The Student Room Group

Are my GCSEs a disadvantage?

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(edited 3 years ago)
Reply 1
Honestly, I think your post has kinda given you the answer already. A top UCAT score will definitely help, but as GSCE is also weighed quite heavily, I would say your chance of getting an interview is probably around 40%, that is if you scored top marks in UCAT (idk if your school is classed as above/below average in your post, if it's below then your chance of getting an interview will be higher). But even getting an interview doesn't mean you will secure an offer, so the actual chance of getting in is even slimmer. If you really want to study dentistry, maybe you shouldn't limit yourself to London, whatever your personal reason is. But if that reason is really that significant, then I would advice you to choose other courses that is related to dentistry and more available in London. Please don't just take my opinion as I don't know how accurate my view is, ask your teachers/parents/ friends who got experience. Hope this helps!
I am doing medicine and already considered dentristry ..

what did you get in bio chem maths? i can give u a definite answer based on that.
Reply 3
Original post by Anthony Siu
Honestly, I think your post has kinda given you the answer already. A top UCAT score will definitely help, but as GSCE is also weighed quite heavily, I would say your chance of getting an interview is probably around 40%, that is if you scored top marks in UCAT (idk if your school is classed as above/below average in your post, if it's below then your chance of getting an interview will be higher). But even getting an interview doesn't mean you will secure an offer, so the actual chance of getting in is even slimmer. If you really want to study dentistry, maybe you shouldn't limit yourself to London, whatever your personal reason is. But if that reason is really that significant, then I would advice you to choose other courses that is related to dentistry and more available in London. Please don't just take my opinion as I don't know how accurate my view is, ask your teachers/parents/ friends who got experience. Hope this helps!

Right okay thank you so much, yeah the post did basically give me my answer and it might have been a bit of a silly question to ask I just wanted other views on it to make a definite decision. Tbh I’m not sure if the school I did my gcse’s at is considered below average because I know it wasn’t an amazing school at all but I don’t know if Kings consider it below average or how to find out if they do? Also I know even with an interview, chances are tight and I know it doesn’t guarantee an offer at all, but at least with an interview there’s a chance, like it would suck to not even get an interview ygm?

But thanks once again :smile:
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 4
Original post by WiserLotus
I am doing medicine and already considered dentristry ..

what did you get in bio chem maths? i can give u a definite answer based on that.

Umm well I didn’t do too well :frown: - missed the entry requirements due to my extenuating (medical related) circumstances, even though I was on the road to do well. I didn’t do maths, I did bio, chem and psych but I’m taking up maths this year too as I might wanna do something mathsy in uni instead, if dentistry is a definite no.
Hey man I'm in the same boat as you...

International so school only offered 6 IGCSEs which I got A*A*A*A*AC and my UCAT is 705 Band 3 which is kinda low so I'm worried. Would love to go to King's but seems pretty unlikely...
Reply 6
Original post by MechDoge
Hey man I'm in the same boat as you...

International so school only offered 6 IGCSEs which I got A*A*A*A*AC and my UCAT is 705 Band 3 which is kinda low so I'm worried. Would love to go to King's but seems pretty unlikely...


705 for ucat in each section is ridiculously high....
I can’t help you with Kings, but there’s no harm in applying and seeing how it goes. At the end of the day, no matter how big or small the possibilities of you getting in are, there’s always still a chance you could. Maybe there’s a dentist school outside of London that would be easy to commute to, that you could apply for as well? Also I think it’s utterly ridiculous that the grade boundaries are so high, that’s too much pressure on kids doing they’re GCSEs. I know that doesn’t help, it just makes me really annoyed!
Original post by Anthony Siu
705 for ucat in each section is ridiculously high....

It's higher than the average but not "ridiculously high" imo... and the Band 3 is basically my death warrant
Reply 9
Original post by MechDoge
It's higher than the average but not "ridiculously high" imo... and the Band 3 is basically my death warrant


Im pretty sure for most schools band 3 is still fine and many doesn't put their attentuion on Situational judgement. And a score of 705 will place you as a top UCAT scorers in any medical schools in UK. Well done!
Reply 10
Original post by MechDoge
Hey man I'm in the same boat as you...

International so school only offered 6 IGCSEs which I got A*A*A*A*AC and my UCAT is 705 Band 3 which is kinda low so I'm worried. Would love to go to King's but seems pretty unlikely...

Well, King’s do say they literally ONLY look at A*’s at GCSE and you have a good 4 which is a lot more than my 1 - plus I’m sure they’ll look at your school contextually and maybe adjust to the fact you have much less GCSE’s than most schools offer. Your UCAT is well above the average score and anything above 700 is definitely something to be proud of so well done :smile:. As for your SJT, some unis do look at it with some significance but I know King’s only give 5% total weighting to the SJT bands.

At the end, as other people say, there’s no harm in applying - I was talking to a lovely girl earlier to got into King’s as an A level resitter (she didn’t get the grades the first time round) and she also had 4A*s at GCSE and got 690 in her UCAT, but she still got in - you are a first time A level sitter so if she could do that then I don’t see why you don’t have a good chance. Give it a go, sorry for the waffle :smile:
(edited 4 years ago)
Reply 11
Original post by kitkatkate281
I can’t help you with Kings, but there’s no harm in applying and seeing how it goes. At the end of the day, no matter how big or small the possibilities of you getting in are, there’s always still a chance you could. Maybe there’s a dentist school outside of London that would be easy to commute to, that you could apply for as well? Also I think it’s utterly ridiculous that the grade boundaries are so high, that’s too much pressure on kids doing they’re GCSEs. I know that doesn’t help, it just makes me really annoyed!

Thank you so much, I guess you’re right, I’ll never know if I don’t try :smile:! And ugh yeah tell me about it, the whole education system just seems so unfair :frown:
Original post by ramzinoo
Well, King’s do say they literally ONLY look at A*’s at GCSE and you have a good 4 which is a lot more than my 1 - plus I’m sure they’ll look at your school contextually and maybe adjust to the fact you have much less GCSE’s than most schools offer. Your UCAT is well above the average score and anything above 700 is definitely something to be proud of so well done :smile:. As for your SJT, some unis do look at it with some significance but I know King’s only give 5% total weighting to the SJT bands.

At the end, as other people say, there’s no harm in applying - I was talking to a lovely girl earlier to got into King’s as an A level resitter (she didn’t get the grades the first time round) and she also had 4A*s at GCSE and got 690 in her UCAT, but she still got in - you are a first time A level sitter so if she could do that then I don’t see why you don’t have a good chance. Give it a go, sorry for the waffle :smile:


Thanks for the dose of positivity dude - best of luck and hope to see you at King's if we make it!!

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