SeoJisooIsMyWaifu Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 Hello esteemed Premed101 users, I'm a Canadian who recently received an offer from UQ to start dentistry next February. Before I make my decision to accept the offer, I wish to hear your opinions and thoughts with regards to UQ/Australian dental. Any tips, advice, pieces of wisdom would be very much appreciated. And yes, I have already looked through the forum but more information wouldn't hurt. A bit of information about myself: I'm a science graduate. My GPA ranges 3.88 - 3.95, depending on whether all or last few years are calculated. I have been rejected three times from a certain dental school already and once from another; I applied as an OOP. I'm currently "recovering" MDD, being employed at a reputable biotech company to keep myself busy and away from dark thoughts. My contract ends near the end of the year so the offer was rather timely. Thank you in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrophysicsblackguy Posted July 14, 2017 Report Share Posted July 14, 2017 I think it's a good idea. I've applied to Melbourne and will accept if the offer once I get it. I have a 95% average at UofT and 25AA/25PAT DAT scores, but I'm not very good at interviews which led to me getting rejecting this cycle from Canadian schools. The main downsides are not being to work in the US unless you do a two year program at a US dental school and not being able to specialize (if you want to come back to Canada). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeoJisooIsMyWaifu Posted July 15, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 3 hours ago, astrophysicsblackguy said: I think it's a good idea. I've applied to Melbourne and will accept if the offer once I get it. I have a 95% average at UofT and 25AA/25PAT DAT scores, but I'm not very good at interviews which led to me getting rejecting this cycle from Canadian schools. The main downsides are not being to work in the US unless you do a two year program at a US dental school and not being able to specialize (if you want to come back to Canada). Thank you for your reply. I got rejected at the interview stage as well. Guess they did not like my nervous body trembling despite having answered their questions fluently. I do not plan on working in the US so no worries there but the latter may be of an inconvenience. I keep seeing in the forums that graduates of Australian dental schools will not be able to specialize when they return to Canada. Why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prehealth101 Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 5 hours ago, astrophysicsblackguy said: I think it's a good idea. I've applied to Melbourne and will accept if the offer once I get it. I have a 95% average at UofT and 25AA/25PAT DAT scores, but I'm not very good at interviews which led to me getting rejecting this cycle from Canadian schools. The main downsides are not being to work in the US unless you do a two year program at a US dental school and not being able to specialize (if you want to come back to Canada). Can't you do a residency in US and then practice? I know a Dentist who did this and is now practicing in the states without going through the advanced standing program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
premedschool Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 Just a question, doesn't UQ Dentistry program require 5 years? Why didn't you consider Australian Graduate school that takes up 4 years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ostracized Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 Consider that your time in Australia will cost you the better part of $500,000. Will you be able to finance that? How do you plan to pay that off when you return to Canada? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thank4 Posted July 15, 2017 Report Share Posted July 15, 2017 If you are getting interviews in Canada then I would consider trying a few more times before going overseas. I've been in the same boat myself, couldn't make it past the interview stage for many years. I also applied to Australia and gained acceptances every time I applied. It was always a struggle turning down the offer and giving Canada another try. But please have faith in yourself and work on your interview skills and it will payoff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeoJisooIsMyWaifu Posted July 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 On 2017/7/14 at 9:31 PM, premedschool said: Just a question, doesn't UQ Dentistry program require 5 years? Why didn't you consider Australian Graduate school that takes up 4 years? Yes, I've applied to other Australian dental programs and am still waiting to hear back from them. UQ was simple and quick; they accepted me a week/two after I submitted my application. Trying to transfer credits right now so hopefully I'll be able to reduce the duration. On 2017/7/15 at 6:50 AM, Ostracized said: Consider that your time in Australia will cost you the better part of $500,000. Will you be able to finance that? How do you plan to pay that off when you return to Canada? I'll be applying for a student line of credit from CIBC and perhaps fund raise via gofundme. A relative of mine is willing to pay for my tuition; but I rather feel guilty about taking her money. I'll be in debt for sure but I presume I'll be able to pay it all back in <10 years, assuming I'll be paying off $5K/month. 500K is a pretty good estimate of the costs for 5 years but I'm currently trying to transfer some credits so I'll be able to reduce my tuition. On 2017/7/15 at 10:31 AM, thank4 said: If you are getting interviews in Canada then I would consider trying a few more times before going overseas. I've been in the same boat myself, couldn't make it past the interview stage for many years. I also applied to Australia and gained acceptances every time I applied. It was always a struggle turning down the offer and giving Canada another try. But please have faith in yourself and work on your interview skills and it will payoff! If I were young, I would definitely give Canada a few more tries. However, I'm old and tired of waiting year after year and getting rejected again and again. As a person predisposed to MDD, my mind won't be able to take it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thank4 Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 I got in after my fifth year of applying. If it's something you love, it's never too late. What's another 3 years for a 45 year career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeoJisooIsMyWaifu Posted July 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 20 minutes ago, thank4 said: I got in after my fifth year of applying. If it's something you love, it's never too late. What's another 3 years for a 45 year career. I may stay in Canada for another year or two if I manage to get a decent job after my contract is over. Accordingly, I'll try reapplying to Canadian dental once again in this case. However, it's unlikely I'll be able to find a decent paying job immediately afterwards. Another 3 years is a very long time, especially for someone who lives on the brink everyday and fantasizes about starting a family before 30. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thank4 Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 I know its tough, I was stuck at a minimum wage job working 60 hours a week but only paid for 40 no more than a few months ago. But trust me, it will all be worth it. Since you are thinking about starting a family, wouldn't going to Australia making that even harder? There's plenty of time before the next interview cycle, you got this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ostracized Posted July 18, 2017 Report Share Posted July 18, 2017 6 hours ago, SeoJisooIsMyWaifu said: FI'll be applying for a student line of credit from CIBC and perhaps fund raise via gofundme. A relative of mine is willing to pay for my tuition; but I rather feel guilty about taking her money. I'll be in debt for sure but I presume I'll be able to pay it all back in <10 years, assuming I'll be paying off $5K/month. 500K is a pretty good estimate of the costs for 5 years but I'm currently trying to transfer some credits so I'll be able to reduce my tuition. Just be wary about the costs. I can't recommend becoming a dentist for an amount of money even close to $500,000. If I had to pay $60,000 after tax per year to service a loan I would be very poor and under a high amount of financial stress. Do a lot of research before you commit and get a good idea about income potentials where you want to work - they vary greatly by geography. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeoJisooIsMyWaifu Posted July 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 17 hours ago, Ostracized said: Just be wary about the costs. I can't recommend becoming a dentist for an amount of money even close to $500,000. If I had to pay $60,000 after tax per year to service a loan I would be very poor and under a high amount of financial stress. Do a lot of research before you commit and get a good idea about income potentials where you want to work - they vary greatly by geography. Estimated tuition fees for UQ is $376,197 AUD. Plus mandatory insurance and other administrative fees, it'll probably be around $380,000 AUD/CAD, give or take, for 5 years. I aim to reduce that to $330,000-350,000 by transferring credits. $500,000 was a very rough estimate which includes living costs as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WomboCombo Posted July 19, 2017 Report Share Posted July 19, 2017 You probably have to factor in interest on the tuition and living expenses. You also need to likely factor in costs of travelling to and from the school and Canada. I would say a bit more than 500K CAD sounds reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themuffinman11 Posted October 12, 2018 Report Share Posted October 12, 2018 On 7/17/2017 at 8:02 PM, thank4 said: I got in after my fifth year of applying. If it's something you love, it's never too late. What's another 3 years for a 45 year career. Jeez, are you serious? You spent 5 years applying? If you got in right away to a school abroad, you would have 5 years of salary plus experience working as a dentist (allowing you to increase your speed/income even faster) Yeah going to school in US or AUS is expensive but damn, those 5 years of lost income would have given you at least $500k+ lol (more likely 750+) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McMarauder Posted October 21, 2018 Report Share Posted October 21, 2018 I don't think being an Australian grad excludes you from specializing in Canada. People may be confusing this with Australian dental specialists not being recognized in Canada. I was doing some research in specializing at UofT and this is what is on their website. Admission Candidates will be accepted under the general regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Eligible applicants must have either a dental degree or a 4-year Bachelor’s degree with a B+ or 3.30 GPA (MSc program) or a A- or 3.70 GPA (PhD program) standing in the final year, or possess equivalent qualifications. The selection of applicants will be subject to availability of supervision, funding and facilities, and to the applicant’s suitability for the program sought. And then it goes on to talk about english proficiency score requirements. It may be more difficult for an Australian grad to specialize in Canada, but there's nothing that says "canadian grads only". Regarding OP's situation: If you can get into a 4 year post-graduate program, do that instead of the 5 years. it'll cost less, and won't feel like such a long drag (4 years already felt like a long time). The other thing to consider with UQ is the maturity of your classmates. A lot of them will be fresh out of highschool, and this may negatively affect your experience as many of them will not be as mature, and difficult to relate to. If you're going to be there for 5 years, you want to have a group of friends as a support network, especially being so far away from home. Given your history of MDD, being halfway across the world away from friends and family may make things worse, and hinder your studies. You may see this acceptance as your golden ticket, but going through dental school and working as a dentist comes with their own distinct challenges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thank4 Posted October 22, 2018 Report Share Posted October 22, 2018 On 10/12/2018 at 10:52 AM, themuffinman11 said: Jeez, are you serious? You spent 5 years applying? If you got in right away to a school abroad, you would have 5 years of salary plus experience working as a dentist (allowing you to increase your speed/income even faster) Yeah going to school in US or AUS is expensive but damn, those 5 years of lost income would have given you at least $500k+ lol (more likely 750+) sorry, I was talking about med. The difference in going abroad for med is quite significant due to residency Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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