idk if i should give up on dentistry
11
so i took a gap year, got a **** ucat so i was rejected again! basc my worst nightmare and no im not coping well lol
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
Reply 1
10
Original post
by xtrasso i took a gap year, got a **** ucat so i was rejected again! basc my worst nightmare and no im not coping well lol
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
If you really passionate about dentistry, have you thought about doing it abroad? Or
Reply 2
What a tough time you've had. You absolutely should vent and this is a safe space. Well done for reapplying- that shows guts and tenacity. Have you support from home? Friends you can trust? Lean on them too, I am sure they see you are hurting.
Can you step back from Optometry this year as you are not excited about it? Is there any possibility of stepping back, getting a job in a dental practice (trainees dental nurse, receptionist etc) and re-evaluating after a year. Some of the very best dentists didn't have smooth journeys, and there is considerable number of overseas qualified dentists who retrain as dental nurses whilst they await ORE- again this helps greatly when they get in to practice. Good luck!
Can you step back from Optometry this year as you are not excited about it? Is there any possibility of stepping back, getting a job in a dental practice (trainees dental nurse, receptionist etc) and re-evaluating after a year. Some of the very best dentists didn't have smooth journeys, and there is considerable number of overseas qualified dentists who retrain as dental nurses whilst they await ORE- again this helps greatly when they get in to practice. Good luck!
(edited 2 months ago)
Reply 3
21
I would keep an open mind about the optometry, it’s a cracking clinic degree and any science degree is a gateway to multiple career options. Unless you can think of another option you’d rather do it’s a good bet. Dentistry is fiercely competitive and there’s no disgrace in not getting in and your grades are super. Although it’s a well paid career and some thrive, there’s also plenty of people that find it doesn’t live up to expectations. Things generally work out for the best. Cardiffs a pretty good city too
Reply 4
Original post
by xtrasso i took a gap year, got a **** ucat so i was rejected again! basc my worst nightmare and no im not coping well lol
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
hi! im so sorry that happened to you, ive just finished my ucat and ive got a horrendous score and i have no idea what im going to do now as there is basically no low ucat unis. it genuinely sucks. a lot. ive been dreaming about this career since i was 14 and i have no idea what else i could do other than this. dont lose hope tho, i promise everything happens for a reason. i was actyally looking into applying for optom at cardiff , how did you apply with your dentistry personal statement i assumed i'd get a automatic rejection for that! how did you do it?
Reply 5
Hey so I was in the exact same position as you (minus the gap year) and I’m doing optometry now. I really really loved dentistry and still to this day I have a special love for it when talking to people about it, and I do understand how you feel sad/jealous when talking to people on the course. However I think you should do lots of research about the optometry degree and also the ins and outs of the actual job as a dentist.
Lots of people don’t know about the current NHS dental contracts which are really poor (which the majority of dentists are on), stress levels dentists face and demands of the job etc. I feel like when you are so set on dentistry/medicine, everything outside of it is a blur and you view the career with rose tinted glasses.
Optometry is a really great degree which leads to a great career and I love it so far but of course do your own research! Out of the allied healthcare degrees I think it is also the ‘closest’ to dentistry with the fact that you can work privately/self-employed or own your own business. There are also other great degrees that aren’t in the healthcare field that you can look into that you maybe haven’t had the chance to, due to focusing solely on dentistry. I promise that not getting into dentistry isn’t the end of the world, and you can always circle back and do grad entry if you get strong grades in your degree
Lots of people don’t know about the current NHS dental contracts which are really poor (which the majority of dentists are on), stress levels dentists face and demands of the job etc. I feel like when you are so set on dentistry/medicine, everything outside of it is a blur and you view the career with rose tinted glasses.
Optometry is a really great degree which leads to a great career and I love it so far but of course do your own research! Out of the allied healthcare degrees I think it is also the ‘closest’ to dentistry with the fact that you can work privately/self-employed or own your own business. There are also other great degrees that aren’t in the healthcare field that you can look into that you maybe haven’t had the chance to, due to focusing solely on dentistry. I promise that not getting into dentistry isn’t the end of the world, and you can always circle back and do grad entry if you get strong grades in your degree
Reply 6
Original post
by gentlemanly-enteHey so I was in the exact same position as you (minus the gap year) and I’m doing optometry now. I really really loved dentistry and still to this day I have a special love for it when talking to people about it, and I do understand how you feel sad/jealous when talking to people on the course. However I think you should do lots of research about the optometry degree and also the ins and outs of the actual job as a dentist.
Lots of people don’t know about the current NHS dental contracts which are really poor (which the majority of dentists are on), stress levels dentists face and demands of the job etc. I feel like when you are so set on dentistry/medicine, everything outside of it is a blur and you view the career with rose tinted glasses.
Optometry is a really great degree which leads to a great career and I love it so far but of course do your own research! Out of the allied healthcare degrees I think it is also the ‘closest’ to dentistry with the fact that you can work privately/self-employed or own your own business. There are also other great degrees that aren’t in the healthcare field that you can look into that you maybe haven’t had the chance to, due to focusing solely on dentistry. I promise that not getting into dentistry isn’t the end of the world, and you can always circle back and do grad entry if you get strong grades in your degree
Lots of people don’t know about the current NHS dental contracts which are really poor (which the majority of dentists are on), stress levels dentists face and demands of the job etc. I feel like when you are so set on dentistry/medicine, everything outside of it is a blur and you view the career with rose tinted glasses.
Optometry is a really great degree which leads to a great career and I love it so far but of course do your own research! Out of the allied healthcare degrees I think it is also the ‘closest’ to dentistry with the fact that you can work privately/self-employed or own your own business. There are also other great degrees that aren’t in the healthcare field that you can look into that you maybe haven’t had the chance to, due to focusing solely on dentistry. I promise that not getting into dentistry isn’t the end of the world, and you can always circle back and do grad entry if you get strong grades in your degree
hi
i’m in a similar position as op. could you kindly give more insight into optometry as a career like the trajectories and day to day work etc? xReply 7
Original post
by xtrasso i took a gap year, got a **** ucat so i was rejected again! basc my worst nightmare and no im not coping well lol
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
Hi, I highly recommend just sitting the ucat and don't worry especially if you're contextual, why don't u look at the schemes at Bristol, they're pretty good for very low ucat!!! Hope that helps
Reply 8
Original post
by Flower2007!hi i’m in a similar position as op. could you kindly give more insight into optometry as a career like the trajectories and day to day work etc? x
i’m in a similar position as op. could you kindly give more insight into optometry as a career like the trajectories and day to day work etc? xHi! I’d say day to day varies whether you are in a high street practice (multiple or independent) or a hospital. Hospital optometry is part of secondary care and if you enjoy a lot more clinical/hands on work then it would be for you. You can work in places like low vision clinics and prosthetics, you’ll be able to use extra qualifications like independent prescribing a lot more. In a lot of NHS trusts, you can even be trained to learn specific laser techniques like SLT. However hospital optometry pays less than the high street and is on the NHS banding system.
High street optometry is primary care and because of this, you could be expected to see many patients in little time. You will see some pathology and can manage treatments for patients but it is less hands on than a hospital optometry. There can also unfortunately be sales pressure to sell a specific amount of glasses, however this is highly dependent on where you work/your managers etc. It is better paid than hospital optometry and since it is not necessarily NHS based, you can also earn quite a bit depending on how much you want to put in, even if you don’t want to be full time employed, such as practise ownership/partnership and locumming. Domiciliary optometry (visiting people at home) is also a growing field and you get lots of benefits like company car, working at your own pace etc.
I think as a whole, it can be quite an easy going career and you can be very flexible, such as only working 3 days a week, maybe having two part time jobs (one at the hospital and one in a different branch of optometry), and it is also mainly a 9-5.
Sorry that this is quite long! I would also urge you to really think about if you want to do it and if you’d genuinely like it
I understand how hard it is at this time and I’d say if dentistry is your ultimate passion and you ABSOLUTELY cannot see something else as your career then keep at it. As much as I liked dentistry, I also did really find eyes interesting and the science behind it! If you have any other questions about it don’t hesitate to ask or pm me Reply 9
Original post
by xtrasso i took a gap year, got a **** ucat so i was rejected again! basc my worst nightmare and no im not coping well lol
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
have an offer for optom at cardiff this year; not excited at all first of all i hate the city im sorry im dreading actually spending time there, not excited for optometry i feel a sense of annoyance every time i step into an opticians and think ab my future there,
compared to dentistry which i was genuinely passionate about since i was 15, that made me excited for my future this is absolutely nothing i’ve been having breakdowns everyday lol
but i’ve already set up everything for uni, accommodations confirmées i’ve done all the paperwork and all my uni shopping, im not excited at all. i can’t do the ucat (i cancelled it because i was getting **** scores and knew i wouldn’t do well) and now even if i wanted to i couldn’t cuz id have 9 days to revise to get top decile and im starting my course before then anyways, last year i prepared for a month and still only got 2600
oh and i can’t even apply during my first year because i got A*AB (1 ******* mark away from that A) so i was a contextual applicant this year and i’d lose that contextual status as soon as i start this godforsaken degree
basically im in the worst position ever, completely have lost all hope for the future where i saw myself doing something i was genuinely happy with and i did it to myself, i gaslighted myself into thinking that optometry was better for me and my personality but now im talking to people who actually DO dentistry and i feel so jealous and sad
im not sure if im looking for advice or just to vent rn
If I were you I’d just pick a different career atp, I’m taking a gap year next year to resit the ucat and apply to dent. But the thing is I’m not you. So if you are rlly passionate about dentistry then you will find a way, whether that’s resitting a levels and ucat or applying abroad.
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