Can Anyone Give me Some Advice?

Hello, I applied this year for dentistry at Cardiff, Birmingham, Bristol and Sheffield and got rejected, from all of them which to be honest I was expecting anyway as I know competition is fierce. Now i'm really confused about what to do to improved my chances of getting in either next year or the following year.

I'm considering going on a dental nurse course for 2 years and gain a qualification from that and then reapplying after the two years but i'm not sure if that would improve my chances or not...

Currently my qualifications are:

A levels Maths, Chemisty and Biology all of which I am completing this summer and have been predicted AAA and AS English at grade C.

I also plan to undertake Further Maths next year as well as take AS Geography - but these are for interest and because I enjoy these subjects.

Will any of this improve my chances of getting on a dentistry course?

Is there anything you could recommend me doing to improve my chances?

I'm really lost for ideas of what to do next year now, or for the year after that so any advice is appriciated.

Thanks
Lisa

Reply 1

tetedupet

11

Work experience is invaluable, especially that 2 year dental nurse course you mentioned. It shows that you have a real passion for it, and despite being rejected, you still want to follow that career path. That is something many people are not prepared to do and therefore it gives you something to talk about in your personal statement and at interview the next time around. This coupled with your AAA (assuming you reach that) should stand you in good stead!

Good luck.

Reply 2

Miss Precious

8

im in a similar position to you...ive been rejected from all 4 unis but im taking a gap year and reapplying in october. i wouldnt recommend taking a dental nurse course for 2 years. it does show ur determined but dentistry is a demanding 5 yr course so u will just be lengthing the time spent for u to qualify. i would only consider becoming a dental nurse if i was rejected the 2nd time round. havent you cosidered taking a gap year? once you get ur 3 A's u will be in a better position next yr since the unis know that u are academically capable of doing the course. you can spend the gap yr gaining more work experience in different dental fields, making money (u could try getting a job as a trainee dental nurse or assistant) and travelling. im well excited! however next year we will have to face that stupid UKCAT test which im not looking forward to!

Reply 3

KaosLisa

OP

Thanks for the advice both of you!

Reply 4

megz_27

Hey jus thort id add that your predicted grades are strong, stronger than mine lol, and if you acheive them you will be academically the best they can ask for. I advise that you start to think of things that make you interesting and therefore eye catching to the admissons staff. I was worried that i wouldnt even get interviews due to things like my AS grade of a D and only a week of work experience but due to the activities and interests i literally boasted about on my personal statement i was able to impress them. For example things like Duke of Edinburgh and World Challenge Expeditions which i have taken part in, in both my interviews these were the basis of our conversation! So in your year out i strongly suggest that you just do something like volunteer for a charity or if you can travel somewhere interesting which you can link in to why the experiences have been 'life changing' and therefore you're better equipped to use your knowledge as a dentist! believe me it works! jus talk passionately about something you love and make them believe thats how strongly you will feel about being a dentist! Oh and take really intersting things to your interviews, i took a tooth i had filled and a sketchbook from my A level Art which was A2 size, which immediately got me noticed! lol! Good luck to you! If you really want it im sure you'll be fine!!!

Reply 5

KaosLisa

OP

Thanks for the advice, I think ill look into doing something like duke of edinburgh!

Reply 6

Evolin

13

Also, maybe ask your uni's for feedback. i know some don't give it, and some might. your grades seem really good, so it ight be worth knowing what other ascpects of your application need to be improved. As mentioned above, work experince, extra curricular activities, and a good eprsonal statement are really good aswell as your GCSE grades and A-levels.

Regarding the dental nursing course, i think you may be ebtter of doing a dental therapy/ hygiene course which is for 2years and about 4 months. You would get a diploma and it allows you to do alot of practical work.

when doing dental nursing and dentistry- you have to learn to be a dental nurse too in a way, and im ntos rue how much this would improve your application.

Reapply next year- making your application as strong as possible!

(sorry if i ve repeated what others have said- i havent reas everyones posts).

Can Anyone Give me Some Advice?

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