Background

From a young age, I had always been a naturally ambitious student and strived to excel in everything I did. During my final years at Preston Muslim Girls High School, I was elected as Head Girl and therefore entrusted with the responsibility of managing a team of 30 prefects and ensuring successful liaison between students, staff and parents. Coming into this role was truly a pivotal moment - not only due to the opportunities it presented me with, but the sheer impact it had on my confidence. I organised a community fundraiser which raised over £4000 from a budget of £200 through which my resolve to reach out and make a difference was strengthened. Furthermore, my ardent interest in Biology led me to play a key role in establishing the Anatomical Society - this, amongst other projects, aided me in winning the student award for “Contribution to School Life”. During this year, I managed to achieve 11 A*/A GCSEs and thereafter decided to study A-Levels in Biology, Chemistry and English Literature.

The transition into college, as many often find, was not as smooth sailing as I had hoped. Whilst attempting to balance dedication to my studies, I was also reaching a more demanding year in my undergraduate-level Islamic Theology course, working part time in a tuition centre, and undertaking extensive voluntary work. I was told by a careers advisor that I had spread myself too thin and to be “realistic” instead of applying for dentistry and “setting myself up for disappointment”. However, this had the opposite of the intended effect - I became more determined than ever and so, almost as an act of rebellion, I titled my Extended Project Qualification ‘The Future of Dentistry’, which studied the innovative and technological advancements that would shape the profession in the years to be. This subsequently solidified the fact that dentistry would be the career I would apply for.

My choices and why I choose Leeds

After spending a large amount of AS levels poring over countless websites and prospectuses, I decided to apply to the University of Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Queen Mary’s in London. I was fortunate to be able to experience all 4 interviews, and in turn gain offers from 3 out of 4 universities. Leeds, in particular, stood out to me as it was the only university in the UK to offer an integrated dentistry course with masters, had the unique prospect of a short term exchange programme abroad as part of the Erasmus scheme, the opportunity to intercalate and, most of all, clinical exposure as early as year 1! Eventually, the countless late nights, early mornings and my seeming inability to pause and catch a breath had all paid off - and I began at the University of Leeds in 2018. Starting university will always be a memorable time and every moment was thrilling, rendering no event too small for celebration - whether that was trying our scrubs on together for the first time or scrubbing up well for the annual Dental Ball!   

What my year of study is like

I am currently in second year and thoroughly enjoy learning with such a hands-on approach. Building up clinical skills using 3D virtual reality simulators, lab sessions with phantom head models, and finally patient clinics, all enable the fascinating topics taught in the lecture hall to truly come alive. I have already been given the opportunity to treat my own patients; an experience that has been both exhilarating and extremely rewarding! Furthermore, my passion led me to take up a leadership role in the “Open Wide” committee, a project led by Leeds dental students to inspire, guide and educate individuals aged 4-18 from backgrounds that are under-represented in dentistry. My role specifically involves leading and organising visits to primary schools in and around Leeds. 

Challenges of being a dental student

However, as the phrase goes: “nothing comes without its challenges” - not even something as enjoyable and rewarding as university. Adapting between simulating clinical skills in labs and applying them onto real-life patients in clinics, all whilst maintaining a calm and collected exterior is no easy feat. Nevertheless, it is a valuable learning experience that provides the opportunity to develop our interpersonal skills by not only building a meaningful relationship with our patients, but the entire dental team. In turn, this has a positive impact on the way we approach both patient management and technique development - asking for help and learning from one another is simpler, and can give an insight into different ways that the basic clinical skills are adapted from dentist to dentist due to personal preference.

The workload as a dental student can also be quite demanding - and it is important to stay consistently focused and organised as it can sometimes feel overwhelming. Fortunately, at Leeds we are assured that any challenges faced, including the ones mentioned, are never experienced alone. Between personal tutors, the union and various other networks of support for the cohort of only 70 students, every experience is very individual and can be tailored by the tutors to our personal needs. 

Conclusion

All in all, studying dentistry surpassed my every expectation and satiated my hunger to undertake a role where I have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with individuals of all ages, make a tangible difference to their quality of life, and experience a sense of gratification and fulfilment right from the offset. Although studying dentistry has felt like my end goal for so long, I can’t wait to see where my journey at the University of Leeds will take me. 

Top Tips to secure a place at Dental School

1. Research as much as possible! Don’t apply to a university just because they’re highly-ranked on league tables, really look into the course and opportunities they will provide then choose what will best suit you and enhance your learning.

2. Don’t feel forced to limit yourself to excelling academically – while this is undoubtedly important, pursue your hobbies! Not only is this great for your mental health, but universities love students who are well-rounded and multi-talented.

3. Get as much work experience as possible –this will really give you a feel of dentistry and help to solidify your decision (or do the opposite!). The minimum requirement for most universities is 2 weeks in a GDP. 

4. Don’t just limit work experience to shadowing dentists in a GDP. Universities might like to see that you’ve picked up transferable skills from things such as a part-time job, or fundraising. It is usually a good idea to get experience in other healthcare settings that let you observe good, proper teamwork.

5. Work on your personal statement until you feel it is perfect! Remember, first impressions count and universities will use this to decide whether or not to offer you an interview. 

6. Practice and “revise” for your interviews, and be sure to really relay the passion you have for the subject to the interviewers. Try to build your confidence through different activities in the run up to your interviews - always have faith in yourself to ensure you appear as confident as possible!

7. Try to attend open days! These give you a chance to explore the campus as well as the city, your (potential) home for the next 5 years! Factor in what sort of things there are to do outside of university when making your choices, such as new experiences you may want to try.

8. Practice for the admissions test as much as you can! Whether it is BMAT or UCAT, there are tons of resources and courses that can be used to boost your scores - past papers are one of the best ways to prepare. The admissions test scores are weighted differently between schools so make sure you try to find out exactly how in order to better narrow down your choices.

9. Study really really hard for exams! Universities use A-Level predicted grades and results as the first way to filter through students to shortlist/accept - although it is great to have experience and hobbies, the academic factor is just as important, so don’t compromise on this!

10. It might be advantageous to pick up a skill that improves manual dexterity, due to the nature of dentistry - working in a focused area very intricately. examples of typical activities that can improve this involve origami, drawing/painting, sewing or anything else you can think of that requires hand-eye coordination!