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Dentistry Entry Discussion and Questions

ajs604

Member
So I have decided to apply for undergraduate dentistry for 2019 entry. Would I stand a good chance for entry with a GPA of 5.3 to Griffth, La Trobe or JCU? A last resort would be Charles Stuart. I already have a degree in podiatry so can demonstrate good manual dexterity skills, which I am hoping will look good on my application. I don't wish to go through the graduate entry process.
 

DrLeo

Member
A 5.3GPA will make it very difficult to be considered for any dental school however if you come from a rural background and are willing to practice rural dentistry, I'd look at JCU as they may look at your application which is very important. I've heard of students getting into JCU with a GPA below 6 in the past, however this may have changed significantly as dental schools are getting more and more competitive.
You may also want to do another year of uni somewhere and get a GPA of 7 which will open up a few more options.
Best of luck!
 

ajs604

Member
Thank you for your reply. I also have honours as did my undergrad degree in the UK, would this make any difference. Also if I get a good UMAT score would this make any difference?
 

DrLeo

Member
Hello again.
I know a couple of students that got in with first class honors as this is highly regarded and both of these students didn't have the best GPAs. It may depend on what area of study your honors degree is in however I'm not sure....might be best to check with the uni as both the students I know completed their honors in science based studies.
 

ajs604

Member
Hi it was part of that link you sent. In England everyone graduates with honours unless your a very, very poor student.

Can anyone help with my options for Latrobe or Charles Stuart? I am 35 next year so ideally need to get a place for 2019. My previous degree is in podiatry.
 

acbard9

Auckland MBChB
In terms of your options, it is perhaps in your best interest to begin another university course (PGDip/Cert etc.), and get as good a GPA as possible in order to improve or replace your 5.3 GPA. I believe this may even be required if your degree was completed more than 10 years ago. You have stated that you do not wish to do Post Grad entry, but that's probably the best option to maximise the number of places available to you :) .

As Dr. Leo said, I believe JCU is the only university you will have a chance at, provided you can demonstrate a keenness to work in rural areas in your application and that you've got relevant life experiences :) . However, a 5.3 GPA may need a strong application.

Best of luck.
 

ajs604

Member
In terms of your options, it is perhaps in your best interest to begin another university course (PGDip/Cert etc.), and get as good a GPA as possible in order to improve or replace your 5.3 GPA. I believe this may even be required if your degree was completed more than 10 years ago. You have stated that you do not wish to do Post Grad entry, but that's probably the best option to maximise the number of places available to you :) .

As Dr. Leo said, I believe JCU is the only university you will have a chance at, provided you can demonstrate a keenness to work in rural areas in your application and that you've got relevant life experiences :) . However, a 5.3 GPA may need a strong application.

Best of luck.
Hi thank you for your advice. All of the unis I have looked at for undergrad do not mention anything about being outside the 10 year rule. Would I have any chance with la Trobe since it is much closer to me? I see that la Trobe requires the UMAT and I would also qualify as I have lived in a rural area for over five years?
 

acbard9

Auckland MBChB
Hi,

I couldn't be exactly sure of your chances, but a 5.3 GPA may not be high enough for La Trobe Dent. In your La Trobe application (as a non-Yr 12), you will be given the option to write a personal statement to add anything you might want them to consider (e.g. rural experience, manual dexterity), and there is likely to be an interview. Perhaps this might be your saving grace, but with the median ATAR scores for entry being around 98, it may be quite unlikely.

If Dentistry is your dream, please consider another University course or GAMSAT :) .

Best of luck.
 

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ajs604

Member
Thank you for your reply. It looks like Lab Trobe will be out as my Atar is only about 80.

I would go the postgrad route but because of my age it would take me 2-3 years to do a postgraduate diploma whilst working. My plan was to hopefully get in, in 2019 on an undergraduate course. I have looked at Adelaide and it seems I may be able to get in there, but it is not clear whether they count atar? Do you know if this is true?

I have good manual dexterity skills as have worked as a podiatrist for almost 10 years so I feel my skills would be very transferable to dentistry. I am hoping this alone would look good at interview.
 

acbard9

Auckland MBChB
Interesting... it seems as if Adelaide re-did the website. Last month when I was checking details, it clearly stated that ATAR was a factor they considered. However, the new booklet states that interviews are dependent on UMAT, and your 5.3 GPA is above the 5.0 GPA that they require.

I mean, unless anyone else has conflicting information, maybe Adelaide is the way to go.

https://health.adelaide.edu.au/site...ntal-surgery-oral-health-admissions-guide.pdf

Page 9: "Interviews are by invitation only, and will be offered by the University on the basis of an applicant’s UMAT score, with each of the three UMAT sections having equal weighting"
and Page 10: "To meet the minimum academic threshold for entry into the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree at the University of Adelaide, applicants must achieve: Grade Point Average (GPA): 5.0 or above – only applicable for Higher Education [Tertiary Transfer] applicants."

BUT it is then stated that a ATAR much higher than 90 is probably required due to competitiveness, so I would assume that a GPA much higher than 5 will be required due to the increasing competition.

So... maybe UMAT for an interview, and UMAT + GPA/ATAR + Interview for a place?

DDest ?
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
So... maybe UMAT for an interview, and UMAT + GPA/ATAR + Interview for a place?

It says on page 9:
"Merit ranking process - Applicants will be ranked for consideration of an offer based on their performance in the three components of the admissions process:
> interview results: first ranking level
> UMAT Results: second ranking level
> academic results: meets threshold and final ranking level"

The way it's written it doesn't look like the three scores are combined but are used in three separate cuts. Also the statement "ATAR much higher than 90 is probably required" means each level is only a partial cut (since a full cut by interview results first would rarely bring ATAR into being a factor).

So hypothetically, they eliminate say the bottom 30% interview scores first (possibly including some with top UMAT+ATAR), then the bottom 30% UMAT scores, then rank the remaining on ATAR for place offers.
 

DDest

UAdel BDS III
Interesting... it seems as if Adelaide re-did the website. Last month when I was checking details, it clearly stated that ATAR was a factor they considered. However, the new booklet states that interviews are dependent on UMAT, and your 5.3 GPA is above the 5.0 GPA that they require.

I mean, unless anyone else has conflicting information, maybe Adelaide is the way to go.

https://health.adelaide.edu.au/site...ntal-surgery-oral-health-admissions-guide.pdf

Page 9: "Interviews are by invitation only, and will be offered by the University on the basis of an applicant’s UMAT score, with each of the three UMAT sections having equal weighting"
and Page 10: "To meet the minimum academic threshold for entry into the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degree at the University of Adelaide, applicants must achieve: Grade Point Average (GPA): 5.0 or above – only applicable for Higher Education [Tertiary Transfer] applicants."

BUT it is then stated that a ATAR much higher than 90 is probably required due to competitiveness, so I would assume that a GPA much higher than 5 will be required due to the increasing competition.

So... maybe UMAT for an interview, and UMAT + GPA/ATAR + Interview for a place?

DDest ?

Hello!

For Adelaide, usually a UMAT score higher than 90 is required. 93 was the threshold value for 2016.

Similarly, with the GPA, a GPA higher than 5.0 will likely be required.

In order to get an interview, your UMAT score needs to be competitive. Then as A1 said, candidates are ranked based on the interview scores first, then on UMAT, and lastly GPA/ATAR.

ajs604, in regards to the honours. UQ has a different GPA to ATAR conversion for "2A or 1st Honours, Masters by Thesis, PhD and higher degrees". Provided that you have a high enough UMAT and that your honours is equivalent to any of the aforementioned, then UQ dent might be a possibility too.
 
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ajs604

Member
Hi in terms of applying for La Trobe could I do a first year of a degree via distance learning (open university) for example to improve my GPA so ideally I hit all the 6s and then get a competitive Umat score? I see that la Trobe offer a bachelor of food and nutrition it also covers chemistry which I have not done for a few years. It seems to cover all the bases. If this is an option then I would start this ASAP so I could apply next year.
 
Hi in terms of applying for La Trobe could I do a first year of a degree via distance learning (open university) for example to improve my GPA so ideally I hit all the 6s and then get a competitive Umat score? I see that la Trobe offer a bachelor of food and nutrition it also covers chemistry which I have not done for a few years. It seems to cover all the bases. If this is an option then I would start this ASAP so I could apply next year.
Hi, ajs604. The dental faculty of La Trobe told me that they don't mechanically look at an applicant's GPA and apply a cut off. They'll assess your academic history. If you really want to do a course at La trobe, maybe study the bachelor of Oral Health Science. It allows you to apply for an internal transfer into dentistry without sitting the UMAT.
 

Ann Alex

Member
Hey Guys, why is the csu dentistry course only 5 years when its 7 in Usyd?

Also is it worth giving umat a shot now? Or woulf i just do more harm to my upcoming trials and hsc
 
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Tomato

Regular Member
Hey Guys, why is the csu dentistry course only 5 years when its 7 in Usyd?

Undergraduate dentistry is typically 5 years. USyd, UMelb and UWA dentistry are 7 years because you have to study 3 years bachelor plus 4 years DMD or DDS. The scope of practice has no difference, therefore most people prefer undergraduate dentistry because of the shorter time.
 

Ann Alex

Member
hey, I am seriously contemplating doing dentistry. But I have a few questions about CSU. I don't think I will make it to USYD .
In CSU, do I need to do an application if so when ? what are the requirements for me to get into CSU dentistry course. also if is competitive?
please help. I cant decide for my dear life and I am stressing really bad
 

A1

Rookie Doc
Moderator
In CSU, do I need to do an application if so when ? what are the requirements for me to get into CSU dentistry course. also if is competitive?
please help. I cant decide for my dear life and I am stressing really bad

You submit one application in August to UAC for all NSW unis. You are given 6 (I think) course preferences, use one of them for CSU Dent.

Have a read of this post > 2018 Entry Interview Invites - Collated
it's long so I copy the CSU part to here for you, apparently you need 88+%ile UMAT to get an interview

Charles Sturt University - DENTISTRY

Interview invites appear to have been released at approximately midday on Tuesday the 24th of October.

59/83/53 (98th), 99.05, school leaver (gap year)
70/60/50 (91st), 98-99.00, school leaver
56/67/59 (92nd), 99.20, school leaver
68/55/59 (92nd), 97.00, school leaver (gap year)
52/49/75 (88th), 7.00, non-standard
61/46/70 (88th), 95.00+, school leaver

You should also look to La Trobe, the ATAR cutoff there has been quite low
> 2017-18 Dent schools Selection Criteria Y12s & Non-standards
 

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