Biomed to Dentistry? Lost and confused.

Just to note that Biomed isn't especially competitive, (unless you are looking at London or somewhere very highly ranked). You can walk into most biomed courses with average grades.

So the question is whether it's worth the bother, because if you enrol than you must accept that your hopes of either med or dentistry may be over at that point.

May be worth discussing with your parents exactly what they are expecting of you, given that dentistry sounds like your true passion.

Hi! Biomed applicant here. What Admit-One says is correct: biomed isn't overly competitive unless you're looking at a London uni or Oxbridge. A lot of people take biomed if they haven't managed to make it to undergrad med in the hopes of doing GEM later down the line (which I don't know why they would do, since GEM is even more competitive than undergrad med, but each to their own I suppose.)

However, it sounds like your heart is set on dentistry. It sounds like both you and your parents aren't on the same page for your passion. I wouldn't recommend graduate entry- it's way harder to get in. If you think your parents will be willing to listen to reason, maybe explain how it's best for you to take a second gap year and apply with a better UCAT score, than struggle through GEM, which they can't fund anyway? If your parents are worried about success, tell them that taking a second gap year will statistically be the most likely way for you to achieve your dreams.

Don't give up, and best of luck!

Hi, Thank you for your advice! it is genuinely a struggle especially with so many obstacles..
and I hear that GEM applicants end up getting places in undergrad instead of grad level (+ most don't get places at all) simply bcuz of how hard they r on GEM students and the competition.
keeping this in mind taking another gap year is easier said than done..i feel like everyone is moving on with their life at uni and progressing etc and I am still at home, this gap year was hard enough on my mental health idk if I can endure another one.
I feel like I am going to do some more research on biomed even tho I know it isn't a good option, and probably focus on boosting my A levels
I also have this fear of flopping my UCAT again and getting all rejections so idek...
Sorry for the rant and again thank you for the advice

No problem! As for biomed research, if you have any doubts, feel free to PM me your questions and I'll do my best to answer! I'm currently holding offers for biomed as well, so if you have any questions on the application process too, I can help!

Best of luck again!

Hi,
Thank you for your help
What do you want to do after you get your biomed degree - I heard that there are a lot of interesting jobs related to biomed

So I got bad in my a levels forcing me to resit. I applied for the first time this year to dental schools and got straight rejections cuz of a weak UCAT. Now I am focusing on getting the highest possible in my A levels but I am really anxious about what I am going to do. My parents are against a second gap year even getting them to let me have the first one took a lot of convincing and so I am looking into biomed which ik very competitive very hard to get into but what other choice do I have?

I wanted to do clinical sciences at bradford but I don't qualify for widening participation so i can't do the transfer after first year scheme. - I also don't even think they did dentistry.

I was looking into Leicester and their transfer after the first year into med school scheme seems extremely competitive but i was thinking of doing something like micro biology which interests me and then trying to go ahead go onto first year med the following year.
But then again this is for Med school and I am ASSUMING its the same for dentistry i have looked into so many unis and I can't seem to find a biomed to dentistry transfer course ANYWHERE.

Dentistry is my dream and I don't know how I am going to pursue it.

I also don't want to end up doing grad entry dentsitry bcuz I won't be able to fund it on my own and my parents said they wouldn't be able to support me at that time and in their eyes I will most likely be a failure bcuz I couldn't get into uni the first time around and will finish dental school much older (which isnt a bad thing at all it's just they put a hell of a lot of pressure on me and I would LOVE for them to get off my back)

Anyways it's not even about them too- grad entry is 100 times more competitive.

I am truly in conflict.

So I got bad in my a levels forcing me to resit. I applied for the first time this year to dental schools and got straight rejections cuz of a weak UCAT. Now I am focusing on getting the highest possible in my A levels but I am really anxious about what I am going to do. My parents are against a second gap year even getting them to let me have the first one took a lot of convincing and so I am looking into biomed which ik very competitive very hard to get into but what other choice do I have?

I wanted to do clinical sciences at bradford but I don't qualify for widening participation so i can't do the transfer after first year scheme. - I also don't even think they did dentistry.

I was looking into Leicester and their transfer after the first year into med school scheme seems extremely competitive but i was thinking of doing something like micro biology which interests me and then trying to go ahead go onto first year med the following year.
But then again this is for Med school and I am ASSUMING its the same for dentistry i have looked into so many unis and I can't seem to find a biomed to dentistry transfer course ANYWHERE.

Dentistry is my dream and I don't know how I am going to pursue it.

I also don't want to end up doing grad entry dentsitry bcuz I won't be able to fund it on my own and my parents said they wouldn't be able to support me at that time and in their eyes I will most likely be a failure bcuz I couldn't get into uni the first time around and will finish dental school much older (which isnt a bad thing at all it's just they put a hell of a lot of pressure on me and I would LOVE for them to get off my back)

Anyways it's not even about them too- grad entry is 100 times more competitive.

I am truly in conflict.

So I got bad in my a levels forcing me to resit. I applied for the first time this year to dental schools and got straight rejections cuz of a weak UCAT. Now I am focusing on getting the highest possible in my A levels but I am really anxious about what I am going to do. My parents are against a second gap year even getting them to let me have the first one took a lot of convincing and so I am looking into biomed which ik very competitive very hard to get into but what other choice do I have?

I wanted to do clinical sciences at bradford but I don't qualify for widening participation so i can't do the transfer after first year scheme. - I also don't even think they did dentistry.

I was looking into Leicester and their transfer after the first year into med school scheme seems extremely competitive but i was thinking of doing something like micro biology which interests me and then trying to go ahead go onto first year med the following year.
But then again this is for Med school and I am ASSUMING its the same for dentistry i have looked into so many unis and I can't seem to find a biomed to dentistry transfer course ANYWHERE.

Dentistry is my dream and I don't know how I am going to pursue it.

I also don't want to end up doing grad entry dentsitry bcuz I won't be able to fund it on my own and my parents said they wouldn't be able to support me at that time and in their eyes I will most likely be a failure bcuz I couldn't get into uni the first time around and will finish dental school much older (which isnt a bad thing at all it's just they put a hell of a lot of pressure on me and I would LOVE for them to get off my back)

Anyways it's not even about them too- grad entry is 100 times more competitive.

I am truly in conflict.

Hi! Biomed applicant here. What Admit-One says is correct: biomed isn't overly competitive unless you're looking at a London uni or Oxbridge. A lot of people take biomed if they haven't managed to make it to undergrad med in the hopes of doing GEM later down the line (which I don't know why they would do, since GEM is even more competitive than undergrad med, but each to their own I suppose.)

However, it sounds like your heart is set on dentistry. It sounds like both you and your parents aren't on the same page for your passion. I wouldn't recommend graduate entry- it's way harder to get in. If you think your parents will be willing to listen to reason, maybe explain how it's best for you to take a second gap year and apply with a better UCAT score, than struggle through GEM, which they can't fund anyway? If your parents are worried about success, tell them that taking a second gap year will statistically be the most likely way for you to achieve your dreams.

Don't give up, and best of luck!