Hi everyone! Im a spm leaver this year. Thinking of doin my foundation at Mahsa and proced for DDS( Doctor of Dental Surgery) at Mahsa too. But i heard some rumours and comments which are bad relating to Mahsa. Hope to get some valuable opinion and recommendation and also advises really appreaciate it! Thank You in advanced!

Perhaps you could elaborate on the rumours and comments so that people could respond to them.

Got this off a post at this forum. Copied


This is a repost of what my friend blogged about taking dentistry in Mahsa. Not to flame, cause any hate or purposely badmouth the university, but this is the sad truth. Forget about what those course promoters/receptionist/adverts tell u, this is the real thing happening. How true is this? Well I'm dental student there myself. tongue.gif

i guess i've never talked about my course seriously before. so this is it. anyone who's interested in taking dentistry in mahsa university college.. this is what you'll have to consider before u decide.

1. you'll have to be ready for last minute changes. EVERYTHING is last minute.

2. you'll have to be able to take up the stress of failing. over and over again.

3. you'll need to be strong enough to withstand shoutings and feeling stupid all the time. not that i've encountered so, but i've heard them. from the seniors..=)

4. will you have a life? for the first year, yes. but as it goes on... it'll dissapear.

5. ready to pay "saman" if you're gonna have a car. for there will be no legal parking space. NONE.

6. if you're gonna take the bus transport provided. good luck~

7. those who plans to stay in the hostel. this is the best part. you must be a person who loves cockroaches to love that place.

8. food's the most important thing? its fine. but for five years? have fun..

9. be ready to give up on all you're clothes. and buy only formal clothes. oh wait, let me be a little specific on this. the mahsa dental faculty definition of formal is, no sleeveless, no cleavage, no dresses, not even formal dresses, not even below the knees skirts, no open toe shoes, no flowered closed shoes, no high heels, no whatsoever hairstyle for the guys, and of course, best is.. you wear a baju kurung.

10. if you're not good at tolerating stupid behaviours. trust me, you'll have to. cause you'll be classmates for five years. and everyone will need any help that you can get. so best is. no enemies. and that's the most f***ed up part. however much you hate the person. you'll have to smile at him/her (her in my case) everyday in class........@.@

11. if you're ready to see lecturers going against each other. lecturers being bias. no ideal system. where the highest authority on the faculty doesn't give a sh*t about the students. if you enjoy the laziness of the faculty staff, how retardedly retarded they are. stupidness of the lab assistant. then yes, mahsa's the best choice.


the above are all facts. note that, THEY ARE ALL REAL TRUE FACTS OF MAHSA.

but you'll get through them. nothing biggy. cause at the end of the day, you'll have you're friends to complain to. you classmates to share you're burden. laugh about it. get angry about it. and cry about it. there's also a handful of awesome lecturers to make life there less sucky. so don't worry. you'll live.

And yes...I've lived through it.

OFF-TOPIC:
Thinking about taking Foundation in Science in Taylor... But, "minimum 5 credits in all 5 science subjects" as the requirement to proceed in the degree course I wanted is the problem... I have no problem in Biology and Physics with almost confident I can get an A (A+, A or A-)... But not chemistry.. My paper 1 only 17/50... Paper 2? A lot of blackholes... A pass? Okay. A credit? Impossible.. RIP my ambition..

This post has been edited by Azer96: Dec 28 2013, 01:48 AM

Dont worry bro the grades will be lowered dont lose hope!
Im planning to take foundation in science at Mahsa too. Then degree in dentistry. But unsure about Mahsa, the quality of the lecturers and facilities and technologies provided, and is it constantly updated...environment should be ok.

is your ambition pharm/med/dentistry? A question to ponder: what makes you think you will do well in chem if you're struggling in the basics? A totally non judgmental question to think about. Hence, will you comprehend the work/intensity of studies ahead in those courses.

For MAHSA, when you said things are improving, are those facts, or just a form of thought to comfort yourself? When reality strikes, it ain't that pretty. IPTS can be a big pain in the arse. A lot of them don't have quality control in terms of education even though they promise to give 'the best', and everything is about money. Sadly that's what medical education in msia is turning into. When people gave negative comments about one institute, and those comments are resonated across many others, then well, it's telling you to heed the warning.

I personally have no experience with the school but from past posts from ex students from MAHSA, people would say just try for other colleges.

For MAHSA, when you said things are improving, are those facts, or just a form of thought to comfort yourself? When reality strikes, it ain't that pretty. IPTS can be a big pain in the arse. A lot of them don't have quality control in terms of education even though they promise to give 'the best', and everything is about money. Sadly that's what medical education in msia is turning into. When people gave negative comments about one institute, and those comments are resonated across many others, then well, it's telling you to heed the warning.

I personally have no experience with the school but from past posts from ex students from MAHSA, people would say just try for other colleges.

[/quote]

Thats why im asking for opinions. Im unsure about Mahsa. And its slightly expensive compared to PIDC, melaka manipal and segi but cheaper than IMU.

Wanna get opinions and suggestions from Mahsa students if possible. It might help me alot. And only students there know the real situation right
Hope someone can help!

Anyone??

A pass is quite possible given that spm has a record of "dumbing" down the grades.

This post has been edited by green_algae: Dec 28 2013, 03:02 PM

Hahahaha couldn't agree more on that! XD

even the not so bright minds of last year(my seniors) can get B for add maths an the other science subjects eventhough,failing it during the trials.

Yeah depending of the particular year's graph.
Back to topic...any one who's taking dentistry? Or even better, a dentist??

You didn't consider... Lincoln University College? Haha

http://www.lincoln.edu.my/programmetemplat...B6-49BF9C0C57DF

Lincoln is stil new in this field. Mahsa had offered dentistry for 5/6 years. But its far and always jam there. Might need to stay at hostel never stayed at hostel before.

So you final decision is Mahsa already?
Actually you can consider aimst foundation in kedah, because I heard a lot of good thing about them in terms of fee and quality.

I might go Mahsa to pursue dentistry also

I think it should be mahsa. How old are you?

Im gonna do my foundation there this year.

Just finished my a level, and result will be out soon.

Which intake for A level you went into?? Mahsa only september intake every year.

i am astonished there are 3 intakes a year!!!! must be a world record holder ....

another indication it's not a real educational institution, just a money making machine...

3 INTAKES PER YEAR? GOOD! JUST GREAT!

They mass producing dentists like cows? ==

I knew that..
And I am going to wait until September

Yeahh i have to wait too next year~~

Maybe do some part time job

What's your problem? Are you butthurt?

you think having 3 intakes a year is normal?....

Other universities would have much catching up to do.

If the same thing happens in Medic, then the number of doctors will increase by 3x.

Welcome to the new Malaysia!

They are accepting 200 medical students per intake... the amount of doctors is too damn high

I guess you're the one having a problem

mahsa sucks too


do you think they pay you more because you are from UM, IMU? bleh

This post has been edited by Msian90: Jan 6 2014, 05:47 PM

Mind providing proof? I would like to know

too many dentists these days..just like doctors. better off with another profession

Example of a profession with not many people? And yet have demand?

dentists and doctors are not something that should be mass produced. Engineers lawyers accountants can all work in different fields e.g. corporate world, banking, research..etc

Tell me what can a dentist do beside filling cavities and maybe selling some toothpastes?

A dentist not only fill cavities and treat your toothaches but will also do surgery on the head and maxillofacial area. Its more specialised to treat the head until the neck region.

Nowadays so many people entering engineering, no? Well at least most of my friends are. And my interest is more into treating people and reduce their pain. And also give people whiter and brighter smiles

That's my point. Dentistry is a very specialised field. One would not spend half his parents' life savings and 5 years of his life in dental school and end up selling insurance plans for public bank.

Thing is , dentists can only work in public or private sector. Speaking of public, how many gov hospitals are there to cater to all these overflowing fresh grads? No prize for guessing why housemanship for dentists was reduced from 3 to 2 years. And soon to be 1 year. 4 dentists sharing a dental chair? you must be kidding me.

If you're into dentistry for the money like how your parents have brainwashed you, think again.

I really don't get people nowadays.
Whenever the topic is regarding about dentistry/medicine, there is always people questioned them and bring out the same topic again and again.

Lol i have no idea~~

Maybe cause of the difference in interests

That's my point. And i go for it cause of my interests in it. Government service 2 years yeah. Salary 3.5k or 4k only. Think i did not do my research? Doctors and dentists dont earn much when in public practicing. But i believe what i have passion and interest in.

I have to take max 100k ptptn loan to persue my dream. I dont think it's playing matter

too many dentists now. by the time you graduate it may not be a high paying job,or in fact you may not get a job at all.

Yes i know that but I still want to persue my dream and goal in life. If there're not opportunity here then maybe I can move to rural area and serve the community there.

It's just the way of how you see things.

A glass can be half full but it is also half empty

it's called a reality check....

very good.....

as long as people know the facts, and the expected reality in future.....

and don't have their parents go complain to politicians and the press about how their precious sons/daughters have no job, or work too hard, or too poorly paid.....after 'investing' so much money in the course...

Biasa la parents ma they want the best for us. And also what's best for our future

that is exactly the point...the reality is that in future, the prospect for doctors and dentists in msia is NOT that bright....

so why are parent still so keen?....

Truth be told, want to be boss, stay away from being a doctor or dentist. Unless if you work for few years and save money to set up your own practice.

And well, you can ask lecturers that teach medical or dentistry students. Although it's their duty to persuade you to join their education group, they'll also agree that there too many out there.

And the main reason is because although we are improving and advancing in technology, knowledge about health are kept aside. For example, when was the last time you got your teeth and mouth checked?

Public awareness is lacking

A friend's son who recently graduated and currently doing housemanship is so proud of his son that each time he sees me, he tells me my son this and that and that he gets net pay of more than RM5k per month and that when he becomes an MO, he will get more than RM10k (including overtime).

Well, this is what parents feel......proud and satisfying.

Hahahaha more than 5k when doing housemanship? I think should be around just 5k. Doctors are too mainstream and every parent want their children to be doctors. Earn BIG BIG money

housemans do NOT get nett pay of 5k.....and mos do not get nett pay of 10k....

Maybe including overtime?

Or as usual parents tend to overstate. And he is based in KK General Hospital Sabah. I was also told that the hospital there is one of the 3 most difficult hospitals in the country to pass their housemanship as the consultants/specialists are very strict. True?

You'll get bullied anywhere during housemanship by the seniors and also the specialists. It is like a mandatory custom already. True story because my doctor always tells me that

Yes maybe proud it is but no time for family and social life. Everyday on calls. And even if you're on holiday or vacation they can call you anytime to provide service. Can't say no

It is for those who are physically and mentally prepared to serve the community and give priority to their work. Even family and personal matters have to be placed second.

There is no overtime ....just overtime allowance, which is no more given since Ho are now on shifts....

in addition, all established positions for doctors in the ministry of health are projected to be all filled by the end of 2015, and that will likely mean withdrawal of what is called 'critical service allowance', which is given to doctors currently because in the past, many posts are were filled, and hence doctors have to do more work to cover these unfilled positions...

therefore, there will be a drop in the take home pay for doctors/dentists/pharmacists....

This post has been edited by limeuu: Jan 9 2014, 11:10 AM

Gomen allowance given cannot be withdrawn in bolehland. It can only increase! That's the good thing about civil servants. This vote bank has to be always pampered.

Even the gomen austerity drive can only cut 5 to 10% of entertainment allowance.

Sometime it is not about parent but student itself.
Not to pursue because no future?
then can you named a few jobs/field there are no competition and GUARANTEE a good pay?
Student should choose something according to their interest and also ability.
Besides, people complain about their job all the time, not just doctor/dentist.

Btw, where do you get this info?
in addition, all established positions for doctors in the ministry of health are projected to be all filled by the end of 2015

the on-call allowance is already removed, and replaced with a smaller 'shift allowance'....

Yes totally agree with your statement

Most importantly is your pure interest towards a certain field so there will be motivation driving you through. And also the ability to complete the mission that you want to.

you failed to understand my point...

the critical health professions used to be 'guaranteed employment' profession....and on average pays higher than other professions.....that is why so many people are so keen....

all other professions do not have this distinct characteristic....

however, the days when a doctor/dentist/pharmacist will be like any other professions, eg engineers, lawyers etc are coming....just like all other professions, there are going to be unemployed doctors, and doctors doing other jobs than being doctors,....just like all other professions....

many students/parents still think they will be guaranteed jobs and high income if they become doctors/dentist, just like that gp and dentist round the corner....

my point is that it will NOT be like that, by the time they graduate....

but unlike other professions, they will have paid 3-8 times more in education expenses....often from borrowings....

beware...

Agreed

The mindset of that have to change. Or not there'll even more doctors and dentists and pharmacist. And many will not persuade their real ambition as they are affected by our most respected individuals, our parents.

Dr Aaron,

Is it true that an inner molar has to extracted if the Dental drill cannot fit into the area to remove decay?

Why do you ask?

Because a beautiful Dentist, Dr. Natalia, told me. And so, I'm seeking a second opinion.

She added, if technology advances then she can do something about it.

Since this is "Ask a Dentist" forum, what is your advice, Dr Aaron?

Don't get me wrong I'm not a qualified dentist. In fact, I'm not even a dental student yet! Just that i have great interest and passion towards dentistry

TREATING TOOTH DECAY

If your decay is in the early stages, your dentist may apply a fluoride varnish to the area. This can help to stop further decay, particularly if you lower your intake of sugar.
If decay has worn away your enamel and caused a cavity, your dentist will remove the decay and restore your tooth with a filling. If the nerve in the middle of your tooth is damaged, you will need a root canal treatment, which removes the nerve and restores the tooth with a filling or crown.
If the tooth is so badly damaged it cannot be restored, the only option may be to remove it.
Fluoride

Fluoride is probably the most effective treatment available for preventing and limiting the spread of tooth decay. It is a naturally occurring mineral found in foods and drinks, such as fish and tea, but it can also be synthesised (manufactured). Synthetic fluoride is used in toothpaste, from which most people get their fluoride.
Fluoride protects teeth by strengthening the enamel, making teeth more resistant to acid attacks that can cause tooth decay. It reduces the ability of plaque bacteria to produce acid, and enhances the repair (remineralisation) of enamel.
If your cavity is in its early stages, your dentist may be able to repair the decay by using a concentrated fluoride gel, varnish or paste.
Fillings and crowns

If the decay to one of your teeth is more extensive, it may be necessary to repair the damage with a filling or crown.
A filling replaces your missing enamel. There are many different filling materials available, including amalgam (silver coloured), composite (tooth coloured) and glass ionomer (tooth coloured).
Inlays and onlays can also be used to fill teeth. They specifically fill the size and shape of your cavity, and are fixed in place with dental cement. Inlays and onlays are usually made from gold, as it is the most long-lasting and hard-wearing filling material.
Crowns are used to treat extensively damaged teeth. The decayed section of the tooth is drilled away and the crown is placed over the remaining section. Crowns are made of gold, porcelain, ceramic or glass.
Read more about what NHS crowns and fillings are made of.
Root canal treatment

If tooth decay has spread to the pulp, the pulp may have to be removed and replaced with an artificial pulp (gutta percha) that will keep the tooth in place. This is known as root canal treatment.
Root canal therapy has had a reputation of being painful, but improved dental techniques mean it is now comparatively painless.
Read more about how root canal treatment is performed.
Tooth extraction

In serious cases of tooth decay, the tooth may be removed to prevent the spread of infection from a dental abscess. Losing certain teeth can affect the shape and function of surrounding teeth, so the dentist may have to replace the tooth with a partial denture, bridge or implant.

BTW do believe in your dentist she knows best.

Like what I said, a small reduction but cannot be withdrawn without any compensation.

Many civil servants like to "pinjam" money from people having dealings with them but how may actually repay.

"Sudah masuk susah nak ambil keluar".

these are allowances not given to other professionals.....when there is no more 'criticalness', the critical allowance will be removed...to be on par with all other civil servants.....

otherwise all other professionals will want the same allowance....they can't before because there is no shortage in their respective professions.....

Critical fallacy,

Got this from a dentist friend.

"No that is not true , go to a specialist periodontist for a second opinion "

Thanks Aaron, I'll look into that! I'm looking forward to the salvation of my molar!

May all your dreams and wishes come true!

This is a good thead. +1

This post has been edited by Critical_Fallacy: Jan 9 2014, 09:07 PM

Thanks All the best in solving your dental issues

Interesting, is that "inner molar" your last tooth? Every person has 3 molars on each side. The third molar is what most people called as wisdom tooth. So, which molar of yours is having a decay? Is it upper or lower molar? Most of time, the molars are accessible using the dental drill, with the help of mouth mirror.

Put a bit of my little opinions. Nothing much. I am an IMU student btw.

Does it mean that IMU is the same too? Or you imply that all uni are similar in this way?

IMU can be quite similar too. If you are talking about similarity in all other uni, the point 2, 4 and 9 are mostly there. As for the other points, they are pretty subjective to the location of the university and luck. Haha.


Edit: As for point 4, if you plan your time well, you will have time for your own leisure
Edit2: We have classes from 8-6.30pm for some days, either back to back lectures/lab sessions/clinical sessions or with some breaks in between.

This post has been edited by jdachum: Jan 10 2014, 12:03 AM

Ohhh i see

How long is your breaks in between?

The fees at IMU is abit...out of my range

The length of the breaks vary a lot, like A LOT. Sometimes you only have 45 min lunch break, sometimes 1 hour break, sometimes, 1.5hr, 2hrs, 3hrs.

Yeah, IMU courses are expensive and increased quite a few in the past years :/

You must have a really rich dad and willing to spend so much

Why does it varies so much? Because of the classes timetable?

Cannot say rich dad la, it's still hard earn money, using up most of the savings for education. The reason I chose IMU is because they offer PDS (Partner Dental School).


Yup, it's the timetable. Of course it's the timetable, what else can be the reason? LOL

So you're the only child in the family? Partner with?

Nope, youngest with 2 sisters working already. When I am enrolled into IMU, they offer 3 PDS, University of Adelaide, University of Queensland and University of Otago. For this year's intake, they offer 4, with the addition of University of Copenhagen.

Which one you chose?

Upon entry into IMU, you won't be able to choose which university you want to go straightaway. The university you go will be done by a procedure called matching exercise. As I said before, I have 3 university options and we will need to submit a form where we will rank our order of preferences for the universities.

They have a point system where they allocated the least point into your first choice and the most into your last choice. This is our part. The next part will be IMU sending our academic performances and so on to the 3 universities where they will rank all of us who are in the PDS programme. The highest rank will be given the least point and vice versa. After getting back the rankings from the universities, they will add up the points from my side and their side and offer the university place to the lowest summed points. Keep in mind that the points from our side take the highest priority as we hold more points than the universities. It is hard to explain here, but hope you get the general idea. However, there were a lot of rumours that this matching exercise is just a cover and it is just IMU who assign the students to the universities. Well, I have nothing to say about this, no way we can find out whether it is true or not since they never disclose to us how the universities ranked us and our summed up points.

the imu matching exercise, while officially, is based on a ranking system as explained above, is not entirely transparent, as you do NOT get to see the marks/points....

and it is well known that the final matching do not always make sense....there are many cases of students with poorer academic results getting a match over a better student when they both rank the uni the same....imu's explanation has always been that the pms do not always use academic performance in their ranking of students.....

but the suspicion is that imu 'distribute' students, so that the popular unis do not get all the best students, and the unpopular ones all the worst students...

So you choose to transfer to partner dental schools overseas? It's 800k for University of Adelaide, Queensland and Otago and 400k for University of Copenhagen

you have to choose at entry, which you want, the local or pds programme...it is normally not possible to change from local to pds after you have started....although the other way is easily done....

the matching is only done at the 5th semester...

that means, if you choose the pds programme, you will not know where you will end up, until the end....

I see

Actually, students have to decide at the time of submitting their applications to IMU the study route they choose to pursue - local or PDS. The place they are offered is either local or PDS, entrance requirement for PDS being higher.

The fees for the 3 PDSs are abt RM200K a year for 3 years with Otago charging higher but for 2.5 years. The unis increase their fees by abt 10% every year though. The parents really have to be rich to opt for PDS. The figures are indeed mind-boggling.

This post has been edited by tmchong: Jan 11 2014, 01:19 PM

Yes INDEED! The figures are really mind blowing. Even medical students at IMU pay lesser if compared to dentistry students there x.x

With the enforcement of the Medical Devices Act 2012 requiring dental and medical suppliers to fork out money to register their products, we can only foresee that the costs to practice dentistry, and the fees to study it will definately increase significantly in the coming years.

Ohhhh register their product?

Yes the fees throughout the years have maintained a steep increasing graph

Why the heck u take dentistry ....

do you enjoy looking those rotten teeth from all types of people like the one in their 70s or Indians one ....

for the rest of your life

This post has been edited by Y.J.S: Jan 12 2014, 09:31 PM

Because I like to It's really a different view when you're in the dental seat treating your patient's teeth or jaw. You should check out videos of it.

And also it's my deep interest and passion to make people feel more confident with their smile. If I'm a dentist I will be able to change those rotten teeth into beautiful teeth. Although artificial maybe XD But I can help people regain confidence.

And I want to create public awareness of the importance of taking care of your own oral hygiene to kids like YOU!

Maybe now you won't realise because you're still young and your teeth are all in tip top condition. But later when you grow old you'll slowly realise my advice today. And you can come visit me

oral hygiene ? I never care about it.

I brush my teeth once daily which is morning .

But if you became a specialist like orthodontist or open your own practice , be ready to lead yourself into a good lifestyle where those 9-5 employees are envious of .

my neighbour is a dentist . oh wait ARE dentists . Both of them are husband and wife and they have their own practice in kota kemuning (ooi & khor) , they used to work 4 days per week but now they just need to go there once in a while . sometimes he will fetch me to school in the morning and also bring me to tennis lesson in 3k