Applying to Medicine and Dentistry – The early deadline
If you’re applying to medicine or dentistry, you’ll already know that the UCAS deadline for these courses is earlier than others, and usually falls in mid-October. You can find exact application deadline dates each year on the UCAS website. Here are some things to think about before you submit a medicine or dentistry application.
Personal Statement
Your personal statement is your chance to tell your chosen universities why you want to study your chosen course, and what you have done to prepare yourself for a career in this area. Rather than listing work experience and volunteering you may have, instead try being reflective and explain what you gained from these experiences and how they may have confirmed your desire to study medicine or dentistry.
See below for an example of how to structure a personal statement for medicine or dentistry, and how much to discuss each element.
UCAT
The University Clinical Aptitude Test is used by the majority of UK medical and dental schools as part of their selection process. Once you have the results it may be useful to think carefully about how your chosen universities use them in their selection criteria, it might change the universities you apply to. UCAT publish national testing statistics both midway through the testing period and at the end, which will allow you to compare your score to the national average.
BMAT
The Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) is another admissions test used in some medical schools (with the UCAT being used in others). If you take the BMAT in September, you will already hold you results by the time you make your application and can use these to inform your university choices. If you are registered to take the test in November, keep in mind you will not receive your result until after you have submitted your application.
5th UCAS Option
You are able to apply to four medical or dental schools should you wish and also have the option to select a fifth option on your UCAS application that is not medicine or dentistry. There is no obligation to use this fifth choice, however it can serve as a back-up plan, should you be unsuccessful in securing a place on a medicine or dentistry course. Think carefully about what you would like this option to be, and make sure it is a choice you are happy with.
This resource from the Medical Schools Council contains some further useful information about your 5th UCAS option.
Next Steps
Remember to proof read your UCAS form and check you are using your most up to date contact details. Check that your personal statement is the correct length as UCAS will cut off anything over the 4000-character limit. Finally pay and submit your application.
