ATAR Notes: Forum

Uni Stuff => Faculties => Health sciences => Topic started by: ekkyduide on April 03, 2012, 05:18:55 pm

Title: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: ekkyduide on April 03, 2012, 05:18:55 pm
what the title says, pros and cons of the 2 courses, admissions ect
sorry if there is a topic like this couldn't find 1 tho
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Hellrocks on April 03, 2012, 05:41:16 pm
Def go to La Trobe if you get an offer. But if not, you can go interstate or try for DDS. It is best to get the offer that can guarantee your entry. The obvious disadvantage of DDS is that its 2 years longer. But if you go La Trobe or interstate, you'll need to move out of home. All dental courses in Australia are accredited and so it doesn't make any difference if you went to Melb or La Trobe.
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Stick on April 03, 2012, 05:42:12 pm
Pros of UoM DDS:
- More comprehensive pathway that will also teach you about medicine as a whole (remember either Biomedicine or Science needs to be completed first)
- Study takes place in Melbourne
- Biology is not a prerequisite

Cons of UoM DDS:
- 2 years longer than Latrobe's MDSci
- It requires sitting the GAMSAT
- Very few CSP places offered, so you may have to pay full fee

Pros of Latrobe MDSci:
- 5 years duration, rather than 7
- More of a dental focus, rather than general medicine
- If you get in, your place is secure

Cons of Latrobe MDSci:
- Study takes place in Bendigo
- Biology is a prerequisite

<Edited in light of Hellrock's information>
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Hellrocks on April 03, 2012, 05:48:17 pm
UMAT is required only for non year 12 applicants
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Stick on April 03, 2012, 06:00:12 pm
Really? Well that's a bonus. :P
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Hellrocks on April 03, 2012, 06:48:44 pm
Yep but DDS seems quite easy to get in. Some people with 50%ile on GAMSAT get CSP spots..
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: ItsSKC on April 03, 2012, 07:06:09 pm
Yep but DDS seems quite easy to get in. Some people with 50%ile on GAMSAT get CSP spots..
Where did you get that from? As far as i know entry to the DDS is extremely competitive with only a handful of places offered. From the score i have heard of people who got in we are talking in the 60's, and that is definetly not in the 50th percentile.
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Edmund on April 03, 2012, 07:09:57 pm
Pros of UoM DDS:
- More comprehensive pathway that will also teach you about medicine as a whole (remember either Biomedicine or Science needs to be completed first)
- Study takes place in Melbourne
- Biology is not a prerequisite

Cons of UoM DDS:
- 2 years longer than Latrobe's MDSci
- It requires sitting the GAMSAT
- Very few CSP places offered, so you may have to pay full fee

Pros of Latrobe MDSci:
- 5 years duration, rather than 7
- More of a dental focus, rather than general medicine
- If you get in, your place is secure

Cons of Latrobe MDSci:
- Study takes place in Bendigo
- Biology is a prerequisite

<Edited in light of Hellrock's information>

- Anatomy is a prerequisite for dentistry at Melbourne, and 2 units of Biology is required for the anatomy prerequisite.
- Both courses obviously have a dental focus and you end up being a dentist.
- Melbourne dent is actually 4 years, much more intense compared to a five year BDent at La Trobe. If you choose the Melbourne pathway, you'll be essentially doing 2 different degrees so you can't really say Melbourne dent is longer than La Trobe.

Yep but DDS seems quite easy to get in. Some people with 50%ile on GAMSAT get CSP spots..

Nope, Probably at least 70%ile and 6.5+ GPA
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Hellrocks on April 03, 2012, 07:10:49 pm
From the offers thread I have seen someone with 56 getting a CSP offer.
According to this percentile curve its around that %ile
http://pagingdr.net/forum/index.php?page=9
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: ItsSKC on April 03, 2012, 07:15:03 pm
If they got in on a 56 for their GAMSAT then they would've nailed their GPA. DDS is extremely competitive so i would'nt exactly say 'quite easy to get in'.
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Edmund on April 03, 2012, 07:15:54 pm
From the offers thread I have seen someone with 56 getting a CSP offer.
According to this percentile curve its around that %ile
http://pagingdr.net/forum/index.php?page=9

Most likely GPA 7.00 + Grad Access
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Hellrocks on April 03, 2012, 07:17:52 pm
Ya I was saying it 'seems' quite easy but I haven't sat the GAMSAT before so I can't comment on how hard it is to achieve 50%ile.
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Stick on April 03, 2012, 08:04:00 pm
- Anatomy is a prerequisite for dentistry at Melbourne, and 2 units of Biology is required for the anatomy prerequisite.

I meant VCE Biology - I should've made that clearer, sorry. :)
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: ItsSKC on April 03, 2012, 08:44:11 pm
Ya I was saying it 'seems' quite easy but I haven't sat the GAMSAT before so I can't comment on how hard it is to achieve 50%ile.
The GAMSAT is a horrible experience, if for nothing else it is extremely long. You will be at the exam venue almost the whole day. Not to mention expensive at $500 or so a pop. Glad i dont have to do that again.
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: ekkyduide on April 03, 2012, 09:03:28 pm
what %tile did you get on the gamsat to get into the MD course and GPA ItSKC?
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: ItsSKC on April 03, 2012, 09:17:06 pm
Im not absolutely sure what percentile but i had a GPA ~6.7 and GAMSAT 74(melb weighting). I also applied through Grad Access.
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Hellrocks on April 03, 2012, 09:32:40 pm
Do you have any idea how much grad access boosts your application?
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: ItsSKC on April 03, 2012, 09:40:33 pm
I dont think much, but if you get a scores good enough to get a full fee place then they might bump you up to CSP.
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Hellrocks on April 03, 2012, 09:46:01 pm
Wow that's pretty awesome. In other words kinda like a ~230k scholarship
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Russ on April 04, 2012, 01:11:13 pm
That's not how it works, they just consider your application separately from the non-grad access people. I mean, sure, they might offer you a CSP when your score would normally only get you a FFP but that's not all it is. They change your GPA+GAMSAT+Interview ranking based on the subjectivity of your circumstances.

They have a 20% target for grad access students, but they're not obligated to reach it
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Hellrocks on April 04, 2012, 01:26:37 pm
Oh so people on grad access are on a different playing field altogether? Wow.
Also does it matter how long the circumstance lasted e.g. someone who had illness for 1 year vs 3 years
Title: Re: Melbourne DDS v Latrobe dent
Post by: Russ on April 04, 2012, 01:30:08 pm
That's how special entry works for pretty much every application. They look at your results and where that would normally place you, then say "does this person deserve to be moved up the list"?

And yeah, every application is different, that's why they have to read them and decide on how much each person has been affected