Bio-Med now or Dentistry next year?

[Jensa]

Dd just got A* AA in her A levels. Had wimped out of applying for Dentistry earlier this year due to fear of A level failure. Had done relevant work experience but not UKCAT or BMAT. Now has place on the Bio-Med course she'd ended up applying for at Newcastle, where she has chance of being transferred onto Dentistry at end of first year. Should she start BioMed now or just take a gap year and apply for Dentistry 2018 entry? Looks like if she does whole BioMed course then post grad Dentistry there isn't much funding/loans so could be whole lot more expensive?

I'd probably go for the gap year. Those transfer courses are quite limited numbers usually- only too 5 or so in the class. With her grades she should have a good chance of a place and it will be easier and cheaper all round. She can use the year to prepare for bmat and get work experience.

Also if she doesn't get in Newcastle will definitely have her back on biomes in a years time (or anywhere else!)

Gap year and then dentistry.

The number of students with illusions of transferring (to medicine) in my day was just silly. That was decades before tuition fees....

Gap year then dentistry, 100%.

Biomed is a course with poor job prospects filled with medicine rejects that don't want to be there.

Carry on with the work experience, work on the UKCAT/BMAT, and with A*AA she'll be spoiled for choice.

She will need to book in for UKCAT now though.My dd is off in Sept to do dentistry. If she could do the UKCAT test in a fortnight s time would she still be ok to do the bio med course If her score wasn't high enough?

Those are really great grades but a lot will have or aspire to have the same or better. Dentistry and medicine need other attributes as well to secure a place.

Actually I think she needs to do UKCAT now anyway if she wants to transfer from biomed?

Thing is no mother not many if any get to transfer so it's a big gamble. Also I don't know any unis that state this as it is a given back up option for would be medics dentists and gets!

I would advise anyone thinking of biomed as a career to consider other options. The job prospects are indeed very poor.

Reapply for dentistry this year, bear in mind she will have to book UKCAT asap to apply in October. A year out earning money, having fun etc. Will be good for it too, dentistry can be very intense and you want to go in fresh.

Well done to DD for excellent results! If dentistry is her career choice then probably better to apply for that for next year. Usually only the top few from biomed can transfer after a year so it is less certain.
UKCAT needs practice, check the UKCAT book reviews carefully for one that is up to date and relevant. I have no experience of BMAT.

I though biomedicine/ biotech was a massive growth sector and job prospects were good.

Number 3 on this list www.telegraph.co.uk/education/0/graduate-jobs-top-12-degree-subjects-getting-job/3-subjects-allied-medicinethis-broad-category-encompasses-degrees/

In order to work as a biomedical scientist and progress through a career structure you have to get state registered. This involves securing a formal training post usually in the NHS which are now few and far between. Most graduates now have to work as a lab assistant, training posts are non-existent, and then do the portfolio for registration in their own time and even then not all trusts will allow this.

Often graduates won't have the right kind of biomedical science degree and may have to spend 1000's more doing top up modules in order to fulfill the requirements for registration

Dentistry next year after a gap year.

Indeed Leeds which has a very well respected School of Dentistry only requires AAA

Most dental schools ask AAA but they also need other qualities so getting an extra * might not make any difference than getting 3 As.

Gap year - but make sure she uses it to gather more work experience and boost her application as much as possible.

I did the Newcastle biomed course and while it's a great course if that's what you want to do, the competition for transfers into Med/Dentistry is very intense. There are always options for graduate fast track medical and dentistry courses if she graduates, but I have friends just graduating in dentistry now (so it's a long and expensive route to take.

I went into a completely different field after graduating and while the skills I learned on the course have helped a lot, I don't use biomed in my day to day career anymore, and out of my close friends on the course only a handful do.

What GCSEs are essential for dentistry? I know what the minimum is from the various schools but in reality what would they need to be to be competitive if manage to get 3As at a level?

Min of a b in the sciences Eng lang and maths. If you have 5 or more A star and As in the above you have more to choose from .My dd had all A* and 1 b and got three out of 4 interviews and 2 offers.

But would 5 As and a* at gcse be enough? I'm thinking the competition would be with people who had much higher than that. As in your daughters case.

Not really because her gcses helped at getting interviews but then the slate is wiped clean and its the top interviewees that get the offers. And having already got your A level A grades they know that you can cut it.