How I secured 4/4 Dentistry Offers?

Introduction

I’m Taha, a 3rd year student at Bristol. I applied to Manchester, Sheffield, Dundee and Bristol, and received offers from all 4, before eventually choosing Bristol. I’m really enjoying the course so far, and I am so glad I decided to study Dentistry. This article aims to give an applicant a clear and concise guide to creating a standout application which will hopefully lead to offers and interviews later down the line. 

Before I get stuck into the details, I want to emphasise the most crucial part of your application: relax, keep calm, and don’t stress! Don’t dwell over applicant to place ratios or spend hours on “The Student Room” feeling intimidated by the other applicants. Instead, focus on yourself, do the best that you can, and remember that you can always re-apply if you are not successful the first time around. 

The application process

The application process can feel like a juggling act at times, with lots of requirements to fulfil. But in reality, the application simply consists of:

• Your school grades (GCSEs and predicted A-Level/IB grades)

• Your UCAT and/or BMAT scores

• Your personal statement

• An academic reference from a teacher

To get through to the interview stage you just need to do these 4 things, simple right? But do not worry if you are lacking in a particular area, nobody’s perfect!

Your School Grades

Not too much to say here, make sure you meet the requirements and get the highest grades you can. It is true that most applicants will have straight A/A*s but do not be disheartened if this is not you! My brother received an offer having achieved 5 As, 4 Bs, 2 Cs and a D at GCSE. He was asked about his GCSE grades at interview and responded that his teachers described him as a late bloomer, which they must have liked as he got an offer! 

UCAT / BMAT

These tests are difficult and quite boring to revise, but nevertheless form a large part of the selection process at most universities. The key here is practice, practice, practice! Go online and find the revision books with the best reviews, buy them, and practice little and often in the summer holidays. Understand all the tips and tricks, and then do as many mock questions as you can. There are lots of good (free) websites out there too. You can go on courses (I didn’t personally) which may be useful too, but the bedrock of a great score is practice. 

Try to schedule the UCAT for the end of the summer holidays, it’s tempting to delay it until as late as possible, but once you restart school you don’t want it still hanging over you. You should use your UCAT score to apply strategically to universities: if you did really well, apply to universities that place a large emphasis on it, and vice versa. Sometimes it is unclear how each university uses the UCAT, so if you are unsure you can always email them directly.

Personal Statement

The personal statement is another key aspect of the application and gives an opportunity to really showcase yourself. You will often read that your personal statement should make you “stand out from the crowd” and whilst this is true, I believe that by sticking to a tried and tested structure you maximise your chances of success. What makes you stand out is how well you execute this structure!

The statement should begin with a short introduction. This is always challenging so feel free to write it last! 

Next, move on to your work experience. Most dental schools require a minimum of 2 weeks shadowing a dentist, so I would aim for 2-3 weeks; it really isn’t necessary to do excessive amounts. That being said, you may want to get further work experience with hygienists, specialists (such as orthodontists), or hospital-based dentists working within oral surgery or OMFS. You may even think about shadowing a dental technician, although a word of warning: 1 day or even just half a day, in my opinion is more than sufficient! It’s vital to keep a notebook with you on work experience so that you can jot down memorable events to refer back to when writing your statement. It is important to emphasise, no matter how much work experience you have done, it’s all about what you learnt not what you saw, don’t just list procedures! Why did a patient appointment stand out for you, and what did you learn from this? This paragraph should be the biggest in your statement. 

Then, write about your academic abilities. Perhaps you have received a prize at school, or maybe you have done an EPQ on a dentally relevant topic? It’s also a good place to mention any extra reading you may have done, for example I had read “The Emperor of All Maladies” (about cancer) and “Medical Ethics: A Very Short Introduction” which I discussed. It’s a good place to show that you realise that Dentistry is not all about teeth!

After that, discuss your extracurricular interests. The first thing you should mention is any volunteer work you have done. Examples include volunteering at a care home, helping disabled children and engaging in the local Alzheimer’s society. This should be for a prolonged period of time (e.g. once a week for 3 months) to show commitment, as opposed to a one-off event. You should explain the skills you have learnt, such as improved empathy and communication, from this experience. Next you should delve into your hobbies, which is a chance to showcase what you enjoy. Don’t worry if you don’t have any Olympic medals, it’s much more about having interests that allow you to unwind. Also, explaining how these hobbies have shaped you, such as playing football improving your team working skills, is essential to include. Importantly for Dentistry, if you have any hobbies that show manual dexterity (playing an instrument, art, model making etc.) this is great to include as well.

Finally, finish off with a short concluding sentence wrapping up why you want to do Dentistry, and why you are suitable. 

Academic Reference

This should be a teacher who knows you well. They should describe not only your academic credentials, but also the personal qualities that make you suited to Dentistry. Although, teachers will write this themselves, so this is largely out of your control. My top tips here are to ask them to include any details that you could not squeeze into your personal statement, usually surrounding your academic work/achievements. It is also an excellent idea to ask a dentist you have shadowed to write a few lines about their impression of you and your time on work experience. This can then be passed onto your teacher to be included in the reference, which is really powerful!

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped you to understand the application process, and how to maximise your chances of receiving an interview. Applying is a difficult process, and it’s very normal to feel a bit out of your depth! But fingers crossed, you will receive an interview, and then an offer! I will be writing part 2 of this article focussing on the interview, so stay tuned for that!

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