CSU CSU Dentistry: Q&A and General Discussion

[Yamster]

Yikes, that’s interesting. I’m in Med and myself and many of my classmates routinely miss lectures, labs, etc in order to attend work. There are some (fairly minimal) compulsory components of the course, but as long as you’re passing/handing assignments in, etc, no one (and especially not fellow students who will share notes/be supportive etc) frowns upon it. Is this a Dent thing? Or more specifically a CSU Dent thing? I, for one, couldn’t study Med without also working. I’d be bankrupt!

I think to clarify (IMO at least) the biggest thing that a dental student shouldn't miss is simulation labs - especially in the earlier years (these are labs where you work on fake people/teeth for all you non-dental people out there or to be dent students). These labs are there to develop hand dexterity, instrumentation use and just getting a general feel of sitting with a straight back and working on a model. They're normally compulsory anyway but unless you're sick enough that you physically can't get out of bed to go to university it's best to go as there aren't many chances available for catchup. Eg, in one lab you might be drilling out a carious tooth and the next session you're doing a Class II box preparation and restoration - it's hard to fit in the previous class activities into the next class, etc.

Lectures and what not - sure you can catch up on.

Note: This is just my 2c as a dental student and not necessarily reflective of the CSU coursework as I've no idea how the CSU program is set out - maybe the lectures there are just as important as the lab work?!

 

[Unluckydude]

Yikes, that’s interesting. I’m in Med and myself and many of my classmates routinely miss lectures, labs, etc in order to attend work. There are some (fairly minimal) compulsory components of the course, but as long as you’re passing/handing assignments in, etc, no one (and especially not fellow students who will share notes/be supportive etc) frowns upon it. Is this a Dent thing? Or more specifically a CSU Dent thing? I, for one, couldn’t study Med without also working. I’d be bankrupt!

I heard that academic results are very important when applying for dental specialities (I know this is not the case for medical specialities). Some dental schools (dental specialities are taught by universities) explicitly stated on their websites that only top 5-10% of the cohort will get accepted into a dental speciality. Additionally, some students may want to sit the FRACDS exam in their final year of dental school which requires a lot of studies and preparation.

Note: I haven't even started dental school yet, please take my advice with a grain of salt.

I’m with LMG. That’s a very disappointing response to students missing classes to work - I’m sure most, if not all, would prefer to be at their classes instead of work if they had a choice! At least, that’s how myself and my peers generally feel - you take work when you can get it, and unfortunately this sometimes means some unavoidable clashes with uni.

I agree that the majority of people who skip classes to work had no choice. "Never try and attend work instead of Dent related subjects" is a bit too extreme. But I think what Omm is trying to say is that dental/medical students should always prioritise their studies and focus on improving their clinical skills. Unskilled doctors and dentists are as bad as unethical/impatient/nasty/business-orientated doctors/dentists. Considering how competitive full-fee and international places are, it is reasonable to say that some dental/medical students don't have to work to support themselves. These students really shouldn't skip class to work if they are struggling to learn the clinical skills required to diagnose and treat their patients. Additionally, they should try to get good grades if they want to get into a competitive speciality.

 

[Tomato]

I heard that academic results are very important when applying for dental specialities (I know this is not the case for medical specialities). Some dental schools (dental specialities are taught by universities) explicitly stated on their websites that only top 5-10% of the cohort will get accepted into a dental speciality. Additionally, some students may want to sit the FRACDS exam in their final year of dental school which requires a lot of studies and preparation.

Note: I haven't even started dental school yet, please take my advice with a grain of salt.

Basically correct.

"Never try and attend work instead of Dent related subjects" is a bit too extreme.

It's not too extreme. Whenever possible you shouldn't miss out dent related subjects, esp. the simulation sessions.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Basically correct.

It's not too extreme. Whenever possible you shouldn't miss out dent related subjects, esp. the simulation sessions.

What I was most taken aback by was the notion that missing classes in order to work was "heavily frowned upon" by fellow students. Unless it's impacting on group work, then I personally feel it's not really any of their business! I understand the possible impact on grades and specialisation down the track, but the idea of students judging other students (particularly for something like needing to be employed!) just made me really uncomfortable.

 

[Tomato]

What I was most taken aback by was the notion that missing classes in order to work was "heavily frowned upon" by fellow students. Unless it's impacting on group work, then I personally feel it's not really any of their business! I understand the possible impact on grades and specialisation down the track, but the idea of students judging other students (particularly for something like needing to be employed!) just made me really uncomfortable.

I agree what you said. The comments I gave was based on Unluckydude's dental related questions.

 

[laerla]

I heard that academic results are very important when applying for dental specialities (I know this is not the case for medical specialities). Some dental schools (dental specialities are taught by universities) explicitly stated on their websites that only top 5-10% of the cohort will get accepted into a dental speciality. Additionally, some students may want to sit the FRACDS exam in their final year of dental school which requires a lot of studies and preparation.

Note: I haven't even started dental school yet, please take my advice with a grain of salt.

I think we get told that a lot back in the days, but I think it's just a way to make people study...definitely not true nowadays.

 

[Unluckydude]

I think we get told that a lot back in the days, but I think it's just a way to make people study...definitely not true nowadays.

So how do they select candidates? Purely based on interview performance and work experience?

 

[Tomato]

My friends who got into specialties, they actually had to repeat a particular year of dental school, so I am going to say their marks weren't in the top 5-10%, probably not even in the average section. One of them worked public for about 3 years before applying. The other one worked privately, but wasn't even full time though, it was like part time and a little bit inconsistent. So tbh, I don't know the uni's exact criteria when selecting candidates.
All I'm saying is what we got told as a dental student from back in the days, things like good marks, good Primaries results (FRACDS) etc., that would get us into specialties, is not 100% true anymore.
Good interview is definitely one of the important thing, it's about getting people to like you. It's like applying for a job, honestly, nobody is going to look at your marks, as long as you graduated from dental school, and not many employers actually call your referees either. They still want to see you in person, talk to you, and find out if you will fit into their team.
So like I said in previous posts, make sure you go out and meet other colleagues/dentists/specialists, and definitely be on good term with people who you know are in charge of accepting people into the specialties that you want to get into.
But I'm not telling you not to study lol.....still try to get good marks, that is a bonus

Maybe "a good dad is better than good marks" in your friend's case?

 

[laerla]

Maybe "a good dad is better than good marks" in your friend's case?

Well, I do agree that dentistry, like everything else, has a lot to do with connections. That is how the rich people in the world get richer lol.
In their cases, neither of their parents are in the healthcare industry, and their parents don't even live in the same state as where they worked/studied. So I think chance of that is minimal, but I mean I could be wrong, who knows...

 

[Milo]

Has anyone gotten a top up offer for CSU dent this week? Or are there people still declining their offers for CSU dent? I rang them yesterday and they said they will probably be offering places right up until class starts.

 

[ThunderDragon]

Sorry if this is the wrong place but I don't see a CSU Dentistry thread. Was wondering if there was any point in putting a preference for CSU Dent as a non-rural interstate applicant with a 77th percentile UCAT or whether I should put another course instead?

 

[Cal]

Sorry if this is the wrong place but I don't see a CSU Dentistry thread. Was wondering if there was any point in putting a preference for CSU Dent as a non-rural interstate applicant with a 77th percentile UCAT or whether I should put another course instead?

If I am honest, you are in will a slim-no chance of getting an interview; but if you wish to do dentistry, and have a spot for it then it cannot hurt as long as you have a backup you are sure you will get into

 

[ThunderDragon]

If I am honest, you are in will a slim-no chance of getting an interview; but if you wish to do dentistry, and have a spot for it then it cannot hurt as long as you have a backup you are sure you will get into

Ah okay yeah I guess it doesn't hurt to leave it on.

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Sorry if this is the wrong place but I don't see a CSU Dentistry thread.

Not only is there a thread, there’s a whole CSU Dent sub-forum.

 

[JustADentKid]

What I was most taken aback by was the notion that missing classes in order to work was "heavily frowned upon" by fellow students. Unless it's impacting on group work, then I personally feel it's not really any of their business! I understand the possible impact on grades and specialisation down the track, but the idea of students judging other students (particularly for something like needing to be employed!) just made me really uncomfortable.

There is a reason why it's heavily frowned upon by fellow students. It's not about judging other students, but it's about getting everyone through the year. As a current dent student at CSU, unless it's a dire emergency, do not skip class. Especially during first year. Here, we start many hand dexterity activities very early, including wire bending, wax carving, and Class I and Class V cavities. You aren't given many sessions to hone in your skills. You are given approximately 6 sessions(18hours), before you do your first exam worth only 15%. For the first one, you have Class 5 cavities on 3 different teeth to do. One chance per tooth. The margin of error is puny. You're literally working with portions of a milimeter. Before you say, "Oh, I'm not going to fail the first time", let me put this into perspective. Cavity drilling is a must pass. If you fail your first time, you have to do a resit. If you fail your resit, you fail the year. Approximately 5-10% of the cohort regularly fails the year because of this. There are multiple exams such as this, not just this one that you must pass.

 

[hotdog88]

When do CSU interview offers come out? Has anyone received them yet? Says on their site last week of October will be the date.
Also does UAC automatically send universities your ATAR?

 

[nb]

When do CSU interview offers come out? Has anyone received them yet? Says on their site last week of October will be the date.
Also does UAC automatically send universities your ATAR?

From what I've heard, they will be rolling the interview invites out throughout this week and should be sending them still through up until about 5th of November. And yes, UAC automatically is given your ATAR due to the student number you gave them in the application.

 

[hotdog88]

From what I've heard, they will be rolling the interview invites out throughout this week and should be sending them still through up until about 5th of November. And yes, UAC automatically is given your ATAR due to the student number you gave them in the application.

Thanks for the reply
Im not sure if i included a student number in my UAC app since im non standard entry. I called them up and they said they would use whichever of atar/gpa was higher. I just included my high school i think ...
Also any reason why its throughout the week and not just instantly given out on a set date?

 

[nb]

Thanks for the reply
Im not sure if i included a student number in my UAC app since im non standard entry. I called them up and they said they would use whichever of atar/gpa was higher. I just included my high school i think ...
Also any reason why its throughout the week and not just instantly given out on a set date?

I'm not sure, I guess not to overload the system or something? Like WSU/CSU also do it throughout the week, along with many other universities like JMP…

 

[c3333]

Hi everyone,

I was expecting an offer for an interview but wasn’t to be. Could anyone please confirm that they received an offer for an interview and what date? Thank you

cheers