Not doing dentistry, but I can answer some of your questions about living out of home
1. This might seem like a really dumb question but are there buses in Bendigo? I won’t be able to get my Ps by the time uni starts so I’m worried about transport.
Yep, there's buses in Bendigo - it's a big, major regional town after all! Just go onto the PTV website, go into timetables and click on the regional buses section and scroll down to check out the Bendigo routes. Just do a bit of googling to find out more info
2. Is it possible for students to go back home every weekend, or is that an unrealistic hope? I would love to see my family every week, but I’m unsure of whether I will be able to travel 6 hours every week whilst keeping up with my studies.
Hmm, you could probably manage, but it'd be tiring. I come from a rural area and moved to Melbourne for uni, and just found that I got sick of travelling and sometimes just wanted a quiet weekend to spend some time alone and explore the area.
I'll also add, just something I've worked out from a year of living out of home - if you see your family each week, you'll probably find you get more homesick. Sounds weird, right? But like, if you see them each week, you'll not get used to spending time away from them, and so you'll find it harder to be away from them. Plus, spending weekends in Bendigo could be really helpful for making friends and doing stuff.
You can always start by going home each weekend, then work that up to every 2 weeks, then stretch it out to whenever you want or something like that.
5. I’m planning to live off-campus for the whole five years, and was wondering if anyone could share their own opinions and experiences relating to living off-campus or on-campus. Although getting to uni may be slightly more inconvenient, I feel like I would be less restricted if I lived off-campus (I just wanna bring along my own rice cooker man). My parents are also worried that the noise levels will be too high if I live on-campus (from parties and stuff) and I wouldn’t be able to sleep or study. I guess I can be more selective about my housemates if I live off-campus..? Also do you have to rent a new place every year, because most people go home for the Christmas holidays?
I don't know what the La Trobe uni accommodation and its rules are like, but honestly I can't recommend living on res enough, even if it's just for your first year. I think you should be able to bring your own rice cooker, but maybe research that.
My experience of living on res is you can be social if you want, and you can be quiet if you want.
But for living out of home for the first time and moving to a new area, living on res is great - you can make friends, it's easy to get to uni, if something goes wrong there's always people you can call to help you out (this is a big thing - you don't think you'll ever need help, but this year I ended up getting pretty sick and needed to be taken to hospital, and thankfully I could call someone and get them to drive me. What would I have done if I wasn't living on res? It would have made things a lot tougher), and it's good for peace of mind security-wise.
7. Do people still strive for high grades in dentistry, or is it ok to just pass your subjects? Do grades affect your employment prospects?
Obviously can't speak specifically for dentistry, but there will always be people who strive for high grades and people who only want to pass in every single uni course there is. Like, whether you graduate with a HD average or a P average, you all come out with the same qualification. I just wanna say, uni is a lot different to high school, so you'll likely not be getting the same marks you got in high school - it's not so easy to get 90+ on things in uni!
RE: whether grades affect employment prospects, like, potentially to a degree they might, but I think employers are always more concerned about your ability to engage with people and that you have the necessary skills. If you've impressed people in your placements and impressed in your application for jobs, then that's the most important thing.
I hope this has helped a bit
All the best!