TO be a medical doctor or a dentist? That was my biggest dilemma in choosing the course to pursue in university. It's a long way away, a minimum of five years of undergraduate study is required.
So, I decided to take a 1.5 year of gap year after high school, shadowing dentists and medical doctors in both the general hospital and dental hospital back in Penang, Malaysia. It was then that I realised that being a dentist is what I can foresee myself doing in future. Why? Simply because it suited my character, a family guy who needs flexible working hours. Plus I dislike being on call!
The application process was a bit tough and stressful, as you know, The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Dentistry is prestigious and was recently just ranked No 1 in the world in 2016 and was ranked second in 2015.
It's an internationally-friendly place. All the courses are conducted solely in English and throughout your stay in Hong Kong, you will eventually pick up Mandarin and Cantonese by making local friends and acclimatising. The professors here are really helpful, knowledgeable and easily approachable. Whenever I have doubts in my studies, clinically or academically, they are always there to guide me.
The dentistry course in HKU is problem-based learning. Limited lectures serve as the guideline on what to read and you yourself have to look through the recommended textbooks, searching for the reliable sources on the internet for more information to prepare yourself better. It's not like the traditional spoon-feeding education system, there's no one CORRECT answer for any question. Professors will trigger you to think by throwing more questions and you have to find out the answers by yourself.
The best part of studying dentistry in Hong Kong is there is only ONE dental school in the whole of Hong Kong, which is the University of Hong Kong. The demand for dentists is high and the supply is never sufficient. As an international student, once I graduate I can start practicing in private clinics once I get the license without taking any entry examination because the dentistry course provided in HKU is recognised by the HKDC and HKDA.
As the dentistry course is a professional course, it mostly focuses on practical and clinical sessions, so it can’t afford to become a long exchange programme. There's a chance to go for a short exchange in the fifth year and sixth year, roughly two to three weeks. Students are free to apply to any dental school in the world by themselves.
My hall life was pretty interesting. I stayed in hall during my first year. I took part as one of the front stage actors in the drama club and performed during the anniversary dinner for my hall. It was a precious memory to me, teaming up with local hallmates and performing on stage with my broken Cantonese.
Meanwhile, I am also part of the HKU Student Ambassador Scheme for three years, welcoming exchange students and representatives from different universities around the globe, taking them around HK and sharing my experiences of living in HK.
In my free time, I paddle for the HKDA dragonboat team and go hiking with my friends and Malaysian mates. It helps keep me in shape and relieve some tension from studying.
I never feel homesick though I'm away from my family because there's a big Malaysian community in HKU and in HK. From time to time, there are events like the Mid Autumn Festival, gathering all the Malaysians and celebrating together! The Malaysian seniors are kind enough to share their stories and help out whenever I need help! It's like my second home in HK.
Jeremiah Mak
Bachelor of Dental Surgery, Year 3
The University of Hong Kong
*About HKU Dentistry
World No.1 QS World Universities Rankings by Subject 2016
The Faculty of Dentistry at The University of Hong Kong is the premier dental school in Southeast Asia and the only institution in Hong Kong that provides undergraduate and postgraduate dental degrees. The Faculty was established in 1982 and is located in the Prince Philip Dental Hospital in Sai Ying Pun on Hong Kong Island.
The undergraduate dental curriculum adopts problem-based learning (PBL) approach through which students develop critical thinking and self-directed life-long learning skill. The students also have early exposure to clinical training and provision of comprehensive care to patients.
There are state-of-the-art educational and clinical facilities in the Faculty at the Prince Philip Dental Hospital, including simulated patient laboratory and a 3D haptics training unit.
World-class quality taught postgraduate and research postgraduate programmes are also offered in nearly all fields and clinical dental specialties to both local and international students.
The Degree of Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) at The University of Hong Kong is recognised as a registrable primary qualification by the Dental Council of Hong Kong (DCHK). The BDS degree has been accredited by the DCHK, which has affirmed the specified status of The University of Hong Kong in section 8(1)(b) of the Dentists Registration Ordinance.
For more information about BDS, please visit: http://facdent.hku.hk/index.php/learning/ug/bds-curriculum-overview/
* About HKU Medicine
World No. 30 (QS World Universities Rankings by Subject 2016)
The Medical Faculty is the longest established faculty in Hong Kong. Created out of the Hong Kong College of Medicine, which was founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, the Faculty was accorded the position of premier Faculty when the University was opened in 1911. In 2005, the Faculty was named Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine in recognition of Mr Li’s generous donation of HK$1 billion to HKU. For over 129 years, the Faculty has been playing a pioneering role in medical education and training.
The Faculty comprises 14 departments, a School of Biomedical Sciences, a School of Chinese Medicine, a School of Nursing, a School of Public Health and a number of research centres focusing on various strengths of research. The 14 teaching departments in the Faculty are: Anaesthesiology, Clinical Oncology, Diagnostic Radiology, Family Medicine and Primary Care, Medicine, Microbiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Pathology, Pharmacology and Pharmacy, Psychiatry and Surgery.
The Faculty has consistently obtained the largest number of awards and amount of grants in the annual General Research Fund exercise of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council comparing with any other faculties in all tertiary education institution in Hong Kong. 53 of the faculty’s academic staff are listed as Top 1% scientists of the World by Essential Science Indicators (ESI). The Faculty has four State Key Laboratories and is the research of three Areas of Excellence and seven Theme-based Research Projects.
For more information on the study programmes of HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, please visit: https://www.med.hku.hk/programme/bachelor-of-medicine-and-bachelor-of-su...
* About HKU
Founded in 1911, HKU is the territory's oldest university, with a long heritage of academic excellence and service to the community. Today, HKU is a world-class comprehensive research-led university, with over a hundred of its faculty ranked by the Institute for Scientific Information as being among the world's top 1% of scientists.
With a strong international outlook and a tradition of English language instruction, HKU attracts the best academic staff and the brightest students from the territory and around the world. The University is committed to nurturing talent and leaders for both the local and global community and to cultivating internationalism on campus. The University strongly supports international academic collaboration, and staff and student exchanges at all levels, with over 400 higher education institutions.
At present there are over 9,000 international students from over 100 different nationalities, composing roughly 35% of the entire student body, at HKU including undergraduate and post-graduate students. HKU has been regarded as the best international university in Asia (the “Oxbridge of East Asia”, according to the Times Higher Education), and is currently ranked as the 27th best University in the world (QS World University Rankings 2016).