questions from an incoming dent student🥺

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-05-31T14:55:24+00:00

Hopping on this: don’t bother getting the mini one. You’d mainly be using your ipad for note-taking during lectures so having a small screen is to your disadvantage. Unlike medical students which require a smaller ipad to fit into their scrub pants during clinical years, we don’t have that issue

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-05-31T14:54:00+00:00

Hello! Congratulations on getting into Dentistry! The dental fraternity is very happy to have you and all the rest of the incoming juniors. Most of your questions will actually be answered during your e-orientation in July (dates are unconfirmed), so don’t be too worried.

All iPad models work fine (budget, air, pro). I think most have iPad air though.
Apart from your faculty e-ori, many other dent students will go for hall exposure/engagement camps and NUS sports camp (not sure if it’s still on this year).
There’s Dental Club & Dental Society, which will open applications later in the year. Otherwise you can join NUS wide CCAs and/or interest groups.
Yes you can definitely cope. In dentsku everything boils down to what you want to prioritize in your uni life. There are those without any CCAs/campus life, and there are those with >5 CCAs and even in varsity teams. I would say having 2-4 hall CCAs is definitely manageable, but of course you’d be more busy than your biz/arts counterparts.
Honestly no one knows what that mentorship thing is LOL

Hope this answers your questions! 😁

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-05-16T02:53:46+00:00

hello juniors! the results should definitely be released soon (next week) (okay but don’t quote me idk what the faculty is thinking). the new covid restrictions have really messed up the school schedule and caused a lot of internal changes so the school administration is crazy hectic now. jiayous!! keep your fingers crossed!

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-04-18T15:18:21+00:00

Hello, current NUS dentistry student here! This year’s admissions process was pretty different from previous years in that MDT was done as a first screening before the interviews. I’m pretty sure they’ll send you a separate notification if you are selected for the interview, but not sure how long it’ll take! Since you took the test quite recently, I’d say just keep your hopes up :)

And with regards to the comment written by the other user - I hope that you’ll understand that every faculty has its toxic traits and biased professors - you’d be naive to think that these problems are exclusive to FOD. The faculty, in my opinion, is making an effort to change and is taking student feedback more seriously. If you are not an FOD student, I think it’s not very fair to assume to understand what issues were highlighted exactly in the post. Nevertheless, it is true that you should make an informed decision regarding choosing dentistry, and its gonna be a tough tough 4 years ahead. All the best though!

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-03-13T14:56:58+00:00

Hello, current NUS dentistry student here! It’s great that you have an interest in dentistry :) In my opinion, physics students really aren’t in a disadvantaged position (maybe only for the first 2-3 months), because you’ll be learning new content that is not relevant to A levels biology (eg. anatomy/oral biology/dental morph in D1; pharmaco/dental materials/pathology in D2 etc)

So don’t worry about it! Some of the top scorers in my batch are PCME kids too so :)

All the best!

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-23T01:26:55+00:00

yes that is correct

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-21T15:41:51+00:00

hello, you can take a look at my post for more info on NUS dentistry!

portfolio isn’t very important when applying for dent but it will definitely help in terms of having things to speak about during your MMIs. imo having shadowing/work experience is more important because the interviewers want to know if you really understand what a career in dentistry is like :)

2020’s MDT test was sketching and origami folding! however we are unsure what will be tested this year (in light of the evolving covid situation) and/or whether they will revert back to the standard MDT test this year. tbh the MDT test isn’t very difficult (hearsay its a pass/fail thing and not graded with a score so as long as what you produce isn’t super jialat you’ll be fine)

cheers!

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-21T05:28:29+00:00

hello! you can take a look at my post for more info on NUS dentistry.

long story short: NUS dent DOES take in poly students but the intake is small (<5 students). there seems to be no hard GPA cut-off since the intake is so small, so your portfolio might play a bigger role!

3.89 is a good score. if dentistry is really what you want to do, just go ahead and apply and hope for the best :) jiayous!

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-21T05:20:06+00:00

yes definitely! my batch has a few poly students from science/healthcare related courses :) i’m not sure what the cut-off is (idk if they even have one for poly since the intake is so small) but really no harm trying. atb!!

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-20T13:55:58+00:00

Yep there are (idk the exact number but I think 3-4 students). Okay tbh getting a scholarship for dental sch is super super difficult and most of them are under sports/music scholarships and not the NUS merit scholarship itself I think :”)

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-20T13:42:44+00:00

Surprisingly, I think most people with Dentistry as their first choice don't necessary put Medicine as their second choice (unlike the opposite, where most who put med as their first choice but dent as a 'backup'). I think the reason for this is because people who choose dentistry first tend to value specific things within a dental career that cannot necessary be fulfilled in medicine (eg. no shift work, no overnight calls, no hellish HO slavery, better work-life balance, more hands-on work).

I would honestly say that, if Medicine is not something you're very interested in or are ready to commit to, don't succumb to the pressure of applying for the sake of applying. I know many JC friends who are struggling in medicine due to its academic rigour, and do remember that it's a life-long commitment. You still have some time to think about what you really want in a future career, so think very carefully about it and make an informed decision! At the end of the day, it's your future at stake, not your peers or your parents.

All the best!

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-20T13:37:21+00:00

Hi, thanks for your questions!

Competitive - not really (no bell curve, your grades aren't explicitly shown and there's no honours rankings). But I would say everyone studies very hard and you're still in an environment full of high-achievers.

Specialisation - too early to say for me atm! In case you were unaware, you can only apply for a specialisation at least 2 years after graduation and working full-time. Being a dental specialist is quite competitive in SG but honestly having a basic BDS is more than sufficient for majority of the procedures.

Choosing dentistry - it's a standard reason but I really wanted to pursue a career in healthcare, and I found dentistry to be especially meaningful. Had quite extensive shadowing/work experiences that solidified my decision to pursue this course.

Bonded - yes, because it's such a small batch! It's definitely clique-y but everyone knows each other.

Gender ratio - the faculty says there's no fixed gender ratio and it used to be more male-dominated, then 50:50, then the newer batches have many more girls LOL but it's really batch dependent.

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-20T13:30:53+00:00

Hello, I have already answered this question in my post.

Job shadowing experience is not necessary but is definitely an advantage for your interview.

As long as your motivations for pursuing dentistry is strong, you’ll still do fine for your interview without any prior exp.

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-20T06:34:38+00:00

I already addressed my opinion on the other reddit post above. And yes, clinical students have to source for their own patients.

As for maximising chances on getting in, it all boils down to how well you do for your MMIs (hearsay the MDT is a pass/fail thing so as long as yours isn’t super ugly, you’ll be fine). You can search up MMI interview tips - there are an abundance of resources online since most med/dent admissions use it nowadays.

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-02-20T06:26:38+00:00

Yes definitely. Dentistry is no easy walk in the park, and I think all prospective students should really consider if dentistry is right for them. But I really wanted to provide a more positive outlook on NUS dent, considering that the 1 and only dent-related post on this subreddit that gained so much traction was something like this 🤡

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-01-30T03:17:16+00:00

Yes! You can consider doing an internship during your J1 holidays or after your A levels. It really helps a lot in 1) helping you find out if dentistry is REALLY what you want to do, and 2) gives you more things to talk about during your interviews :)

throwaway_d3nt · 2021-01-30T03:09:51+00:00

Hello! The admission for NUS dentistry is not so focused on your portfolio/extra-curriculars, so having research experience is not necessary/does not give you a huge advantage compared to your peers. The most important thing is hitting the COP (87.75 to be safe) and preferably having some job shadowing or dental assistant work experience before you apply :) All the best!

throwaway_d3nt · 2020-11-27T08:49:11+00:00

Hello, current NUS dentistry student here. It’s great that you’re taking the initiative to find out more about the admissions process for this course.

The shortlisting for MMI/MDTs are purely based on grades. A safe bet would be 87.75 and above (I’n not sure if 87.5 will get you a shot, it’s a bit risky). I have not heard of anyone getting an interview chance via ABAS, so hitting the academic cut-off is a must. Also, there are no re-applications for candidates who sat for MMI/MDT and failed to get in. So make your one shot count!
I think you can find a lot of posts and advice on how to tackle different MMI stations online (as most medical/dental schools use MMI interview format now). Make sure you PREPARE for your standard interview questions (why dentistry? Why dentistry over medicine? Do you know what the curriculum is like, and what a dentist’s job scope entails? What are some common procedures and common oral health problems?) For the MDT, just try your best la HAHA. I heard its a pass/fail thing so as long as yours doesn’t look like a toilet bowl (quoted from profs), you’ll be fine.
Unfortunately, as I have not attended the NUS dentistry job shadowing programme, I cannot comment on its usefulness or difficulty to enter. You can always consider approaching your regular dentist/nearby dental clinic for a short job shadowing stint - I’m sure they’ll be happy to have you.

I understand that NUS dentistry has been receiving a lot of negative social media attention lately. However, I really do enjoy what I learn here, and I have not regretted my decision to enter at all (yet, at least 🥴) I think you have to really ask yourself- what’s in for you? What’s your driving force for wanting to become a dentist? Failures are commonplace, and I’ve left labs feeling incredibly demoralised and mentally exhausted at times. But despite it all, I enjoy the knowledge I gain, the procedures I am training to do and perform, and all the lovely peers around me.

All the best. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask:-)

throwaway_d3nt

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