Dentistry 2026- glasgow uni advice !!!
Hi it’s my dream to apply to dentistry in 2026 and I want to make sure I am doing everything right and absolutely everything I can.
my nat 5s I achieved 6 As and a B(in dance)
I’m wondering if my B will affect my application since it was only in dance.
This year i’m taking chem, bio , human bio maths english and PE and I’m predicted 5As
next year I plan on taking advanced chem bio and english.
I’m obviously looking to sit my UCAT so any advice on that would be much appreciated!
I’m wondering if I achieve my predicted grades and a good UCAT what else I’d need to do to ensure acceptance.
Any advice on extra curricular activities would be appreciated (I already do competitive sport)
I’m looking to apply to glasgow, it’s my dream UNI and i’m so passionate about going there.
I’m also doing the reach programme, i’m wondering how able that would make me for adjusted entry?
Any other advice for applying would be so appreciated! Thank you so much !
my nat 5s I achieved 6 As and a B(in dance)
I’m wondering if my B will affect my application since it was only in dance.
This year i’m taking chem, bio , human bio maths english and PE and I’m predicted 5As
next year I plan on taking advanced chem bio and english.
I’m obviously looking to sit my UCAT so any advice on that would be much appreciated!
I’m wondering if I achieve my predicted grades and a good UCAT what else I’d need to do to ensure acceptance.
Any advice on extra curricular activities would be appreciated (I already do competitive sport)
I’m looking to apply to glasgow, it’s my dream UNI and i’m so passionate about going there.
I’m also doing the reach programme, i’m wondering how able that would make me for adjusted entry?
Any other advice for applying would be so appreciated! Thank you so much !
Reply 1
Your National 5 grades are better than you need to get into Glasgow or any other uni for that matter. You've achieved an A in maths, English, and other sciences - and your other National 5s don't matter to unis. Your B in dance will not disadvantage you in any way.
I assume you know the grades you'll need at Higher and Advanced Higher for Glasgow, but in case you don't, you need:
● AAAAB or above in your Highers in S5.
● As in Higher Chemistry and Higher Biology.
● BB or above in your Advanced Highers in S6.
● You should take at least 3 subjects (at least two of which must be Advanced Highers) in S6, and two of these Advanced Highers must be Chemistry and Biology.
Because you do the reach programme, you should be given adjusted entry requirements, though. This would probably be:
● AAABB Highers in S5.
● One A and one B in Higher Chemistry and Biology/Human Biology.
● B in one Advanced Higher, which should be Chemistry or Biology.
● If you were to get a B in Higher Chemistry or Biology, then they would want you to get a B in the Advanced Higher of the subject too.
However, it may still be beneficial for you to ask someone who has previously done the programme and then gone on to uni, or a careers advisor or guidance teacher at your school about this.
The good news is, you look on track to achieve higher than those grades!
In terms of extracurriculars, there's a lot you could do for dentistry, and you don't have to do them all. I'd pick about two or three things from the list below and put lots of effort into them rather than rush lots of them.
● Shadow/get work experience with a dentist or an orthodontist.
● Shadow/get work experience with a GP surgery or pharmacy -> this is still medical and therefore relevant.
● Volunteer for a charity that works to improve medical care and treatment, e.g, the British Heart Foundation. What you do in this role isn't as important as why you did it - because you care about patients, and this way, you can help them.
● Volunteer for a charity, hospital, or care home that provides care to patients. What you could volunteer as could be many things. For example, at my local hospital, people can volunteer to give directions to those visiting.
● Raise money for a medical charity and promote healthy living whilst doing so. For example, you could walk/run/swim/cycle a certain amount of miles to raise money for a charity that supports people with a certain illness, or you could run a marathon for them. You would not only be doing this admirable fundraising, but you could encourage others to get involved to benefit their health.
● Write for your school newspaper. If your school has a newspaper, you could join and write lifestyle pieces for it. These lifestyle pieces could largely centre around how to live healthily as a busy student, from what we eat, how much we sleep, and the exercise we do. This is a more out of the box extracurricular for dentistry, but if you explain it, it could make you stand out. If you enjoy this, you could always pitch lifestyle articles to local or online newspapers, or become a lifestyle contributer in an online newspaper (e.g, The Indiependent, an online magazine, has a lifestyle section that they allow anyone to apply to write for).
● Enter writing competitions to do with STEM. There's many STEM writing competitions out there, including the Young Science Writer of the Year Award, the Humanimal Trust Creative Awards, and the Oxford Scientist Schools' Writing Competition.
● Enter any other STEM related competitions and awards. Here ( https://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/festivals-competitions-and-awards#collapse4663881 ) Oxford shares some amazing STEM competitions and awards for different age categories. Some of these would be amazing to take part in.
● Read books about dentistry. This is a simple way to learn more about the subject beforehand, and shows that you are already invested in learning it.
● Do moocs. These are free (or at least some of them are free) online courses, typically provided by unis, that you can take to learn about a subject. There are many dentistry/medicine/science moocs out there. A couple years ago, someone on The Student Room made a list of moocs for each degree/interest, as found here ( https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6531484 ). You may find this useful as a starting off point.
● Join your schools Pupil Voice. Some Pupil Voices, such as my school's, have different sub-groups. At my school we have an Equality group, and one of the issues we've looked at is wellbeing. We've written guides for students on how to cope with exam stress, which have been shared around the whole school. This is again about the why, and would show that you care about others and want to help them.
You're doing an amazing job with your grades, and I think once you've got a UCAT score and have done a couple of extracurriculars, there will be no stopping you!
Good luck, and if you have any more questions feel free to ask me. 😊
I assume you know the grades you'll need at Higher and Advanced Higher for Glasgow, but in case you don't, you need:
● AAAAB or above in your Highers in S5.
● As in Higher Chemistry and Higher Biology.
● BB or above in your Advanced Highers in S6.
● You should take at least 3 subjects (at least two of which must be Advanced Highers) in S6, and two of these Advanced Highers must be Chemistry and Biology.
Because you do the reach programme, you should be given adjusted entry requirements, though. This would probably be:
● AAABB Highers in S5.
● One A and one B in Higher Chemistry and Biology/Human Biology.
● B in one Advanced Higher, which should be Chemistry or Biology.
● If you were to get a B in Higher Chemistry or Biology, then they would want you to get a B in the Advanced Higher of the subject too.
However, it may still be beneficial for you to ask someone who has previously done the programme and then gone on to uni, or a careers advisor or guidance teacher at your school about this.
The good news is, you look on track to achieve higher than those grades!
In terms of extracurriculars, there's a lot you could do for dentistry, and you don't have to do them all. I'd pick about two or three things from the list below and put lots of effort into them rather than rush lots of them.
● Shadow/get work experience with a dentist or an orthodontist.
● Shadow/get work experience with a GP surgery or pharmacy -> this is still medical and therefore relevant.
● Volunteer for a charity that works to improve medical care and treatment, e.g, the British Heart Foundation. What you do in this role isn't as important as why you did it - because you care about patients, and this way, you can help them.
● Volunteer for a charity, hospital, or care home that provides care to patients. What you could volunteer as could be many things. For example, at my local hospital, people can volunteer to give directions to those visiting.
● Raise money for a medical charity and promote healthy living whilst doing so. For example, you could walk/run/swim/cycle a certain amount of miles to raise money for a charity that supports people with a certain illness, or you could run a marathon for them. You would not only be doing this admirable fundraising, but you could encourage others to get involved to benefit their health.
● Write for your school newspaper. If your school has a newspaper, you could join and write lifestyle pieces for it. These lifestyle pieces could largely centre around how to live healthily as a busy student, from what we eat, how much we sleep, and the exercise we do. This is a more out of the box extracurricular for dentistry, but if you explain it, it could make you stand out. If you enjoy this, you could always pitch lifestyle articles to local or online newspapers, or become a lifestyle contributer in an online newspaper (e.g, The Indiependent, an online magazine, has a lifestyle section that they allow anyone to apply to write for).
● Enter writing competitions to do with STEM. There's many STEM writing competitions out there, including the Young Science Writer of the Year Award, the Humanimal Trust Creative Awards, and the Oxford Scientist Schools' Writing Competition.
● Enter any other STEM related competitions and awards. Here ( https://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/festivals-competitions-and-awards#collapse4663881 ) Oxford shares some amazing STEM competitions and awards for different age categories. Some of these would be amazing to take part in.
● Read books about dentistry. This is a simple way to learn more about the subject beforehand, and shows that you are already invested in learning it.
● Do moocs. These are free (or at least some of them are free) online courses, typically provided by unis, that you can take to learn about a subject. There are many dentistry/medicine/science moocs out there. A couple years ago, someone on The Student Room made a list of moocs for each degree/interest, as found here ( https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6531484 ). You may find this useful as a starting off point.
● Join your schools Pupil Voice. Some Pupil Voices, such as my school's, have different sub-groups. At my school we have an Equality group, and one of the issues we've looked at is wellbeing. We've written guides for students on how to cope with exam stress, which have been shared around the whole school. This is again about the why, and would show that you care about others and want to help them.
You're doing an amazing job with your grades, and I think once you've got a UCAT score and have done a couple of extracurriculars, there will be no stopping you!
Good luck, and if you have any more questions feel free to ask me. 😊
(edited 1 year ago)
Reply 2
I just got a Glasgow Offer for this year and everything you're doing sounds great to secure the offer!! Just get the grades and lock in for ucat and you should be okay. Try to get as much work exp as you can too as that's great to talk about in interviews! Lmk if you have any questions 
Reply 3
Original post
by phanterI just got a Glasgow Offer for this year and everything you're doing sounds great to secure the offer!! Just get the grades and lock in for ucat and you should be okay. Try to get as much work exp as you can too as that's great to talk about in interviews! Lmk if you have any questions
Wait I’m also doing reach and im about to go to the reach campus week. will that help me too?
Reply 4
Original post
by OhhellnahWait I’m also doing reach and im about to go to the reach campus week. will that help me too?
Not 100% sure but definitely something you can mention in the personal statement/interviews!
Reply 5
I’m a WP student and they require at least AABB. The chemistry exam this year was soooo hard to the point that I think all my hard work went into the bin. They said they need A and B for either chem and human bio. I’m scared if I don’t get an A or a B in chem.
Reply 6
Hi does anyone know how Glasgow select for interview as a RUK applicant, is purely on UCAT or do they also
look at the PS?
look at the PS?
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