please help! med, dent, pharm, resits, gap year
hello! please help 🙏
i’m in y13, just finished my a levels yesterday. was predicted A*A*A. got 9 9s and 2 8s in gcse. i applied to dentistry so i put kcl, qm, cardiff & leeds (and kcl pharm as backup). ucat 2710 b1. got 4 pre int rejections and only one offer (the pharm one).
my plan was to take a gap year and reapply dent but instead with my actual grades when i get them on results day (and i alr booked my 2nd ucat attempt for this august), but now i’m stuck because:
pretty much my only realistic options are kcl and qm because i can’t and don’t want to move outside london (many reasons), but those require A*AA, and having completed my exams now, i seriously do not think this is possible anymore. i think i’ll get AAB or best case scenario A*AB (B in chem). so that’s fine right? because yeah i can always resit, but oh wait! qm doesn’t accept resits 😐 so if i resit and reapply, i’ll only be able to apply kcl out of the two london unis, and will be solely banking on getting that offer which is very competitive and risky. and if i mess up again i’d have to take a 2nd gap year which is crazy work bc my family were already reluctant to let me have the first one (and i don’t wanna waste two years..)
some of my family are telling me to just do pharmacy this year as the offer is AAB (rly rly don’t want to though).
some are telling me to reapply but for med instead because there are more unis and more options open in london. i was actually originally going to apply med in y12 and i did work experience and enjoyed it, but changed my mind halfway through because dent has better work life balance and i’m trying to think about raising a family in the future and what would work best for me. i enjoy dent too and did work experience for it, which is why i didn’t mind applying there instead in the end.
but now that i’ve set my sights on dent, it’s hard for me to be convinced to do med again especially after seeing my brother go through it and complain so much about the terrible conditions and stress and how long it takes to specialise (which i would want to do) and work life balance etc. like i’ve seen what it’s like on the other side and don’t wanna go back lol 😭 but i still prefer it to pharm.
anyways. so now i’m stuck. obvs if i get A*AA and high ucat i think i’ll j reapply dent. but let’s say i realistically only get AAB.
- do i just do pharm and ruin my life being miserable? (i’m alr depressed).
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but only be able to apply kcl and have to take 2nd gap year if it doesn’t work out? (i’d apply to other unis too in my application obvs but kcl is the only offer i’d take)
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but then apply to med instead and not hate the degree but have to deal w the fact that i won’t have as much time as i’d like for my family and be slaving away for little pay and waste half my life just specialising?
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* and just apply to both dent and med? (kcl dent and 3 med unis and maybe pharm as backup again?). i know the whole deal used to be about personal statement needing to be tailored to one of them which is why people don’t apply to both, but how is this situation going to change now that they’ve scrapped personal statement??
oh yeah so i guess can someone also explain the new personal statement system? like what’s gonna happen instead? will this mean i can then safely apply to both the dent and med unis i want after resitting (if they accept resits), because i won’t have to worry about rejections due to my personal statement not being 100% tailored? is there a catch?
sorry for such a long and dumb post. i just had to get it all out there because i’m seriously stuck. so sorry.
(also i’m posting on health forum bc i wanna be anon bc ts embarrassing)
i’m in y13, just finished my a levels yesterday. was predicted A*A*A. got 9 9s and 2 8s in gcse. i applied to dentistry so i put kcl, qm, cardiff & leeds (and kcl pharm as backup). ucat 2710 b1. got 4 pre int rejections and only one offer (the pharm one).
my plan was to take a gap year and reapply dent but instead with my actual grades when i get them on results day (and i alr booked my 2nd ucat attempt for this august), but now i’m stuck because:
pretty much my only realistic options are kcl and qm because i can’t and don’t want to move outside london (many reasons), but those require A*AA, and having completed my exams now, i seriously do not think this is possible anymore. i think i’ll get AAB or best case scenario A*AB (B in chem). so that’s fine right? because yeah i can always resit, but oh wait! qm doesn’t accept resits 😐 so if i resit and reapply, i’ll only be able to apply kcl out of the two london unis, and will be solely banking on getting that offer which is very competitive and risky. and if i mess up again i’d have to take a 2nd gap year which is crazy work bc my family were already reluctant to let me have the first one (and i don’t wanna waste two years..)
some of my family are telling me to just do pharmacy this year as the offer is AAB (rly rly don’t want to though).
some are telling me to reapply but for med instead because there are more unis and more options open in london. i was actually originally going to apply med in y12 and i did work experience and enjoyed it, but changed my mind halfway through because dent has better work life balance and i’m trying to think about raising a family in the future and what would work best for me. i enjoy dent too and did work experience for it, which is why i didn’t mind applying there instead in the end.
but now that i’ve set my sights on dent, it’s hard for me to be convinced to do med again especially after seeing my brother go through it and complain so much about the terrible conditions and stress and how long it takes to specialise (which i would want to do) and work life balance etc. like i’ve seen what it’s like on the other side and don’t wanna go back lol 😭 but i still prefer it to pharm.
anyways. so now i’m stuck. obvs if i get A*AA and high ucat i think i’ll j reapply dent. but let’s say i realistically only get AAB.
- do i just do pharm and ruin my life being miserable? (i’m alr depressed).
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but only be able to apply kcl and have to take 2nd gap year if it doesn’t work out? (i’d apply to other unis too in my application obvs but kcl is the only offer i’d take)
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but then apply to med instead and not hate the degree but have to deal w the fact that i won’t have as much time as i’d like for my family and be slaving away for little pay and waste half my life just specialising?
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* and just apply to both dent and med? (kcl dent and 3 med unis and maybe pharm as backup again?). i know the whole deal used to be about personal statement needing to be tailored to one of them which is why people don’t apply to both, but how is this situation going to change now that they’ve scrapped personal statement??
oh yeah so i guess can someone also explain the new personal statement system? like what’s gonna happen instead? will this mean i can then safely apply to both the dent and med unis i want after resitting (if they accept resits), because i won’t have to worry about rejections due to my personal statement not being 100% tailored? is there a catch?
sorry for such a long and dumb post. i just had to get it all out there because i’m seriously stuck. so sorry.
(also i’m posting on health forum bc i wanna be anon bc ts embarrassing)
Reply 1
i think this got lost on the health forum
Reply 2
First thing. Never do anything that your parents or family members are telling you to do. They don't have to do the course. They also don't have to do a job that they hate.
I don't know whether your brother chose to do medicine or whether he was encouraged to do it by your parents or other family members. The point is that those family members and parents have had their lives and jobs and they don't get to live through what you do. What you do is what you want to do. It is your life.
So think about what you want to do with your life and then find a way to do that.
I don't know whether your brother chose to do medicine or whether he was encouraged to do it by your parents or other family members. The point is that those family members and parents have had their lives and jobs and they don't get to live through what you do. What you do is what you want to do. It is your life.
So think about what you want to do with your life and then find a way to do that.
Reply 3
Original post
by Anonymoushello! please help 🙏
i’m in y13, just finished my a levels yesterday. was predicted A*A*A. got 9 9s and 2 8s in gcse. i applied to dentistry so i put kcl, qm, cardiff & leeds (and kcl pharm as backup). ucat 2710 b1. got 4 pre int rejections and only one offer (the pharm one).
my plan was to take a gap year and reapply dent but instead with my actual grades when i get them on results day (and i alr booked my 2nd ucat attempt for this august), but now i’m stuck because:
pretty much my only realistic options are kcl and qm because i can’t and don’t want to move outside london (many reasons), but those require A*AA, and having completed my exams now, i seriously do not think this is possible anymore. i think i’ll get AAB or best case scenario A*AB (B in chem). so that’s fine right? because yeah i can always resit, but oh wait! qm doesn’t accept resits 😐 so if i resit and reapply, i’ll only be able to apply kcl out of the two london unis, and will be solely banking on getting that offer which is very competitive and risky. and if i mess up again i’d have to take a 2nd gap year which is crazy work bc my family were already reluctant to let me have the first one (and i don’t wanna waste two years..)
some of my family are telling me to just do pharmacy this year as the offer is AAB (rly rly don’t want to though).
some are telling me to reapply but for med instead because there are more unis and more options open in london. i was actually originally going to apply med in y12 and i did work experience and enjoyed it, but changed my mind halfway through because dent has better work life balance and i’m trying to think about raising a family in the future and what would work best for me. i enjoy dent too and did work experience for it, which is why i didn’t mind applying there instead in the end.
but now that i’ve set my sights on dent, it’s hard for me to be convinced to do med again especially after seeing my brother go through it and complain so much about the terrible conditions and stress and how long it takes to specialise (which i would want to do) and work life balance etc. like i’ve seen what it’s like on the other side and don’t wanna go back lol 😭 but i still prefer it to pharm.
anyways. so now i’m stuck. obvs if i get A*AA and high ucat i think i’ll j reapply dent. but let’s say i realistically only get AAB.
- do i just do pharm and ruin my life being miserable? (i’m alr depressed).
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but only be able to apply kcl and have to take 2nd gap year if it doesn’t work out? (i’d apply to other unis too in my application obvs but kcl is the only offer i’d take)
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but then apply to med instead and not hate the degree but have to deal w the fact that i won’t have as much time as i’d like for my family and be slaving away for little pay and waste half my life just specialising?
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* and just apply to both dent and med? (kcl dent and 3 med unis and maybe pharm as backup again?). i know the whole deal used to be about personal statement needing to be tailored to one of them which is why people don’t apply to both, but how is this situation going to change now that they’ve scrapped personal statement??
oh yeah so i guess can someone also explain the new personal statement system? like what’s gonna happen instead? will this mean i can then safely apply to both the dent and med unis i want after resitting (if they accept resits), because i won’t have to worry about rejections due to my personal statement not being 100% tailored? is there a catch?
sorry for such a long and dumb post. i just had to get it all out there because i’m seriously stuck. so sorry.
(also i’m posting on health forum bc i wanna be anon bc ts embarrassing)
i’m in y13, just finished my a levels yesterday. was predicted A*A*A. got 9 9s and 2 8s in gcse. i applied to dentistry so i put kcl, qm, cardiff & leeds (and kcl pharm as backup). ucat 2710 b1. got 4 pre int rejections and only one offer (the pharm one).
my plan was to take a gap year and reapply dent but instead with my actual grades when i get them on results day (and i alr booked my 2nd ucat attempt for this august), but now i’m stuck because:
pretty much my only realistic options are kcl and qm because i can’t and don’t want to move outside london (many reasons), but those require A*AA, and having completed my exams now, i seriously do not think this is possible anymore. i think i’ll get AAB or best case scenario A*AB (B in chem). so that’s fine right? because yeah i can always resit, but oh wait! qm doesn’t accept resits 😐 so if i resit and reapply, i’ll only be able to apply kcl out of the two london unis, and will be solely banking on getting that offer which is very competitive and risky. and if i mess up again i’d have to take a 2nd gap year which is crazy work bc my family were already reluctant to let me have the first one (and i don’t wanna waste two years..)
some of my family are telling me to just do pharmacy this year as the offer is AAB (rly rly don’t want to though).
some are telling me to reapply but for med instead because there are more unis and more options open in london. i was actually originally going to apply med in y12 and i did work experience and enjoyed it, but changed my mind halfway through because dent has better work life balance and i’m trying to think about raising a family in the future and what would work best for me. i enjoy dent too and did work experience for it, which is why i didn’t mind applying there instead in the end.
but now that i’ve set my sights on dent, it’s hard for me to be convinced to do med again especially after seeing my brother go through it and complain so much about the terrible conditions and stress and how long it takes to specialise (which i would want to do) and work life balance etc. like i’ve seen what it’s like on the other side and don’t wanna go back lol 😭 but i still prefer it to pharm.
anyways. so now i’m stuck. obvs if i get A*AA and high ucat i think i’ll j reapply dent. but let’s say i realistically only get AAB.
- do i just do pharm and ruin my life being miserable? (i’m alr depressed).
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but only be able to apply kcl and have to take 2nd gap year if it doesn’t work out? (i’d apply to other unis too in my application obvs but kcl is the only offer i’d take)
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but then apply to med instead and not hate the degree but have to deal w the fact that i won’t have as much time as i’d like for my family and be slaving away for little pay and waste half my life just specialising?
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* and just apply to both dent and med? (kcl dent and 3 med unis and maybe pharm as backup again?). i know the whole deal used to be about personal statement needing to be tailored to one of them which is why people don’t apply to both, but how is this situation going to change now that they’ve scrapped personal statement??
oh yeah so i guess can someone also explain the new personal statement system? like what’s gonna happen instead? will this mean i can then safely apply to both the dent and med unis i want after resitting (if they accept resits), because i won’t have to worry about rejections due to my personal statement not being 100% tailored? is there a catch?
sorry for such a long and dumb post. i just had to get it all out there because i’m seriously stuck. so sorry.
(also i’m posting on health forum bc i wanna be anon bc ts embarrassing)
Hey lovely 💛 First of all — please don’t apologise, and your post is not dumb at all. Everything you’re feeling is so valid, and it makes total sense that you’re overwhelmed after such a tough application cycle. You’ve worked really hard and it’s okay to feel stuck and unsure right now. But you are not out of options, I promise you that.
Have you ever considered the University of Southampton?
It’s a really supportive university — known for its care for students, especially in health sciences. It’s also not far from London (just about 1.5 hours by train), so you wouldn’t be too far from home. Plus, the cost of living is much lower than in London, which might make things easier for you and your family financially during your gap year or studies.
Don’t worry that you didn’t apply to Southampton back in September — because there’s still a chance. You might want to wait until your final grades come out, and then look at Clearing options. Southampton sometimes has spaces in really strong courses (and occasionally even for health-related programmes like Medicine or Dental Therapy), depending on what your results are.
Take a deep breath. Results day might surprise you. And even if it doesn’t go perfectly, you are not out of the game. Not even close.
During your time over the summer. Focus on your UCAT, keep your options open, and remember: your path doesn’t have to be linear to be successful. There’s no shame in a gap year, resitting one subject, or taking your time to figure out what’s right for you. You’re not behind — you’re just getting started.
I’m here if you need help breaking down your next steps or want to talk more 💛
Best wishes
Junfan
Reply 4
I’d say it’s very very risky to just apply to kcl for dentistry, as if you don’t get in then you’re risking another gap year. Also why apply to med and pharmacy second time round if you don’t want to do it? If you don’t get the right a levels, resit any and focus on ucat then reapply again. If second time round you don’t get any offers, I’d say go for pharmacy and then apply to grad entry dentistry or undergrad dentistry.
Reply 5
I don't want to be uncharitable but you need to decide on a path here. As it stands you don't seem to have any clear plan. That's madness in my view given that each of these options are seriously life changing.
A person telling me they are considering med, dent and pharm is literally telling me they have utterly no idea what they want to do. That will become very apparent in any interview.
I suggest you take the gap year and reconsider what you want to do and completely ignore any influence your parents might be having.
Categorically do not study medicine if you are primarily doing it because:
These threads pop up from time to time. The simple fact is that asking people to make these decisions at the age of 17-18 isn't a viable thing for proportion of people. You lose nothing by taking a gap year.
I want to see a lengthy and considered post from a person telling me why they want to study medicine before I'd be convinced they are serious about the prospect.
A person telling me they are considering med, dent and pharm is literally telling me they have utterly no idea what they want to do. That will become very apparent in any interview.
I suggest you take the gap year and reconsider what you want to do and completely ignore any influence your parents might be having.
Categorically do not study medicine if you are primarily doing it because:
•
You want to be respected
•
You want personal satisfaction from the title of being a doctor alone
•
You want to earn megabucks and be a millionaire by the time you are 30
•
Your parents think it is a good idea
•
You have no idea what else to do
These threads pop up from time to time. The simple fact is that asking people to make these decisions at the age of 17-18 isn't a viable thing for proportion of people. You lose nothing by taking a gap year.
I want to see a lengthy and considered post from a person telling me why they want to study medicine before I'd be convinced they are serious about the prospect.
Reply 6
lol im litch in same situation as u and im in y12 giving up on my dream thats unreachable
can i ask why u were rejected
can i ask why u were rejected
Reply 7
Original post
by astudent789lol im litch in same situation as u and im in y12 giving up on my dream thats unreachable
can i ask why u were rejected
can i ask why u were rejected
Why someone was rejected is immaterial at the end of the day.
The question you and people in this situation have to answer is which course they are actually intending to pursue. This 'I'm trying two applications and I'll give up and do something else' does not seem to indicate a lot of commitment from people in my eyes.
If the course is genuinely for you then two rejections wouldn't deter you from it, that is for sure.
I'll reiterate what I have said many times before and on multiple threads. Do not apply to any professional course unless you are 100% committed to it.
Any person writing on this forum that they 'don't know whether to apply to med, dent, vet med or pharmacy' is literally going to unconsciously communicate to an interviewing panel that they don't have a clue what they want to do or that they lack overall commitment. They will pick it up in interview and it will be a wasted effort because the interview process is designed to find that kind of shortcoming and because their personal statement can't possibly cover all those possibilities properly.
My advice overall is that a gap year or even two won't matter a jot. You can use this time to develop yourself, improve your interview technique, your UCAT or work experience portfolio all of which can push you closer to whatever your end goal is.
Reply 8
Original post
by ErasistratusVWhy someone was rejected is immaterial at the end of the day.
The question you and people in this situation have to answer is which course they are actually intending to pursue. This 'I'm trying two applications and I'll give up and do something else' does not seem to indicate a lot of commitment from people in my eyes.
If the course is genuinely for you then two rejections wouldn't deter you from it, that is for sure.
I'll reiterate what I have said many times before and on multiple threads. Do not apply to any professional course unless you are 100% committed to it.
Any person writing on this forum that they 'don't know whether to apply to med, dent, vet med or pharmacy' is literally going to unconsciously communicate to an interviewing panel that they don't have a clue what they want to do or that they lack overall commitment. They will pick it up in interview and it will be a wasted effort because the interview process is designed to find that kind of shortcoming and because their personal statement can't possibly cover all those possibilities properly.
My advice overall is that a gap year or even two won't matter a jot. You can use this time to develop yourself, improve your interview technique, your UCAT or work experience portfolio all of which can push you closer to whatever your end goal is.
The question you and people in this situation have to answer is which course they are actually intending to pursue. This 'I'm trying two applications and I'll give up and do something else' does not seem to indicate a lot of commitment from people in my eyes.
If the course is genuinely for you then two rejections wouldn't deter you from it, that is for sure.
I'll reiterate what I have said many times before and on multiple threads. Do not apply to any professional course unless you are 100% committed to it.
Any person writing on this forum that they 'don't know whether to apply to med, dent, vet med or pharmacy' is literally going to unconsciously communicate to an interviewing panel that they don't have a clue what they want to do or that they lack overall commitment. They will pick it up in interview and it will be a wasted effort because the interview process is designed to find that kind of shortcoming and because their personal statement can't possibly cover all those possibilities properly.
My advice overall is that a gap year or even two won't matter a jot. You can use this time to develop yourself, improve your interview technique, your UCAT or work experience portfolio all of which can push you closer to whatever your end goal is.
I kinda get what u mean but I guess it is important to appreciate and evaluate why someone got rejected cuz this person had amazing stats like way better than mine so like looking at that obvs I will feel discouraged and esp I can relate to that person with the whole London uni situation which makes getting offers tight
Obvs dentistry is my passion and pride I love it so so much
My gsces are 9977776665 L2M and honestly I don’t think I can get into any uni it’s not as competitive and UCAT is hard enough I’ve thought abt cancelling it honestly and pursue a career which i can probs get into tho I wouldn’t want to :// but I guess that’s how life is right?
But that’s my thought I guess bit unfortunate idk what to really do from here
I’d appreciate ur reply
Reply 9
Original post
by astudent789I kinda get what u mean but I guess it is important to appreciate and evaluate why someone got rejected cuz this person had amazing stats like way better than mine so like looking at that obvs I will feel discouraged and esp I can relate to that person with the whole London uni situation which makes getting offers tight
Obvs dentistry is my passion and pride I love it so so much
My gsces are 9977776665 L2M and honestly I don’t think I can get into any uni it’s not as competitive and UCAT is hard enough I’ve thought abt cancelling it honestly and pursue a career which i can probs get into tho I wouldn’t want to :// but I guess that’s how life is right?
But that’s my thought I guess bit unfortunate idk what to really do from here
I’d appreciate ur reply
Obvs dentistry is my passion and pride I love it so so much
My gsces are 9977776665 L2M and honestly I don’t think I can get into any uni it’s not as competitive and UCAT is hard enough I’ve thought abt cancelling it honestly and pursue a career which i can probs get into tho I wouldn’t want to :// but I guess that’s how life is right?
But that’s my thought I guess bit unfortunate idk what to really do from here
I’d appreciate ur reply
A candidate is going to be rejected for only a few reasons. They will know why because they will know which stage of the process they reached prior to rejection.
A person being rejected because of insufficient grades or academic attainment: ok, everyone is prone to some exam failure, one can only apply based on their predicted grades and hope they achieve them.
A person being rejected because of not making the cut off for UCAT or similar entry tests: Ok, you need to apply strategically according to what score you obtained. Thankfully, not all Universities place the same focus on UCAT or other tests.
Finally, they can be rejected due to not scoring well in interview. Again, nobody is perfect and I doubt many people are fond of interviews although I would prefer to sit through any number of interviews as I loathe entry exams in a way I can't really describe.
Now, given that there are potential hurdles that people can trip up on due to the above, that does not mean that people failing to get in on the first cycle should just give up. I have met people who applied 4 or 5 times attempting to get into medical school before they obtained a place. The tripping point tends to be the interviews, but if you spend time on TSR a lot of us can give helpful hints and pointers or even practice questions to improve on this: a lot of people here post because we are trying to help people out and complete a process we ourselves have and we know is fraught with difficulties.
Even if you flunk your GCSEs or A levels, there are ways of changing that. Some Universities don't pay any attention to GCSEs. You can resit/retake A levels or go on to complete an Access course or other undergraduate degree before considering medical, veterinary or dental schools. There are always options.
Now then, you say dentistry is your passion. Ok, so work out which schools you really want to apply to, take a gap year, work in that kind of field, get lots more work experience, learn to drive and make the next year or two really work for you.
If as you say, dentistry is your real and only one true desire then you will not mind a jot the fact you are not starting this year. You need to merely reframe your point of reference and how your dental career journey will progress. Spending time outside of the course lets you go and learn some dental school level anatomy. Buy an old textbook and start reading about the pathologies. Use this to keep yourself motivated as you do more work experience or work in a related environment. All of this will make you a better clinician by the end of it. And because ultimately that is your overall goal: to be a good or even excellent dentist, anything that helps you meet that aim is ultimately a positive factor.
Every A -level student should be aware of the fact that there is no rule book that says 'you must start University aged 18 or 19'. If you take one or two years out, it's no big deal.
Reply 10
Original post
by Anonymoushello! please help 🙏
i’m in y13, just finished my a levels yesterday. was predicted A*A*A. got 9 9s and 2 8s in gcse. i applied to dentistry so i put kcl, qm, cardiff & leeds (and kcl pharm as backup). ucat 2710 b1. got 4 pre int rejections and only one offer (the pharm one).
my plan was to take a gap year and reapply dent but instead with my actual grades when i get them on results day (and i alr booked my 2nd ucat attempt for this august), but now i’m stuck because:
pretty much my only realistic options are kcl and qm because i can’t and don’t want to move outside london (many reasons), but those require A*AA, and having completed my exams now, i seriously do not think this is possible anymore. i think i’ll get AAB or best case scenario A*AB (B in chem). so that’s fine right? because yeah i can always resit, but oh wait! qm doesn’t accept resits 😐 so if i resit and reapply, i’ll only be able to apply kcl out of the two london unis, and will be solely banking on getting that offer which is very competitive and risky. and if i mess up again i’d have to take a 2nd gap year which is crazy work bc my family were already reluctant to let me have the first one (and i don’t wanna waste two years..)
some of my family are telling me to just do pharmacy this year as the offer is AAB (rly rly don’t want to though).
some are telling me to reapply but for med instead because there are more unis and more options open in london. i was actually originally going to apply med in y12 and i did work experience and enjoyed it, but changed my mind halfway through because dent has better work life balance and i’m trying to think about raising a family in the future and what would work best for me. i enjoy dent too and did work experience for it, which is why i didn’t mind applying there instead in the end.
but now that i’ve set my sights on dent, it’s hard for me to be convinced to do med again especially after seeing my brother go through it and complain so much about the terrible conditions and stress and how long it takes to specialise (which i would want to do) and work life balance etc. like i’ve seen what it’s like on the other side and don’t wanna go back lol 😭 but i still prefer it to pharm.
anyways. so now i’m stuck. obvs if i get A*AA and high ucat i think i’ll j reapply dent. but let’s say i realistically only get AAB.
- do i just do pharm and ruin my life being miserable? (i’m alr depressed).
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but only be able to apply kcl and have to take 2nd gap year if it doesn’t work out? (i’d apply to other unis too in my application obvs but kcl is the only offer i’d take)
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but then apply to med instead and not hate the degree but have to deal w the fact that i won’t have as much time as i’d like for my family and be slaving away for little pay and waste half my life just specialising?
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* and just apply to both dent and med? (kcl dent and 3 med unis and maybe pharm as backup again?). i know the whole deal used to be about personal statement needing to be tailored to one of them which is why people don’t apply to both, but how is this situation going to change now that they’ve scrapped personal statement??
oh yeah so i guess can someone also explain the new personal statement system? like what’s gonna happen instead? will this mean i can then safely apply to both the dent and med unis i want after resitting (if they accept resits), because i won’t have to worry about rejections due to my personal statement not being 100% tailored? is there a catch?
sorry for such a long and dumb post. i just had to get it all out there because i’m seriously stuck. so sorry.
(also i’m posting on health forum bc i wanna be anon bc ts embarrassing)
i’m in y13, just finished my a levels yesterday. was predicted A*A*A. got 9 9s and 2 8s in gcse. i applied to dentistry so i put kcl, qm, cardiff & leeds (and kcl pharm as backup). ucat 2710 b1. got 4 pre int rejections and only one offer (the pharm one).
my plan was to take a gap year and reapply dent but instead with my actual grades when i get them on results day (and i alr booked my 2nd ucat attempt for this august), but now i’m stuck because:
pretty much my only realistic options are kcl and qm because i can’t and don’t want to move outside london (many reasons), but those require A*AA, and having completed my exams now, i seriously do not think this is possible anymore. i think i’ll get AAB or best case scenario A*AB (B in chem). so that’s fine right? because yeah i can always resit, but oh wait! qm doesn’t accept resits 😐 so if i resit and reapply, i’ll only be able to apply kcl out of the two london unis, and will be solely banking on getting that offer which is very competitive and risky. and if i mess up again i’d have to take a 2nd gap year which is crazy work bc my family were already reluctant to let me have the first one (and i don’t wanna waste two years..)
some of my family are telling me to just do pharmacy this year as the offer is AAB (rly rly don’t want to though).
some are telling me to reapply but for med instead because there are more unis and more options open in london. i was actually originally going to apply med in y12 and i did work experience and enjoyed it, but changed my mind halfway through because dent has better work life balance and i’m trying to think about raising a family in the future and what would work best for me. i enjoy dent too and did work experience for it, which is why i didn’t mind applying there instead in the end.
but now that i’ve set my sights on dent, it’s hard for me to be convinced to do med again especially after seeing my brother go through it and complain so much about the terrible conditions and stress and how long it takes to specialise (which i would want to do) and work life balance etc. like i’ve seen what it’s like on the other side and don’t wanna go back lol 😭 but i still prefer it to pharm.
anyways. so now i’m stuck. obvs if i get A*AA and high ucat i think i’ll j reapply dent. but let’s say i realistically only get AAB.
- do i just do pharm and ruin my life being miserable? (i’m alr depressed).
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but only be able to apply kcl and have to take 2nd gap year if it doesn’t work out? (i’d apply to other unis too in my application obvs but kcl is the only offer i’d take)
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* but then apply to med instead and not hate the degree but have to deal w the fact that i won’t have as much time as i’d like for my family and be slaving away for little pay and waste half my life just specialising?
- do i resit the B subject to try and get A* and just apply to both dent and med? (kcl dent and 3 med unis and maybe pharm as backup again?). i know the whole deal used to be about personal statement needing to be tailored to one of them which is why people don’t apply to both, but how is this situation going to change now that they’ve scrapped personal statement??
oh yeah so i guess can someone also explain the new personal statement system? like what’s gonna happen instead? will this mean i can then safely apply to both the dent and med unis i want after resitting (if they accept resits), because i won’t have to worry about rejections due to my personal statement not being 100% tailored? is there a catch?
sorry for such a long and dumb post. i just had to get it all out there because i’m seriously stuck. so sorry.
(also i’m posting on health forum bc i wanna be anon bc ts embarrassing)
hi!
i'm going to be honest, if you're not really into medicine as a career long term, i wouldn't bother applying. the process of applying to med (which you'll know similar from applying to dentistry) is gruelling. i've done it all twice now, resat my ucat, reapplied to uni, rejigged my personal statement, gone through interview season, i even resat 2 a-levels on the gap year i'm just coming out of. i look back at the entire process and genuinely wonder where i got the strength to get through.
you can of course consider medicine, but i wouldn't just spontaneously/randomly apply - everything you've mentioned about medicine is unfortunately true for the most part, BUT if your genuine passion overrides all these concerns, it will be worth it.
the good news is, you have options!
also just to preface, there's nothing stopping you from getting the grades you need to reapply to dentistry, nothing is confirmed until results day, so stay hopeful ❤️
option 1: what's to say you won't love pharmacy? if you particularly enjoyed chemistry at a-level then that could be a great degree to do, and contrary to many beliefs (because apparently medicine/dentistry are the only respectable healthcare degrees - SO wrong) pharmacy IS well-respected and pharmacists work really closely alongside doctors and dentists - there is the opportunity to prescribe, learn about dosage and medications along with their biochemical natures, work within a hospital or community setting, but it doesn't stop there! you could be a pharmacist in travel, the military, private sector, labs, the list goes on, i would research around it.
option 2: (remember you may not have to resit!!) this option IS viable, but as you say 1) quite risky 2) very very limited
you mentioned you'd like to stay in london, that means, given you're concerned about having to resit, qmul wouldn't accept your resit request, which essentially means applying to 1 dental school, out of a potential 14.
with resits, they are also risky. i get my resit results in 4 days, and even after the mess that was reapplying, i STILL don't know if i'm in for sure - do have a think, would you be okay with that uncertainty, especially if you are banking on an offer from one dental school
i'd personally scrap 3 and 4 if you're not truly interested in medicine - you might also like DHT (dental hygiene and therapy), there could be some of this course in clearing! it is very similar to dentistry from what i've heard and i'm just looking at the BDA now, it appears that Preston and Aberdeen uni have dentistry for graduate entry, if you still have passion for dent, DHT forms a great foundation and may be more favourable to you than pharmacy
i hope this doesn't come across as harsh, i just want to be completely transparent and hopefully give realistic advice from my very recent experience of a gap year, ucat, interviews and resits as an aspiring medic 🙂
i hope this helps, remember you don't need to rush into anything, this is your life, every piece of advice given from me and family are suggestions, not instructions, sending all my best wishes!
(edited 8 months ago)
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