PPE or dentistry?

I'm doing my As levels in maths, chemistry, biology and philosophy and ethics; and I've wanted to be a dentist for ages because its a good job that pays well and it suits my love of science. However recently I've been feeling a bit bored with the idea of dentistry and I'm worried that it might be top mundane for me. I'm not sure whether it's natural to panic like this or if people doing dentistry are all completely focused on doing that. I've been considering PPE (politics, philosophy, and economics). I know this would interest me but I'm really worried that the chances of getting into oxford are slim and at the end of the day, I don't want to be a politician or journalist, so I could end up with a boring low paid job or no job at all. I'm not sure what the chances of getting a job would be. Any advice is much appreciated.

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Reply 1

Origami Bullets

19

PPE opens up a wide range of carers that do not involve politics or journalism. I know people who've done PPE, and they are now doing everything from high level sports coaching to charity / youth work (in both cases, this is *exactly* what they want to do with their lives, and not just something they've settled for).

Oxford isn't the only uni to offer PPE; several others offer it including Manchester and York.

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Reply 2

Lishyy

OP

I know it sounds a bit shallow but is there actually a good chance of getting a fairly well paid job from PPE even if not from oxford? It's no good to me doing something fairly interesting if you don't have the cash to pay for this you want outside of work, with dentistry I could go down to working a few days a week on the money

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Reply 3

Origami Bullets

19

Original post by Lishyy

I know it sounds a bit shallow but is there actually a good chance of getting a fairly well paid job from PPE even if not from oxford? It's no good to me doing something fairly interesting if you don't have the cash to pay for this you want outside of work, with dentistry I could go down to working a few days a week on the money

Both the people that I referred to above did PPE at a university that was not Oxford.

PPE is one of those very versatile degrees that has a lot of applications in different sectors, it's well respected as a degree subject (more so than most other humanities and social sciences), and it gives you a lot of transferable skills. In contrast, dentistry very much leads you down one path - to dentistry. If you don't want to work as a dentist for the rest of your life, then I would suggest that dentistry is a poor choice of degree.

Having worked in jobs that I genuinely enjoy, and jobs where I dread going in the mornings, I can honestly say that I would much rather have a job that I enjoy and less money.

Reply 4

returnmigrant

21

Sounds like you need to arrange some Dentistry work experience/shadowing to make sure that isnt what you want to do.

Then go to some Open Days - this can often help you start to sort out in your head what 'going to Uni' is all about and how its different from school, the reality of studying 'this subject' etc etc.

You will need 5 choices (not just Oxford) so look at other places like Bristol, Manchester, Durham, LSE etc for other courses or subject combinations.

Reply 5

Dhill94

Original post by returnmigrant

Sounds like you need to arrange some Dentistry work experience/shadowing to make sure that isnt what you want to do.

Then go to some Open Days - this can often help you start to sort out in your head what 'going to Uni' is all about and how its different from school, the reality of studying 'this subject' etc etc.

You will need 5 choices (not just Oxford) so look at other places like Bristol, Manchester, Durham, LSE etc for other courses or subject combinations.

It´s the best way to find out properly about a career. Shadow a dentist and talk to them a Little about your concerns. It is for this reason (when shadowing doctors) I realised medicine was not for me and I dentistry really fitted around what I want from a career. Remember, there work goes way beyond just checking up on teeth! (Which I thought before I even considered dentistry)

PPE or dentistry?

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