Academic Advising

No, all applicants must complete all pre-requisite classes by May 1 to be considered for admission.

Grades are the first thing considered by the Admissions Committee. Students with the best academic record are invited for an interview. Generally, your 10 most recent full-year university classes (or equivalent) and the average in the three higher sciences are the most important.You should have a minimum of A- in these two areas before you are interviewed.

The Admissions Committee will normally grant twice as many interviews as places in the class. Selection for interviews is based on academic grades.

Yes, you should observe in a general practice dental office and ask the dentist questions about his or her work. It is not necessary to volunteer to work in a dental office, but you should spend time in the office to find out as much about the career as possible.  

The results of the interview are an important aspect of the application. We also consider your confidential evaluation references (forms provided in the application package). These serve as references from instructors, employers or others in support of the application. The Admissions Committee considers the Dental Aptitude Test, and you should try to achieve scores of 15 or better in each category of the DAT. The Admissions Committee will review your statement of work activities, volunteer activities, awards and community service.

Volunteer work is important for you to gain the interpersonal skills necessary when working with people. Your volunteer work can be any type that interests you and enables you to work with groups and/or individuals (e.g. working in a nursing home, a health care facility, coaching teams, summer camp counsellor, etc.). Experience you gain in your volunteer and employment activities is valuable when responding to questions on the interview.

The interview is designed to assess personal qualities, such as integrity, communication skills and conscientiousness. It is a structured interview (all applicants are asked the same type of questions). Two dentists will interview you. The interview takes about 40 minutes and is conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, usually on a Saturday in March or April.

Yes, the majority of the first-year class is selected from applicants who are residents of Nova Scotia. For details on how an applicant's residency status is determined, please see the appropriate section in the Faculty of Dentistry calendar. There is no pre-determined number of applicants who are accepted from Nova Scotia.

You may study your pre-requisite classes at any accredited university. If you require assistance in selecting classes, please contact the Admissions Office, Faculty of Dentistry or your pre-dentistry/pre-health advisor at your university.