Do I have a chance at applying for Dentistry?

I am in currently in year 12 and would like to apply for dentistry. I am thinking of taking a gap year so I would be looking to apply in 2024 however I am unsure whether my GCSES will let me down when applying for the dental schools.
I only have 5 GCSES because I missed 3 years of secondary school as I was having issues in my personal life and at school which lead to me suffering with severe anxiety and depression thus the large absence at this period of time. my grades were:
English lang - 5
English lit - 6
maths - 5
combined science - 6-5
I know this is way below the normal dental applicant which would be majority A* however I really don't want this to jeopardise my chances of studying dentistry. I am now studying bio, chem and psych at sixth form and doing quite well. I also have some work experience/job lined up in 2 months which was through one of my parents contacts and am actively looking for dental work experience I can take part in.
I have researched and I think I am eligible to applying to uni of Plymouth and queens uni Belfast (subject to my a level grades I receive next yr) and I would like to apply to kings college, Bristol, barts ( I am aware I would have to choose 4 options despite listing 5) but would I stand a chance or would I be able to apply for extenuating circumstances?

I apologise for rambling on!! any advice would be much appreciated :smile:

Reply 1

Mesopotamian…

21

Unless the universities consider you for extenuating circumstances which I can’t comment on, I’m afraid your GCSEs would not meet minimum requirements (or get you far in the scoring system QUB use) and you’d be instantly rejected.

Reply 2

username5319484

19

Original post by username528110

I am in currently in year 12 and would like to apply for dentistry. I am thinking of taking a gap year so I would be looking to apply in 2024 however I am unsure whether my GCSES will let me down when applying for the dental schools.
I only have 5 GCSES because I missed 3 years of secondary school as I was having issues in my personal life and at school which lead to me suffering with severe anxiety and depression thus the large absence at this period of time. my grades were:
English lang - 5
English lit - 6
maths - 5
combined science - 6-5
I know this is way below the normal dental applicant which would be majority A* however I really don't want this to jeopardise my chances of studying dentistry. I am now studying bio, chem and psych at sixth form and doing quite well. I also have some work experience/job lined up in 2 months which was through one of my parents contacts and am actively looking for dental work experience I can take part in.
I have researched and I think I am eligible to applying to uni of Plymouth and queens uni Belfast (subject to my a level grades I receive next yr) and I would like to apply to kings college, Bristol, barts ( I am aware I would have to choose 4 options despite listing 5) but would I stand a chance or would I be able to apply for extenuating circumstances?

I apologise for rambling on!! any advice would be much appreciated :smile:

A lot of it depends on your UCAT score and where you apply. Resitting some GCSE's would be a good idea as most dental schools require a 6 in English language and maths (7 in maths for Bristol). Barts requires 777666 and KCL is holistic so I'd avoid those. QUB is a bit GCSE heavy as well iirc.
Newcastle is the only other dental school that I can think of on top of my head that you could apply to as they are 100% UCAT and don't have GCSE requirements.

Reply 3

username528110

OP

3

Original post by Mesopotamian.

Unless the universities consider you for extenuating circumstances which I can’t comment on, I’m afraid your GCSEs would not meet minimum requirements (or get you far in the scoring system QUB use) and you’d be instantly rejected.

I am dedicated to working really hard to be accepted into a dental school and to make sure that everything else part of my application (a-level grades, UCAT score, personal statemnent, work experience etc) is up to the best of standards I just dont want my GCSES to hold me back seeing as I was in a situation that was unpredictable, so even If all these factors were up to the minimum standards and better, based off your judgement, do you think I would still stand a chance as a dental applicant?

Reply 4

Mesopotamian…

21

Original post by username528110

I am dedicated to working really hard to be accepted into a dental school and to make sure that everything else part of my application (a-level grades, UCAT score, personal statemnent, work experience etc) is up to the best of standards I just dont want my GCSES to hold me back seeing as I was in a situation that was unpredictable, so even If all these factors were up to the minimum standards and better, based off your judgement, do you think I would still stand a chance as a dental applicant?

Dental admissions work in a checklist fashion - so unfortunately if you don’t have the minimum requirements in all boxes, you will be rejected.

You said you have extenuating circumstances, so I would personally email in the summer of year 12 to check whether this will make you eligible for extra consideration or leniency.

Reply 5

cloudylemonade30

10

You could look up dentistry with foundation years. Or resit your GCSES (though some unis frown upon resits)

Reply 6

Mesopotamian…

21

Original post by cloudylemonade30

You could look up dentistry with foundation years. Or resit your GCSES (though some unis frown upon resits)

Foundation courses are for people with the wrong A Level subjects, but they will have to meet all the usual requirements.

Another option is the Bristol gateway scheme but I think you need to meet certain criteria.

Reply 7

cloudylemonade30

10

What a levels are you doing OP? And how did you get into sixth form with few GCSES? (No hate, just curious and want to help)

Reply 8

username528110

OP

3

Original post by cloudylemonade30

What a levels are you doing OP? And how did you get into sixth form with few GCSES? (No hate, just curious and want to help)

as mentioned in my original thread starter I am doing bio, Chem and psychology. the sixth form I go to also has a really nice head of year so she understood my situation and my mitigating circumstances and took all the reasons as to why I missed so much school and why there is a lack of gcses and was happy enough to let me choose whatever a levels I wanted regardless of meeting the entry requirements.

Reply 9

username528110

OP

3

Original post by Mesopotamian.

Foundation courses are for people with the wrong A Level subjects, but they will have to meet all the usual requirements.

Another option is the Bristol gateway scheme but I think you need to meet certain criteria.

yes I have heard of that however if I'm right I think you need BBC at a level and I am pretty sure i will achieve higher than that so I dont think I would be eligible for this despite my gcse profile

(edited 2 years ago)

Reply 10

Be_alone

11

Original post by Mesopotamian…

Foundation courses are for people with the wrong A Level subjects, but they will have to meet all the usual requirements.

Another option is the Bristol gateway scheme but I think you need to meet certain criteria.

Sorry but I got mixed opinions from people around me, most of them sayign that foundation courses can be applied to with poor predicted grades. Please give more infomation on foundation course in dentistry or dental hygiene and therapy.
Put into context : I got predicted BBCs and which to apply for dentistry (ik you may think this is delusional) but please help

Reply 11

Ionomer

11

Original post by Be_alone

Sorry but I got mixed opinions from people around me, most of them sayign that foundation courses can be applied to with poor predicted grades. Please give more infomation on foundation course in dentistry or dental hygiene and therapy.
Put into context : I got predicted BBCs and which to apply for dentistry (ik you may think this is delusional) but please help

Foundation courses in dentistry are typically held for those who -
a) Have lower predicted grades
b) Qualify for some contextual entry

For reference, here are the requirements for Bristol's foundation programme - BDS Gateway to dentistry course A208
1. A-level standard offer: BBC
2. These selected schools and colleges are those with a lower progression to Higher Education and/or a lower average attainment in A-levels, International Baccalaureate, Pre-U or other Level 3 qualifications as appropriate. To be eligible, applicants for the Gateway programme must be attending (or, if they are applying with completed qualifications, have attended in the academic year immediately prior to their application) a secondary school or college on one of the school lists accessible via the links given below (Essentially contextual factors limited to - Attending an aspiring state school, completing a UoB outreach programme, Time in care, attending a Venturers Trust secondary state school, receiving state school meals)
3. OR Applicants must have spent time in care. If this applies to you, please tick the box in the care questions on your UCAS application. If your reference confirms that you have spent time in local authority care, our admissions team will process your application. If not, we may ask you to send us some more information, such as an email or letter from your local authority, school/college, or other organisation
3. GCSE profile requirements - Standard literacy requirement (4 or C in GCSE English or equivalent) and Standard numeracy requirement (4 or C in GCSE Mathematics or equivalent)

So, just to be clear, when people refer to a foundation programme, we are talking about a six year dentistry course, where participants will spend a year studying the foundations/scientific literacy required for dentistry. After a year, they will join BDS1 and continue on as normal candidates. For any school out there, a foundation year typically requires you to have low predicted grades AND be eligible for contextual entry. To be even more specific, this entire reason this programme even exists is ONLY for those who qualify for contextual entry. ie. if you go to a private college, then I'm afraid you've got no luck, if you go to a poor performing state school, then yay. This applies to all foundation year programmes, such as Manchester's Pre-Dent entry, Plymouth's integrated foundation year, or King's ESDP. Each one has specific additional requirements, Bristol BBC, Manchester AAB, King's AAB, Plymouth some random stuff.

I must reiterate to you that this is all easy information to come by - here is the link for Bristol, it is a very simple google search away. - https://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/2024/dentistry/bds-gateway-to-dentistry/

Do I have a chance at applying for Dentistry?

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