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[WhyWearPrada]

x

[Stethescope]

If money is not an issue and you don't mind studying abroad for the next 4 years, yes. 

A degree is a degree and thanks to the equivalency process, there isn't much difference when it comes to studying in Canada vs elsewhere.

If you feel you might not be prepared adequately for the board exams, just start studying earlier and harder, no big deal.

[WhyWearPrada]

On 2/9/2020 at 1:19 PM, Stethescope said:

If money is not an issue and you don't mind studying abroad for the next 4 years, yes. 

A degree is a degree and thanks to the equivalency process, there isn't much difference when it comes to studying in Canada vs elsewhere.

If you feel you might not be prepared adequately for the board exams, just start studying earlier and harder, no big deal.

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[JohnGrisham]

19 minutes ago, LiveLifeToTheMaxillary said:

Thanks for your input! My concern is more-so with coming back to work here. Like you said, there’s that equivalency in place but I’ve been reading online about stigma when it comes to the hiring process; some dentists don’t want to hire associates who have graduated from abroad. What are your thoughts on that? 

I wouldn't worry about stigma, many of my colleagues work with canadian dentists trained in ireland and aussie. Commonly, my canadian friends say their aussie counterparts have better hands-on skills experience with certain procedures from dental school, that they didn't get as much access to here.  

Regardless Canada trained vs proper-abroad, dentistry is getting saturated in many centres, so be prepared to hustle. 

 

[Everclear]

18 minutes ago, LiveLifeToTheMaxillary said:

Thanks for your input! My concern is more-so with coming back to work here. Like you said, there’s that equivalency in place but I’ve been reading online about stigma when it comes to the hiring process; some dentists don’t want to hire associates who have graduated from abroad. What are your thoughts on that? 

There is no stigma for dentists that graduated abroad. US and Aus/NZ grads have very good accredited education which is typically clinically superior to Canadian grads. Most of the stigma surrounds ITDs who have taken the equivalency exams .

[JohnGrisham]

1 hour ago, LiveLifeToTheMaxillary said:

I received an offer for UCC's 4 year Graduate Entry Dentistry and I'm on the fence about whether or not to accept. Here are my scores:

GPA: 3.8

DAT: Didn't take it

EC's: Pretty weak, no long-term volunteering. A couple of months spent as a research assistant. No long-term employment.

 

I'm considered in-province in Nova Scotia, so I'm wondering if I should just wait one year, take the DAT and apply to Dalhousie. 

What should I do!

Well, you should have had these thoughts before applying to UCC?   You made a conscious decision to apply, so you already put yourself on some sort of path.  

If it was me, I wouldn't have applied in the first place without first taking the DAT and applying to Dalhousie, given the in-province status. Much cheaper tuition and local training etc. 

But now you're here. If you can defer acceptance for a year, and in the mean time take the DAT asap and apply to Canadian schools - then do that. 

If you can't defer, then decide if you can afford it and just go and do it then.

[w55]

You have a huge advantage applying to Dalhousie. You don’t need crazy GPA/DAT to get in.

regardless, as mentioned before there is no such thing as stigma against dentists coming from US/Ireland/Australia. 
good luck on your decision and congrats on your acceptance 

[cleanup]

4 hours ago, JohnGrisham said:

Well, you should have had these thoughts before applying to UCC?   You made a conscious decision to apply, so you already put yourself on some sort of path.  

If it was me, I wouldn't have applied in the first place without first taking the DAT and applying to Dalhousie, given the in-province status. Much cheaper tuition and local training etc. 

But now you're here. If you can defer acceptance for a year, and in the mean time take the DAT asap and apply to Canadian schools - then do that. 

If you can't defer, then decide if you can afford it and just go and do it then.

Good questions.

OP, why are you really doing this? Why do you want to go to dental school? Why do you feel like the advice of Internet strangers is valuable to you? What behoved you to post?

I don't mean to be an armchair devil's advocate moral compass judge (but I am)... but I find that when people do this kind of thing without thought or preparation, there is a high chance they haven't necessarily completely thought their goals, wants & needs and boundaries, through. 

[Starburst]

On 2/9/2020 at 11:34 AM, LiveLifeToTheMaxillary said:

I received an offer for UCC's 4 year Graduate Entry Dentistry and I'm on the fence about whether or not to accept. Here are my scores:

GPA: 3.8

DAT: Didn't take it

EC's: Pretty weak, no long-term volunteering. A couple of months spent as a research assistant. No long-term employment.

 

I'm considered in-province in Nova Scotia, so I'm wondering if I should just wait one year, take the DAT and apply to Dalhousie. 

What should I do!

It depends on you and what you value. If you have competitive stats, it might be worth staying and apply 1 extra year.

[WhyWearPrada]

On 2/10/2020 at 5:39 PM, Starburst said:

It depends on you and what you value. If you have competitive stats, it might be worth staying and apply 1 extra year.

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[Maggie19]

50 minutes ago, LiveLifeToTheMaxillary said:

That’s the thing, I don’t know if I have competitive scores. I know that Dal looks mostly at GPA and mine isn’t stellar like some of their other applicants’. 

Someone from the admissions department at Dal told me you need a minimum of 4.0/4.3 in your last 60 credits AND your 4 higher sciences prerequisites (or regular prerequisites if the other option doesn't apply to you). They only look at these two GPA's to determine who they invite for interviews. DAT, GPA, interview and (not sure about this) CV post interviews.