Gcses for dentistry

Hiya!! Year 13 dentistry offer holder here, work experience is definitely key. I did 2 weeks and loved it, it’s great to talk about in your PS and interviews and reflect on what you saw. I’d say aim for as much as possible, but even if you can just get a few days that’s better than nothing. For volunteering, again, do as much as you can - care homes are a good one as you can talk about empathy/communication skills etc. I did a care home one afternoon a week for a few months, but honestly they never asked me how long I did it for so I’d say as long as you can talk about it in detail if asked you should be alright. Also maybe any tutoring/mentoring you could do for GCSE students when you’re in year 12, any leadership roles eg head of year, prefect, etc. Literally just anything you can do that you think would be useful to prove you have those soft skills you need as a dentist. I’d also say getting a part time job can really help confidence and communication skills which are so key during the interview stage. How much wex/volunteering you need in your PS is dependent on which unis you’re apply to, which depends on your UCAT score if you apply strategically. Ie unis with higher UCAT requirements generally don’t care as much about what’s on your PS. However you still need to be able to show how you’ve demonstrated those key skills once you’re doing interviews. But you probably know all this if you already think you want to do dentistry!! Sorry for waffling on, I’d say just focus on your GCSE’s for now and once they’re done try and sort some work experience asap - getting a placement is really competitive so email every dentist that you can get to. I emailed probably around 20 different practices and only one got back to me. But honestly getting that true insight into the career is super important as you may realise it isn’t for you and want to change your mind. Or alternatively it can really motivate you to work hard to be able to be a dentist one day. Anyway, I hope this was even the slightest bit useful, and good luck with your exams!! Xx

That sounds like you’ve got some great work experience lined up, that should definitely be enough. Charity shops should be fine as well for volunteering, and there’s no need to worry about age when applying. Not sure how many it is exactly but I know a large proportion of med/dent applicants are reapplying after being unsuccessful the previous year just because it’s so competitive. On the course you do also get the occasional mature student who may be in their 20s. So really the age thing doesn’t matter, you’ll be completely fine x