Medicine Dentistry Crisis

Hey guys,

I want to start this post by saying I don't want to come across ungrateful because I know how lucky I am, but it's just something I need support on. For 2025 entry, I applied to 4 dental schools because I wanted to become a dentist. I won't lie I decided to become a dentist on a whim post GCSE's and wasn't sure if it was right for me, so I done an EPQ (and got an A*), work experience, all that expected stuff. But it was when I went on a univeristy dental summer school that I genuinely fell in love with the course, and realised theres nothing more i'd love to do then that. So I applied, and wasn't going to put a back up because I couldn't see myself doing anything else. But, then someone told me why not apply for medicine as you can apply for 4 dental schools and 1 med school so I thought since for this specific university I was contextual i'd go big or go home and applied for it with absolutely no intention that i'd do it. Then I got 3 pre-interview rejections, missing the UCAT cut off for 2 by 20 points which is what 2 questions. I had one interview, and had also gotten a medicine interview from the same uni which would be before the dental one. I decided to go to the medicine interview, with zero preparation or any stress whatsoever because I tohught it would be good practice to get to see the university and kind of the jist of how a real interview would be like as a pre-run before my dental interview. Then my dental interview came, and the day of I had food poisoning, on the floor 2 hours before my interview thinking what am I going to do? I could call up which would mean they could postpone the interview for a year so not have entry this year, so I decided to do my best and go into the interview and try. To keep it brief, I got rejected, and my heart was shattered, bracing myself for a gap year. Then a week later i'd gotten an offer for medicine. I remember laughing out loud in confusion and thinking what luck I have because I had always said that medicine is not for me and now it was the only offer I had. But I didn't care for it because I knew what I wanted to studied hard. Then A-levels rolled around and I stayed focused, until I came home from biology paper 2 to find out my brother was diagnosed with cancer. How do you focus after that? I tried and fought to get through all the exams, and in the end was confident I'd end up with a C in chem so during the summer looked at foundation dentistry courses. I ended up with AAB (B in chem) and when i tell you i was joyous, (for context i'm contextual at most but not all unis), and seen on ucas id be accepted to do medicine. That morning I called every dental school on a whim with the small hope that maybe somehwere dentistry went into clearing, but of course it didn't. I was sat on results day thinking before that I wouldn't even meet my med offer and now looking at the acceptance thinking maybe this is meant for me. Dentistry is insanley competitive and I knew the likelihood of getting in with a B was low, so what did i do? Went and took the offer, and partly the reason i took it was for some much needed good news for my family during the difficult news. But now I'm in med school, and i'd be lying if I said I haven't enjoyed being a student, meeting new people, new friends, side quests, but in my heart I miss dentistry so so so bad, I feel like im playing pretend in a room full of people so passionate to be here, and I question what i'm doing. When I meet people and they say they're doing dentistry, it opens up the wound, when I see anything surrounding it I feel myself yearning so much because truly in my soul I am so passionate about it and nothing would bring my greater joy in my life then to be a dentist. I'm not really sure what to gain from the post, I guess any advice, I have looked at abroad but truth be told I cannot afford it. Theres maxiofacial surgey, but a key appeal of dentistry has always been that it's a five year course 1 year training and then you are done, so I guess right now i feel absolutely stuck. I want to say again I know how lucky I am to have the opportunity to study medicine as so many people dream of this, but my heart lies elsewhere and I don't know what to do. Sorry for the long post

Reply 1

ErasistratusV

I can only give you the same I advice I give every applicant here and every applicant I have ever met or might ever meet.

Simply put: if you are not 100% sure that medicine is the right course for you, categorically DO NOT study medicine.

Studying medicine is hard. It will take 5 years of your life and the process doesn't stop after that. If your interest, passion and enthusiasm are not linked to medicine, all that learning, all that science and the very art that is medicine, then what are you doing to draw upon to sustain yourself through 5 years of University, the foundation training and what comes after that? If these things aren't addictively fun then believe me, there are far better ways to incur 45,000 of debt and disappear 5 years of your life that won't involve lifting and digesting some heavy textbooks.

Even Maxfax has a greater than 3 to 1 competition ratio and less than 50% of people who have obtained both qualifications actually end up training in that specialty. Hence it is obvious to me that the juice for some can be quite bitter even after a heck of a lot of squeezing.

People applying to medicine without really having their heart and head in the game I feel tread a precarious path, whilst people getting second thoughts after becoming enrolled on the course I feel for even more acutely. For some it's just the common first-year jitters and some exposure to real clinical experience and content stems it off. But as someone who honestly lives and breathes this stuff, I fully know the psychological, physical (and financial) toll of this lot can have and I wouldn't ever wish it on anyone where they aren't seeing the full return from their personal investment each and every day.

Reply 2

exibt

You have been given a really good opportunity if you want to specialise in maxo facial surgery - it requires a med and dent degree

you might say "who wants to study 10 years though" (dent + med) however kcl does a course for med students where you can complete the whole dent course within 3 years, this will have to come out your own pocket (living fees as sfe won't cover you anymore).

I say, finish the year, once you finish in early june and you still don't enjoy medicine, revise for the ucat during the whole of summer to ensure you maximise the chances and if you get a good ucat, drop out and take the risk and apply to dent.

however, if i was in your position, i would drop out, every doctor i spoke to said to me, if you even have 1% of doubt - dont do medicine at all.