Congratulations to Jeannie E and Amelia C who are planning to study Dentistry and Dental Technology respectively when they leave Myton at the end of this year.
Jeannie has been offered a place on the Dentistry course at the University of Manchester.
“I chose to apply for Dentistry because I thought I could make the experience of going to see the dentist less daunting,” Jeannie said. “From a young age we are taught to dread a visit to the dentist; books like Demon Dentist reinforce this. A bad encounter with my own dentist when they were having a bad day set my career goal in motion.”
Amelia has an unconditional offer to study Dental Technology at Cardiff Metropolitan University which she’s planning to accept.
She says: “I chose to study Dental Technology after I was referred to the Maxillofacial Prosthetics department at University Hospital Coventry. Seeing the other work they did there as well as the positive impact their work had on me inspired me to become part of the field myself. Since the first step to becoming a Maxillofacial Prosthetist is to complete an undergraduate degree in Dental Technology that’s the main reason why I chose the course. Another factor that drew me to study Dental Technology is the combination of both creative and scientific elements within the course. I am particularly interested in becoming a Maxillofacial Prosthetist which involves creating prosthetics for the face and neck, carrying out medical tattooing and skin camouflage, creating custom made splinting devices, carrying out surgical planning and creating custom made medical devices.”
Amelia’s advice for anyone interested in Dental Technology is to: “Get in contact with a Dental Technologist or someone currently working in the specific field you’re interested in, gain work experience if possible, apply to courses accredited by the General Dental Council for the greatest range of postgraduate options and don’t assume the courses with the higher entry grades are necessarily ‘better’ or accredited, in my experience that has not been the case.”
This year has been a particularly tough year for students in Year 13 applying for Dentistry and Medicine. Many of the places that were offered last year were deferred by students due to the Covid crisis, leading to far fewer available places combined with a surge in demand.
This has led to many of our students who would normally receive offers in their chosen fields not being successful this year.
Katy B had hoped to study Medicine next year, but the experience has not dented her enthusiasm or determination.
“I think over the last year, we have all come to appreciate the dedication from the NHS,” she said. “And to be a part of an establishment like that would be greatly fulfilling. I am certainly going to re-apply next year, but in the meantime I am planning to volunteer at local schools and care homes, as well as applying for a job as a healthcare assistant.”
Hasan I applied for Dentistry and, after three interviews, did not receive any offers.
“Although this is very unfortunate,” he said, “I definitely still plan to do Dentistry. Upon receiving the rejections, I got in contact with the universities who interviewed me asking for feedback. My main focus now is to achieve the best grades possible for reapplying in October. Assuming I receive the grades, I will re-sit the entrance exam towards the end of September.”
Hasan plans to use next year to gain work experience, hopefully increasing the strength of his application.
Whether they are starting their studies this year or next, we wish them all well!
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