Melbourne DDS student shares his story
Wondering what it’s like to study at the popular Melbourne Dental School?
Well, wonder no longer! Here is a student testimony regarding the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program—and oh, by the way, he’s an OzTREKK student!
Vancouver-based Scott Buckley first contacted OzTREKK in January 2011, and while the application and pre-departure processes are sometimes nerve-wracking for students, he made it through with flying colours and is now fulfilling his dream of studying dentistry in Australia.
Scott began his Melbourne Dental School journey in February 2012. Now in his third year, he is more relaxed and confident in his studies, and is enjoying life in Melbourne!
When asked why he considered Australian dental schools, Scott said it was because they are accredited in Canada. Since 2010, there has been a reciprocal agreement between Canada and Australia allowing international graduates of accredited dentistry programs from both countries to be considered the same as domestic graduates. This means that Canadians who have graduated from an accredited Australian dentistry program would only be required to write the same National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) Written Examination and Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as someone who graduated from a Canadian dentistry program before he or she would be licensed to practice.
Scott said this opened more doors and opportunities—not only could he study dentistry, but he could also study it in an amazing locale! At the time, Melbourne Dental School was the only university that offered a postgraduate option for dental studies, the Doctor of Dental Surgery program.
It was an easy choice, Scott notes, as the curriculum is up to date and the facilities are top-notch, including the expanded clinical facilities. Melbourne is also on top of the most cutting-edge research and Scott is also impressed with the extensive dental implant knowledge at the school.
What’s life like as a Melbourne student?
Scott says that beginning a new life in Melbourne was easy to set up: the University of Melbourne offers airport pick-up and he took advantage of that service. He also feels that at Melbourne, students are encouraged to be the best they can be through the wide range of activities within the program and through the extracurricular activities that are offered. By participating in these activities, Scott had the opportunity to meet many other international students.
Scott says that the Melbourne DDS program is unique in that there are a lot of other Canadian students, so you’re really not “alone,” and it’s easy to make friends. He thinks the University of Melbourne helps students to balance “university life” and “social life” by offering programs to facilitate meeting other students.
“It’s a lot of fun to be a student here,” he says. “There are a lot of things that you can do.”
Melbourne vs Vancouver? Did you know that both Melbourne and Vancouver have been in the top 3 as world’s most liveable cities*? Scott says coming from Vancouver to Melbourne isn’t very shocking. The weather patterns are quite similar, but while it doesn’t snow in Melbourne, there is still plenty of rain—like Vancouver—and it does get quite hot.
Any advice to students applying to Melbourne Dental School?
Scott’s main advice? Don’t stress. He says he came to Melbourne with just two suitcases and didn’t have any accommodation booked and made out just fine.
Scott insists that the toughest part of the journey is making the decision to study in Australia—after all, it is on the other side of the planet. But once you’ve made that commitment, it is easy to adapt. He says you won’t have any regrets and encourages everyone to give it a try!
*The EIU’s Livability Ranking and Overview August 2013
About the Melbourne Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) Program
Program: Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
Location: Melbourne, Victoria
Semester intake: February 2015
Duration: 4 years
Application deadline: June 23, 2014 (Melbourne time). NOTE: All Melbourne DDS application documents must be at the OzTREKK office by Friday, June 20, 2014 in order for your complete Melbourne Dental School application to be submitted on time.
Entry Requirements
To be eligible to apply for the Melbourne Dental School’s DDS program, eligible applicants must have
- successfully completed an undergraduate degree in any discipline at a recognized international university within the past 10 years;
- completed prerequisite second-year subjects (one semester each) in human anatomy, human physiology and biochemistry (approved by Melbourne);
- completed an entrance examination: either the Canadian DAT, US DAT, or MCAT. Please note that the carving portion of the Canadian DAT is not required for Melbourne Dental School; however, if you have completed the carving section of the test, this score will be considered. Test scores will not be considered if the exam results are more than 2 years old. There is no minimum cutoff GPA or DAT score for this program; however, a high level of academic standard is required for entry.
Apply now to Melbourne Dental School!
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