Can you simultaneously apply to Medicine and Dentistry and using the same personal statement? The short answer is that simultaneously applying to medical school and dental school via UCAS (the system you will have to use if you want to apply to UK medical and dental schools) is something which is unwise to attempt and will make it likely that both courses reject your application.

How similar are Medicine and Dentistry?

Medicine and Dentistry have considerable overlap and require many shared skills. In some universities, the two courses first years are identical, which is why very rarely some universities will consider a candidate’s request to swap courses at the same university. However, Medicine and Dentistry are distinct professions. After an initial similarity in the early phases of both degrees, it becomes obvious that they are very different careers. They may require many of the same skills. However, what you can do as a doctor and as a dentist, what you will be exposed to, how you will train and the career options available with each degree, when considered as a whole are vastly different.

Making a decision

Applying to Medicine and Dentistry is very competitive. You can only write one personal statement, and if you try and write your personal statement for Medicine and Dentistry at the same time, it is very likely that admissions tutors will reject you due to your indecision.

You would be wiser to decide which career is for you and focusing on that one. There is nothing wrong with not being sure what you want to study or knowing which career you want, but you do at some point need to make your mind up and commit to one. This is where work experience, careers advisors and other resources come into play. Perhaps even taking a gap year to learn more about yourself and your options if you think you need more time to decide if Medicine or Dentistry is right for you.

Medical students and dental students tend to be very motivated and passionate about their subject. This motivation is a significant reason why they succeed in completing such tough but rewarding degrees and have fruitful careers. This is why a genuinely strong motivation and interest is a critical attribute which admission tutors look for from medical and dental applicants from their Medicine/Dentistry personal statements, references and interviews. You will likely not make it to the interview stage with a personal statement applying to Dentistry and Medicine at the same time as it will be difficult to show a robust enough motivation and interest for either subject. You will be spreading yourself too thinly. There is no reason for admission tutors to pick a candidate who cannot commit to one career when admissions tutors already turn down thousands of qualified, highly motivated applicants who will be likelier to succeed than a candidate who is undecided and uncommitted to a career.

What about people who study both Medicine and Dentistry?

There are a few careers which require both a medical and dental degree as well as experience working in both professions. One such career is oral and maxillofacial surgery. The length of the second degree can often (but not always) be abbreviated taking into account that the person already has a medical or dental degree. This fascinating speciality will only appeal to or be feasible for a tiny number of people. There are very few places, and of course, the entry requirements are incredibly hard to achieve. Not many candidates will want this career path because for doctors there are many surgical specialities they could do instead and for Dentists, it is a huge commitment to train as a doctor also.

You absolutely should not apply to either Medicine or Dentistry thinking maxillofacial surgery is an option for people who are unsure which career is for them. This is an option for people who are incredibly motivated to pursue this specific career. If you are unsure of which career to take between Medicine and Dentistry then what you need is more time and effort in deciding on one and not the idea that you can apply to one and then the other later on or try to transfer between a Medicine and Dentistry course if you don’t like one.

Applying to be a neurosurgeon through UCAS? Further advice if you are not sure to apply to Medicine or Dentistry

Bear in mind that when you are applying to medical or dental school, you are not committing to the subspecialty. You are not applying to be a GP or a neurosurgeon nor are you committing to a specific dental speciality. You may have some ideas of what kind of doctor or dentist you want to be or have none at all. Both of which are fine as medical school and dental school and working as a doctor or a dentist will give you the necessary exposure to make a decision. You may (and likely will) change your mind many times along the way. Also, UK medical training is incredibly varied and will give you wide exposure to many careers. Also, you can pursue further work in specialities which interest you to test them out.

You may not be committing to what type of Doctor or Dentist you will be at the UCAS application stage, but you do need to commit to the career. You need to know what attributes; core values and traits are needed for each career and how these relate to you. See our completely free articles on the attributes needed to study Medicine for more information on this or consider our one to one tutoring services with a doctor where you can discuss these things or any other issues further.

Summary

It is unwise to apply to Medicine and dentistry at the same time via UCAS. Applying to Medicine and Dentistry with the same personal statement is likely to result in rejections from both courses due to your indecision. Instead, you should learn more about yourself and the respective careers and commit to either Medicine or Dentistry. This is where work experience, careers advisors and research come into play.

How can Medicine Answered help you in your Medicine personal statement?

Countless people gain a place at medical school without using any editing service. Rest assured, an editing service is not essential to write an excellent personal statement and earn a spot at medical school so do not believe any companies who tell you otherwise. We believe, however, that our editing services offer real value to your application.

We are different to many competitors as we go beyond merely checking for spelling and grammar. A professional proof-reader, as well as a doctor (who successfully received all four UCAS offers to study Medicine), will both review your Medicine statement. This is different to many other services who use untrained students or people with no Medicine admissions experience or professional proofreading skills. After making enhancements to your statement, we comment on the strength of your application, we can consider your UKCAT, academic grades, work experience and extracurricular activities and suggest ways to enhance your application further. We suggest things which may come up at interview specifically as a result of your personal statement.