Registered  members with 100+ posts do not see Ads

JCU JCU Dentistry: General Discussion

Apply for rural work experience?

  • Yes, will increase your chances.

    Votes: 44 71.0%
  • No need

    Votes: 18 29.0%

  • Total voters
    62

smartgirl

Member
JordossM Hey can I ask a question about timetables? I was told by the enrolment officer that the college does it for you but do you remember when you received yours?
 

Luna

Member
Hey, you should have a LearmJCU account. Check under "organisation" then "timetables" and select DS1101 for 2018. Looks hectic but you'll have a great time!
 

smartgirl

Member
Hey, you should have a LearmJCU account. Check under "organisation" then "timetables" and select DS1101 for 2018. Looks hectic but you'll have a great time!

The timetable isn't available yet on LearnJCu but I checked eStudent which shows an incomplete one. It shows 3 lectures in a row on Monday morning. Is that what you had last year?
 

Registered  members with 100+ posts do not see Ads

Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
do u know anybody from big cities got an offer with low OP?

Not without significant rural background. For example, if you lived rural for 5 years then came to the city for year 11 and 12.
 

SanaC

Lurker
Hello, I'm a non-standard applying for dentistry at JCU for 2019 entry. I'm genuinely interested in working in a rural community and fell in love with Cairns when I went there for a short holiday.
I have a few questions for those who know how I can increase my chances of being selected?

Questions:
-Is a first semester GPA of 6.5 and an ATAR of 97.5 enough to pass me through the academic requirements?
-I'm currently doing work experience at a dental clinic in Sydney and training to work as a dental assistant there. Should I ask a dentist to be a reference?
-I'm also thinking of looking for 2-3 day work experience at a dental clinic in regional/rural Sydney, is this a good idea?
-Any other things that I definitely should include, especially to express my interest in dentistry and/or rural healthcare?
 

SanaC

Lurker
Also, will my second semester marks be included? Or is it too late? My uni will probably release results early December.
 

Crow

Staff | Junior Doctor
Moderator
Hi SanaC, welcome to MSO. Firstly, it is important to note that non-standard entry is much more competitive than school-leaver entry, given the minimal amount of places available to non-standards. It is also important to note that rurality is an important component of the selection criteria (naturally, given the mission of JCU's health programs), meaning that the majority of place offers will go to those with a rural background - so you really need to have a great written application to give yourself a good chance of entry if you are a non-rural applicant i.e. you need to show a genuine interest in rural and Indigenous dentistry and articulate this well in your written application.

To answer your specific questions:
- Yes, a GPA of 6.5 would be considered competitive (obviously a 7.0 would give you a greater chance of entry), given that the written application is much more of an important factor than academic results - this is because the written application is scored in a manner that creates a much greater variance in entry scores than academic rank does - as evidenced by students with perfect GPAs and ATARs missing out on spots in the past while others with much lower GPAs have been offered places.
- Your letters of support are there to attest to your personal character and demonstrate that you are an appropriate fit for JCU's dentistry school. If the dentist can attest to your suitability for a career in dentistry, and perhaps your interest in rural/remote/Indigenous dentistry, then sure, they may be a good fit. If they can't do these things, perhaps you're better off asking someone else. JCU isn't looking for letters from well established dentists specifically - they're looking for people to say good things about you as a person, and your motivations for the aforementioned.
- If you can get the work experience then why not? You have absolutely nothing to lose from experiencing the field that you are pursuing a career path in, and will likely gain more insight into said field - a bonus might be you being able to use this insight in your written application, if you gain something useful out of it.
- The last one is up to you. Think about the specific reasons why rural healthcare appeals to you (this is perhaps even more important than you being interested in dentistry in itself), think about why JCU's program specifically appeals to you and will help you pursue a career in rural healthcare, etc. Nobody can outline your specific motivations for you, but it is important that you explain how JCU's mission aligns with your career goals and why the dentistry program will help you achieve these.

Yes, your second semester results will be considered when calculating your academic rank.

As an aside: I would caution from referring to "rural Sydney" in your application.

Feel free to ask more questions if you need to.
 
Last edited:

SanaC

Lurker
Thank you so much, your answer was exactly what I needed! :)
And yes, just realised that mistake... thank you for the heads up!
 

MSP

Banned
Hello, I'm a non-standard applying for dentistry at JCU for 2019 entry. I'm genuinely interested in working in a rural community and fell in love with Cairns when I went there for a short holiday.
I have a few questions for those who know how I can increase my chances of being selected?

Questions:
-Is a first semester GPA of 6.5 and an ATAR of 97.5 enough to pass me through the academic requirements?
-I'm currently doing work experience at a dental clinic in Sydney and training to work as a dental assistant there. Should I ask a dentist to be a reference?
-I'm also thinking of looking for 2-3 day work experience at a dental clinic in regional/rural Sydney, is this a good idea?
-Any other things that I definitely should include, especially to express my interest in dentistry and/or rural healthcare?


1)GPA - Great!!
2) Work experience is also great - but lots of people will have it. Have you done any science/dental related research for an academic? Are you continually volunteering in the community? Do you have other life achievements/awards etc?
3) Rural dentistry and healthcare are highly complex. You need to be very concise with how you structure your response and don't just regurgitate facts and statistics! What do you understand about rural dentistry/healthcare?
 

SanaC

Lurker
1)GPA - Great!!
2) Work experience is also great - but lots of people will have it. Have you done any science/dental related research for an academic? Are you continually volunteering in the community? Do you have other life achievements/awards etc?
3) Rural dentistry and healthcare are highly complex. You need to be very concise with how you structure your response and don't just regurgitate facts and statistics! What do you understand about rural dentistry/healthcare?
Thank you for your suggestions! They are immensely helpful.
Regarding (2) I’ve been selected to undertake research experience at my uni under an academic, but have yet to choose a faculty. Probably in chemistry or medical sciences, can you possibly suggest how can I make the best use of this?
 

Registered  members with 100+ posts do not see Ads

jiaxing

Regular Member
Hi everyone!

I’m a non-rural and non-standard applicant from Sydney. I’m completing my Masters at the end of this year and currently I’m in the process of applying for Dentistry at JCU.

Can anybody help me out and guide me as to what the lowest GPAs have been like in previous years for non-rural students such as myself?

Also, I’ve done over 4 years experience in dental clinics in sydney and rural Overseas, as well as done a lot of research and taugh Indigenous students in high school. Would this help too?t

Thank you!
 

NiceGary

Lurker
Hey guys, sorry to hijack this thread but I just thought I’d ask your opinions on my situation.

So my current OP prediction is 1-2 and I’ve live in rural areas (RA 2 currently but I lived in RA 3 and 4 areas when I was younger) my whole life. I’ve written, as far as myself and the people I’ve had check (teachers, doctors, current JCU dental students, etc.), a pretty good application.

What do you guys think are my chances of getting an offer to JCU dentsiry?

I know it’s still a long way off, but I’ve wanted to be a dentist my whole life (literally) and I’m just a bit nervous about the whole process of applying at JCU.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers
 

Mana

there are no stupid questions, only people
Administrator
Hey guys, sorry to hijack this thread but I just thought I’d ask your opinions on my situation.

So my current OP prediction is 1-2 and I’ve live in rural areas (RA 2 currently but I lived in RA 3 and 4 areas when I was younger) my whole life. I’ve written, as far as myself and the people I’ve had check (teachers, doctors, current JCU dental students, etc.), a pretty good application.

What do you guys think are my chances of getting an offer to JCU dentsiry?

I know it’s still a long way off, but I’ve wanted to be a dentist my whole life (literally) and I’m just a bit nervous about the whole process of applying at JCU.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Cheers

A very reasonable shot provided you write about your rural experience and background in your application and have a half decent motivation.
 

Registered  members with 100+ posts do not see Ads

Top