The Student Room Group

Dentistry at Barts or Kings?

I have 3 offers to study dentistry next year but have always wanted to study in London (due to excellence of teaching, great opportunities and relative close proximity to home). Ive been sitting on my offers for Barts and Kings since early March but still haven't been able to come to a definite conclusion as to which I want to firm for next year.
I can condense my argument to it being the prestige of Kings (4th in the world) and opportunities that can arise from this (they have an excellent alumni and great range of opportunities to take part in, e.g. recent volunteering of dental aid to Syrian refugees) Vs. the excellent new facilities at Barts, support network and warm friendly atmosphere between staff and students (due to smaller cohort size).
As silly as it sounds, Ive always loved the idea of working in a practice on Harley Street. Through research it seems that a lot of dentists working here have graduated from Kings College London, I don't know if having these alumni links would prove a crucial aid in getting a job here.

Thank you for any responses/advise people can give, would be great to talk to any students at either of the dental schools!

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Reply 1
kings
Original post by vagabond queen
I have 3 offers to study dentistry next year but have always wanted to study in London (due to excellence of teaching, great opportunities and relative close proximity to home). Ive been sitting on my offers for Barts and Kings since early March but still haven't been able to come to a definite conclusion as to which I want to firm for next year.
I can condense my argument to it being the prestige of Kings (4th in the world) and opportunities that can arise from this (they have an excellent alumni and great range of opportunities to take part in, e.g. recent volunteering of dental aid to Syrian refugees) Vs. the excellent new facilities at Barts, support network and warm friendly atmosphere between staff and students (due to smaller cohort size).
As silly as it sounds, Ive always loved the idea of working in a practice on Harley Street. Through research it seems that a lot of dentists working here have graduated from Kings College London, I don't know if having these alumni links would prove a crucial aid in getting a job here.

Thank you for any responses/advise people can give, would be great to talk to any students at either of the dental schools!


Well done on your offers! Great news!

Hmm.. It's a tough choice. KCL "is one of the top five centres of excellence for dental education, research and oral healthcare provision in the world."

For Barts on the other hand - "The Institute of Dentistry moved to a new £78m dental hospital" - which as you say means the learning facilities will be top-notch.

Just because KCL doesn't have the same learning facilities however, doesn't mean your quality of education will be less good. One of our blogging contributors and tutors is a KCL Dentistry student, and she loves studying there. Check out her blogs by filtering our blogs page by 'Dentistry'.

Have you also thought about location? BARTs is obviously centred around the very cool East London, whereas KCL is more central London - both have perks obviously!

Basically - follow your heart! Would you have been more upset if you were rejected from Kings or Barts? Have a good think, and maybe write a list of the pros and cons for each and see which one wins?

We hope the above helps,
The Medic Portal
Original post by The Medic Portal
Well done on your offers! Great news!

Hmm.. It's a tough choice. KCL "is one of the top five centres of excellence for dental education, research and oral healthcare provision in the world."

For Barts on the other hand - "The Institute of Dentistry moved to a new £78m dental hospital" - which as you say means the learning facilities will be top-notch.

Just because KCL doesn't have the same learning facilities however, doesn't mean your quality of education will be less good. One of our blogging contributors and tutors is a KCL Dentistry student, and she loves studying there. Check out her blogs by filtering our blogs page by 'Dentistry'.

Have you also thought about location? BARTs is obviously centred around the very cool East London, whereas KCL is more central London - both have perks obviously!

Basically - follow your heart! Would you have been more upset if you were rejected from Kings or Barts? Have a good think, and maybe write a list of the pros and cons for each and see which one wins?

We hope the above helps,
The Medic Portal


Thank you!! Its such a hard decision. Would you be able to put me into contact with the blogger that does dentistry at KCL? It would be great to talk to a student there!
Original post by vagabond queen
Thank you!! Its such a hard decision. Would you be able to put me into contact with the blogger that does dentistry at KCL? It would be great to talk to a student there!


Hello!

Of course! If you head over to our website, you'll be able to see 'Alessandra' as a question author on our Community homepage. She's a KCL Dentistry student.

All you need to do is post your question to the community (for tips on how to do this, see here). She'll answer it for you & you two can get chatting :smile:

The Medic Portal
Reply 5
Original post by raconner
kings


Why do you say Kings? I have been to both and visited, and from what I've seen Barts has a TON more support than Kings gets. Also the facilities and study area seems much better, I know the facilities are newer but yeah... I'm not biased as my first choice was King's but now I'm also finding it hard to decide between Barts and KCL.

Please tell me everything you know about King's, which you think is better than Barts, as I genuinely want information just as OP does.

Thanks!
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by Susta1nz
Why do you say Kings? I have been to both and visited, and from what I've seen Barts has a TON more support than Kings gets. Also the facilities and study area seems much better, I know the facilities are newer but yeah... I'm not biased as my first choice was King's but now I'm also finding it hard to decide between Barts and KCL.

Please tell me everything you know about King's which is better than Barts as I genuinely want information just as OP does.

Thanks!


Hi Susta1nz, I definitely agree with you about the support given to you at Barts... its probably the main reason I'm swaying towards there.
Dentistry is a tough degree and it will be only made tougher if we're in an environment that is not only uber competitive, but has little support.
When I decided on doing dentistry Kings was my goal (talking pre-GCSE years here) but as soon as I went to the Barts open day in year 12 I had chosen it as my new favourite! I suppose now that I have offers for both Im starting to take a lot more factors into consideration (which I may not have considered back then), e.g. links with other unis (worldwide), how many patients they're exposed to over the 5 years and the career progression of their graduates. Would be lovely to talk further about our dilemma haha :smile:
I am a current student at Barts, i chose Barts over kings and i have feel very happy with my decision. This uni is supportive and appreciates feedback, the smaller year groups also mean you get to know people on your course very well and quickly. The medic/dental only accommodation provides a no-nonsense environment where you can be as focused or as relaxed as you like - no one will steal your food and no one will bug you for studying too much as everyone understands the demands of the course
Original post by dentistrygirl999
I am a current student at Barts, i chose Barts over kings and i have feel very happy with my decision. This uni is supportive and appreciates feedback, the smaller year groups also mean you get to know people on your course very well and quickly. The medic/dental only accommodation provides a no-nonsense environment where you can be as focused or as relaxed as you like - no one will steal your food and no one will bug you for studying too much as everyone understands the demands of the course


Thank you! So great to hear from someone who's made a decision between the two. I actually ended up firming Barts! Did you ever have any second thoughts on your decision? I was worried that if i firmed Kings id regret letting Barts go, but if I firmed Barts id regret letting Kings go..
Original post by vagabond queen
Thank you! So great to hear from someone who's made a decision between the two. I actually ended up firming Barts! Did you ever have any second thoughts on your decision? I was worried that if i firmed Kings id regret letting Barts go, but if I firmed Barts id regret letting Kings go..


Didn't have any regrets whatsoever. Several of our lecturers had taught at Kings previously and even they openly prefer it here. The facilities are top notch and we have a sort of uni 'netflix' (Qreview) where you can rewatch most/all lectures, which is super helpful if the lecturer was very good or very boring and you need to revisit their stuff. We have a Barts family system too and i'm going to be a 'parent' in the scheme next year and since the schools so small i may end up being your Barts mum haha :')

You will love it here, people are always ready to support you. Accommodation isn't great though, i must warn you (only in the sense that its old and not very flashy)
Original post by dentistrygirl999
Didn't have any regrets whatsoever. Several of our lecturers had taught at Kings previously and even they openly prefer it here. The facilities are top notch and we have a sort of uni 'netflix' (Qreview) where you can rewatch most/all lectures, which is super helpful if the lecturer was very good or very boring and you need to revisit their stuff. We have a Barts family system too and i'm going to be a 'parent' in the scheme next year and since the schools so small i may end up being your Barts mum haha :':wink:

You will love it here, people are always ready to support you. Accommodation isn't great though, i must warn you (only in the sense that its old and not very flashy)


Thats brilliant! I was wondering what sort of technology was available for catching up with lectures - I know kings have a microphone recording system but I've heard it doesn't always pick up sound well when students go to review lectures and not all lecturers allow it. Which year are you in at the moment? I think the support at Barts was one of the main reasons I firmed, I didnt see that family atmosphere at Kings so much. Would you say its easy to make friends in different years or do people tend to stick with the students in their own years?
The family system and societies provide easy routes to make friends with other years, but honestly i've stuck to my year group mainly (they have the same timetable and deadlines so you never feel like you're missing out). I'm only in year one, which is why i'm still hovering on the student room - I know how hard it can be to make a decision based upon the information they give you as it all sounds so similar for different unis so i thought i'd help out. If you wanted to make friends with the older years the opportunities are great; theres DentSoc and Dental Dinners and Tables every wednesday where all the sports societies go and get drunk/play drinking games together.
Original post by dentistrygirl999
The family system and societies provide easy routes to make friends with other years, but honestly i've stuck to my year group mainly (they have the same timetable and deadlines so you never feel like you're missing out). I'm only in year one, which is why i'm still hovering on the student room - I know how hard it can be to make a decision based upon the information they give you as it all sounds so similar for different unis so i thought i'd help out. If you wanted to make friends with the older years the opportunities are great; theres DentSoc and Dental Dinners and Tables every wednesday where all the sports societies go and get drunk/play drinking games together.


Thank you so much for replying! Its really so great to hear from someone who was in the same position! In terms of work load what is the first year like? I know its hard but is it manageable? Are the lecturers there to support you and would you feel comfortable approaching them to ask for help etc. Also, do you have any time on clinics in the first year? I know you won't be seeing patients but do you observe/ learn how to set up your bays etc?
Thanks :P
Original post by vagabond queen
Thank you so much for replying! Its really so great to hear from someone who was in the same position! In terms of work load what is the first year like? I know its hard but is it manageable? Are the lecturers there to support you and would you feel comfortable approaching them to ask for help etc. Also, do you have any time on clinics in the first year? I know you won't be seeing patients but do you observe/ learn how to set up your bays etc?
Thanks :P


First year is quite relentless in terms of workload and i'm not saying that to scare you - if you can achieve three a's at a level you can definitely do it, but it times it feels incredibly difficult. Throughout the year you'll have four ICA's (exams) that test your progress - if you treat these mock exams as real exams you'll be as prepared as possible for finals and whilst you'll still have to re-revise and consolidate some earlier anatomy you should be ok. Basically, they put tools in place to make the learning easier; you still have to put in the effort but they want you to do well. You also have to write four essays over the year (called SBLs) - these are really good for helping you to consolidate some of the harder subject areas.

If you need help you can email any lecturer without feeling like its awkward/weird, however in dentistry a lot of the lecturers are also clinicians and you quickly learn who won't reply. There are two lecturers who really stand out as being helpful and you tend to direct most questions at them. Barts also has four "transitions" meetings throughout the year where you have a personal meeting with a transitions advisor and you can tell them about anything you're finding difficult and they'll help you out.

In first year almost every Wednesday morning is entirely Clinical practice where you practice setting up bays, how to report incidents, how to set up local anaesthetics and identifying anatomical structures within the mouths of your fellow students. you also practice passing the dental tools between yourself and a nurse whilst you have a 'patient' in the chair.

Its a very busy year, but i'm sure you'll enjoy it here. You're more than welcome to ask me anything :smile:
(edited 7 years ago)
That all sounds really good, do you attend any of the support schemes such as PASS, or do you know anyone who has and says that its useful?
Im really excited to start now! Do you do all the dissection anatomy stuff at the beginning of the first year?
Also, the BDSA sports day 2016 is in london this year - is this just being held by kings or is it run in conjunction with Barts?
Would you say there is plenty of opportunity to win awards and take part in dental related competitions/events that can be used to bulk up your CV when you go to apply for jobs?

(sorry for all the questions!:biggrin:)
Original post by vagabond queen
That all sounds really good, do you attend any of the support schemes such as PASS, or do you know anyone who has and says that its useful?
Im really excited to start now! Do you do all the dissection anatomy stuff at the beginning of the first year?
Also, the BDSA sports day 2016 is in london this year - is this just being held by kings or is it run in conjunction with Barts?
Would you say there is plenty of opportunity to win awards and take part in dental related competitions/events that can be used to bulk up your CV when you go to apply for jobs?

(sorry for all the questions!:biggrin:)


Absolutely no problem, this is the kind of info I was dying for this time last year!
I really love PASS, I think the best people in the world to explain things to you are people who have already gone through it themselves :') I'm hoping to maybe run some of the sessions next year if i get the chance.

Dentistry doesn't really involve dissections in first year (sorry to disappoint!). You'll be mainly looking at skull osteology and nerves and blood supply of the face. If you want to get ahead with this over summer I suggest buying "Netters Anatomy Head and Neck Flashcards" they're a little over detailed but i'm using them for finals right now and honestly they're a life saver. They're expensive but I see myself using them for the next five years.

We haven't been given the opportunity for awards really - its all about the academics in first year and obviously i can't speak for the rest of the years. However, there are plenty of events to attend and recently there was a competition that gave £200 to a student who could come up with "an innovative new idea" whether it was for a research project or an app etc.

As for bulking up your CV, Barts has a mandatory volunteering scheme that begins in year 2 where you HAVE to do a minimum of 10hrs volunteering every year to be allowed to sit finals. Its brilliant for ensuring Barts graduates are well rounded, social people who are aware of social problems and can communicate with a diverse general public. With regards to bulking up the dentistry aspects of your CV obviously you can intercalate in oral cancer stuff and at least one of our lecturers this year asked if anyone wanted to participate in a research project. The research project obviously would look brilliant but first year is difficult enough as it is; those kinds of CV things you would do in year 3.

I haven't heard anything about the BDSA sports day because i'm mid revision and i'm a bit shut off from uni events right now so i don't really know, sorry :frown:
If you join a sports club however, there will be plenty of opportunities to win awards as Barts tends to enter many sporting competitions.
Great choice! Barts do have a great support system as well as a more all rounded education; to top it up it has a more "family atmosphere" due to the friendly environment and smaller year group. To my knowledge, BDSA sports day this year is hosted only by King's and not Barts. Generally dental students only join BDSA events once they are in second year but having said that I don't think there is any restriction to first years. I do HIGHLY recommended joining BDSA events (BDSA conference especially); LOADS of fun, you get to meet new people and learn a lot in the meantime, had a BLAST at BDSA conference in Liverpool this year!! :biggrin:
Original post by dentistrygirl999
Absolutely no problem, this is the kind of info I was dying for this time last year!
I really love PASS, I think the best people in the world to explain things to you are people who have already gone through it themselves :':wink: I'm hoping to maybe run some of the sessions next year if i get the chance.

Dentistry doesn't really involve dissections in first year (sorry to disappoint!). You'll be mainly looking at skull osteology and nerves and blood supply of the face. If you want to get ahead with this over summer I suggest buying "Netters Anatomy Head and Neck Flashcards" they're a little over detailed but i'm using them for finals right now and honestly they're a life saver. They're expensive but I see myself using them for the next five years.

We haven't been given the opportunity for awards really - its all about the academics in first year and obviously i can't speak for the rest of the years. However, there are plenty of events to attend and recently there was a competition that gave £200 to a student who could come up with "an innovative new idea" whether it was for a research project or an app etc.

As for bulking up your CV, Barts has a mandatory volunteering scheme that begins in year 2 where you HAVE to do a minimum of 10hrs volunteering every year to be allowed to sit finals. Its brilliant for ensuring Barts graduates are well rounded, social people who are aware of social problems and can communicate with a diverse general public. With regards to bulking up the dentistry aspects of your CV obviously you can intercalate in oral cancer stuff and at least one of our lecturers this year asked if anyone wanted to participate in a research project. The research project obviously would look brilliant but first year is difficult enough as it is; those kinds of CV things you would do in year 3.

I haven't heard anything about the BDSA sports day because i'm mid revision and i'm a bit shut off from uni events right now so i don't really know, sorry :frown:
If you join a sports club however, there will be plenty of opportunities to win awards as Barts tends to enter many sporting competitions.


No dissections in the first year? Oh thats strange as on the offer holder day one of the speakers mentioned that students do dissection but they also have prosection samples pre-cut so that you can look at the anatomy in finer detail if your anatomy partner is more "heavy handed" haha.
Thank you for that! I saw those flash cards online but wasn't sure if it would be worth buying them! Do you only do head and neck anatomy/physiology in 1st year or do you still learn about other parts of the body?
In terms of tests I'm guessing they're a mixture of Multiple choice questions and longer essay questions? But do you get direct feedback from tutors regarding your test mark or do you just get a 'Pass' or 'Fail' that comes through email.
Have you had much time to get involved in any Barts sports teams/ volunteering schemes in your first year?:tongue:
Original post by Fetty1738
Great choice! Barts do have a great support system as well as a more all rounded education; to top it up it has a more "family atmosphere" due to the friendly environment and smaller year group. To my knowledge, BDSA sports day this year is hosted only by King's and not Barts. Generally dental students only join BDSA events once they are in second year but having said that I don't think there is any restriction to first years. I do HIGHLY recommended joining BDSA events (BDSA conference especially); LOADS of fun, you get to meet new people and learn a lot in the meantime, had a BLAST at BDSA conference in Liverpool this year!! :biggrin:


Thank you! Are you a current dental student at Barts and if so what year?:smile: Hopefully see you in September :tongue:
Original post by vagabond queen
No dissections in the first year? Oh thats strange as on the offer holder day one of the speakers mentioned that students do dissection but they also have prosection samples pre-cut so that you can look at the anatomy in finer detail if your anatomy partner is more "heavy handed" haha.
Thank you for that! I saw those flash cards online but wasn't sure if it would be worth buying them! Do you only do head and neck anatomy/physiology in 1st year or do you still learn about other parts of the body?
In terms of tests I'm guessing they're a mixture of Multiple choice questions and longer essay questions? But do you get direct feedback from tutors regarding your test mark or do you just get a 'Pass' or 'Fail' that comes through email.
Have you had much time to get involved in any Barts sports teams/ volunteering schemes in your first year?:tongue:


We mainly used the prosection samples during our anatomy sessions up at mile end, idk if it was a supply issue or something but we didn't do any cutting :frown:
Its all head and neck and anatomy of the oral cavity in the first year - although we do have one lecture on the vertebrae which is super weird. We also do the physiology of the lungs, kidneys, heart and circulation - and quite a bit of brain stuff.

The ultimate exam is 60 singles best answers and six ten mark short answer questions. The quarterly exams are 20 single best answers and 2 short answer questions.

You get feedback from a feedback bank so its like a halfway between those no feedback and feedback for essays. Its not highly tailored to you but it points you in the right direction.

Yeah quite a lot of time. I'm in a long-distance relationship and had the time to spend every other weekend away in the first term and then every third the second term - but cumulatively speaking thats a lot of free hours :') On top of that i have a very good social life here so theres plenty of time for fun if you make it :smile:

Sorry for the delay - exam today