Basic information for applicants to Canadian dental schools!

[aravis]

Scroll down for a pre-dent guide!

Hi everyone,
I noticed several posts lately regarding questions that could easily be answered with a bit of research. I have compiled this post hoping it will help out new applicants. Each school is different in terms of what is considered in the admissions process so please take the time to do a bit of individual research before making a new post. By no means am I an expert on admissions so please let me know if anything should be added to this post.
Thank you and good luck!

What you should know about the DAT
All Canadian schools except for McGill use your DAT scores in the admissions process. Not all schools consider scores from all sections.
Sections of the DAT include:

• Carving - 30 minutes (optional portion)
• Biology (40 Q) and Chemistry (30 Q) - 60 minutes
• PAT (90 Q) - 60 minutes
• Reading Comprehension (50 Q) - 50 minutes

TS = Total Science. Biology and Chemistry
AA = Academic Average. Biology, Chemistry and Reading Comprehension.
PAT = Perceptual Ability Test (angle discrimination, form development, hole punching, cube counting, orthographic projections and apertures)

Each score may range from 0-30 . Ideally you would want a score in the 20-30 range.

Unlike the American DAT, the Canadian DAT has the optional Carving portion but NO O-CHEM OR QUANTITATIVE REASONING. The Canadian DAT is also completely paper based.

Grade Conversion Scale - Use this to calculate your GPA. For more information, scroll down to "How do I calculate my GPA" in this thread. Keep in mind that some schools may not consider all undergrad years. Refer to each school's admissions page for more details.

Useful thread for interviews: http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50120

Canadian Dental Schools
There are 10 dental schools in Canada. Here is a list of them according to province. The links take you to their DMD/DDS admissions website with plenty of details on the application process.

British Columbia
University of British Columbia

Alberta
University of Alberta

Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan

Manitoba
University of Manitoba

Ontario
University of Western Ontario
University of Toronto

Quebec
McGill
Laval University (French)
University of Montreal (French)

Nova Scotia
Dalhousie University

Guide for Pre-dental Students
September 2011
Written by aravis

This guide was written by a current dental student with the well-being of pre-dents in mind. Having been in those shoes, feeling lost, and not knowing who to trust, this straightforward guide was made. The guide is targeted towards Canadian pre-dental undergraduate students interested in applying to English speaking dental schools. Unfortunately, I have limited expertise in French Canadian dental school admissions.

You’ve started your undergrad with that one goal in mind: get into dental school.

1st Year
• Aim for a 4.0 GPA or >90% average

o Though pristine academics aren’t necessary to get into dental school, they certainly go a long way in terms of making you a competitive applicant.
o A 3.85 - 4.0 GPA is ideal. Anything less than 3.6 would make it very tough for you to get to the interview stage. If you do have a low GPA applying to American schools is something you might want to consider.

• Plan your required prerequisites

o It would be wise to plan ahead to fulfill necessary prerequisites courses.

• Get involved!

o For schools like McGill and UBC, extracurriculars play a role in supporting your application. McGill will be especially interested in your community involvement and love of hockey (no joke). You'll also need some life experiences that you'll be able to talk about during the interview.

1st Summer
• Shadow dentists

o Get to know the profession before you spend tens of thousands of dollars on tuition. If you’re just in it for career stability, you’re going to end up hating it really quickly.
o Shadow a dentist who is willing to mentor you. FYI, American schools require a reference letter from a dentist.

• Take summer school (if you need to)

o Some people don’t have time to fit all the prerequisite courses into the regular school year.
o Some schools don’t count courses taken during the summer as part of your GPA. So if you feel that you will do poorly in a prerequisite course, it might not be a bad choice to take it at summer school. (Check specific schools for details)

• Study for the DAT

o For the keeners: You may apply to Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Dalhousie if you want to get in after second year. So get started early and study for the DAT! Purchase your knife and soaps and get carving.

(Note: material on the DAT does not change from year to year so older editions of DAT prep books will help just as well)

2nd Year
• Maintain a high GPA

o 2nd year is usually significantly harder than 1st year due to the amount of new material presented to you. Work hard and don’t slack.

• Write the DAT

o For people applying to get in after 2nd year, it’s suggested to write in November of your 2nd year.
o For people planning to apply in 3rd year, it’s suggested to write in February of your 2nd year. The consensus is that the February DAT is less competitive than the November DAT.

• Stay involved!

2nd Summer
• Research?

o If you’re interested and you have the grades, a summer research project might not be a bad idea. You’ll learn a lot and the experience is invaluable.

• Study for the DAT

o In third year, you can apply to UBC, UofA, UofS, UofM, UofT and Dalhousie.

• Stay involved and shadow or work


3rd Year
• Basically the same approach as 2nd year!

3rd Summer
• Any combination of: Research, shadow/work with a dentist, and stay involved!
• Study for the DAT (if you haven’t already)

o Your fourth year of undergrad is quickly approaching.

• Write personal statements

o American schools, UBC, and McGill require some sort of personal statement. Check their respective websites for specific requirements.

• Apply to American schools as backup

o If you feel that you need to and you will have the funding, apply to some American schools. Be aware that American tuition is significantly higher.
o Applications usually start at the beginning of June and they’re rolling admission so get on it!

This year you’ll be able to apply to pretty much all the dental schools:
UBC, UofA, UofS, UofM, UWO, UofT, McGill, and Dalhousie
Note: McGill doesn’t require the DAT

4th Year
• Write the DAT
• Interviews (hopefully!)

• Don’t stress out too much and don’t lose hope. Also don’t slack off because some schools will still look at your fourth year marks!

If you still have questions and/or you're feeling lost, don't hesitate to pm me for advice.

[shabibi]

Great post! Hopefully this results in less repetitive threads! I just want to add something that I did when applying that helped sort out everything - I really recommend it. Going to all the above sites for the Canadian dent. schools you like, make a big spreadsheet for each school with the following things filled in:

 

>min. years of undergrad required

>specific prerequisite courses (i know I could eliminate several schools since I didn't have an English prereq course)

>date the application form is available

>date that application is due (and supporting documents if different)

>how they want the application/transcript to be sent (ex: UofT wants mailed vs. UWO online)

>application fee and how they want it

>need proof of canadian citizenship? (ex: UofT yes, UWO no)

>Checkmark when you send in your application

>DAT sections each school looks at (ex: UofT is AA and PAT, UWO is just AA)

>how different schools weight gpa, interview, and DAT during admissions

>how each school looks at DAT (ex: UofT is best, UWO is most recent)

>which DAT dates they accept (ex: Uof Saskatch. accepts 1 later DAT than the others i believe)

>do you need reference letters and how many and from any specific types of people?

>approx. 4 year tuition and fees

>Date you'll know if you got an interview

>expected date of interview

>expected date to find out results of interview

>What types of shots/tests you need before admission

>any other school specific things (ex: CPR or Physiology exam or Adult criminal check)

 

It really helped me to eliminate schools that I wouldn't be eligible for and not waste time applying, stay on top of deadlines, to make sure I had everything needed for each school, and even to compare schools for my personal preference.

 

Finally, if you get the good news from multiple schools and are trying to decide, here are many things that I considered:

 

>distance from home

>availability of family (so like distance from family)

>city life vs. more quiet (if that's important to you)

>university's prestige

>facility newness

>availability of specialty programs afterwards, and how many

>when do you start clinical

>tuition

>scholarship/bursary opportunities

>overall 'feel' you got from the tour of the school

>potential/desire to live nearby after school

 

All the dental schools in Canada will teach you what you need to know, and any slight differences as far as your dental education will be equalized pretty shortly with experience anyways, so I think the main thing when/if deciding is your personal situation/wants/needs

[book gorilla]

Just a few things to add to the great posts above. I'd suggest doing the same excel spreadsheet format for all the U.S. alternatives you'd consider and doing it simultaneous with your Canadian school considerations - since the american process is so much longer you need to start the ball rolling if you don't want to spin your wheels an extra year if no Canadian school pans out. Start with the aadsas book - well worth the money, but then do your own tailored spreadsheet with all the relevant issues and questions for your own situtation - eg. do they accept online courses, how many Canadians accepted in the past, are internationals given equal consideration, etc etc. It's an efficient way to eliminate the non-starters from the overwhelming number of Amaerican schools to start with.

[bowlingcharles]

I have a lot of relatives who lives now in Canada and the information that you gave were really helpful. And starting to do some research as to which will be the best school that i will be going.

 

Regards!!!

 

Charles

 

 

Hi everyone,

I noticed several posts lately regarding questions that could easily be answered with a bit of research. I have compiled this post hoping it will help out new applicants. Each school is different in terms of what is considered in the admissions process so please take the time to do a bit of individual research before making a new post. By no means am I an expert on admissions so please let me know if anything should be added to this post.

Thank you and good luck!

 

CDA: Becoming a dentist

General information from the CDA (Canadian Dental Association).

 

What you should know about the DAT

All Canadian schools except for McGill use your DAT scores in the admissions process. Not all schools consider scores from all sections.

Sections of the DAT include:

• Carving - 30 minutes
  
• Biology (40 Q) and Chemistry (30 Q) - 60 minutes
  
• PAT (90 Q) - 60 minutes
  
• Reading Comprehension (50 Q) - 50 minutes
  

TS = Total Science. Weighted Average from Biology and Chemistry

AA = Academic Average. Weighted Average from Biology, Chemistry and Reading Comprehension sections based on the number of questions each section has.

PAT = Perceptual Ability Test (angle discrimination, form development, cubes, orthographic projections and apertures)

 

Each score may range from 0-30 . Ideally you would want a score in the 20-30 range.

 

Grade Conversion Scale - Use this to calculate your GPA. For more information, scroll down to "How do I calculate my GPA" in this thread. Keep in mind that some schools may not consider all undergrad years. Refer to each school's admissions page for more details.

 

Canadian Dental Schools

There are 10 dental schools in Canada. Here is a list of them according to province. The links take you to their DMD/DDS admissions website with plenty of details on the application process.

 

British Columbia

University of British Columbia

 

Alberta

University of Alberta

 

Saskatchewan

University of Saskatchewan

 

Manitoba

University of Manitoba

 

Ontario

University of Western Ontario

University of Toronto

 

Quebec

McGill

Laval University (French)

University of Montreal (French)

 

Nova Scotia

Dalhousie University

[Robertduke]

Thanks for sharing. Its really very valuable information about the dental school.

[DeeKay]

Super Helpful Thanks

[DrFaery]

 

 

TS = Total Science. Weighted Average from Biology and Chemistry

AA = Academic Average. Weighted Average from Biology, Chemistry and Reading Comprehension sections based on the number of questions each section has.

PAT = Perceptual Ability Test (angle discrimination, form development, cubes, orthographic projections and apertures)

 

 

Hi! I was wondering about what you mean by weighted average? For example, does your score in Biology contribute more than Chemistry in calculating for the score in Total Science? Thanks in advance for your reply!

[zap_man99]

no

bio+chem/2=total science

bio+chem+RC/3=AA

[DrFaery]

no

bio+chem/2=total science

bio+chem+RC/3=AA

 

Thank you, Zap!

[dentshopeful]

no

bio+chem/2=total science

bio+chem+RC/3=AA

 

i just rewrote the dat cause my score expired, but when I first did around 3 years ago, i got 21 chem, 20 bio, and my total science was 19... was it a mistake on their part? something doesn't add up here.

 

i had rc 21, and aa was 21 so that seems reasonable... but TS???

[DrFaery]

i just rewrote the dat cause my score expired, but when I first did around 3 years ago, i got 21 chem, 20 bio, and my total science was 19... was it a mistake on their part? something doesn't add up here.

 

i had rc 21, and aa was 21 so that seems reasonable... but TS???

 

I checked the American DAT info on calculating their TS and it says "To find your Total Science score, add together your raw scores on Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. . . Please do not add the standard scores together. . . Go across the row to the left column to find your Total Science standard score. The Total Science score is not an average of the Biology, General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry standard scores." (http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/dat_estimate_score.pdf) Maybe this is the formula, more or less, that the CDA also follows? I hope somebody sheds a light on this, once and for all

[dentshopeful]

I checked the American DAT info on calculating their TS and it says "To find your Total Science score, add together your raw scores on Biology, General Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. . . Please do not add the standard scores together. . . Go across the row to the left column to find your Total Science standard score. The Total Science score is not an average of the Biology, General Chemistry and Organic Chemistry standard scores." (http://www.ada.org/sections/educationAndCareers/pdfs/dat_estimate_score.pdf) Maybe this is the formula, more or less, that the CDA also follows? I hope somebody sheds a light on this, once and for all

 

yeah that makes sense that they use the raw scores, cause when i originally saw that total science was less than the individual bio and chem marks i was really confused, but the average percentiles were the same, and so i guess that 19 just corresponds to my average percentile (weighted/standard) score

[Guest Japie]

from various sources I heard that some schools will not accept the DAT written in February! TRUE or FALSE? if it's true, why?

[Dr Pepper]

For the September 2012 admission, I think most schools will take Nov 2011 as the latest score, and I assume it's because the Feb DAT results will not come out in time to be used for the interview invitation process.

[zap_man99]

yeah that makes sense that they use the raw scores, cause when i originally saw that total science was less than the individual bio and chem marks i was really confused, but the average percentiles were the same, and so i guess that 19 just corresponds to my average percentile (weighted/standard) score

 

i guess that makes sense, but not many schools (in canada anyways) looks at TS. only AA sorry i guess I was misinformed

[cardigan]

edit 10 char

[kjay02]

Scroll down for a pre-dent guide!

 

Hi everyone,

I noticed several posts lately regarding questions that could easily be answered with a bit of research. I have compiled this post hoping it will help out new applicants. Each school is different in terms of what is considered in the admissions process so please take the time to do a bit of individual research before making a new post. By no means am I an expert on admissions so please let me know if anything should be added to this post.

Thank you and good luck!

 

CDA: Becoming a dentist

General information from the CDA (Canadian Dental Association).

 

What you should know about the DAT

All Canadian schools except for McGill use your DAT scores in the admissions process. Not all schools consider scores from all sections.

Sections of the DAT include:

• Carving - 30 minutes (optional portion)
  
• Biology (40 Q) and Chemistry (30 Q) - 60 minutes
  
• PAT (90 Q) - 60 minutes
  
• Reading Comprehension (50 Q) - 50 minutes
  

TS = Total Science. Weighted Average from Biology and Chemistry

AA = Academic Average. Weighted Average from Biology, Chemistry and Reading Comprehension sections based on the number of questions each section has.

PAT = Perceptual Ability Test (angle discrimination, form development, cubes, orthographic projections and apertures)

 

Each score may range from 0-30 . Ideally you would want a score in the 20-30 range.

 

Unlike the American DAT, the Canadian DAT has the optional Carving portion but NO O-CHEM OR QUANTITATIVE REASONING. The Canadian DAT is also completely paper based.

 

Grade Conversion Scale - Use this to calculate your GPA. For more information, scroll down to "How do I calculate my GPA" in this thread. Keep in mind that some schools may not consider all undergrad years. Refer to each school's admissions page for more details.

 

Canadian Dental Schools

There are 10 dental schools in Canada. Here is a list of them according to province. The links take you to their DMD/DDS admissions website with plenty of details on the application process.

 

British Columbia

University of British Columbia

 

Alberta

University of Alberta

 

Saskatchewan

University of Saskatchewan

 

Manitoba

University of Manitoba

 

Ontario

University of Western Ontario

University of Toronto

 

Quebec

McGill

Laval University (French)

University of Montreal (French)

 

Nova Scotia

Dalhousie University

 

Guide for Pre-dental Students

September 2011

Written by aravis

 

This guide was written by a current dental student with the well-being of pre-dents in mind. Having been in those shoes, feeling lost, and not knowing who to trust, this straightforward guide was made. The guide is targeted towards Canadian pre-dental undergraduate students interested in applying to English speaking dental schools. Unfortunately, I have limited expertise in French Canadian dental school admissions.

You’ve started your undergrad with that one goal in mind: get into dental school.

 

1st Year

• Aim for a 4.0 GPA or >90% average

o Though pristine academics aren’t necessary to get into dental school, they certainly go a long way in terms of making you a competitive applicant.

o A 3.85 - 4.0 GPA is ideal. Anything less than 3.6 would make it very tough for you to get to the interview stage. But hey, there’s always the states.

• Plan your required prerequisites

o It would be wise to plan ahead while you’re still starting your program so you can make any changes if necessary to fulfill the prerequisites.

• Get involved!

o For schools like McGill and UBC, extracurriculars play a role in supporting your application. McGill will be especially interested in your community involvement and love of hockey (no kidding). You'll also need some life experiences that you'll be able to talk about during the interview.

 

1st Summer

• Shadow dentists

o Get to know the profession before you apply rather than after you spend tens of thousands of dollars on a few years of tuition. If you’re just in it for career stability, you’re going to end up hating it really quickly.

o Shadow a dentist who is willing to mentor you. FYI, American schools require a reference letter from a dentist.

• Take summer school (if you need to)

o Some people don’t have time to fit all the prerequisite courses into the regular school year.

o Some schools don’t count courses taken during the summer as part of your GPA. So if you feel that you will do poorly in a prerequisite course, it might not be a bad choice to take it at summer school. (Check specific schools for details)

• Study for the DAT

o For the keeners: You may apply to

Alberta

,

Saskatchewan

,

Manitoba

, and

Dalhousie

if you want to get in after second year. So get started early and study for the DAT! Purchase your knife and soaps and get carving.

o

Recommended resources

: Kaplan,

IQ publications,

Rock the DAT

, Barrons, DAT destroyer, AP chem and bio books.

(Note: material on the DAT does not change from year to year so older editions of DAT prep books will help just as well)

 

2nd Year

• Maintain a high GPA

o 2nd year is usually significantly harder than 1st year due to overwhelming amount of new material presented to you. Work hard and don’t slack.

• Write the DAT

o For people applying to get in after 2nd year, it’s suggested to write in November of your 2nd year.

o For people planning to apply in 3rd year, it’s suggested to write in February of your 2nd year. The consensus is that the February DAT is less competitive than the November DAT.

• Stay involved!

 

2nd Summer

• Research?

o If you’re interested and you have the grades, a summer research project might not be a bad idea. You’ll learn a lot and the experience is invaluable.

• Study for the DAT

o In third year, you can apply to

UBC

,

UofA

,

UofS

,

UofM

,

UofT

and

Dalhousie

.

• Stay involved and shadow or work

 

3rd Year

• Basically the same approach as 2nd year!

 

3rd Summer

• Any combination of: Research, shadow/work with a dentist, and stay involved!

• Study for the DAT (if you haven’t already)

o Your fourth year of undergrad is quickly approaching.

• Write personal statements

o American schools, UBC, and McGill require some sort of personal statement. Check their respective websites for specific requirements.

• Apply to American schools as backup

o

If

you feel that you need to

and

you will have the funding, apply to some American schools. Be aware that American tuition is

significantly

higher.

o Applications usually start at the beginning of June and they’re rolling admission so get on it!

 

This year you’ll be able to apply to pretty much all the dental schools:

UBC, UofA, UofS, UofM, UWO, UofT, McGill, and Dalhousie

Note: McGill doesn’t require the DAT

 

4th Year

• Write the DAT

• Interviews (hopefully!)

o

McGill

is traditional style. They will ask questions like “why dentistry”, “why McGill”, and “are you a hockey fan” (c’mon, it’s montreal, they’re big on hockey).

o

UBC, UofM, UWO, UofT, and Dalhousie

are CDA style meaning they ask you seven behavioural/situational questions and you are graded out of 5 on each question.

o

UofA and UofS

are MMI style.

Tips: PRACTICE! Practice with friends who are willing to give you brutally honest feedback.

• Don’t stress out too much and don’t lose hope. Also don’t slack off because some schools will still look at your fourth year marks!

 

If you still have questions and/or you're feeling lost, don't hesitate to pm me for advice.

 

Okay yes i'm lost!

so you're telling me .. pre-dental is a 4 year course?

[aravis]

Okay yes i'm lost!

so you're telling me .. pre-dental is a 4 year course?

 

Not necessarily. It depends on the school(s) you're interested in. Certain schools (McGill, UWO, and American schools) require a bachelors degree first. Other Canadian schools don't. I just outlined a typical pre-dent route since a large number of dental students are admitted after they've finished four years.

[dentIwannabe]

Hi there,

 

I'm wondering if someone could help me out with a question I have regarding a course I'd like to take. There is a course offered for fourth year students at my university (UofOttawa) and instead of getting a mark for the course, it is a "pass/fail" course (some schools call them Complete or Incomplete courses). This means at the end of the term, a "P" would go on my transcript.

 

Other than the obvious consequence of this being that it is slightly more of a gamble for your GPA (it could help it or hurt it) since your calculation of year 4 would be divided by 9 instead of 10 so your other courses would count for a bit more, does anyone see any other consequence that this might have? Is there any school that doesn't accept pass/fail courses? I know UofT allows you to take up to 1 full credit per year, but I'm not sure about other dental schools.

 

Thanks for any advice!

[Legion]

Hi there,

 

I'm wondering if someone could help me out with a question I have regarding a course I'd like to take. There is a course offered for fourth year students at my university (UofOttawa) and instead of getting a mark for the course, it is a "pass/fail" course (some schools call them Complete or Incomplete courses). This means at the end of the term, a "P" would go on my transcript.

 

Other than the obvious consequence of this being that it is slightly more of a gamble for your GPA (it could help it or hurt it) since your calculation of year 4 would be divided by 9 instead of 10 so your other courses would count for a bit more, does anyone see any other consequence that this might have? Is there any school that doesn't accept pass/fail courses? I know UofT allows you to take up to 1 full credit per year, but I'm not sure about other dental schools.

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

 

Bump

 

Does anyone know if western accepts pass/fail courses? tried calling but I think admin is on vacation or something.

[DRUNKEN GORILLA]

Bump

 

Does anyone know if western accepts pass/fail courses? tried calling but I think admin is on vacation or something.

 

Western and Sask accept pass/fail courses. I did second year 30 credits,

3 P/F. They counted full course load it, and calculated with 27 marks.

[Oliver86]

Can someone please tell me what is the equivalent of UBC's Biochem Biochemistry (BIOC 300 or 303; or BIOL 201 and BIOC 302) at YorkU?

[dentIwannabe]

I was wondering if anyone could post a link or describe where I could find the admission statistics for University of Toronto DDS students graduating in 2016? (Accepted this year)

 

Thank you in advance.

[CapillaryWave]

I, unfortunately, do not have a proper source for this information, but if I were to base this years statistics on previous years, it'd be approximately: >3.75 GPA, 21 AA, & 21 PAT. Take that information with a grain of salt, but you can also e-mail admissions@dentistry.utoronto.ca and request the statistics.

 

I was wondering if anyone could post a link or describe where I could find the admission statistics for University of Toronto DDS students graduating in 2016? (Accepted this year)

 

Thank you in advance.

[shosh28]

Can someone please tell me what is the equivalent of UBC's Biochem Biochemistry (BIOC 300 or 303; or BIOL 201 and BIOC 302) at YorkU?

 

i know this is from awhile ago, but in case you're still wondering, the biochem courses at york are biol 2020 and 2021