadian dental schools are crazy. And that 3.8 GPA is not a result of grade inflation.

It's that high b/c only the top 1% are able to gain admission.

Whereas in the states, it's not just your GPA and DAT. There are reference letter, personal essay, shadowing experience, etc etc.

 

[lmaozedong1]

What are you talking about? I went to a Canadian university and the overall class average for science classes is around a 2.9-3.0. Not exactly grade inflation. Combine that with needing a 3.8 to be competitive, most Canadian dental schools are much more difficult to gain entry to than most US dental schools.

Why do you think so many Canadians apply to US schools? It's because they stand a better chance of getting in.

Well, I'm going off of a friend of mine who is attending a Canadian school.

 

[dl9006]

Uhhhhh, no. It has to do with the grading systems in each country. FAIL by you. Nice try though...

not really. top canadian schools are very competitive. i remember our organic chem class had a 45% average for the midterm.. not exactly grade inflation. i'm actually a bit offended by your comment. my undergrad school is a good school and has a difficult curriculum. i don't really appreciate someone who doesn't know anything about the school discrediting my education.

if you think gpa systems are not comparable, look at the avg dat scores.

american schools accept students 19-20 dat scores. 20+ is considered average for applying to canadian schools.

gpa is crazy high in canada because there are so few seats available.

 

[z3u2]

american schools accept students 19-20 dat scores. 20+ is considered average for applying to canadian schools.

and preparing for US dat is easier, since u can write the exam practically any day of the year. So you can write it only when you feel u r ready.
In Canada the exam is only held twice a year and you'll need to sort ur priorities based on the exam date.

gpa is crazy high in canada because there are so few seats available.

+1

 

[yangwang]

Uhhhhh, no. It has to do with the grading systems in each country. FAIL by you. Nice try though...

Anyway... more like FAIL by you. I really don't want to get into a discussion of which one is more difficult as it is not very productive. Though one thing you should know is, many Canadians come down to the US for med and dent and it's not because like we ENJOY paying the ridiculous tuition rates 😛. Basing your ideas off your friend who went to a Canadian school? good job, you have the sample size of ONE.

OP, here are some statistics for the class of 2014 at the University of Toronto

http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46106

refer to premed101, it's the Canadian SDN. One thing to keep in mind is, in a lot of state/public dental schools, once you get in, the schools will do everything in their power to help you graduate, that is NOT the case in Canadian schools, the competition is FIERCE. Despite the strict admission standards, there ARE students who can't keep up with the rigorous curriculum and ARE force to withdraw.

 

[clarkbar]

It's easier for you to gain admission to Canadian school than a Canadian citizen. With that said, you still need around 3.7-3.8 gpa. Tuition wise, intl student in Canada pay about $40-50k/year, so it's not much cheaper. As for loans, with an acceptance letter from any of the Canadian schools, you are eligible for credit line up to $200k at most Canadian banks.

Having seen University of Toronto dental school and several American dental schools, I think that while the admission standards are way lower in America, American dental schools produce superior dentists and businessmen. 🙂

Canada and US has reciprocity system, so coming back to practice would not be a problem (you might have to take the NBDE's). Though you might make more practicing in Canada since there's less of a saturation problem.

How is it easier gaining admission for U.S. citizens? Do they reserve seats or add points? There are only thirty million people in Cananda and six or so schools. This equates to a per capita near the U.S. value. Why is this so difficult? I noticed they use a GPA system similar to ours. Would grade equivalents between the tewo countries be considered the same, as in a 3.6 is a 3.6 regardless of country of origin? Also, what is the attrition rate at a CA vs. US school? I noticed that schools in the U.S. deflate their attrition rates by separating them into a phony "personal" and "academic" portions. They also don't include graduation on time rates.

 

[clarkbar]

How is it easier gaining admission for U.S. citizens? Do they reserve seats or add points? There are only thirty million people in Cananda and six or so schools. This equates to a per capita near the U.S. value. Why is this so difficult? I noticed they use a GPA system similar to ours. Would grade equivalents between the tewo countries be considered the same, as in a 3.6 is a 3.6 regardless of country of origin? Also, what is the attrition rate at a CA vs. US school? I noticed that schools in the U.S. deflate their attrition rates by separating them into a phony "personal" and "academic" portions. They also don't include graduation on time rates.

Also, I may have an opt doctorate, but grades are low, 3.0. Is there an advantage with this, or is it better to leave it off the resume?

 

[shahinc]

This equates to a per capita near the U.S. value. Why is this so difficult?

That may be true but many of them do not take as much student as some of the big US schools. For example, I think UofSaks gets only 28 students per year, UofA gets around 33-34 and UoW gets 54.

Add to that residency requirement for some of these schools and as some other people said here, it becomes extremely competitive, even much more competitive than Med School.

I give you another example, This year to land an Interview at UofSask for non Saskatchewan residence, you had to have a GPA of 88.45. Now, keep in mind that an A is 88% so you had to have few A+s as well.

I do not have much information about how they treat International students but I know some schools such as UofT reserve few seats for International students.

As far s grade between the two country, 3.6 is 3.6 in both US and Canada.

 

[nampa1]

What are you talking about? I went to a Canadian university and the overall class average for science classes is around a 2.9-3.0. Not exactly grade inflation. Combine that with needing a 3.8 to be competitive, most Canadian dental schools are much more difficult to gain entry to than most US dental schools.

Why do you think so many Canadians apply to US schools? It's because they stand a better chance of getting in.

How do CA schools translate U.S. GPAs? If CA uses percentages, and their percentages relate to a higher grade, e.g. 80% is an A, how does this work? Do CA ds just take the U.S. gpa, say a 3.6 and calls it that or does it translate it to the CA system?

 

[clarkbar]

Does anyone know of any counselors in the know at CA dental schools an American can look up and call? Thanks.

 

[lululime]

To the OP:

You will have to write the Canadian DAT. No Canadian school will accept American DAT, nor will they make any exception. In Canada, there are no private dental schools.

Good luck!