Canadian First Year Dental Student AMA

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derbear

derbear

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I am a Canadian in my first year of dental school. Currently, I am at the University of Sydney (Canadian friendly) but also applied to US schools. This AMA is more for Canadian who are looking at both Australia and US as options...idk how many of you there are out there 😀!
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How did you fulfill your shadowing requirements for US schools? One dentist or many dentists? Who did you get your reference letters from and how many?

How is Sydney? Would you consider staying there as opposed to coming back to Canada?
 
Syphilis said:
How did you fulfill your shadowing requirements for US schools? One dentist or many dentists? Who did you get your reference letters from and how many?

How is Sydney? Would you consider staying there as opposed to coming back to Canada?
Click to expand...

Love the username.

1. I shadowed one dentist only, however, he carried out a wide range of procedures from endo to cosmetic. Shadowing really is a chance for you to see what interests you in dentistry and I suggest shadowing a general dentist opposed to shadowing a specialist.

2. I received a LOE from 1 biology professor, 1 biomathematics professor, 1 interdisciplinary health professor and 1 dentist.

3. Sydney is a big city and it is culturally quite a bit different from Canada despite us speaking the same language. I am not sure where you are from but despite cultural differences, I feel Sydney has a slight Vancouver-feel to it. Weather here is great and so the beaches are an awesome place to go.

4. Funny you ask this...it is a question I constantly ask myself. I think right now I am leaning towards coming back to Canada but this could just be because I haven't completely opened up to Sydney yet. Sydney is a great place but right now I still feel like home is Vancouver.
 
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If the States were of similar price, would you have still considered Australia?
 
Syphilis said:
If the States were of similar price, would you have still considered Australia?
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Honestly, probably not. But with the way the CAD/USD is looking...Australia, financially, was a much better choice. Also Sydney starts half a semester earlier than the US so that is a half a semester of extra income 🙂.
 
derbear said:
I am a Canadian in my first year of dental school. Currently, I am at the University of Sydney (Canadian friendly) but also applied to US schools. This AMA is more for Canadian who are looking at both Australia and US as options...idk how many of you there are out there 😀!
Click to expand...
Hey I seem to be a very similar applicant to as you were. I am Canadian, and I am applying to University of Sydney, as well as across the US. Will USydney give an interview offer to everyone who is over their 2.7 gpa and 15 DAT cutoffs? Can you give any advice on the MMI interview?

Also how are you paying for dental school, and were you able to secure enough funds before beginning your first year?
 
ChefCurrrry said:
Hey I seem to be a very similar applicant to as you were. I am Canadian, and I am applying to University of Sydney, as well as across the US. Will USydney give an interview offer to everyone who is over their 2.7 gpa and 15 DAT cutoffs? Can you give any advice on the MMI interview?

Also how are you paying for dental school, and were you able to secure enough funds before beginning your first year?
Click to expand...

Best username on these forums hands down.

Also, for the OP, how much does AUS dental school cost per year?
 
Isn't Australia saturated with Dentists ? There are always threads popping up here and on premed101 about this.

Also, is it true that if u fail a course at either Sydney or Melbourne you have to repeat the entire year? I heard (from unreliable source) that a lot of people get kicked out.

To practice in Australia, does it matter whether you have a post-grad dental degree or a bachelor level degree like jcu queensland etc? Do both give you the same right to work as a dentist?
 
Hey OP thanks for doing this; I'm also a Canadian applying
Question - was there anything else that made you choose Australia over going to the States? Or was it just the money? How much more was, really? (I looked into costs, and the tuition seems similar). Is the cost of living much cheaper in Australia?
Also, why Sydney out of the Australian schools? Did you consider Melbourne?
 
ChefCurrrry said:
Hey I seem to be a very similar applicant to as you were. I am Canadian, and I am applying to University of Sydney, as well as across the US. Will USydney give an interview offer to everyone who is over their 2.7 gpa and 15 DAT cutoffs? Can you give any advice on the MMI interview?

Also how are you paying for dental school, and were you able to secure enough funds before beginning your first year?
Click to expand...

So the admission process to the University of Sydney is quite odd. Yes, you will get an interview with anything over those cutoffs, HOWEVER, when selecting applicants they really look at your DAT and MMI. For example, my incoming class had a cutoff DAT score of a 20...but I know people who had around a 3.0 for a GPA. As for the MMI interview you just need to practice going through scenarios (google some) and formulating a solid answer. Here is something I found useful...it is a guide for the MMI interviewer on how to mark you: http://multiple-mini-interview.com/resources/multiple-mini-interview/mmi-interviewer-training-usyd

Currently I am paying for dental school through loans and yes I was able to secure enough funds before the beginning of first year (get this going ASAP after you get accepted as it takes time to process). CIBC has a great student line of credit (275K) that I would check out if I were you.
 
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torontopharm said:
Isn't Australia saturated with Dentists ? There are always threads popping up here and on premed101 about this.

Also, is it true that if u fail a course at either Sydney or Melbourne you have to repeat the entire year? I heard (from unreliable source) that a lot of people get kicked out.

To practice in Australia, does it matter whether you have a post-grad dental degree or a bachelor level degree like jcu queensland etc? Do both give you the same right to work as a dentist?
Click to expand...

1. Yes Australia is saturated with dentists in the big city...but that goes for any big city in North America.
2. Yes it is true that if you fail a course you have to repeat the entire year (after also failing remediation)... I think this goes for most dental schools in North America as well?
3. To practice in Australia it doesn't matter if you have BDent (bachelor) or a DMD (post-grad), however, I will most likely be coming back to Canada and I would prefer a professional degree to throw up on my wall.
 
Sigg said:
Hey OP thanks for doing this; I'm also a Canadian applying
Question - was there anything else that made you choose Australia over going to the States? Or was it just the money? How much more was, really? (I looked into costs, and the tuition seems similar). Is the cost of living much cheaper in Australia?
Also, why Sydney out of the Australian schools? Did you consider Melbourne?
Click to expand...

I chose Australia as well because it is an excuse to live in Australia for 4 years...something some people only dream of. Also, I love to travel and explore new places and Australia is nicely located close to Asia (cheap flights year round 😀). As for the finance side of things, you really need to consider the USD vs CAD and the CAD vs AUD.

Say for example I take tuition from NYU (a common school for Canadians): 67,404 USD + 4645 USD (fees) = 72, 049 USD total tuition = 88, 372 CAD
For the University of Sydney it is: 67, 800 AUD (including fees) = 67, 800 AUD total tuition = 64, 633 CAD

That is a difference of 23, 739 CAD a year or 95, 000 CAD over four years!

The cost of living in Australia varies just like it does in North America. In Sydney, I have to admit, rent is expensive but that is just because in first year I need to be right in the city. Second year on I should be able to find cheaper housing.

The reason I chose Sydney out of the Australian schools is because it is considered one of the best in terms of academics along with Melbourne. I did consider Melbourne, however, their pre-requisite list is very restricted and IMO needs updating...long story short I missed out on one of their prerequisite courses that wasn't even offered in my province.
 
derbear said:
1. Yes Australia is saturated with dentists in the big city...but that goes for any big city in North America.
2. Yes it is true that if you fail a course you have to repeat the entire year (after also failing remediation)... I think this goes for most dental schools in North America as well?
3. To practice in Australia it doesn't matter if you have BDent (bachelor) or a DMD (post-grad), however, I will most likely be coming back to Canada and I would prefer a professional degree to throw up on my wall.
Click to expand...

Awesome information. DMD/DDS does sound nicer!

Can you specialize in Australia being a Canadian (international) student? I've heard that whatever you specialize in won't be counted in Canada, but what if you decided to specialize in Australia and just stay there.. Is that possible to do?
 
torontopharm said:
Awesome information. DMD/DDS does sound nicer!

Can you specialize in Australia being a Canadian (international) student? I've heard that whatever you specialize in won't be counted in Canada, but what if you decided to specialize in Australia and just stay there.. Is that possible to do?
Click to expand...

What you heard is correct, however, if you specialize in Australia and stay here you will be considered a specialist in Australia only. To become a specialist in Canada, you need to apply to a Canadian specialty program which you can still do after doing DMD/DDS in Australia.
 
rendal said:
What's your favorite ice cream flavor?
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I like a nice mint chocolate ice cream. The mint cannot be too overpowering as I really do love the richness of the chocolate tickling my taste buds. After a meal of ice cream, if I gently inhale through pursed lips and the inside of my mouth feels like Christmas at grandma's...then you know that it was the perfect mint to chocolate ratio.
 
derbear said:
I like a nice mint chocolate ice cream. The mint cannot be too overpowering as I really do love the richness of the chocolate tickling my taste buds. After a meal of ice cream, if I gently inhale through pursed lips and the inside of my mouth feels like Christmas at grandma's...then you know that it was the perfect mint to chocolate ratio.
Click to expand...
Ok thanks
 
Hi,

First off, thanks OP for doing this.

I'm a second year student studying in an Ontario university. I have a GPA of 3.6 or 83 average, studying in what I'd like to believe a tough program. (Medical science program as oppose to general science program). Writing my DAT this November, studying all summer for it. Yet to shadow a dentist.

Some questions I have: English seems to be a pre-req at some schools across the U.S. I don't think I would take this during the school year due to the risk of ruining my GPA. How did you manage to get that credit?

My GPA feels very lacking or just barely competitive. Do schools in the states or Australia require a higher GPA for students applying from international pools? The best I can do is focus on working towards an upward trend in 3rd and 4th year.

Also, when did you start applying for all these schools? In the summer before 4th year? During 4th year?

Any tips or things you wish you knew in hindsight when you were an undergrad that would of saved you a lot of time and stress?

Thanks,
A worried hopeful pre-dent,
 
Last edited:
nototo said:
Hi,

First off, thanks OP for doing this.

I'm a second year student studying in an Ontario university. I have a GPA of 3.6 or 83 average, studying in what I'd like to believe a tough program. (Medical science program as oppose to general science program). Writing my DAT this November, studying all summer for it. Yet to shadow a dentist.

Some questions I have: English seems to be a pre-req at some schools across the U.S. I don't think I would take this during the school year due to the risk of ruining my GPA. How did you manage to get that credit?

My GPA feels very lacking or just barely competitive. Do schools in the states or Australia require a higher GPA for students applying from international pools? The best I can do is focus on working towards an upward trend in 3rd and 4th year.

Also, when did you start applying for all these schools? In the summer before 4th year? During 4th year?

Any tips or things you wish you knew in hindsight when you were an undergrad that would of saved you a lot of time and stress?

Thanks,
A worried hopeful pre-dent,
Click to expand...

Let me first say, just breathe! You are in a better position than 75% of the people on this forum. A GPA of 3.6 is very good for US and Australian schools but will definitely need a bit of boosting for Canadian schools.

As for English, I just took it during my first 2 years. Unless English is really a struggle for you then it shouldn't matter when you take it...it is just one or two courses and make sure you choose an easy English course.

As said above if you can maintain your GPA or raise it, you are golden for the US and Australia. That being said, DAT is the other huge factor in the application and I would aim for a 20+ to be safe.

I applied during my 4th year.

Things I wish I knew:
-don't screw around in my first two years (seems you didn't make the same mistake)
-I was too caught up in just wanting to get into any dental school that I didn't even consider costs of attending...COST matters
-not for me, personally, but get involved...if you have high marks and no involvement in your community you are really limiting yourself
-get started early on your application...it will take longer than you think and prepare secondaries ahead of time for schools you applied to
-just breathe...everything will work out in the end
 
Thanks for the reply!

I have another question about AADSAS GPA conversions. When everyone is saying their average GPA's is it already calculated by AADSAS?

http://www.adea.org/uploadedFiles/A...ralInstructions/Documents/GPACalculations.pdf

Thats the link for the conversions, but my school grades by %, so I'm not too sure how that works. And I have no idea what the semester hours multiplier is about.

Thanks,
 
One more thing, when does the USyd first semester start? Or more specifically when is the application cycle? I was under the assumption that 4th year grades would count towards the GPA calculations, since the application cycle wasn't until late spring or summer, as I'm hoping to boost my GPA with 4th year grades. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
nototo said:
Thanks for the reply!

I have another question about AADSAS GPA conversions. When everyone is saying their average GPA's is it already calculated by AADSAS?

http://www.adea.org/uploadedFiles/A...ralInstructions/Documents/GPACalculations.pdf

Thats the link for the conversions, but my school grades by %, so I'm not too sure how that works. And I have no idea what the semester hours multiplier is about.

Thanks,
Click to expand...

Your school should have letter grade equivalents to your percentages. When you determine what those are, use the following document and only fill out the YELLOW portions. For semster hours just fill out your credit hours...so if it was a 3 credit course, put 3.
 

Attachments

nototo said:
One more thing, when does the USyd first semester start? Or more specifically when is the application cycle? I was under the assumption that 4th year grades would count towards the GPA calculations, since the application cycle wasn't until late spring or summer, as I'm hoping to boost my GPA with 4th year grades. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

School starts in late January/Early February. And yes if you apply the year you graduate you can send them your transcripts by July 6th, I believe. However, have the rest of your application submitted. Please read the bottom of the site which states the timeline.

https://oztrekk.com/programs/dentistry/PG/sydney.php
 
derbear said:
And yes if you apply the year you graduate you can send them your transcripts by July 6th, I believe. However, have the rest of your application submitted.
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Is the school on rolling admissions? Is there an advantage to having the rest of your application submitted before July 6th?
 
Jerm174 said:
Is the school on rolling admissions? Is there an advantage to having the rest of your application submitted before July 6th?
Click to expand...
No there are no rolling admissions. Everyone is contacted at around the same time as to whether they received an interview or not. Interviews are only held on certain days via Skype...so after everyone is interviewed, decisions are made. However, I believe there are 2 rounds or so of admissons...but this is after your interview and is just to make sure they don't overfill or underfill the class.
 
What are the classes like? Are they like North American classes where we have assignments/presentations/exams etc. or is it more like exams only? I heard that Australian education system emphasize more on written work/essays etc. than we do.
 
torontopharm said:
What are the classes like? Are they like North American classes where we have assignments/presentations/exams etc. or is it more like exams only? I heard that Australian education system emphasize more on written work/essays etc. than we do.
Click to expand...
Depends. I believe the schooling sysem is similar to N. America...at least to my university. Mostly, yes, there are only exams. But in courses like ethics and research we have poster presentations and a few small written assignments. Dental school is a professional school and no matter where you go the majority of the time you will be in clinic or studying/taking exams.
 
derbear, thanks for doing this. I was hoping you could do a "chance me". I just graduated from an Ontario university and my GPA on ADEA AADSAS is as follows:

Science 3.36
Non-Science 3.75
Total: 3.52
21 AA
20 PAT (23 on first attempt so it went down on my second attempt 🙁 )
24 RC
180 shadowing hours with two general dentists and one ortho
850 volunteer hours
400 research hours (unpublished though)
3800 working hours (because I was in a 5 year Bachelor with co-op jobs)

I feel like my experiences and PS are really strong, but I'm worried about my GPAs. I didn't do well in my first year (never failed but didn't pass well either). This is where most of my science pre-reqs are which is why my sciGPA is so low... but I worked really hard to pull up my grades in my final 2-3 years. This year, I'm applying to about 13 schools in the US. I don't think my stats are competitive enough for Canadian schools but I'm hoping I have a shot at American schools. I figured I'd find out by Dec if I get in or get waitlisted at US schools. If I don't get into any at all, then I'm thinking of putting in an application for Sydney's dental school the following year (Feb 2017 entry). You mentioned above that I wouldn't be able specialize in Australia and come back to Canada with that specialization... I'm wondering how often Aus dental grads make it back. I've heard from various sources that even though the schools are Canadian friendly, it can still be difficult to come back to Canada and specialize or start practicing. I'm not 100% sure if I'd want to specialize and what it would be in or if I'd start working right away, but I'm kind of worried about my chances at making it back to Canada to do either afterwards. Let's say you applied for a Canadian specialization but didn't get in... could you also apply for specializations in the US? Or is that not possible since Aus and US don't have the agreement that Canada & Aus do?
 
kayden28 said:
derbear, thanks for doing this. I was hoping you could do a "chance me". I just graduated from an Ontario university and my GPA on ADEA AADSAS is as follows:

Science 3.36
Non-Science 3.75
Total: 3.52
21 AA
20 PAT (23 on first attempt so it went down on my second attempt 🙁 )
24 RC
180 shadowing hours with two general dentists and one ortho
850 volunteer hours
400 research hours (unpublished though)
3800 working hours (because I was in a 5 year Bachelor with co-op jobs)

I feel like my experiences and PS are really strong, but I'm worried about my GPAs. I didn't do well in my first year (never failed but didn't pass well either). This is where most of my science pre-reqs are which is why my sciGPA is so low... but I worked really hard to pull up my grades in my final 2-3 years. This year, I'm applying to about 13 schools in the US. I don't think my stats are competitive enough for Canadian schools but I'm hoping I have a shot at American schools. I figured I'd find out by Dec if I get in or get waitlisted at US schools. If I don't get into any at all, then I'm thinking of putting in an application for Sydney's dental school the following year (Feb 2017 entry). You mentioned above that I wouldn't be able specialize in Australia and come back to Canada with that specialization... I'm wondering how often Aus dental grads make it back. I've heard from various sources that even though the schools are Canadian friendly, it can still be difficult to come back to Canada and specialize or start practicing. I'm not 100% sure if I'd want to specialize and what it would be in or if I'd start working right away, but I'm kind of worried about my chances at making it back to Canada to do either afterwards. Let's say you applied for a Canadian specialization but didn't get in... could you also apply for specializations in the US? Or is that not possible since Aus and US don't have the agreement that Canada & Aus do?
Click to expand...

Your GPA is competitive for US schools for sure but as you said....probably won't cut it for Canadian schools. However, there are some Canadian schools that drop your lowest year or take your best 2 or 3 years...you would have to do some research into that.

You will definitely get some interviews with your stats in the US considering the rest of your app is solid.

In terms of specializing, I don't know the stats on how many AUS graduates end up specializing. But whoever said that it is hard to come back to Canada and start practicing or specializing isn't completely out to lunch, as I know numerous dentists who have done both (who have studied in AUS). There is a 100% reciprocity agreement between Canada and AUS. However, there is no reciprocity agreement between AUS and US...so specializing or practicing in US would not be an option.
 
Hey derbear! I am wondering if you would please share your MMI experience for USyd DMD? I am curious if looking back you have tips for it / what you found was useful or useless when you studied / suggestions for the overall process.. etc =) Also, I am confused whether we actually get time to "think" about the scenario after it has been presented or do we start talking right away? The website sayd "2 mins turn around time" but I think that means time to go from one station to another... I would really appreciate your feedback 😀
 
dds_someday said:
Hey derbear! I am wondering if you would please share your MMI experience for USyd DMD? I am curious if looking back you have tips for it / what you found was useful or useless when you studied / suggestions for the overall process.. etc =) Also, I am confused whether we actually get time to "think" about the scenario after it has been presented or do we start talking right away? The website sayd "2 mins turn around time" but I think that means time to go from one station to another... I would really appreciate your feedback 😀
Click to expand...

The MMI isn't as hard as most think it is. If you can logically explain and back a decision you will have no worries. I googled up MMI sample questions and practiced answering those...but in reality the best thing to do is to get good at talking with people. If you have any siblings or good friends, practice talking to them about MMI questions or just anything in general. And yes you get time to think...I believe you have 1 or 2 minutes to read the question and think about it and then up to 5 minutes to answer? Please double check as I could be wrong...but you will have plenty of time to think.
 
derbear said:
The MMI isn't as hard as most think it is. If you can logically explain and back a decision you will have no worries. I googled up MMI sample questions and practiced answering those...but in reality the best thing to do is to get good at talking with people. If you have any siblings or good friends, practice talking to them about MMI questions or just anything in general. And yes you get time to think...I believe you have 1 or 2 minutes to read the question and think about it and then up to 5 minutes to answer? Please double check as I could be wrong...but you will have plenty of time to think.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you so much! I have been doing just that. I am also worried that some Australian dental/health care specifics will come up, so I'm trying to read up on those. My problem is that I talk to much (aka tend to ramble when I'm nervous as I'm collecting my thoughts) so I could really use that time to structure my response.

Thanks again!
 
Hey I was just wondering if you applied to any other schools in Australia? I currently have an interview for CSU coming up
 
ashyyyjayyy said:
Hey I was just wondering if you applied to any other schools in Australia? I currently have an interview for CSU coming up
Click to expand...
No, I just applied to Sydney. Goodluck with your interview though!
 
Hello again, derbear. You're probably familiar with UWO's preference for a full course load whereas schools in the USA are a bit more lenient (to my knowledge). What about Australian schools? I am entering my third year in the fall.
 
Jerm174 said:
Hello again, derbear. You're probably familiar with UWO's preference for a full course load whereas schools in the USA are a bit more lenient (to my knowledge). What about Australian schools? I am entering my third year in the fall.
Click to expand...
As far as I know, Australia has no preference in terms of course load..so you should be ok!
 
Hi derbear, what the's curriculum like at U Syd? I've read some testimonials off the oztrekk website and I keep seeing stuff about the courses and faculty being unorganized, do you agree with that? I got into a school in the states and I should hear back from Sydney tomorrow so I might have a very big decision to make.
 
pearly_whites said:
Hi derbear, what the's curriculum like at U Syd? I've read some testimonials off the oztrekk website and I keep seeing stuff about the courses and faculty being unorganized, do you agree with that? I got into a school in the states and I should hear back from Sydney tomorrow so I might have a very big decision to make.
Click to expand...
The course can be unorganized at times but it is getting better every year. Tbh I think every school has organizational issues no matter where you go. Congratz on your acceptance but always keep in mind the CAD/USD right now vs the CAD/AUD 🙂.
 
derbear said:
I am a Canadian in my first year of dental school. Currently, I am at the University of Sydney (Canadian friendly) but also applied to US schools. This AMA is more for Canadian who are looking at both Australia and US as options...idk how many of you there are out there 😀!
Click to expand...

Hey, I'm Canadian as well and looking into Australian schools. I was wondering, when's the application process begin/deadline?
 
AP013 said:
Hi, I am also looking to apply to Sydney and wanted to know what DAT score did you get in with? My gpa is 3.3 and I am writing my DAT in February.
Click to expand...
22AA/22TS/21PAT
 
1070752 said:
Hey, I'm Canadian as well and looking into Australian schools. I was wondering, when's the application process begin/deadline?
Click to expand...
Application Timeline for 2016 Intake
Application deadline: Monday, July 6, 2015 (Sydney time)
Interview dates: from Thursday, July 30, 2015
Offer made: from Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Successful Sydney Dental School applicants will have approximately six weeks from the date of offer to accept and pay a deposit.

From https://www.oztrekk.com/programs/dentistry/PG/sydney.php
 
derbear said:
Application Timeline for 2016 Intake
Application deadline: Monday, July 6, 2015 (Sydney time)
Interview dates: from Thursday, July 30, 2015
Offer made: from Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Successful Sydney Dental School applicants will have approximately six weeks from the date of offer to accept and pay a deposit.

From https://www.oztrekk.com/programs/dentistry/PG/sydney.php
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot! However, I can't seem to find when the application process opens? Do you happen to know?

Thank you once again.
 
1070752 said:
Thanks a lot! However, I can't seem to find when the application process opens? Do you happen to know?

Thank you once again.
Click to expand...
Best would to email them directly and ask...I believe it changes every year.
 
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