• applying for U of T,  dentistry,  grad school,  rejection,  science

    i hate you people (dentists)

    December 16, 2016

    Hi there!

    I’m from Latin America and I applied to the MSc in Oral Pathology
    (dentistry). My application was rejected. I thought I had a strong letter
    of recommendation and a solid background (although maybe not enough
    research experience), which leads me to believe my undergraduate GPA wasn’t
    high enough (3.2, minimun for my country to apply was 3.0) and was the
    primary reason of my rejection.

    I would like to ask if any of you is currently accepted in the program,
    with what GPA did you get in, and if you recommend for me to reapply.

    Thank you!!

    ———————————————

    hello,

    first of all, i’m really sorry to hear that you didn’t get into the program. i’m sure you worked very hard, but don’t lose hope. there are definitely plenty of career paths you can pursue with your grades and educational background!

    i’m actually not a dentistry student, but in posting this, i hope you’ll get feedback from other applicants in the comments!

    i’m going to try to answer this question while ignoring the fact that dentists are the bane of my existence…

    unfortunately, i can’t tell you exactly why you didn’t get in. that’s a question you’ll have to ask admissions.

    however, in regards to your GPA, while it is true that a 3.0 GPA is the minimum, it seems that most applicants who were invited for interviews had higher GPAs. to quote the one of the answers given on the dentistry website:

    “A minimum current grade point average of 3.0 (4.0 scale) is required to apply to the Doctor of Dental Surgery Program (DDS). However, a grade point average of 3.0 (i.e. B) at the time of application does not guarantee selection. It should be noted that the 170 domestic applicants invited for an interview had a GPA of at least 3.85 and the 10 international students invited for an interview had a GPA of at least 3.75.”

    this may explain why your application got rejected, but again, we will never know for sure. if you have any further questions about admissions, you could always talk to dentistry student services, but it is highly unlikely that they will be able to speak to you about your application specifically.

    it’s completely up to you if you feel like reapplying! you should really think about whether or not you want to continue pursuing dentistry. if you do feel like reapplying, maybe consider taking some non-degree courses in order to boost up your GPA for an even stronger application. i believe in you!

    good luck with your future endeavours!

    peace, love, and don’t forget to floss,

    aska

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  • dentistry,  subject POST

    dentists scare me. stay back.

    June 10, 2014

    hello,

    so I’ve been thinking about these questions for a long time but i can’t find an answer and frankly there is no one i can ask to help. so i just finished my first year here at uoft in life sciences and now is the time to choose posts. my goal is to study dentistry. i have applied to a specialist in neuroscience and a minor in psych and i was thinking i should do a combination of those( neuroscience specialist and psych minor) or a major in neuroscience and a major in biology which is a type 1 post. however, i have heard that neuroscience is really hard and if i dont wanna go to medical school and am aiming for dental, then i should choose something easier. the problem is I don’t know what the best post to get into is if you wanna become a dentist. so i was just wondering, what should my post be? or should i just go with neuroscience and biology(major+major) or neuroscience and psych(specialist+minor) ?

    ———————————————

    hey there,

    so, you wanna grow up and be a kid’s worst nightmare, huh? well, good on ya. i’d like to be that, too, but unfortunately i don’t have any qualifications to back me up and apparently whispering, “Count Olaf is near!” at random children in grocery stores is “rude” and “unsettling.” whatever. talk about prejudice, right?

    the academic requirements for uoft’s DDS program are fairly general and you could probably fulfil them with either?combination. also, decisions are not completely based on your grades: your DAT score also plays a part – so whichever POSts?you choose, it’s not gonna make it or break it. which is comforting.

    both the neuroscience major and specialist meet nearly all the academic requirements all on their own, but keep in mind that one pesky requirement that all science students hate: the humanities requirement. it’s just one full-year course, and if you already took one in first-year, you don’t have to worry about it. if you didn’t…

    hold tight now, ’cause i’m about to do some really dry calculating:

    the neuroscience specialist is 11.0 FCEs (not including first year courses), and the psych minor is 3.0 FCEs (not including PSY100Y). assuming you’re taking a regular course load, that gives you 1.0 spare FCEs, which may have to be used for that humanities req (though there is the possibility of a couple of courses overlapping, i.e. satisfying requirements for both POSts). so your first combination is a pretty tight fit – however, if that’s the one you feel comfortable doing, then absolutely go for it.

    your second combination comes to a total of 11.0 required courses, not including first year (again, there is the possibility for a little bit of overlap between required courses, but remember the 12 distinct credits rule). this combination gives you a bit more wiggle room for courses.

    at the end of the day, i can’t make this decision for you. and i really shouldn’t – i can’t even tell you the difference between neuroscience and psychology (they both have to do with the brain, right? which one’s the one where you lobotomise people?). but i do know this: you should always go with the thing that makes you feel like you’re on top of the world. also, because dentistry does have quite a high CGPA requirement, you should go with the thing you think you’ll do better at (how did you do in PSY100H1? in BIO120H1 and BIO130H1? these things can help you decide).

    and if it turns out you’ve made the completely wrong decision, you can always change your POSt this time next year.

    best of luck (you sadistic tooth demon),

    aska

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  • dentistry

    no peer pressuring here

    February 17, 2012
    Hi,
    I’m a upcoming college student (college apps are very frustrating!), and I originally set my goals on pursuing dentistry. But after some research I’ve been seeing so many people say how difficult it is to achieve a good GPA at U of T. Knowing how competitive dentistry is I’m worried my GPA from my undergrad years just won’t cut it. Now I’m left to wonder should I just go to a different school in hopes of achieving a high GPA to come back to U of T for dentistry, would that be a good option? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

    ———————————————

    Oh hey you,

    I’m going to be totally honest with you, if dentistry is your goal I would maybe consider going to a different school. U of T doesn’t care what school you went to for you undergrad, so if you think a different school would help you to get a better CGPA, then go there.

    U of T, as one of the top schools in the country does have high standards for their kiddies, so getting awesome grades is slightly harder. I know, what snots. All degrees are just pieces of paper in the end, but some make you work harder for it.

    Oh man … i don’t even know what I’m ranting about anymore … need…sleep …now.

    In conclusion … yah I think it’s a good plan to go to a different school (if you really want)

    soon to be in a fetal position,

    aska

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  • admissions,  dentistry,  grades

    to dream the impossible dream

    August 13, 2008

    Unlike all the over achievers that I have been seeing asking questions on this website worried as to whether or not the university of Toronto would accept their stellar grades. I am deeply sorry to say that I am but an average student who receives marks that range between the low to high 70s (although I do attain the rare low to mid 80 every once in a while and even rarer 90 that I have received once or twice.)

    So here goes my dilemma:
    It has always (really always) been my dream to be a dentist. The problem is although I have the brains to get stellar marks and get early acceptance into any university that I want–my marks have shown to say otherwise due to family issues).

    Question: Should I give it up (meaning is it too late)? OR should I keep striving towards my dream?

    **and if you think I should keep striving for my dream do you think along with my application for admittance should I write a letter explaining my marks and my hardships. Will admissions officers understand?

     

     

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  • dentistry,  health

    here he comes, the leader of the plaque

    June 6, 2007

    Hi! I have an URGENT question… I opted out of health and dental in spetember-ish but have received nothing and am not covered…I am just wondering if you or your people might know why this is the case. I would greatly appreciate it! Cheers!

    oh more question!….how much does the greenshield dental insurance cover for wisdom tooth extraction? I was quoted by my dentist at 2000 dollars :s

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