Help i want to be a dentist and need advice!

hey ! inshallah everything works out amazingly for you friend
i’m in a similar position. am y13 and will probably have to resit a subject or two bc a levels are NOT going well 😭. i rly wanna go kcl or qm so i can stay in london 🥲 my parents have only just come to terms with me taking one gap year (bc i got rejections) but you said even if you have to take two, you’ll do so because dentistry is what you rly wanna do. i’m the same, but i think if i had to take another gap year my parents will force me to just do pharmacy instead. they already want me to just do it this year rather than bother with a gap year but like that’s the rest of my life that they’re messing with just because they don’t want me to take a single year 🙏 any advice ? how did/would you convince your parents and stuff :/

hiiii firstly thank you it WILL work out for both of us inshallah
so my biggest tip is to first let them know your whole plan, usually the reason they don't allow it cos they don't know anything about it and think that you're gonna waste the gap years. My biggest tip is to sit them down and explain that dentistry is your dream and explain what you wanna do , why and how you will achieve it. Also explain to them that uni tuition is INSANE and might as well spend all that money going to the uni you want to for the course you want to otherwise you're gonna hate it and its just not gonna be what you want it to be. Also tell them that the people who do dentistry join at such varying ages. My friend who is just two years older than me does dentistry and she has a friend group of people that are freshly 18 and some that are 23/24 bec some people join after doing biomed or another degree and some people are lucky enough to be accepted first time applying. Tell them how competitive of a degree it is bec of the fact it is such an amazing career path that can take you to so many different fields. I didnt wanna admit this but i actually made a powerpoint explain all of the above to my parents threw in a little 'knowledge is power' yk them type of cliche quotes to really go the extra mile.
Finally I would say, at the end of the day you're the one doing your application the studying the hard work. They cannot stop you from pursuing what YOU want to. So don't give up and if they don't listen so be it. You do you, apply to dentistry 100 times if you have to and ofc GOOD LUCK hope this helps

Hi I'm currently in year 13 doing biology, psychology and English language and will be taking a gap year to resit some GCSEs and do a level chem. My GCSEs were very very average with 6s in everything due to me being a young carer at the time but I'm planning to resit GCSEs like maths and sciences to get them up. Also if anyone has any info on how I can do a level chem in my gap year without having to pay hundreds of pounds I'm very open to suggestions. Also how do I tell universities I was a young carer do I need proof? I'm very unfamiliar with this whole process because I didn't apply this year.
I also have work experience shadowing a dentist, volunteering with different humanitarian charities, I have done articles and scripts for talk shows about dentistry and the importance of it, I have a dentistry mentor certificate, I have some extra curricular like taekwondo and boxing.
After I get all my grades and a good UCAT Inshallah I'm going to be applying to Newcastle, Leeds, Bristol, Plymouth and Kings as I do also live in a contextual area so praying they give me an offer. I'm super set on wanting to be a dentist and don't really care how many gap years I have to take. Any advice, help, mentoring will be amazing
Thank you

hello
first, be careful with GCSEs there are many unis that do not accept resits (i know as i had to resit and applied strategically) plymouth and kings may not be the best options, however newcastle has a contextuals programme you can look into, i am not too sure abouth leeds however i know bristole requires the highest ucat.
you will need proof for being a young carer, in ucas there will be a section for info about yourself for contextuals and unis will get in touch for proof.
given your extras, i will say liverpool would be a great strategic application as they like them. do make the most use out of these extracurriculars for personal statements and interviews!
again with your a level chem, please be careful all dental schools will require you to have sat all your a levels in a single sitting (same year) as they are extremely competitive courses.
i would really advise you to get proof as a young carer asap, and research uni requirements thoroughly as GCSE and A-Level requirements are strict. many people end up being rejected for not applying strategically, with the info you have provided i think liverpool would be a great option as it will make you such a strong candidate for interview due to your extracurriculars! after receiving your ucat, please do research uni's as applying strategically is an essential part to a successful application.
goodluck with your journey

hiya! i thought kcl accepted a level resits? but yeah a lot of dent unis sadly don’t like qm

hello
first, be careful with GCSEs there are many unis that do not accept resits (i know as i had to resit and applied strategically) plymouth and kings may not be the best options, however newcastle has a contextuals programme you can look into, i am not too sure abouth leeds however i know bristole requires the highest ucat.
you will need proof for being a young carer, in ucas there will be a section for info about yourself for contextuals and unis will get in touch for proof.
given your extras, i will say liverpool would be a great strategic application as they like them. do make the most use out of these extracurriculars for personal statements and interviews!
again with your a level chem, please be careful all dental schools will require you to have sat all your a levels in a single sitting (same year) as they are extremely competitive courses.
i would really advise you to get proof as a young carer asap, and research uni requirements thoroughly as GCSE and A-Level requirements are strict. many people end up being rejected for not applying strategically, with the info you have provided i think liverpool would be a great option as it will make you such a strong candidate for interview due to your extracurriculars! after receiving your ucat, please do research uni's as applying strategically is an essential part to a successful application.
goodluck with your journey

hello!
most not all dental schools accept resits, in this case KCL does however, any dental school that accepts resits it is for A-Level only (gcse under mitigation circumstances only and even then some do not accept) and you must have gotten a specific grade on first sitting usually ABB i think it is. please be wary A-Levels need to be done in one sitting like you cannot do 2 subjects in 2025 and then do another in 2026 during your gap year.
please let me know if there are any questions, always happy to help! dental schools are really competitive so it is these tiny details that will favour your application.

Hi I'm currently in year 13 doing biology, psychology and English language and will be taking a gap year to resit some GCSEs and do a level chem. My GCSEs were very very average with 6s in everything due to me being a young carer at the time but I'm planning to resit GCSEs like maths and sciences to get them up. Also if anyone has any info on how I can do a level chem in my gap year without having to pay hundreds of pounds I'm very open to suggestions. Also how do I tell universities I was a young carer do I need proof? I'm very unfamiliar with this whole process because I didn't apply this year.
I also have work experience shadowing a dentist, volunteering with different humanitarian charities, I have done articles and scripts for talk shows about dentistry and the importance of it, I have a dentistry mentor certificate, I have some extra curricular like taekwondo and boxing.
After I get all my grades and a good UCAT Inshallah I'm going to be applying to Newcastle, Leeds, Bristol, Plymouth and Kings as I do also live in a contextual area so praying they give me an offer. I'm super set on wanting to be a dentist and don't really care how many gap years I have to take. Any advice, help, mentoring will be amazing
Thank you