Get into Dental School: The Medic Mentor Summer School
The Medic Mentor Summer School is the single most important resource for applicants getting into dental school because it addresses the most important components of the entire application process for medicine. The Medic Mentor Summer School is a 6-day residential programme at the University of Nottingham, with a success rate of getting over 80% of students into dental school. It is unique because it is the only comprehensive UCAS application-focused course, that tackles every element of the UCAS application, with the highest success rate. It is ideal for motivated students, who are aiming for top grades and have some work experience or extra-curricular activities that they can base their application on. We are also experts on alternative routes into dentistry and have assisted students in obtaining places on access, foundation and transfer courses where grades have been a limiting factor.
The Dental UCAS Application
The UCAS application itself is made up of several elements: the dental personal statement, entrance exams (UCAT & BMAT), dental interviews, references and ‘wider-reading’. The Medic Mentor Summer School will prepare you in each of these components. You will also get invaluable follow up mentoring throughout year 13 and S6, from your own personal mentor. Our goal is to get you into dental school.
In addition to the teaching provided at the summer school, all students have personal references written by dentists and sent to their school reference teachers. You are also automatically enrolled onto our Medical Leadership Programme called the School Ambassador Leadership Council. This boosts your CV and ensures that you improve your confidence, knowledge and skills through increased contact time with dentists and dental students before and after the Summer School. It is optional, and you can read more about it here. The Summer School can also be used for the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
Medic Mentor Summer School Timetable: 3 weeks to choose from!
For 2019 (for current year 12 and S5):
29th July – 3rd August (FULL),
5th – 10th August (FULL)
and 12 – 17th August (2 spaces remaining).
For 2020 (for current year 11 and S4):
27th July – 31st July 2020
3rd – 7th August 2020
and 10th – 14th August 2020
For 2021 (for current year 10 and S3):
26th July – 29th July 2021
2nd – 6th August 2021
and 7th – 13th August 2021.
Monday: Dental Wider-Reading
You will get to attend lectures and small group workshops covering medical ethics, NHS structure, clinical governance, important discoveries and figures in dentistry and surgery, current affairs and significant dental organisations such as the BDA, GDC etc. This is vitally important because you will be tested on these subjects at interview and you will need to include this information in your personal statement.
Tuesday: Personal Statement Tutoring
You will receive 1-2-1 tutoring from several doctors, dentists and dental students to help you write your personal statement to get into dental school. This ensures that you include the most relevant experiences and achievements to produce the best personal statement that you can. Most students leave the summer school with a finished personal statement. You can also have as many reviews as you need following the summer school.
Wednesday: Personal Statement Tutoring
The final day of personal statement tutoring involves going through multiple edits to get the personal statement into the 4000 character limit. This is often the most challenging part because you will need to decide what to keep and what to cut out. This is where our Mentors become invaluable, because they can ensure that you retain the most relevant experiences that admissions tutors will be looking for and keep it medically relevant.
Thursday: UCAT Teaching
A full day of teaching on the UCAT entrance exam by the leading provider of UCAT resources in the UK. Students will also be provided with online question banks, access to follow up and mentoring to support their revision over the summer holidays. Students who register early can access these banks prior to the Summer School.
Friday: BMAT/Interview
This is an optional day spent on the BMAT entrance exam for candidates who have decided to take it. Students will receive teaching from the leading provider of BMAT resources and BMAT question banks. Those who are not planning to sit the BMAT can opt for additional interview preparation in the form of lectures, workshops and mock interviews.
Saturday: Interviews & UCAS Consultations
On Saturday morning, students receive a lecture on interview theory and techniques, followed by mock MMI (multiple mini-interviews) and panel interviews. All students receive personal feedback and mark schemes to take home. All students can access skype interview practice from Mentors following the summer school as often as needed to get you into dental school.
UCAS Consultations: On Saturday afternoon, you will spend N 1 hour with your Mentor identifying which 4 dental schools are most likely to give you offers based on individual university weightings and your personal profile. This is about striking a balance between the your own preference of courses and strategically selecting dental schools that are most likely to call you for interview and make you offers. This is a commonly missed but crucial step to get you into dental school.We welcome and recommend that parents also join these sessions.
