First semester. Second year.

It's 2016 and ESOT is closing and I'm writing. Second year has been... fun! Really. Of course it is more tiring but all that tiredness are gone when I see fruits of my labour. Looking at the half way denture that I made, the feeling in simulation clinic when lecturer looked at the wrong side of tooth that I restored. (TERBANG KE AWAN NANOOO!) :D Still can't stop smiling.

crazy classmates

half way there

The subjects are more interesting too. I can ask my mom, and maklong what meds they take and relate them to pharmacology. Pathology, on how the disease really progress to manifest itself and see all those gross pictures. And microbiology... well, if everything is fun it won't be life. (geleng kepala T.T) Dental material is so so. I hate memorising blindly that's why the two subjects are not in my favourite list.

                                                                                                                                        

  

budding yeast cells seen through light microscope

           studying using laptop because printing is too old fashioned
(padahal malas nak print)

I've tried something new too. The quiz was a great reminder on how shallow my knowledge is. At least I have the courage to join. Basketball is awesome too. Now I kinda regret not joining the team during high school. People should try everything in their teens. And and, I tried taking selfie. Hahaha kuno kan.

Lately I've seen so many people saying, his course is the toughest, her subject is stressful and many more. Just insert a negative adjective and voila, their hardship is worse than everyone. I think they are  too full of themselves to just admit that their struggle is not unique. There are people going through the same thing that they are facing and there are way more people who have it worse. Let's stop complaining, just be grateful and remember that Allah knows best.

Till then,
Assalamualaikum.

#Projek Inspirasi

It might be a bit late to write a post about it but better late than never(they say).

We(my friend, Shahirah and I) joined the Projek Inspirasi directed by Syaza Nazura to help SPM leavers answer some of their questions regarding some courses. We joined  Google Hangout Session 3 : SPM Leavers 2014 and Shahirah has already covered most of the questions asked during the GH in her blog right here. One question that I am more interested to answer is this one(picture above).

I know I am not an example of a student studying dentistry in UK but I do have some experiences applying to some of the universities (Manchester University, KCL and Queen Mary University of London). So I'm gonna share them now.

I'm gonna list them as steps with some short notes so you can see the processes clearly:
Note: The dates are for 2015 intake

1.  Apply through UCAS (UK's version of UPU)

• 15 October 2014, 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science and dentistry
• Maximum a student can apply for dentistry is to 4 universities, and another one from other fields than dentistry or medicine.

     2.   Write your personal statement

• Refer to the requirement for each university and satisfy write in everything. Try and get others opinion on your personal statement. Refer to UCAS for the guidelines.

     3.   Sit for UKCAT

• Marks preferably 700++ on average. On average, I got around 690(mediocre)
• As seen in table below, mean is 2642.77, around 660.7 when divided by 4.

Taken from here and is for 2013 candidates

     4.   Search for some shadowing opportunity or part time work at a dental practice nearby

• When I asked KCL about my rejected application, they told me that I didn't have minimum 2 weeks working experience. I only shadowed one dental clinic on every Friday for a month and it is not considered enough.

     5.   Ace your A level or IB or whatever that you take

• Most of the universities would want great results(at least 3As) and because we apply during our Alevel, AS results are very important for the impression to get the conditional offer.
• Note: Getting 4A* wouldn't guarantee you a place,

     6.   Interview

• Well, I didn't get the chance for an interview so whoever read this post will need to ask whoever that has the privileges to attend one to answer questions.

     7.   IELTS

• Register for a test early so you can prepare and choose a date that you're most comfortable with. Different universities have different requirement but mostly would want 7.5 or above.

     8.   Tawakkal

• Now that you've done your best, all that is left is to pray and tawakkal. If you got an offer; CONGRATULATIONS! and if you don't, don't lose hope and try to search for an alternatives pathway to continue you love in this field

If my memory serves me right, those are the steps that I took when applied in the 2014 cycle. My biggest regret would be my UKCAT score and the working experience.

So, based on these steps I'd say it's not impossible to study dentistry in UK(many have done so) but you'll have to try your best and prepare yourself so that those people at least look at you and call you for an interview. Of course the steps that I've listed and the requirements that I mentioned are based only on the universities that I applied and they are the top universities for dentistry in UK, so the requirements are, (very slightly) higher than others. All I can say is, all the best!

Note:

1. UK universities have 10% international students quota, so if there are 50 students in the dental faculty, only 5 will be taken from international applicants.

2. For every test, there is fee to be paid.

3. For UCAS application, applicants can have minimum one and maximum 5 applications to universities.

4. Everything described here is only on my opinion, so some other people with difference experience might have different opinion.

5. Information need to be checked periodically because there could be some new changes that I didn't know.

6. Please disregard any grammar errors. :p

Till then, Assalamualaikum.

Dental student. First semester. Mahsa University

Well, I thought maybe some STPM or A Level or foundation or any of it's equivalent students are still wondering what is it like to be a dental student, especially a dental student here in Malaysia's IPTS(Mahsa University). First of all, I might as well introduce my dental faculty. Right now, our faculty is located at Pusat Bandar Damansar(PBD) but we are going to move to Saujana Putra soon. Here, most of the dental lecturers are from other countries but nevertheless, qualified lecturers.

In my first semester, I have to take 4 subjects; Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry and Dental Anatomy but there are also other dental subjects such as Dental Public Health and Prosthodontics that were taught during our first year because the subjects are too broad to be covered in just one year.

The lectures are given quite as expected, almost similar to A level only with more students but the most significant difference is the amount of histo labs(anatomy and dental anatomy) and also all the exciting(except prostho) labs. I have done some wax carving classes(I'm an artisan! lol), some simulation lab for conservatives and impression making for prosthetics(not fun). Oh! Did I mention that I'm an artist too? (LOL) I've been drawing and colouring all those histo slides like there's no tomorrow.(Ok, a bit exeggeration there) For the medical part, physiology is the most exciting with ECG and blood pressure practicals. Anatomy as expected, lots of remembering weird names.

A tooth out of wax!

Draw and draw and draw and draw.

And after all these fun, of course, my sem one examination. Wish me luck!
Till then. :)

2015. A new year. A new life.

It might have been a little bit too late to update a post about the new year but as an analyst myself, 1/1/2015 is not that significant anymore. Saying so as I started my dental student life hmmm 4, no, 5 months ago, here in Mahsa University. Yep, proud to be a Mahsa student. :D

Honestly, this semester(yeah, semester not block like the medical students) has been too fast. It's near to the final semester examination. Fuhhh. Time does fly. I should start my readings now. Wouldn't want to lose my scholarship don't I?

Till then, Assalamualaikum.

UKCAT. Here in Malaysia.

I think this is about time those courageous A level or IB students who dream of continuing their medicine/dentistry studies in UK. Now, if you are still wandering around searching for what UKCAT is all about, please, DON'T STOP. TRY HARDER. DO LOTS OF PRACTICES. READ INSTRUCTIONS. DO A LOT OF PRACTICES. wait. I've said that but I really can't stress enough how important practices are. Try finding for online sources or even better buy practice questions if you have the resources. The questions are set to put you in a stressful situation.(medic=stress? lol) Not over the top stressful you feel like bursting, falling or etc but the time given to answer some of the parts is just nonsense(for me at least) especially for those who never tried the questions within the time constraint.

As you might have known, UKCAT stands for United Kingdom Clinical Aptitude Test. If you want more info about the test, try their official website.  http://www.ukcat.ac.uk/registration The cost is still £100 and you need to register yourself before 19 September for this year (2014). I took my UKCAT in 2012 at the University of Sheffield's office. Make sure to book early because the places are limited or you'll end up taking ukcat at Singapore or Indonesia. Your UKCAT mark is very, extremely, remarkably, terribly IMPORTANT for your application. When all other applicants have that all great results, what makes you stand out is your UKCAT mark and of course, your personal statement.

I went to the office by ktm>lrt>taxi from Nilai. Alhamdulillah we (Ardilla and me) made it. The test was as expected, increasing in difficulties and (I regretted it now) for the abstract reasoning I was too carried away trying to figure the pattern and didn't manage to answer all of the question. #note:even if you didn't know the answer, just pick one. At least you have a chance of getting the right answer rather than a 100% wrong because you leave it blank. This site has awesome tips and tricks, try and have a look at it. http://graduatemedicineapplicant.wordpress.com/ukcat/

Last but not least, you'll get your results a few minute after you've finished your test. So, brace yourself. Whatever happen just don't give up and hope for the best. :)

My applications; REJECTED

You know it's a humbling process when you don't even get an interview and rejected.
It might be because of my not so-high-UKCAT score when compared to others or maybe it's because of my not so touching personal statement. Whichever it might be, I don't have any regrets. I chose A Level and now, I can continue my studies locally and I can say I've tried my best but there are others who are better than me to fill in those such competitive spots.

I got lots and lots of precious new experiences that have help shaped a more mature me.
I  have realized that my parents are awesome and they'll support me no matter what.
My aunts and uncles are also super cool, giving me advice and words of motivation.

For all those bursary students who have applied and going to apply for the critical courses according to the list provided by JPA, know this. You guys are awesome because you have the courage to try. Even if you(me) fail, it's never the end of the world. Maybe going overseas is not good for you and we have to try and work harder and make those who rejected us pay for it. MUAHAHA.

Right now, I'm working on my applications to local universities. I got an offer from MAHSA for BDS but unfortunately because I kinda didn't understand what a provisional offer is and waited for the early April to ask about the offer during their open day, they told me that all the places are full and the offer is withdrawn WTH! So, today I'm waiting whether I will be called for USM interview or not. If not, well... I guess I'll go for my second choice.(Medic)

p/s: don't ask me why there are only 3 choices for dentistry there when I can apply to four. And if you want to ask anything or share something. Feel free to email me :) mierashida@yahoo.com.my

Till then, Assalamualaikum.

A level. DONE

  It was frightening, that day. 24th January 2014. I wasn't feeling anything the day before but nearing to 2.00pm, I was wrecked. My hands won't stop shaking and the time seems to past excruciatingly slow. Right on 2.00pm, I refreshed my page on the CIE Directs and voilà! MY RESULTS!!

  

  It wasn't perfect, the results, but I was so happy and glad that I didn't get B for my Maths. Alhamdulillah. Though my mood was spoiled due to some reasons, it was compensated by parents who brought me to Pizza Hut for a 'celebration'. Yeah, we go to these kinds of restaurants mostly for special occasions.

  Now that my results was out, I can concentrate on my upcoming IELTS exam. I need to get 7 and I have to aim for the band 8 (in case you didn't know, 9 is the highest). No harm in aiming higher right? I think I can manage the listening and reading well, I'm just a bit(a big fat lie!!) nervous for the speaking and writing mostly, the former especially. As my 2-weeks-IELTS-prep-class told me, most Asians are better at receptive language than the productive ones. Yep I'm definitely an Asian. 

  Putting aside IELTS for a while and I'll be talking about my future plans(heh). Now that Manchester has rejected me(WITHOUT AN INTERVIEW) I am in dire need of plan B or C or D. Though this is nothing new(change of plan) in my life, it's still disappointing. A new level of respect for those who did their MBBS or BDS at the UK.

  Now over with my whining session, I'll just continue my IELTS practices. What else.

Till then, Assalamualaikum.

  

Meeting a dentist and a dental specialist

       I am truly grateful to Allah for the chance that had been presented on me today. My dear aunt who knows I am still half hearted in my decision for my degree offered me to meet with a dental specialist (in oral and maxillofacial surgery to be specific) and he (while meeting him) offered me to meet the general dentist, who is very very kind next door who is an alumna of the Manchester University (my dream university)!!!! I really couldn't thank both of them enough for the time they spared for me and the invaluable advices they gave me.

       The specialist was kind enough to spend some time with me and shared his opinions of both fields and as commercial answer( I think ) he answered both field is almost the same in terms of studying and you need an excellent (perfect I say) results to enter these fields. But he did mentioned that there are too many medical doctors but less increase in market(if you understand what that mean) and what that is more important is that we should do our degrees in fields that we are truly interested (and have acceptable skills) in. He also did remind me to not be too caught up in thinking which profession suits myself most as sometimes things might not turn up as we expect them to be. (Absolutely right). Not to mention that he commented that our local universities have lower quality dental programme than overseas programme(UK).

      Now that we have heard a specialist opinion let's hear from a general dentist's views. The first question I asked, are you going to specialised in any of the dental specialities and she said with no doubt(seriously) No. Then the obvious question, why? She said that she is truly happy and satisfied with her profession now and she prefer to see a variety kind of patients rather than just one type of patients. She has been in the field for 16 years now (but she looked really young) and have her own clinic. Then another question popped up, how about her life as a dentistry student and she happily(again) said that she had a great life as a student and she had just realised how good her lecturers are because when she went to seminars lately they are bringing up the methods that she had been studying and practising for 16 years. 16 years!

      That is why both of them said that continuing my degree overseas (UK) in the recognised universities of course is much better because of the quality of the lecturers and the technologies. Nonetheless we shouldn't give up our field (even it seems almost impossible to get in) and we can still continue our degree locally. Last but not least, a food for thought, if it takes 16 years for the knowledge to come to Malaysia and known to dentists, what is exactly the students are learning??

Till then, Assalamualaikum