I am a student in Y9 and want to get into dentstry please give me reassurance

I have heard many things about how hard it is to get into dentistry and I just want to ask others if I was on the right track to one day get into dentistry. Currently I am on my LAMDA public speaking grade 5. I also help out teaching younger kids kick-boxing and martial arts in addition to now 3 months of volunteering at a charity shop( which is still ongoing).I also have plans on going to DOFE silver or gold. The things I am worried about are I heard that I have to show manual dexterity and currently I do nothing related to that so please could you guys give me ideas on this. I also have the same concern with showing leadership skills as right now I don’t do things related to that too so what are some ideas for showing leadership. Please if you read this could you give me ideas on new things to pick up which would work towards getting into dentistry. Pleas can you give me ideas on things to pick up and tips to ultimately have a strong chance in getting into dentistry.

(Is it true that I should enrol in competition and challenges or do they not matter too much?)- If so any reccomendations?

ps- Please trust me I am enjoying my younger years fully . I just want to be prepared when I am younger for my future.

Reply 1

Mo123412

4

I can't lie the main thing to getting in is your UCAT and interview (and grades). UCAT requires a lot of skills to do well in it. I recommend looking into it and looking to try and better those skills (don't actually revise for the UCAT just better the skills required for it i.e. fast reading). In order to do well in the interview, you need to be able to think on the spot and articulate/word your thoughts in a coherent and sophisticated manner. Try to better this skill by putting yourself in situations like that (e.g. public speaking and debates). If you get really good at those, getting into dentisitry will be possible.

(edited 10 months ago)

Reply 2

user8937264980

13

not gonna lie dofe is the most useless thing ive done. it was pretty fun but literally has no value. start doing some extra reading and if you can, get work experience or join online lectures and stuff. even if the work experience is just a receptionist in the dental office or watching the dentist go for it

Reply 3

domonict

17

Pretty much all of the activities that you mention are pointless.
This isn’t the USA where extra curriculars count.

Dentistry is a science so spend the time working on grades and if dexterity is your requirement then anything that improves manual skills helps

Reply 4

zhqz446

2

main thing they look at are your grades, UCAT and how ur interview goes. i’ve tried getting into UK unis with top grades and a good UCAT score but couldn’t get past that interview stage (a LOT of people go through this). best thing for u right now is to focus on exams, get some sort of work experience to show that u are familiar with the practice and maybe do some online courses dentistry related of course. look at coursera they have some good courses.

Reply 5

lee_miller7

9

Original post by js234

I have heard many things about how hard it is to get into dentistry and I just want to ask others if I was on the right track to one day get into dentistry. Currently I am on my LAMDA public speaking grade 5. I also help out teaching younger kids kick-boxing and martial arts in addition to now 3 months of volunteering at a charity shop( which is still ongoing).I also have plans on going to DOFE silver or gold. The things I am worried about are I heard that I have to show manual dexterity and currently I do nothing related to that so please could you guys give me ideas on this. I also have the same concern with showing leadership skills as right now I don’t do things related to that too so what are some ideas for showing leadership. Please if you read this could you give me ideas on new things to pick up which would work towards getting into dentistry. Pleas can you give me ideas on things to pick up and tips to ultimately have a strong chance in getting into dentistry.

(Is it true that I should enrol in competition and challenges or do they not matter too much?)- If so any reccomendations?

ps- Please trust me I am enjoying my younger years fully . I just want to be prepared when I am younger for my future.

please come back in 2 years. you do NOT need to worry about this now. most opportunities will open up for you for dentistry when you're in year 12 anyway - there's little you can do now

Reply 6

user8937264980

13

Original post by domonict

Pretty much all of the activities that you mention are pointless.
This isn’t the USA where extra curriculars count.

Dentistry is a science so spend the time working on grades and if dexterity is your requirement then anything that improves manual skills helps

work experience would improve manual skills

Reply 7

Ionomer

11

Original post by user8937264980

work experience would improve manual skills

This just isn't true, work experience in no way improves your manual skills unless you are the dentist/hygienist. Improving manual skills is becoming a less important factor in admissions as it is something that comes with experience (at dental school). If you really wanted to, start learning an instrument, or do some knitting or oragami and that should be enough for dental admissions.

Original post by lee_miller7

please come back in 2 years. you do NOT need to worry about this now. most opportunities will open up for you for dentistry when you're in year 12 anyway - there's little you can do now

Solid advice, please do come back in 2 years. Now is way too early to do anything about it and unless you are really obsessed with dentistry I have a slight feeling that someone else may be pushing you in this direction. Take the time to enjoy your junior years, before going all out on dentistry. Believe me, you still have time.

Original post by domonict

Pretty much all of the activities that you mention are pointless.
This isn’t the USA where extra curriculars count.

Dentistry is a science so spend the time working on grades and if dexterity is your requirement then anything that improves manual skills helps

Not exactly. Extracurriculars do matter, just to an extent. Universities do like to see people have hobbies, however they aren't looking for a variety of things. They tend to look at how much dedication you have put into something. If you really wanted to, start volunteering at a local kids place or something or a care home and show your dedication that way.

Original post by zhqz446

main thing they look at are your grades, UCAT and how ur interview goes. i’ve tried getting into UK unis with top grades and a good UCAT score but couldn’t get past that interview stage (a LOT of people go through this). best thing for u right now is to focus on exams, get some sort of work experience to show that u are familiar with the practice and maybe do some online courses dentistry related of course. look at coursera they have some good courses.

True, but at the year 9 level this isn't something you should be too concerned about. Year 9 is about choosing what subjects you like, whether you prefer the sciences or the politics etc. The first time your grades matter are your GCSEs, so try harder when it comes to that. Your novi years are your first foray into high school so try and enjoy it as much as possible. If you do want to, there are online courses on dentistry, however keep in mind that they are designed for those who are older than you so you may not have the scientific literacy to understand it. By all means, however, try!

Original post by js234

I have heard many things about how hard it is to get into dentistry and I just want to ask others if I was on the right track to one day get into dentistry. Currently I am on my LAMDA public speaking grade 5. I also help out teaching younger kids kick-boxing and martial arts in addition to now 3 months of volunteering at a charity shop( which is still ongoing).I also have plans on going to DOFE silver or gold. The things I am worried about are I heard that I have to show manual dexterity and currently I do nothing related to that so please could you guys give me ideas on this. I also have the same concern with showing leadership skills as right now I don’t do things related to that too so what are some ideas for showing leadership. Please if you read this could you give me ideas on new things to pick up which would work towards getting into dentistry. Pleas can you give me ideas on things to pick up and tips to ultimately have a strong chance in getting into dentistry.

(Is it true that I should enrol in competition and challenges or do they not matter too much?)- If so any reccomendations?

ps- Please trust me I am enjoying my younger years fully . I just want to be prepared when I am younger for my future.

Lastly, to answer your question as a high achieving candidate myself (No, I'm not being a narcissist, I'm just being honest) - You might think that your sacrifice is worth it in the long run, but in time you will think that you should've enjoyed yourself more, I certainly do. You are doing everything right, that will set you on a path to dentistry and I have no doubt that if you continue you will become a very successful applicant, but doing this might just result in burnout. In terms of realistic things to pickup, I would say this - improve your social skills, make sure that you can strike up conversation with even the least conservationalist of people. Make sure that you can smile with your eyes when you talk and try and train yourself to be as friendly as possible. If you want to, you can try joining debate teams or chess clubs, these are incredibly important as they can help with your critical thinking, critical analysis and how your portray yourself. Showing leadership through various activities can help - mine was through music, if you haven't got anything then I wouldn't worry. You will have opportunities in the future during sixth form to be your MedSoc head or president, the head of this research club or that. Don't worry if you haven't got everything down. Dentistry may or may not be your calling, it certainly wasn't mine initially. I wanted to be a lawyer. But things change as you grow and I wouldn't be as dead set on something as important as your career, and certainly not at a stage where you aren't mature enough to understand the responsibilities that come with it.

I am a student in Y9 and want to get into dentstry please give me reassurance

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