Admission Procedures
All Clinical Programs - Important Info for Applicants
- Information for Prospective Clinical Students in the UBC Faculty of Dentistry
- Policy Statement on Infectious Diseases for All Clinical Programs
NOTE:
The application deadline for starting
the DMD program in
2012/13 is November 4, 2011. We will accept DAT scores from the November 5, 2011 sitting of the DAT.
Admission
to the dental program is based primarily on academic ability and
personal qualities as evidenced by pre-dental scholastic records,
aptitude tests, letters of recommendation, personal essays, personal interviews, and Problem-Based Learning (PBL) Assessment. Fulfilment of the minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance. The number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of available positions. Not every qualified applicant will be offered admission. Candidates may reapply for admission in a subsequent
year, however the number of interviews and PBL Assessments are limited to two.
The deadline for application and PBL assessments (including supporting documents) is November 4, 2011 for admission in August, 2012. The application deadline is strictly enforced. Early submission of applications and supporting documents is strongly encouraged.
Pre-Dental Requirements
To be eligible for admission, applicants must:
- Be a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident. Preference is given to residents of British Columbia. A maximum of 10% of out-of-province applicants will be accepted each year.
- Complete three academic years (90 credits) at a recognized
faculty at The University of British Columbia, or its equivalent,
by April, 2012.
- Achieve a minimum overall Grade
Point Average of 70% or 2.8 on a 4.0 grading scale for
ALL college/university work (including failed courses). While a GPA of 70% is the minimum requirement, applicants should consult the entrance statistics to determine if their application will be competitive..
The Grade Point Average is calculated on all university-transferable course work completed since high school. Courses taken in the application year are not included in the GPA calculation that is used when considering applicants for admission. The worst year will be dropped for applicants who have completed four or more years of college/university, provided it has at least 24 credits and is not the most recent year. - Complete the required
prerequisite courses by April of the academic year in
which they apply.
- Write the DAT
exam. DAT scores from the November exam in the
year of application will be accepted for the
November 5, 2011
deadline.
Please ensure that you check the box beside University of British
Columbia on your test registration form so that UBC will
receive
a copy of your DAT results directly. DAT results are valid
for a period of 5 years. Three components of the DAT
are used in
our evaluation: Academic Average, Perceptual Test and the
Carving Test. A minimum carving score of 12 must be attained
for your application to be considered. For applicants who have
written the DAT exam more than once, we will use the
best overall
test score in our calculations. Please click
here to download a printable copy of the brochure
(in PDF format) or request a copy of the brochure
from:
Dental Aptitude Test Program
Canadian Dental Association
1815 Alta Vista Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, K1G 3Y6
Tel: (613) 523-1770
How to Apply
The DMD Application Form can be found on-line at secure.dentistry.ubc.ca. Paper applications are not accepted. In addition to completing the on-line application, applicants must ensure the following documents are received in our office by the November 4, 2011 deadline:
- Official Transcripts - Applicants must request official
transcripts from all post-secondary institutions where they
have studied. All transcripts submitted must be official and
must be sent directly to our office from the institution.
An
official transcript is one bearing an official seal and/or
signature of the issuing institution (or which has been produced
on the
institution's secured paper). Photocopies and legally certified
(notarized) copies are not acceptable. These transcripts must
be received in our office by the November 4, 2011 deadline.
UBC students applying to Dentistry are
required
to submit an official UBC transcript. Applicants who are granted
conditional acceptance to the DMD program are required to
provide
transcripts of their final grades by June 1, 2012.
International Transcripts - Applicants submitting international transcripts must submit one set of official transcripts sent directly to our office from the institution, plus a translated and notarized copy in English. International transcripts take longer to evaluate than Canadian transcripts. Course outlines are required for the 5 prerequisite courses.
High School Transcripts - Applicants who have not been registered at UBC must submit an official transcript of your high school record. - Letters of Reference - Three letters of reference are
to be sent directly to our office from your referees. Reference
letters must be from persons unrelated to the applicant and
at least one must be from a post-secondary education instructor.
All applicants must submit three reference letters in support
of their application. Previous applicants may use the same referees
but are required to submit three new letters of reference; letters
from previous applications will not be brought forward. If applicants
send more than three letters, only the reference letters from
the three Referees listed in your application will be read.
Printable
reference request forms are available in PDF format
(requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader).
- DAT Scores - Applicants
must request original DAT scores from the Canadian Dental Association.
These must be sent directly to our office from the CDA.
- Application Fee Payment - An application fee payment of $200.00CAD, payable to the University of British Columbia, must be submitted on or prior to the deadline. This is a non-refundable fee and does not apply to tuition. Payment may be made by personal cheque, money order, bank draft or certified cheque, or credit card.
Open House / Interviews / Problem-Based Learning Assessment
Short-listed applicants are invited to the DMD Admissions Open House Weekend on the basis of their overall GPA, DAT scores, letters of reference and personal essays. Applicants not invited to the Open House will not be considered further. The open house, interviews, and PBL sessions are normally conducted on two Fridays and Saturdays in the month of February. Applicants are not permitted to participate in more than 2 interviews or PBL sessions. In the event a candidate is shortlisted after two interviews and PBL sessions, the best score from the sessions will be used in the evaluation of the application.
INTERVIEW
The interview is approximately 35 minutes in length and evaluates
competencies that are related to success in dental practice.
A
competency is a behaviour characterized by performance in realistic
circumstances appropriate to your life experience. These competencies
are: sensitivity to others, self control, tact and diplomacy,
integrity, judgement and analysis, conscientiousness, and
communication. The Interview Team will consist of two or three
interviewers.
Members
of
our
Interview Teams are comprised of general practitioners, faculty
members and dental students, who have completed a standardized
Canadian Dental Association Interview Training Workshop. The
Interview
Team is unaware of the contents of an applicant's file or his/her
level of academic performance.
PROBLEM-BASED SMALL GROUP LEARNING (PBL) SESSION
"Problem-based/small group learning encourages self-directed, lifelong learning through the development of in-depth critical thinking and analytical skills. Students develop an inquisitive learning style through their journeys of intellectual discovery by integrating prior knowledge with newly discovered concepts across the many disciplines. They openly discuss what they know and discover what they need to know in a fun, safe learning environment. They become empowered learners as they realize their ability to integrate and retain information. Rotating through a number of small groups exposes students to a variety of group (student/tutor) dynamics, and thereby builds strong interpersonal and professional skills. How rewarding it is to witness the growth of independent, reflective, self-motivated learners!"
- Dr. Leandra Best,
Clinical Assistant Professor
Years 1 & 2 DMD Curriculum Coordinator
As part of the Open House Weekend, all invited applicants must participate in a scheduled interactive PBL session. An applicant's interview and PBL session are scheduled on the same day.
Selection of the Class
The Admissions Committee meets at the end of February to select students from the interviewed applicants for acceptance to the first year DMD class. The Committee considers Overall GPA, DAT scores, letters of reference, personal essay, and interview score when making this decision. Applicants will be notified in early March of the results of the Committee's deliberations. Accepted students will have two weeks from the date of their letter of acceptance in which to pay the $ 10,700 non-refundable tuition deposit.
Application to Advanced Standing
There are no arrangements for considering advanced standing applicants from other Canadian and U.S. dental schools.
