Canadians at Home at Otago Dental School
Coming to the University of Otago Dental School to study seemed like the obvious choice for Canadian international students Valentine and Feng (a former OzTREKKer!).
Travelling from Ontario in Canada, the pair came with a group of other OzTREKK students to complete their Bachelor of Dental Surgery in Dunedin.
Bachelor of Dental Surgery graduates from Otago are recognized in Canada in the same way as Canadian dental graduates. This makes Otago a first-choice option for Canadians wanting to study dentistry abroad. Not only do Canadians who come to Dunedin find there are clear parallels between their culture and here, but they’re also eager to partake in the world-class education the faculty offers.
“Otago can be like a home away from home for Canadian students considering studying here,” says Faculty of Dentistry’s Deputy Dean (Clinical) and Associate Dean of Admissions Professor Karl Lyons.
“Having recently climbed to twenty-first place for Dentistry and Oral Sciences education in the latest round of Shanghai Ranking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, the faculty continues to prove it’s an innovative teaching, research, and clinical institution.
“We offer a great deal of pastoral-care services to students coming here, and do our best to set them up well so they might excel in their studies whilst finding time to enjoy all the beautiful Dunedin city has to offer.”
Dental students Valentine and Feng can attest to this sentiment, having thrived both academically and personally in their time at the Faculty of Dentistry.
Meet Valentine
Having studied at Otago for the past 3 years, Valentine says the experience has not only built her clinical and academic foundations in dentistry but also grown her personally.
Raised in a passionately academic household, Valentine says her family had high expectations and encouraged her to achieve her potential; however, they’ve also been incredibly supportive of her decisions, including her choice to come all the way to Dunedin.
“These past few years have been really meaningful for me,” Valentine says. “I’m a relaxed and fairly introverted person, but I really enjoy spending time with friends too and so deciding to come to New Zealand was definitely one of the biggest decisions I’d ever made.
“My family did everything they could to help make it possible though and so I’m incredibly grateful for their support as I pursue my childhood passion of becoming a dentist.”
She hadn’t seriously considered study abroad until the last year of her undergraduate degree, when she first heard about Otago and was quickly sold on the opportunity.
Taking on a challenging program like dentistry meant that Valentine wanted to be in a place that had a strong international reputation with a history of excellence, and supportive learning and living environments.
She found this at Otago, she says.
Valentine’s classes have been much smaller and more personal than she’s previously experienced, and she’s found the cultural experience of being here really meaningful.
“Learning more about Māori culture and other cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand has helped me understand people better and communicate more sensitively, which translates well to my dentist-patient interactions.
“It reminds me that dentistry is not just about teeth, but about people, their backgrounds and their stories.”
From a clinical perspective, Otago is also quite special in that the students here get hands-on experience early, from about the second year of their studies, which Valentine really enjoyed, saying it enables students to apply theory to real cases, develop their communication skills, and gradually build confidence in a supervised, supportive environment.
She’s also enjoyed the faculty’s recently renovated dental facilities, the beautiful scenery of the surrounding city and natural landscapes, and the relaxed and down-to-earth community.
When she wasn’t studying hard, Valentine was able to enjoy exploring the city, watching movies with other students, going on road trips, getting some good sleep, and even sharing in her passion for all things cat-related with her friends.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Otago. Dentistry is an intensive program, but I feel that Otago makes it possible to still have a balanced lifestyle. I’ve had a lot of support from my peers, lecturers and clinical tutors. Everyone is very friendly, approachable and willing to help.
“I would definitely encourage students from Canada to consider coming to Otago. Of course, it’s a big move. You will be far from home and in a different time zone, but the people, the education, the clinical exposure, and the chance to live in such a beautiful country make it worthwhile.”
Meet Feng
When she’s not making her signature chocolate banana bread for friends, hiking with her partner or going to the gym, 27-year-old Feng is following in her parents’ footsteps by pursuing a career in dentistry.
Both Feng’s mother and father are in the dental field and encouraged her to pursue this profession, but the pathway to dentistry wasn’t so straightforward for Feng herself.
Having a passion for the sciences and animal welfare, she began her studies at the University of Guelph in Ontario before being accepted into the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Melbourne.
While she had a wonderful time in veterinary school and remains passionate about animals, she realized her parents might have been right to encourage her towards dentistry.
“Both of my parents work in the dental field and encouraged me to consider dentistry, but I initially wanted to explore a different direction. I was very interested in animals and spent time volunteering and working at a vet clinic during my undergrad, but ultimately realized that work wasn’t the right fit for me, and dentistry started to seem increasingly appealing.
“So I took the leap into dentistry and now, having spent the past three years at the University of Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry, consider myself very glad to have made the switch.”
Born in a small town near Xiamen in China, Feng’s family immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 2000, where she would grow up with her younger brother, Edward. Having such a positive experience being raised in Canada, Feng always knew she wanted to continue to explore the world and do her studies overseas.
Australian and New Zealand dental programs stood out to her, but Otago’s strong reputation, high global ranking, and fully accredited dental school is what sold her on making the trip to Dunedin.
Though the program has been challenging, Feng says it’s been incredibly rewarding.
“It can feel daunting at times, but the support from classmates, teaching staff, and clinical supervisors makes a huge difference.
“The modern and well-equipped facilities also helped support our learning and each new semester was increasingly engaging as we got exposed to all the specialties while still focusing on the bread-and-butter parts of dentistry like prevention, treatment planning, and patient management.
Feng says her education has had a strong emphasis on holistic patient care because dentists are often the first to notice signs of serious health conditions like undiagnosed diabetes or cancers.
“Thinking beyond just the teeth is a crucial part of our training because it’s a misconception that dentists only fix teeth. We’re there to provide care for the whole patient.”
While it’s a big move to travel to the other side of the world for education, Feng says she would very much recommend the experience to other international students due to the quality of Otago’s education and clinical training.
She says Dunedin is a small but very student-friendly city and Otago provides strong support for international students so they can have a rewarding lifestyle while studying.
“New Zealand is a stunning country, and the people are so friendly. Canadians have a reputation for being nice, but in my experience, Kiwis are even nicer and more laid-back.”
This article was originally posted by The University of Otago.
University of Otago Bachelor of Dental Surgery
As one of the world’s top dental schools, the primary aim of the faculty is to remain a nationally and internationally recognized leader of academic excellence in the areas of research, education and training, and clinical practice by achieving and retaining a reputation for the highest quality research, teaching, and clinical expertise in each discipline; and by fostering an environment that stimulates intellectual and professional development.
Program: Bachelor of Dental Surgery (graduate entry)
Location: Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
Intake: February
Duration: 4 years*
*This 4-year graduate-entry accelerated pathway is intended for those with a university degree. While Otago offers a 5-year undergraduate-entry option, direct entry into the second year of the program (Year 2) is very competitive and requires a separate application; therefore, it’s possible that a student may not be issued an offer to continue in the dentistry program.
Start your application to Otago Dental School!
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