Well firstly, I would say to look at the subjects you take first. If you take Physics, you are eligible to pursue dentistry at most universities while they usually look for Chemistry for medicine plus higher (I)GCSE grades and grades in general. Medicine is a longer course however university will be 5 years for both so ensure to take that into account. There is definitely an overlap with the skill requirements but dentistry will require you to definitely be more hands-on while medicine (if you plan on being a doctor) requires more emotional empathy and rational thinking in high pressure situations.
I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc. However, with this choice also comes the hard work you have to put in and sleepless nights you have to expect from it.
To make your decision I suggest you:
- Write down characteristics you have and see which profession more suits you
- Dabble in some research/work experience to solidify your decision
- Talk to your seniors/actual doctors and ask about their experience and if it is something you are willing to go through
I hope this helps!
I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc. However, with this choice also comes the hard work you have to put in and sleepless nights you have to expect from it.
To make your decision I suggest you:
- Write down characteristics you have and see which profession more suits you
- Dabble in some research/work experience to solidify your decision
- Talk to your seniors/actual doctors and ask about their experience and if it is something you are willing to go through
I hope this helps!
Original post by heyjustcurious
Well firstly, I would say to look at the subjects you take first. If you take Physics, you are eligible to pursue dentistry at most universities while they usually look for Chemistry for medicine plus higher (I)GCSE grades and grades in general. Medicine is a longer course however university will be 5 years for both so ensure to take that into account. There is definitely an overlap with the skill requirements but dentistry will require you to definitely be more hands-on while medicine (if you plan on being a doctor) requires more emotional empathy and rational thinking in high pressure situations.
I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc. However, with this choice also comes the hard work you have to put in and sleepless nights you have to expect from it.
To make your decision I suggest you:
- Write down characteristics you have and see which profession more suits you
- Dabble in some research/work experience to solidify your decision
- Talk to your seniors/actual doctors and ask about their experience and if it is something you are willing to go through
I hope this helps!
I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc. However, with this choice also comes the hard work you have to put in and sleepless nights you have to expect from it.
To make your decision I suggest you:
- Write down characteristics you have and see which profession more suits you
- Dabble in some research/work experience to solidify your decision
- Talk to your seniors/actual doctors and ask about their experience and if it is something you are willing to go through
I hope this helps!
Hey, thank you so much for this advice! You have really helped me narrow down my thinking. I have called dental clinics up asking for work experience and they are still yet to get back to me.
Also as you mentioned you chose medicine, are you currently a medical student or just a student working to go into that profession?
Original post by heyjustcurious
Well firstly, I would say to look at the subjects you take first. If you take Physics, you are eligible to pursue dentistry at most universities while they usually look for Chemistry for medicine plus higher (I)GCSE grades and grades in general. Medicine is a longer course however university will be 5 years for both so ensure to take that into account. There is definitely an overlap with the skill requirements but dentistry will require you to definitely be more hands-on while medicine (if you plan on being a doctor) requires more emotional empathy and rational thinking in high pressure situations.
I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc. However, with this choice also comes the hard work you have to put in and sleepless nights you have to expect from it.
To make your decision I suggest you:
- Write down characteristics you have and see which profession more suits you
- Dabble in some research/work experience to solidify your decision
- Talk to your seniors/actual doctors and ask about their experience and if it is something you are willing to go through
I hope this helps!
I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc. However, with this choice also comes the hard work you have to put in and sleepless nights you have to expect from it.
To make your decision I suggest you:
- Write down characteristics you have and see which profession more suits you
- Dabble in some research/work experience to solidify your decision
- Talk to your seniors/actual doctors and ask about their experience and if it is something you are willing to go through
I hope this helps!
Whilst your insight into medicine is helpful, your thoughts on dentistry aren’t very accurate.
“Medicine is a longer course” - incorrect. Both are 5 years long, or 6 if you choose to intercalate. If you meant specialty training, dentistry also has this and yes, it does take years post-graduation to achieve consultancy.
“I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc“ - this makes it sound as if dentistry doesn’t have those options too: it does, but for some reason a lot of medics seem to think only medicine has opportunities to teach, research and specialise
“medicine (if you plan on being a doctor) requires more emotional empathy and rational thinking in high pressure situations” - this is completely incorrect. Today I saw a patient who’s been in constant pain for 2 years and it was my empathy that allowed me to really listen to what she said and to provide her the treatment she needed that others had missed. Don’t dentists need to think rationally too? We need to diagnose and justify our actions, rather than just extract teeth left, right and centre…
“they usually look for Chemistry for medicine plus higher (I)GCSE grades and grades in general” - again, this is wrong. Almost every dental school asks for chemistry, whilst some allow chemistry or biology with another science. Your statement about grades is also incorrect. Generally the grades required are about the same, if not higher due to the more competitive nature of dentistry. When I applied, KCL actually asked for higher A Level grades for dentistry than it did for medicine.
Original post by Mesopotamian.
Whilst your insight into medicine is helpful, your thoughts on dentistry aren’t very accurate.
“Medicine is a longer course” - incorrect. Both are 5 years long, or 6 if you choose to intercalate. If you meant specialty training, dentistry also has this and yes, it does take years post-graduation to achieve consultancy.
“I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc“ - this makes it sound as if dentistry doesn’t have those options too: it does, but for some reason a lot of medics seem to think only medicine has opportunities to teach, research and specialise
“medicine (if you plan on being a doctor) requires more emotional empathy and rational thinking in high pressure situations” - this is completely incorrect. Today I saw a patient who’s been in constant pain for 2 years and it was my empathy that allowed me to really listen to what she said and to provide her the treatment she needed that others had missed. Don’t dentists need to think rationally too? We need to diagnose and justify our actions, rather than just extract teeth left, right and centre…
“they usually look for Chemistry for medicine plus higher (I)GCSE grades and grades in general” - again, this is wrong. Almost every dental school asks for chemistry, whilst some allow chemistry or biology with another science. Your statement about grades is also incorrect. Generally the grades required are about the same, if not higher due to the more competitive nature of dentistry. When I applied, KCL actually asked for higher A Level grades for dentistry than it did for medicine.
“Medicine is a longer course” - incorrect. Both are 5 years long, or 6 if you choose to intercalate. If you meant specialty training, dentistry also has this and yes, it does take years post-graduation to achieve consultancy.
“I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc“ - this makes it sound as if dentistry doesn’t have those options too: it does, but for some reason a lot of medics seem to think only medicine has opportunities to teach, research and specialise
“medicine (if you plan on being a doctor) requires more emotional empathy and rational thinking in high pressure situations” - this is completely incorrect. Today I saw a patient who’s been in constant pain for 2 years and it was my empathy that allowed me to really listen to what she said and to provide her the treatment she needed that others had missed. Don’t dentists need to think rationally too? We need to diagnose and justify our actions, rather than just extract teeth left, right and centre…
“they usually look for Chemistry for medicine plus higher (I)GCSE grades and grades in general” - again, this is wrong. Almost every dental school asks for chemistry, whilst some allow chemistry or biology with another science. Your statement about grades is also incorrect. Generally the grades required are about the same, if not higher due to the more competitive nature of dentistry. When I applied, KCL actually asked for higher A Level grades for dentistry than it did for medicine.
Yes, you are correct however I did not want my post to be too long. To reiterate:
Yes, I did mention that both courses will take around 5 years of university but generally, it takes around 5 years of university with an additional year of training to become a fully-qualified dentist while medicine usually takes an extra 2 for foundation plus another 5 to 8 years depending on if you intend to specialise. So generally, medicine is the longer course.
I never mentioned dentistry did not have those opportunities either. To me, I see that as a benefit in my decision process to study medicine rather than other courses. Of course with a degree in dentistry you will also be qualified to teach and all but with medicine, usually during residency you get that opportunity whether you like it or not.
My apologies as dentists are doctors in a way. They both require hands-on work and emotional connections with patients as I am aware there are many people who are more nervous going to the dentist rather than the doctors, but vice versa. I was just making a comparison with general differences that not necessarily only come from one job, but both.
Yes, the subject requirements for dentistry and medicine are similar however there are universities that require physics if you want to pursue dentistry. The IELTS requirement for dentistry is higher than medicine but for some med schools, they also consider your GCSE grades and generally require higher grades in those. Medicine is also as highly competitive of a course, if not more. You may be required to take the UCAT and/or BMAT however only some dentistry schools require the UCAT. A-level grades are generally the same.
My apologies for not being clear, hope you have a wonderful day ahead
Original post by Mesopotamian.
Whilst your insight into medicine is helpful, your thoughts on dentistry aren’t very accurate.
“Medicine is a longer course” - incorrect. Both are 5 years long, or 6 if you choose to intercalate. If you meant specialty training, dentistry also has this and yes, it does take years post-graduation to achieve consultancy.
“I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc“ - this makes it sound as if dentistry doesn’t have those options too: it does, but for some reason a lot of medics seem to think only medicine has opportunities to teach, research and specialise
“medicine (if you plan on being a doctor) requires more emotional empathy and rational thinking in high pressure situations” - this is completely incorrect. Today I saw a patient who’s been in constant pain for 2 years and it was my empathy that allowed me to really listen to what she said and to provide her the treatment she needed that others had missed. Don’t dentists need to think rationally too? We need to diagnose and justify our actions, rather than just extract teeth left, right and centre…
“they usually look for Chemistry for medicine plus higher (I)GCSE grades and grades in general” - again, this is wrong. Almost every dental school asks for chemistry, whilst some allow chemistry or biology with another science. Your statement about grades is also incorrect. Generally the grades required are about the same, if not higher due to the more competitive nature of dentistry. When I applied, KCL actually asked for higher A Level grades for dentistry than it did for medicine.
“Medicine is a longer course” - incorrect. Both are 5 years long, or 6 if you choose to intercalate. If you meant specialty training, dentistry also has this and yes, it does take years post-graduation to achieve consultancy.
“I chose medicine because personally I have more skills suited to that career path and with this degree, there are endless opportunities as in you can do research, teach, specialise, or be general practitioner, etc“ - this makes it sound as if dentistry doesn’t have those options too: it does, but for some reason a lot of medics seem to think only medicine has opportunities to teach, research and specialise
“medicine (if you plan on being a doctor) requires more emotional empathy and rational thinking in high pressure situations” - this is completely incorrect. Today I saw a patient who’s been in constant pain for 2 years and it was my empathy that allowed me to really listen to what she said and to provide her the treatment she needed that others had missed. Don’t dentists need to think rationally too? We need to diagnose and justify our actions, rather than just extract teeth left, right and centre…
“they usually look for Chemistry for medicine plus higher (I)GCSE grades and grades in general” - again, this is wrong. Almost every dental school asks for chemistry, whilst some allow chemistry or biology with another science. Your statement about grades is also incorrect. Generally the grades required are about the same, if not higher due to the more competitive nature of dentistry. When I applied, KCL actually asked for higher A Level grades for dentistry than it did for medicine.
Thank you for your clarification! It was extremely useful, and my main issue is I literally am unable to decide between dentistry and medicine (and I need to write my personal statement ASAP and give info about my future aspirations to my referee by TONIGHT) My initial dream was medicine but then read a couple books about the long hours, stress and overall hard work (even though many jobs have these as well). Its just that I'm scared I wont cope mentally, i mean like A-levels, UCAT, personal statement, trying to find work experience has me already stress out and drained. So i cant even imagine what a degree in medicine would do to me. Correct me if I'm wrong i just think dentistry is less stressful. But I just have anxiety over that i might not enjoy dentistry and then regret not studying medicine. So overall I'm just really stressed, I have also called up so many dental practices and they all keep saying they don't offer work experience, so what am i even meant to write in my personal statement. Oh ma gosh Im literally screwed
Original post by Saz56
Hey, thank you so much for this advice! You have really helped me narrow down my thinking. I have called dental clinics up asking for work experience and they are still yet to get back to me.
Also as you mentioned you chose medicine, are you currently a medical student or just a student working to go into that profession?
Also as you mentioned you chose medicine, are you currently a medical student or just a student working to go into that profession?
I am a student working to go into that profession who had the same struggle deciding between both courses as you! ToT I believe we are on the same boat at the moment, writing our PS, choosing universities, etc. Going into my second year of A-Levels and I'm so nervous!
Original post by heyjustcurious
Yes, you are correct however I did not want my post to be too long. To reiterate:
Yes, I did mention that both courses will take around 5 years of university but generally, it takes around 5 years of university with an additional year of training to become a fully-qualified dentist while medicine usually takes an extra 2 for foundation plus another 5 to 8 years depending on if you intend to specialise. So generally, medicine is the longer course.
I never mentioned dentistry did not have those opportunities either. To me, I see that as a benefit in my decision process to study medicine rather than other courses. Of course with a degree in dentistry you will also be qualified to teach and all but with medicine, usually during residency you get that opportunity whether you like it or not.
My apologies as dentists are doctors in a way. They both require hands-on work and emotional connections with patients as I am aware there are many people who are more nervous going to the dentist rather than the doctors, but vice versa. I was just making a comparison with general differences that not necessarily only come from one job, but both.
Yes, the subject requirements for dentistry and medicine are similar however there are universities that require physics if you want to pursue dentistry. The IELTS requirement for dentistry is higher than medicine but for some med schools, they also consider your GCSE grades and generally require higher grades in those. Medicine is also as highly competitive of a course, if not more. You may be required to take the UCAT and/or BMAT however only some dentistry schools require the UCAT. A-level grades are generally the same.
My apologies for not being clear, hope you have a wonderful day ahead
Yes, I did mention that both courses will take around 5 years of university but generally, it takes around 5 years of university with an additional year of training to become a fully-qualified dentist while medicine usually takes an extra 2 for foundation plus another 5 to 8 years depending on if you intend to specialise. So generally, medicine is the longer course.
I never mentioned dentistry did not have those opportunities either. To me, I see that as a benefit in my decision process to study medicine rather than other courses. Of course with a degree in dentistry you will also be qualified to teach and all but with medicine, usually during residency you get that opportunity whether you like it or not.
My apologies as dentists are doctors in a way. They both require hands-on work and emotional connections with patients as I am aware there are many people who are more nervous going to the dentist rather than the doctors, but vice versa. I was just making a comparison with general differences that not necessarily only come from one job, but both.
Yes, the subject requirements for dentistry and medicine are similar however there are universities that require physics if you want to pursue dentistry. The IELTS requirement for dentistry is higher than medicine but for some med schools, they also consider your GCSE grades and generally require higher grades in those. Medicine is also as highly competitive of a course, if not more. You may be required to take the UCAT and/or BMAT however only some dentistry schools require the UCAT. A-level grades are generally the same.
My apologies for not being clear, hope you have a wonderful day ahead
Some points to make:
- Dentistry is more competitive than medicine due to less dental schools and therefore less spaces available. This is fact, not opinion.
- No dental school requires physics as you’ve stated.
I’m not looking to argue with you, simply pointing out that the way you’ve worded your statements make it sound like dentistry lacks the point you made about medicine, which as we both agree is not the case.
Original post by Saz56
Thank you for your clarification! It was extremely useful, and my main issue is I literally am unable to decide between dentistry and medicine (and I need to write my personal statement ASAP and give info about my future aspirations to my referee by TONIGHT) My initial dream was medicine but then read a couple books about the long hours, stress and overall hard work (even though many jobs have these as well). Its just that I'm scared I wont cope mentally, i mean like A-levels, UCAT, personal statement, trying to find work experience has me already stress out and drained. So i cant even imagine what a degree in medicine would do to me. Correct me if I'm wrong i just think dentistry is less stressful. But I just have anxiety over that i might not enjoy dentistry and then regret not studying medicine. So overall I'm just really stressed, I have also called up so many dental practices and they all keep saying they don't offer work experience, so what am i even meant to write in my personal statement. Oh ma gosh Im literally screwed
I think maybe you should start with what you know or think you will enjoy with dentistry. Reading your post, it seems to me that you’re leaning more towards medicine but are having second thoughts and therefore see dentistry as a second option.
Think about the following:
- What do you like about dentistry?
- Do you know or have a rough idea of what dental work consists of?
- Did you know there’s a greater chance of being sued as a dentist than as a medical doctor?
- What is that puts you off medicine, and does dentistry have that same element?
Quick Reply
Related discussions
- EPQ for dentist or general medicine
- Nuffield research placement vs in2science vs summer schools
- Optometry vs dentistry
- Law vs Dentistry
- Medicine or dentistry
- advice on taking a gap year VS going to university?
- Will good unis accept retake grades
- Can a medicine personal statement be used for pharmacy
- Engineering, dentistry or medicine ?
- British Medical degree vs Irish Medical degree
- Applying to medicine dentistry pharmacy
- Still cant choose between medicine and dentistry?
- Ucat
- Undergraduate degree decision
- Dentistry, medicine or engineering?
- Study medicine in egypt
- How difficult is it to get a job as a dentist in the UK with an overseas degree?
- Should I resist all my GCSEs along side A-levels
- Medicine or Dentistry
- picking A-levels combinations HELP!
Latest
Trending
Last reply 5 hours ago
Official Dental Hygiene and Therapy (Oral Health Science) 2024 Entry ThreadDentistry
2977
Last reply 5 days ago
University of Portsmouth Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy interviewTrending
Last reply 5 hours ago
Official Dental Hygiene and Therapy (Oral Health Science) 2024 Entry ThreadDentistry
2977
Last reply 5 days ago
University of Portsmouth Dental Hygiene and Dental Therapy interview
