Rohan Gandhi discusses his journey into Birmingham Dental School
Hi I’m Rohan
Rohan is a 3rd year dental student at the University of Birmingham. Rohan studied A-levels in Biology, Chemistry and Maths. After applying to Birmingham, Bristol, King’s and Cardiff, Rohan gained an offer from Birmingham.
My background and qualifications
Studying at a school in North London, I took GCSE subjects alongside the core ones that greatly appealed to me like Geography, Economics, French, German, PE and Religious studies and my interest in these subjects helped me to secure 11A*s 1A. I had a very strong interest in Biology and Chemistry and took these further to AS level along with French and Maths where I gained 4A’s. Doing this was quite hard as I was juggling my part-time job as a lifeguard on weekends and studying for my UKCAT test at the same time, averaging a score of 753 with a Band 1 in the SJT. I decided it was best to focus my attention on Biology, Chemistry and Maths for A2 however, as these were subjects that needed a lot of extra work outside the classroom and with this extra work I managed to achieve A*AA and secure my place at a dental school.
Universities I applied to
I applied to King’s College London, the University of Birmingham, University of Cardiff and the university of Bristol
Offers I gained
I was invited to interviews at KCL, the University of Birmingham and University of Cardiff, gaining an offer from the University of Birmingham
Why I chose the University of Birmingham
Living in London, I was looking to change my surroundings and Birmingham was the second largest city in the UK after my hometown. At the time I was applying they had just built a brand new dental hospital and the prospect of brand new, world class facilities in a world class city was something that greatly tempted me into choosing the University of Birmingham
What year I am in
I am currently in third year and just over halfway through this 5 year degree!
What my year of training entails
This year is mainly a year of introducing us to clinic and seeing patients under supervision, undergoing training in specialty areas like prosthetics, conservative dentistry, periodontology and oral surgery. Alongside this we have lectures on human disease to help supplement our clinical knowledge and this allows us to build up a solid biological foundation.
What the course is like
The course is fantastic in my opinion, with a well thought out structure and lots of support throughout. The first year or two was mainly lecture based, allowing us to build a strong biological foundation and meant we had sufficient knowledge to start seeing patients and performing basic treatments. There are around 75 students in our year and treatment on patients starts at the beginning of third year.
Challenges of being a dental student
Being a dental student is a challenging experience, there’s generally a lot more contact hours than other courses as well as longer terms and a lot more extra work you are required to do – if you like to be kept busy then this is definitely a good course for you!
What I have gained being a student
Being a dental student has given me a set of skills that not a lot of courses out there can provide, it has taught me how to be professional at a young age as well as analytical and my reasoning and investigative skills are improved every step of the way. There is also easy access to clinicians who are top of their field and involved in research and scientific papers and this has a huge benefit in that there is a large amount of knowledge available, helping to better and further learning.
“Have good reasons for deciding to choose Dentistry - Make sure you have a clear reason why you want to do dentistry (not just because someone wants you to!) and that you’re passionate about the course and the career too. This is a career you will effectively choose for life and it’s important that this is recognised!”
— Rohan
5 tips for any future applicant
Be prepared to work hard but relax just as hard! Dentistry is a demanding course that requires a lot of work but don’t forget to unwind when possible – self-care is important!
Understand what you’re getting into – work experience is extremely useful when deciding dentistry is the course you want to do, it helps you realise whether dentistry truly interests you or not!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help – as you’re a student, it’ll be your first time doing most things from writing a personal statement to actually studying dentistry so if you are unsure and need feedback on a personal statement or what some more guidance on doing a filling, always be sure to ask for help.
Be organised – Nothing is worse than having everything a mess and not knowing what to do next. Make sure you’re organised when applying to dental schools and taking notes and everything will be so much clearer and straightforward!
Have good reasons for deciding to choose Dentistry - Make sure you have a clear reason why you want to do dentistry (not just because someone wants you to!) and that you’re passionate about the course and the career too. This is a career you will effectively choose for life and it’s important that this is recognised!
My future plans
Right now, I’m focused on completing my degree to the best of my ability and learning about all the kinds of specialities dentistry has to offer (so far Endodontics has been a particular interest of mine). This will then help me decide if I’d like to specialise into a specific field once I graduate and is something I intend on doing once I’ve gathered sufficient experience in the various dental fields.