Rejection isn’t nice. But you shouldn’t give up on your journey to dental school.
What to do if I have no offers to study Dentistry?
It’s very important to realise that this is not the end of your journey to Dentistry. With Dentistry being very competitive there is a high chance that you may fall in this category.
I’ve rejected my non Dentistry ‘insurance’ choice and now have no offers, what do I do?
Options :
1)Applying through UCAS Extra for another course that could later lead to study dentistry as a graduate.
To be eligible for UCAS Extra you need to have:
already made five choices
received decisions from all these choices, and
either had no offers or declined all the offers you have received.
Extra is open from the end of February to early July, however, applicants are only able to apply to courses that still have vacancies. Here, you will need to use UCAS Track to apply for one course at a time.
Remember: If you decline your offers and add an Extra choice, you will not be able to accept any of your original choices later. Use the UCAS website for further information
2) Wait until results day and consider calling the universities and go via clearing ( if you have achieved or exceeded the entry grade requirements) - see below
3) Taking a gap year and re-applying to study Dentistry
There are many reasons to take a gap year, but most commonly it is either to take a break from academic studies or to reapply to university, possibly because you were unsuccessful in achieving the grades required and need time to retake them, or because you did not get any offers. Find our more about Gap years
Results Day
What to do if you achieved the grades but didn’t get a conditional offer to dental school
1. Check UCAS
On results day, if you haven’t got any offers but get good grades, the first place to check is UCAS as they will display any available places.
After checking that, you may also want to contact the dental schools directly to check if they have any openings. If they do, you may be required to undertake a mini interview over the phone on the day and may also be asked to attend a face to face interview at the university at a later date. So, having good interview skills prepared will put you in a stronger position.
2.Contact the Dental School’s
It is important to note that some universities and UCAS may not have a conversation regarding your options if you do not know your grades. So, make it a priority to pick them up early and have them ready before you start calling universities. You may wish to call those school’s you have applied to/ interviewed at initially.
By calling these universities this does not guarantee you to be accepted, most universities do give out more offers than places to compensate for those who may not meet the conditions of the offer or choose elsewhere. In addition, some schools may categorically inform students that no spaces will be available or not to contact the school on the day of results. Contacting the school ahead of the day is advised to determine your best plan of action.
What to do if you didn’t achieve the grades required for your conditional offer
1.Contact The Dental School & Establish The Situation
If you were unsuccessful and did not achieve the grades to secure a place on results day then the first thing to do is to call the dental schools you applied to as quickly as possible (once you have your grades) as they can often provide really good advice as to what your options are, for example whether they allow retake students or whether you could be accepted.
2. Make A Structured Plan
Whatever happens, keep your head up, maintain composure and work through your options. Remember, you’re not alone as there will be many others going through the same experience. It may be a very emotional time, which is why you need to take care not to make a rash decision that you will later regret.
3. Consider A Gap Year
You don’t have to go to university that year, you don’t have to accept your 5th option, you can take a gap year, you can retake your exams and you can re-apply to dental school.
It is important you take the time to consider all your options carefully and pick the one that suits you the best.