Transcription
Hi everybody. Uh, today I'm fortunate to have uh Dr. Subinder Kore with me. Uh, I hope I said your name right. But uh, she's originally from India, Punjab. Uh, and she's currently a hygienist in Canada for the past couple of years. She applied to Capid Cycle and got interviewed uh during her first cycle. But now in her second one, she got accepted to University of Minnesota. I've been fortunate to uh assist her, help her during the process uh and got to talk to her last year and since then we've been working and recently she got accepted to Minnesota. But I'm really grateful to Dr. Up here for taking out the time and letting me do this interview so other people can learn from her experience. So thank you doc.
Yeah. Hello everybody. Thank you Dr. Adriel.
Sure. Sure thing doc. So tell us a little bit now you're accepted to Minnesota but let's talk a little bit uh when you graduated from India what was your experience in India and then how was your journey in Canada?
Uh, so uh, I graduated uh in 2013 and uh, I did my uh schooling from the government college and it was like around 5 years and I enjoyed it a lot but uh then yeah, the those five years were really good like learned a lot of uh things it was a u like it was a good hand-on experience but then after that after my schooling I got ma I got married when I was uh doing my internship uh but then I got the opportunity to work in my um it was like the uh rural area so for the two years I did the practice on hands-on dentistry but uh then uh I got uh opportunity to move to Canada.
So you worked for two years as a general dentist right in India.
Uh, yes.
And then you came to US in 2000 uh in Canada in 201
16. Okay. 16.
And so when you came what did you do early in 2016?
In 2016 uh I did apply for my like the I took the step to do the Canadian exams. Uh, but then unfortunately uh I have to because of the covid I was not able to uh complete it. So then I did my hygiene program. uh that was like one of the best step I took to do in the uh uh that was about 2 years but that gave me uh a good handon experience that how the North American dentistry looks like and now I'm working as a dental hygienist for the last
so overall you said it was one of the best thing you did it was it in Canada is it two years uh schooling
yeah it is a two-year schooling
and how much do you have to pay to uh become a hygienist It was like 40k
Canadian. And was it tough?
Uh was it was it was tough? It was tough for sure. Yes. Because we were a lot of dentist in that dental hygiene program. It was not easy for us. You know, you have to unlearn so many things. uh and we were always in the eyes of our instructors because they know that we know all the stuff uh before but we have to like we have to unlearn unlearn so many things so that's the thing.
Got it. So overall like um so when you were studying as in the hygiene school were you also working for like to keep up with making some money or something like that?
Uh no I wasn't working at that time because it was so busy. You have to go 5 days to the school and then I have the kids too. So that was like I wasn't I wasn't working while I was doing the hygiene school.
Okay, makes sense. So it's a full-time schooling 40k for 2 years. And if you don't mind me asking so because I'm asking this because people who are moving to Canada right now applying to CAPID finances is an important part. So what how much does a dental assistant approximately make in Canada and how much approximately on average hygienist make
dental hygienist approximately like around I would say like for a month uh like we have to pay so much taxes like but then also like we
what about hourly hourly rate
hourly is like 50 approximately 50
in Ohio there's approximately uh But this is USD like I've seen hygienist getting 42. I've seen hygienist getting 60. Uh, 50 is is still a good but yeah you guys have taxes are different comparatively. So okay and so you the reason I'm asking all of this is for other people who are going through the boat who are trying to figure out should I do dental assisting should I do this.
So when you applied to capit cycle you started applying in 2023 right?
Yes.
Why did you waited so long? Just asking and since 2016 I know the Canadian thing didn't work out by 20189 but didn't you thought about oh maybe I should have applied earlier.
I should have been applied earlier because if you have a like the long gap that also makes a difference. Uh, but while I was uh, but but when I started working as a dental hygienist there was like one of the dentist who really uh motivated me uh to do the so I gave my uh board exams but I would really motivate that if you are if you're focused that you should have that you have to do this then you should like you should apply as possible.
Yes. So now when you applied in 2023 how what do you think like at that time did hygiene because there a lot of people applying from Canada right now.
Yeah.
You know them you we know a lot of people.
Do you think and Minnesota is a school which like a lot of Canadian.
So do you think what things helped you like did the hygiene help you having TOEFL? what what things in your overall application help you to get invite even in your first cycle you got invited right
uh yeah dental hygiene gives you like the hand-on experience for sure yes then joining Dr. Adriel is also a great advantage for because no the first difference between my applying in the first and the second cycle was that in second cycle uh I got a better advice from uh Dr. Ariel that he asked me to make the connections. So the difference between applying in the first and second was first I was missing the connections with the school. Second I applied but I made good connection with the University of Minnesota which helped me to get the acceptance.
So when you say good connections doc and I so people who don't know but Dr. Subninder was working we were she was part so in the first cycle she got an invite from Colorado. I prepared her for the interview but unfortunate fortunately she did not get accepted but then later on uh she was part of the fellowship program where I was working along with her uh in throughout her application except for bench exam whether it was personal statement letter of recommendation interview. So one of the things we discussed when I was talking to her I said you have good experience you have TOEFL you have uh hygiene license which is very strong and you've been experiencing I think your name should go out and people should know you like personally they should when they look at your application they should know you so can you tell people like how were you able to build that connection?
Uh yeah. So I was like after uh getting the weight listed from Colorado so I was like really like little bit you know I was disappointed but then I then I reached Dr. grade real again. Then he said that you should be sending starting uh the emails getting the feedbacks from the school and uh then I just started uh uh emailing the University of Minnesota then they start enrolling me in their uh webinars which they always held a monthly like they always start from the November then there's a monthly webinars then uh the program director they all he welcomed like he made a separate app for all of the uh candidates to uh join their webinars that was like kind of mighty app. So through that mighty app I was always active so he actually remembered my name from there and we were able to make good connections. He actually interviewed me on that app. So because of the uh Dr. Adriel I was able to make the like he actually helped me in how to give the good interviews, how to be uh be professionally on the uh like when you were giving the interview and uh he that really helped me and make a good connections.
So you said you were so interviewed on the app you said.
Yeah, like he like he always uh interview the uh uh the uh students which he like he wants to know.
So he was interested in knowing you more.
So knowing you on the app, he would ask you questions.
Questions? Yeah.
Okay. Yeah. When I when I saw your overall your profile, I knew because of the hygiene and it's two years of work. It it's not a joke. like going through two years of full-time schooling is not easy but I knew that's going to give you an advantage which it did. So overall when you attended the webinars at M&N what did you get to learn about the school what are the big likes dislikes what were the things that you got to know a little bit more and they prefer Canadians because of they have like you can get Canadian license after graduating from M&NN so what have been your uh learning through that process
so while I was attending their webinars they always uh they always the one thing I have uh I always loved about that school is that they want to learn you as a person they don't want like the people who know like who know like those are topnotto students know they just want to know like how you are and secondly uh they all yes as Dr. trade real said that they prepare you for the Canadian uh license. Thirdly, they have like the limited students. I think that I the the thing I want to because I want to be a part of that community so that they should remember my name.
Mhm. So overall like people I know a lot of students right now who are reaching out like coming to Canada or even US uh a lot of Punjabi students and this is not a cheap process like this is not in this is a very expensive and you spend and your migration have been since a long time like you've been in Canada since 2016 I came to US in 162 so it's been what 9 years for us. So, but now when you look back like people who are coming at this point and they have to apply to CAPED or become a hygienist and all of that. First of all, what advice will you give them financially because this is nothing is free up here. Everything's expensive. Even my coaching that I was able to help her out there was a price to it. And dental schools applying to e school is expensive to cap it flying and going and attending those interviews if it's in person or bench exam is expensive and then when you don't get accepted it's a lot of money that you spend and people get disappointed. So if you have to give advice to the younger folks who are coming in right now to uh Canada and who want to apply and trying to figure out what would be your advice financially, mentally and how to approach this thing at this point?
Financially I would say yes it is quite but as I was working as a like a dental hygienist that was really helpful for me but I would uh uh give the advice that you have to be like prepared mentally that it is not like a one day process you have to work hard like if you are not able to do it so I would say that was not a correct time for you so everything is planned everything will come to you whenever there's a time for you But you should not stop working hard like even like for example if your TOEFL score is not good you should like your TOEFL scores you should get like up to high like the above 100 I would say then if you don't have the enough CE courses like we I think we should be I was always like I should have like something to do and then if you want to do like dental assisting and hygienist yes I would say that it would be a great point for you because now the universities are uh preferring to those students those who have hand on experience and if you're doing the if like if you have done the assisting and hygiene for example that will help you financially a lot and that will keep the mental stress away I would say
how much how much TOEFL score did you had doc
I had 107
okay that yeah she so you had pretty solid uh uh TOEFL so that mattered so one and if somebody asks you right now throughout the just the capid process not the Canadian exam in this two years approximately approximately and now you're going to school you have to spend more
how much do you think you ended up spending
I ended up in spending like if I'm doing my CE courses uh I did C courses from the universities like here University of Toronto and then um like all this full uh like I had the interview in Colorado so all I so I adding up like the my travel expenses and all those lines
cap at each school which is like $400 $500 each
and I would say like around like getting the even the professional have like I would say 50k 50 or 60k
and this is Canadian you're talking about Canadian
yeah I'm talking Canadian yeah
yeah so overall for two years of psycho and this included so she was working with me with the fellowship program which was 5500 at that time and so beside this you also took bench prep any bench prep course you do
courses. Yes, I did from here and uh I had like the online fellowship program with one of the dentist in the US.
Mhm.
So yeah, I
was it helpful? What was that?
No, it was really very helpful because I used to uh send like send my cutings to her like pictures and then she would give the elaborative like uh uh feedback on it and that was really quite helpful.
That's good. That's good. I I wish I could do that. I the bent prep thing is one thing. Even if I could do crown preps clinically, I'm like I'm not going to teach this like
No, no. Dr. Ariel, I would give like one more advice here. Like if you are like if you want to if you're focused and you have to been to school, you should start like bench test preparation from the day one. Like we should know I would say yeah
I I can do it. It's just I don't I enjoy I don't enjoy teaching it. I enjoy other interview part all of that and I feel like if I'm not enjoying it I'm I'm just going to be doing it for money and it won't be fun.
No, I want to say like Dr. Ariel is really best in interview like best in interviews. I know I when I first talked to Dr. Ariel even he would remember that I was not able to like speak the words. So he really helped me in interviews. Yes, you should go for him.
I remember it was a Colorado time. Yep. when we were preparing see time goes by so fast and now you're accepted you know what I tell people all the time when you get accepted enjoy this time because if you ask me and I close my eyes and say when was your golden time when you thought like there is no stress it was when I was getting accepted to schools and there was like oh the world is going to change I'm going to become a dentist go to school new potential new chances there was a lot of like like I would say youth in in yourself like you're going to be somebody else.
Yeah.
But once you get in, you start paying for the student loan, you start going for this the AEX exam. So it's kind of like even though you're achieving things, but there's like 10 more things to do and after that it's never been that I haven't felt that golden feeling again. Maybe it's just me but whenever somebody tells me I got accepted I say enjoy this time because this never comes back.
This never comes. Yeah. One thing I can say that if I can do anyone can do.
No because it's very good.
I no I remember my time like I was not able to speak in front of the camera but now I don't like when if someone says that I have to like you have to speak online like for I can do now. this is because of him
because you've been practicing too like I think we would do like zoom calls and stuff so that will
so except for that any other advice to younger people or fresh people who are coming to Canada US or even who want to apply to Minnesota what advice would you say that what does Minnesota really like to uh see in their students
so in coming in like talking to the program director there or even the other members there. So what the thing he wants that is that he want he want to actually to know the person how you are. He wants to see that if you're collaborative, if you can like collaborate with other people and the second thing he always says that you should not be needy that you should not be asking for the things again and again that you should like they are there for the help like they help you every step but you have to be uh like very I would say practical that because he doesn't like the people who are needy and
I think more than needy annoying what what people do is they will ask very silly questions like I would get I would get email or question like how do I uh how do I use word document or where do I find TOEFL score people would ask very and I'm thinking you could just Google it like Google it yourself and people send these kind of emails to the school too and they annoy them so that's true I'm sorry I'm cutting you but the point is what she is saying when you're corresponding or communicating with the school, be very precise and be professional.
Do not waste their time in us. It will annoy them.
Yeah. Like they are very like uh they will like you if you are to the point and if you're professional.
Yep. Anything else you when you went for the bench? How was that
bench exam? I that was like the best thing because because they were like it was not like a exam they just want to see how you work under the pressure they provide you everything like they are so nice but you have to like I don't that doesn't mean that you don't have to practice but you have to practice your handon experience should be really good but they really want to see like how you work under the pressure uh but otherwise like they like they're good it was the best uh like the bench exam I ever attended
good Good. Okay. All right. And any last piece of advice and before we end this interview and I highly appreciate your time doc at this time of the evening taking out time from your family and everything. And to be honest uh Dr. Subinder was one of the candidates I knew for sure will get accepted. And when I'm working with candidates it's a lot of ups and down. You get invite and then you get rejected. You applied to school and you're not hearing back. And there's a lot of like emotional roller coaster I feel like. And so any advice on that mental like how to be mentally resilient through this process and you like sometimes with family with other things financially it can be a big load. So any advice to other females other candidates who are going through the same process?
Uh yes I would give like piece of advice is that like I know like uh this whole process makes you overwhelmed but the only thing I would give uh tell you that you should enjoy this process be positive that's the key that you should start like always working hard you should not like if something happens if you don't like if you're not uh interviewed if you don't get interview for the first cycle you shouldn't stop working hard no negative thoughts yes that makes you disappoint appointed but then you should see where you are lacking take the professional help yes I would say uh like because the proof reading and then taking the fin like professional help makes you shine and uh yeah Dr. Radial is here
Thank you. No, thank you very much. It was obviously Doc, it was a pleasure working with you. Sometimes uh it's not just a b I do make money off it, but it's not just a business. The other thing is people have their own energies. You when I talk to people, I can sense either way this person is going to be successful and it's just the energy they carry, the mindset they have. I sadly I had student who even got accepted and I remain worried like if they don't change their aptitude they're going to create trouble.
Yeah.
So uh you were one of the people who were you've been hardworking and you're mature about things but you always had that persistent like attitude towards things. It will happen it will happen. And I think that was one of the things which was really good in your personality and I hope you keep that way in the school as well. But uh again thank you doc for your time and I hope the people who are watching this they get to learn something from this and utilize in their application. So thank you very much doc.
No thank you Dr. Trail and good luck everyone's