Canadian international students Feng Chen, left, and Valentine Sheng, right, pictured with fellow Dentistry student Gayathri Ponneri, made sure to enjoy experiences beyond campus during their time at Otago. Feng and Valentine came to Dunedin to complete their Bachelor of Dental Surgery.
Coming to the University of Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry to study seemed like the obvious choice for Canadian international students Valentine Sheng and Feng Chen.
Travelling from Ontario in Canada, the pair came with a group of other students to complete their Bachelor of Dental Surgery in Dunedin.
For the Faculty of Dentistry’s Deputy Dean (Clinical) and Associate Dean of Admissions, Professor Karl Lyons, spending time supporting and teaching international students while at Otago is an opportunity he very much enjoys.
He explains that Bachelor of Dental Surgery graduates from Otago are recognised in Canada in the same way as Canadian Dental graduates. This makes Otago a first-choice option for Canadians wanting to study Dentistry abroad. Not only do Canadians who come to Dunedin find there are clear parallels between their culture and here, but they’re also eager to partake in the world-class education the Faculty offers.
“Otago can be like a home away from home for Canadian students considering studying here,” Karl says.
“Having recently climbed to 21st place for Dentistry and Oral Sciences education in the latest round of Shanghai Ranking's 'Global Ranking of Academic Subjects', the Faculty continues to prove it’s an innovative teaching, research and clinical institution.
“We offer a great deal of pastoral-care services to students coming here, and do our best to set them up well so they might excel in their studies whilst finding time to enjoy all the beautiful Dunedin city has to offer.”
Valentine and Feng can attest to this sentiment, having thrived both academically and personally in their time at the Faculty of Dentistry.
Valentine Sheng
Canadian student Valentine Sheng has thrived studying at Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry for the past three years, crediting this to Otago’s pastoral services, balanced work culture and ever-supportive lecturers and staff.
Having studied at Otago for over three years now, Valentine says the experience has not only built her clinical and academic foundations in dentistry but also grown her personally.
Raised in a passionately academic household, Valentine says her family had high expectations and encouraged her to achieve her potential. However, they’ve also been incredibly supportive of her decisions, including her choice to come all the way to Dunedin.
“These past few years have been really meaningful for me,” Valentine says.
“I’m a relaxed and fairly introverted person, but I really enjoy spending time with friends too and so deciding to come to New Zealand was definitely one of the biggest decisions I’d ever made.
“My family did everything they could to help make it possible though and so I’m incredibly grateful for their support as I pursue my childhood passion of becoming a dentist.”
She hadn’t seriously considered study abroad until the last year of her undergraduate degree, when she first heard about Otago and was quickly sold on the opportunity.
Taking on a challenging programme like dentistry meant that Valentine wanted to be in a place that had a strong international reputation with a history of excellence, and supportive learning and living environments.
She found this at Otago, she says.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Otago. Dentistry is an intensive programme, but I feel that Otago makes it possible to still have a balanced lifestyle." – Valentine Sheng
Valentine’s classes have been much smaller and more personal than she’s previously experienced, and she’s found the cultural experience of being here really meaningful.
“Learning more about Māori culture and other cultures in Aotearoa New Zealand has helped me understand people better and communicate more sensitively, which translates well to my dentist-patient interactions.
“It reminds me that dentistry is not just about teeth, but about people, their backgrounds and their stories.”
From a clinical perspective, Otago is also quite special in that the students here get hands-on experience early, from about the second year of their studies, which Valentine really enjoyed, saying it enables students to apply theory to real cases, develop their communication skills, and gradually build confidence in a supervised, supportive environment.
She’s also enjoyed the Faculty’s recently renovated dental facilities, the beautiful scenery of the surrounding city and natural landscapes, and the relaxed and down-to-earth community.
When she wasn’t studying hard, Valentine was able to enjoy exploring the city, watching movies with other students, going on road trips, getting some good sleep, and even sharing in her passion for all things cat-related with her friends.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time at Otago. Dentistry is an intensive programme, but I feel that Otago makes it possible to still have a balanced lifestyle.
“I’ve had a lot of support from my peers, lecturers and clinical tutors. Everyone is very friendly, approachable and willing to help.
“I’ve made great friends here, and we often study together during the week. On weekends, we sometimes go on small road trips or explore nearby places, which is a nice way to reset and enjoy New Zealand’s scenery. Overall, it’s been challenging in a good way, but also very rewarding.
“I would definitely encourage students from Canada to consider coming to Otago. Of course, it’s a big move. You will be far from home and in a different time zone, but the people, the education, the clinical exposure, and the chance to live in such a beautiful country make it worthwhile.”
Feng Chen
Though pursuing a career in dentistry wasn’t tauira Feng Chen’s first idea, she found herself falling in love with the career and is glad to be following in her parents’ footsteps.
When she’s not making her signature chocolate banana bread for friends, hiking with her partner or going to the gym, 27-year-old Feng is following in her parents’ footsteps by pursuing a career in dentistry.
Both Feng’s mother and father are in the dental field and encouraged her to pursue this profession, but the pathway to dentistry wasn’t so straightforward for Feng herself.
Having a passion for the sciences and animal welfare, she began her studies at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, before being accepted into the Veterinary Medicine at the University of Melbourne.
While she had a wonderful time in veterinary school and remains passionate about animals, she realised her parents might have been right to encourage her towards dentistry.
“Both of my parents work in the dental field and encouraged me to consider dentistry, but I initially wanted to explore a different direction. I was very interested in animals and spent time volunteering and working at a vet clinic during my undergrad, but ultimately realised that work wasn’t the right fit for me, and dentistry started to seem increasingly appealing.
“So I took the leap into dentistry and now, having spent the past three years at the University of Otago’s Faculty of Dentistry, consider myself very glad to have made the switch.”
Born in a small town near Xiamen in China, Feng’s family immigrated to Toronto, Canada in 2000, where she would grow up with her younger brother, Edward. Having such a positive experience being raised in Canada, Feng always knew she wanted to continue to explore the world and do her studies overseas.
Australian and New Zealand dental programmes stood out to her, but Otago’s strong reputation, high global ranking, and fully accredited dental school is what sold her on making the trip to Dunedin.
Though the programme has been challenging, Feng says it’s been incredibly rewarding.
“It can feel daunting at times, but the support from classmates, teaching staff, and clinical supervisors makes a huge difference." – Feng Chen
Her biggest adjustment was moving from theory and simulation into real clinical work, but found the hands-on experience offered to her at Otago really helped her with this.
“It can feel daunting at times, but the support from classmates, teaching staff, and clinical supervisors makes a huge difference.
“The modern and well-equipped facilities also helped support our learning and each new semester was increasingly engaging as we got exposed to all the specialties while still focusing on the bread-and-butter parts of dentistry like prevention, treatment planning, and patient management.
Feng says her education has had a strong emphasis on holistic patient care because dentists are often the first to notice signs of serious health conditions like undiagnosed diabetes or cancers.
“Thinking beyond just the teeth is a crucial part of our training because it’s a misconception that dentists only fix teeth. We’re there to provide care for the whole patient.”
While it’s a big move to travel to the other side of the world for education, Feng says she would very much recommend the experience to other international students due to the quality of Otago’s education and clinical training.
She says Dunedin is a small but very student-friendly city and Otago provides strong support for international students so they can have a rewarding lifestyle while studying.
“New Zealand is a stunning country, and the people are so friendly. Canadians have a reputation for being nice, but in my experience, Kiwis are even nicer and more laid-back.”
– Kōrero by the Division of Health Sciences Communications Adviser, Kelsey Swart
The Faculty of Dentistry
The Faculty of Dentistry|Te Kaupeka Pūniho has an international reputation for clinical and research excellence and is ranked in the top 50 dental schools in the world (QS World University Subject Rankings).
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