Written by Laura Aldridge, Careers Adviser for the Faculty of Science

42 students attended a workshop about applying to graduate courses in dentistry and medicine on the afternoon of Wednesday 14^th March.  The workshop was delivered by Laura Aldridge (careers adviser) and Michael Watts (a medical student at The University of Liverpool).

At the workshop, students were informed of the following key important points about applying to graduate courses in dentistry and medicine:

• The academic entry requirements for the various graduate dentistry and medicine courses at different universities, vary considerably. Therefore it is very important that students check the academic entry requirements of each individual university, before applying.
• Some (although not all) universities require applicants for graduate dentistry and medicine courses to sit additional entry tests such as BMAT, GAMSAT or UKCAT.  Applicants usually have to sit these tests the summer before making their application.
• All universities will require applicants to have some relevant experience in a health or care setting, before making their application to a graduate dentistry or medicine course. For example, Michael Watts had previously worked as a healthcare assistant.
• It is also really important for applicants to produce a strong UCAS personal statement when applying to these courses. At the workshop, Laura Aldridge gave advice to students about writing an effective personal statement.
• Entry to graduate dentistry or medicine courses, is highly competitive as universities often receive around 10-15 applications per place for these course. Therefore Laura also informed students of the range of other health and medical careers which are available to them.

Clearly there is a lot of preparation which students need to do before applying to graduate dentistry or medicine courses!  However, there have been a number of success stories of LJMU graduates who have gained places on these courses over the last few years.  Please see the Career Planning Guide for The School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences to see examples of these case studies.

If you would like to receive the information from this workshop then please email: l.aldridge@ljmu.ac.uk.  Students can also book an appointment with Laura (or another member of the Careers Team) at Byrom Careers Zone by telephoning 0151 231 2048 or by calling into the Zone directly.

Cornelia, the Student Information Officer at Byrom Careers Zone, caught up with Michael after the workshop to grab a few words.  Michael offered to provide advice via email to any students interested in pursuing a career as a doctor.  If you want to find out more from Michael call into Byrom Careers Zone and we will connect you with him.