Griffith Griffith Dentistry: Admissions General Discussion

[A1]

Well - if I had to choose between a university with standardised entry requirements - I wouldn't choose the one that charged >$120k full fee paying for the masters component alone. Would you?

When entrance didn't require UCAT/interview students chose to do Griffith dent only after they didn't get into a CSP school. Now with UCAT/interview this situation will be essentially the same. Why do you think it won't go down well for Griffith?

 

[Crow]

Well - if I had to choose between a university with standardised entry requirements - I wouldn't choose the one that charged >$120k full fee paying for the masters component alone. Would you?

No, but as A1 says that’s not a new change with Griffith, so I don’t see how this would have any impact other than producing a more well-rounded cohort, with the course becoming more accessible to school-leavers as well as non-standards who aren’t able to meet the (currently) insanely high academic requirements.

 

[Unluckydude]

Just a heads up - Griffith Uni have now introduced UCAT + mini interview with prev entry rank 99 - Full Fee paying postgrad still applies - doubt this will go down well for Griffith.



Application information for 2022

From 2022, admission to the Bachelor of Dental Health Science will be determined by the following three essential components:

1. Performance in the Universities Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) - subject to final approval
2. Performance in the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
3. Academic attainment

Selection for entry to the Bachelor of Dental Health Science is a sequential three-stage process. Applicants will be selected for the interview based on their UCAT score. Minimum thresholds for each component must be met. The three weighted components will be combined and candidates will be ranked on their overall score

Are you sure they'll have 99 as a hurdle requirement after they introduce MMI and UCAT? But I understand what you mean. I think I saw it somewhere on this forum that Griffith dent used to require interview and UCAT. As a result, they admitted students who had 80+atar. If the thresholds are set too high, they may not get enough students to fill the spots. But I doubt they'll set ridiculously high thresholds.

I honestly think people don't need 99.80+ATAR/6.875+GPA to study dentistry. A hard working attitude with an atar of 95+ is more than enough to meet the academic requirements for dentistry. However, I do believe that dental schools need to find a way to select students who actually WANT TO BECOME DENTISTS and not doing dentistry just because they didn't get into medicine. Having an interview is a good start. It will be better if dental schools/tertiary admissions centres require students to have done some shadowing and only allow applicants to submit one personal statement to all of the courses they apply.

 

[Cal]

Are you sure they'll have 99 as a hurdle requirement after they introduce MMI and UCAT? But I understand what you mean. I think I saw it somewhere on this forum that Griffith dent used to require interview and UCAT. As a result, they admitted students who had 80+atar. If the thresholds are set too high, they may not get enough students to fill the spots. But I doubt they'll set ridiculously high thresholds.

I honestly think people don't need 99.80+ATAR/6.875+GPA to study dentistry. A hard working attitude with an atar of 95+ is more than enough to meet the academic requirements for dentistry. However, I do believe that dental schools need to find a way to select students who actually WANT TO BECOME DENTISTS and not doing dentistry just because they didn't get into medicine. Having an interview is a good start. It will be better if dental schools/tertiary admissions centres require students to have done some shadowing and only allow applicants to submit one personal statement to all of the courses they apply.

Currently, they are terrible at picking people who actually want to do dentistry, because places like adelaide and so on continue to pick med hopefuls who play it up. I think it will be impossible to start weeding out people like that, unless they make applications exclusive, where you can apply to one, but not both. That would be completely immoral. Best to just try and select the best person, regardless of the intent.

 

[A1]

Are you sure they'll have 99 as a hurdle requirement after they introduce MMI and UCAT?

With the introduction of interviews this year UQ med has lowered their ATAR hurdle from 99 to 96. It's likely Griffith dent will do similarly. However the purpose is to widen the eligible applicants base, not because they fear there would not be enough takers.

Considering Griffith dent set a 99 hurdle yet admission has been 99.6-99.8 or 6.8+ GPA, there have been 3-4 times applicants to places. Even if they kept the hurdle at 99 plus UCAT/MMI I assure you the places would still be filled (because not all these 99+ applicants are assured of a place at the CSP schools).

 

[dotwingz]

Also I dont think theres anything inherently wrong with people who didnt get into med doing dent. As long as they have genuine passion for both med and dent (and didnt just pick dent for the Dr. after their name), then how is this an issue?

 

[Cal]

Also I dont think theres anything inherently wrong with people who didnt get into med doing dent. As long as they have genuine passion for both med and dent (and didnt just pick dent for the Dr. after their name), then how is this an issue?

Obviously there isn't anything wrong with having a passion for both. But this is rare tbh, lots of people have the view which is the later in your statement; which is not good for the profession of dentistry at all. So there is some reasoning on the whole to trying to limit this; but yes there isn't anything directly wrong with doing that.

 

[Crow]

Also I dont think theres anything inherently wrong with people who didnt get into med doing dent. As long as they have genuine passion for both med and dent (and didnt just pick dent for the Dr. after their name), then how is this an issue?

Think the issue is more that many of these don’t actually have a passion for dent, and that it’s the prestige factor that these degrees have in common that attracts many to having dentistry as a back-up for medicine. Personally I don’t see the two careers as particularly similar and you do have to question the motivations of some individuals when dentistry is their back up to medicine.

Getting rather off-topic here, whoops!

 

[Tomato]

With the introduction of interviews this year UQ med has lowered their ATAR hurdle from 99 to 96. It's likely Griffith dent will do similarly. However the purpose is to widen the eligible applicants base, not because they fear there would not be enough takers.

Considering Griffith dent set a 99 hurdle yet admission has been 99.6-99.8 or 6.8+ GPA, there have been 3-4 times applicants to places. Even if they kept the hurdle at 99 plus UCAT/MMI I assure you the places would still be filled (because not all these 99+ applicants are assured of a place at the CSP schools).

From what you said, can I say that although Griffith Dent can fill the places, what they get are the left over from the CSP schools?

Or, in another word, they have to lower down their admission requirement to compete with the CSP scgools?

 

[A1]

From what you said, can I say that although Griffith Dent can fill the places, what they get are the left over from the CSP schools?

Even with the current 99.6-99.8 admissions Griffith dent has been getting "left-overs" from the CSP schools anyway. The added UCAT/MMI makes no difference to this aspect.

IOW its full-fee nature makes it less desirable than CSP schools, whatever they use as admission criteria they cannot compete.

 

[Tomato]

Even with the current 99.6-99.8 admissions Griffith dent has been getting "left-overs" from the CSP schools anyway. The added UCAT/MMI makes no difference to this aspect.

Agree with you comments.

 

[dotwingz]

But this is rare tbh

Think the issue is more that many of these don’t actually have a passion for dent,

Very true. I must've misread the tone of Cal's first statement

(and yes we are getting a little bit off topic )

 

[Crow]

Not at all disagreeing with A1 that a CSP place is more desirable than a FFP, but I definitely don’t think we can conclude that Griffith has been “getting the leftovers” purely on the basis of their 99.8 ATAR / 6.875 GPA cutoff alone! We don’t have any comparative data other than that (obviously that is due to academic results being 100% of the admissions criteria) seeing as Griffith has always had a different criteria.

It’s likely that with these new admissions criteria that Griffith may have slightly lower entry requirements, but I don’t foresee it being significantly less competitive than the likes of UAdel based on how high the academic cutoff currently is - there’s clearly no shortage of high quality applicants there regardless of it being FFP.

I suspect a fair few QLDers think it’s worth the cost to attend Griffith rather than moving interstate anyways - certainly it would be less costly if you’re already from GC than 5 years of interstate living would end up costing.

 

[dotwingz]

Also keep in mind the 120k FFP Masters would still be under the 150k hecs limit! Meaning that the financial burden of the course is delayed. (Unlike a FFP at a grad entry school like UniMelb)

Crow adds: DW is referring to FEE-HELP, which you can use to defer paying Griffith dent fees up front

 

[VJC]

With the introduction of interviews this year UQ med has lowered their ATAR hurdle from 99 to 96. It's likely Griffith dent will do similarly. However the purpose is to widen the eligible applicants base, not because they fear there would not be enough takers.

Considering Griffith dent set a 99 hurdle yet admission has been 99.6-99.8 or 6.8+ GPA, there have been 3-4 times applicants to places. Even if they kept the hurdle at 99 plus UCAT/MMI I assure you the places would still be filled (because not all these 99+ applicants are assured of a place at the CSP schools).

Yes i agree on alot of the points above raised.. however those with a 99 rank were pretty much guaranteed a place at griffith, many mature age students preferred that pathway due to it being the only requirement. I also believe the 99 rank will probably be relaxed.. though UQ is 99 + UCAT. I think there is nothing accessible about the griffith dent program as suggested above. In my opinion (note subjection) the insanely high academic merit is not less achievable than >120k, which probably goes against my original post suggesting it wont go down well... because it is in fact still.. only accessible to those that have the financial capacity. Now there are other conditions adding to those. I dont know many people who have sat the UCAT just once. Anywhoo, what you didnt know then is what you wont know in the future. I do agree griffith being the only current uni without UCAT requirment, has allowed for a more well rounded future cohort of students. I suppose my statement was still solely based on the lack of accessibility of the full fee paying postgrad - which has not changed.

Also keep in mind the 120k FFP Masters would still be under the 150k hecs limit! Meaning that the financial burden of the course is delayed. (Unlike a FFP at a grad entry school like UniMelb)

Full Fee paying means you cant defer the costs to a hecs/help loan, which has recently changed to an accumulation scheme. Therefore you would have to pay the fees per trimester.

 

[dotwingz]

Sorry that’s incorrect. FEE-HELP applies to FEE (ffp as we call it) places, and they merged HECS, VET, and FEE HELP into “Combined/Merged HELP” or something along those lines

FEE-HELP | StudyAssist

When you attend university or an approved higher education provider, you can get a FEE-HELP loan to pay all or part of your tuition fees. FEE-HELP loan does not cover costs like accommodation, laptops or text books, it is to pay your full fee-paying tuition fees. You can view a fact sheet on...

www.studyassist.gov.au

cost of study is still delayed even if it is 120k, meaning no immediate barrier (although disadvantage at later years)

EDIT: I meant to say FEE-HELP not HECS in my OP, thanks Crow for the correction!

 

[DrDrLMG!]

Full Fee paying means you cant defer the costs to a hecs/help loan, which has recently changed to an accumulation scheme. Therefore you would have to pay the fees per trimester.

Griffith list Dentistry as eligible on their own website: Government HELP loans

 

[VJC]

Sorry that’s incorrect. FEE-HELP applies to FEE (ffp as we fall it) places, and they merged HECS, VET, and FEE HELP into “Combined/Merged HELP” or something along those lines

FEE-HELP | StudyAssist

When you attend university or an approved higher education provider, you can get a FEE-HELP loan to pay all or part of your tuition fees. FEE-HELP loan does not cover costs like accommodation, laptops or text books, it is to pay your full fee-paying tuition fees. You can view a fact sheet on...

www.studyassist.gov.au

cost of study is still delayed even if it is 120k, meaning no immediate barrier (although disadvantage at later years)

My apologies

 

[Crow]

I think there is nothing accessible about the griffith dent program as suggested above. In my opinion (note subjection) the insanely high academic merit is not less achievable than >120k

I think you’ve completely misunderstood me; I was actually saying the complete opposite of your interpretation - that by introducing UCAT and interview to the selection process, Griffith becomes accessible to those who couldn’t meet the current (very high) academic requirements and that with the varied selection criteria, the future cohorts will be more well rounded.

I recommend you read up on the FEE-HELP scheme as the entire cost of Griffith dentistry can be deferred, making the degree pretty accessible to the vast majority of individuals other than those with an existing FEE-HELP debt.

 

[VJC]

I think you’ve completely misunderstood me; I was actually saying the complete opposite of your interpretation - that by introducing UCAT and interview to the selection process, Griffith becomes accessible to those who couldn’t meet the current (very high) academic requirements and that with the varied selection criteria, the future cohorts will be more well rounded.

I recommend you read up on the FEE-HELP scheme as the entire cost of Griffith dentistry can be deferred, making the degree pretty accessible to the vast majority of individuals other than those with an existing FEE-HELP debt.

Yes i can see i have missed my due dilligence. I appreciate you taking the time to correct and enlighten me. The information I have been able to access in these threads is appreciated. My apologies for raising some incorrect points above ^

Thanks