Universities I applied to:

• Manchester

• Liverpool 

• Kings

• Bristol

Offers you gained

Gained interviews for all four, and received offers from Manchester and Liverpool

Why I chose Manchester Dental School

When I read about it online, I liked the fact that students started clinical work on patients from the start of second year. Plus, the anatomy classes used cadavers, which sounded great seeing as though I really enjoy the medical side of dentistry too. The course is EBL based rather than lecture based which was perfect for me as I absorb information better when discussing with others.  When I first visited Manchester I loved it straight away! One of the main things I liked about it was that the uni campus (including the dental school) was on Oxford Road which is a busy area of Manchester.  I know with other schools the dental school can be tucked away from the main campus, so this was a nice aspect. Everybody I came across on my interview day was extremely friendly, much like the rest of Manchester. I love the city - like London, it’s so diverse and there’s always so much to do. If you’re a foodie, you will be spoilt for choice! 

What my year of training entails

I’m in fourth year, this is mainly clinical based. The focus is on making you more confident with delivering treatment, as you are able to do everything from crowns to dentures to root canal. To summarise: 

• Lectures and EBL once a week

• Two clinic sessions a week seeing patients

• One day a week in outreach clinics 

• Extra modules e.g. X-ray training, oral medicine/oral surgery clinics and paediatric outreach at some point in the year 

• We also have clinical skills (phantom head) practice at the end of the year, to consolidate what we have completed in previous years 

• Written and observed clinical competencies to be completed throughout the year, as well as coursework 

What the course is like

The course is EBL based, as well as lectures once a week, which is the same across all years. We have roughly 70 students per year. You start treatment on patients from second year, which will be Periodontal treatment and Direct restorations. Fourth year is mainly focused on gaining more clinical experience and building on the theory covered in third year. 

Challenges of being a dental student

In addition to treating the patients we are also responsible for contacting them and organising the appointments. It can be so daunting when you first start treating patients - I remember being terrified of ringing my first one however you will be surprised how quickly you gain confidence! The same goes for practical work too - sometimes it can be frustrating not getting the hang of crown preps etc. the first time… or the second time… but practice and perseverance is the key. An EBL based course means much of the content is self taught - which can be challenging at times but helps you to gage how you learn best. 

What you have gained being a student

• Learning how to manage my time (eventually), e.g. balancing the course with events and socials like fresher week, dental ball and BDSA sports day/conference. From my experience, you will never be bored as there is always so much going on.

• You’ll spend so much time together as a year group unlike other courses, so everyone is super close - most of my friends for life have come from uni rather than school! 

• I’ve gained so much confidence and independence living in a completely new city, and getting involved with societies, including our dental one