throughout high-school i never knew what i wanted as a career until around my last year, where i decided on a set uni for dentistry.
turns out the requirements to get in are subjects in which i haven't taken and have no knowledge of… so basically i wont be able to go to uni because of my indecisiveness and inability to pick the right subjects.
for me academic validation is everything, i wanted to make my parents happy by pursuing dentistry, and now having to tell them i cant get into uni??
it honestly sounds easier to ctb than to tell them… their disappointment is always so fucking overwhelming
i always had the thought of ctb in the back of my head, but once im certain that im not going to uni, id js come back here on advice to ctb bcz im rlly done with this shit atp
will prolly hear back frm me soon, mwah
TLDR: I was in the same situation a few years ago too! I changed the course I applied to and go to an ok Uni. Be kinder to yourself! This indecisiveness is very much fine, it's not an inherent fault. Choosing a career from a young age will do that to you! I'm still indecisive.
It's going to be hard to tell your parents, there is a high chance they will not be understanding or kind to you. I cried and fought a lot with my mum when I had to tell her I couldn't do dentistry anymore, but I still had control over what course and uni I choose and you do too.
In fact, you don't have to do dentistry, it sounds more like a wrong set of subjects than bad grades? There's lots of other academically validating and profitable career paths outside medicine. Career wise I've started to think that a job isn't something you have to be super passionate about just something you're willing to do for a long time.
Also if possible you can suggest a gap year. Try to get a job and earn money on the side and study for the subjects you need for dentistry if that's what you really want and get your certification for them!
Trust me this type of shit hurts but it doesn't have to be the end. Good luck!
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Not sure if it's comforting to read someone else who went through and made the same mistake as you but I also wanted to become a dentist and poured so much of my being into it. 2 years before Uni applications I choose my A Levels to allign for Dentistry (or so I thought lol).
Spent the first year of Sixth form doing Volunteering, trying to get and attend work experience opportunities (online and in person), Weekly MedSocs (had to prepare 1 hour sessions with 2 other people for two whole term), applying and attending Uni Dentistry prep courses, and all through the summer I practiced for my UCAT (its like a pre medschool aptitude test in the UK). Overall, I spent almost 250 hours (just my dentistry prep not any other academic studies) trying to make myself perfect for Dentistry.
I know that sounds kinda excessive but I put my heart into it. I studied so hard. The day of my UCAT I wake up 6am and start studying right after. I do practice paper until it's time for me to go. My mum takes me there. I do the test. It's so hard despite studying for it for 2 months and all the hours. I get my results. They're just ok.
Like you I didn't choose a subject that's a requirement for most dentistry school. The only universities that I could apply for were super selective (if medschool wasn't already). The ride back with my mum was very quiet. I cried when I got in my bed. That was all I could do for a week.
Come 3 months we have to apply for unis. I'm not sure of my path anymore. I write my personal statement but I can't put into words why I want to do dentistry. What I wrote was a checklist of things and activities, there was no real motivation or passion. I just want money and to make my parents proud. They're the same things anyway.
I have to tell my parents I don't want to be a dentist anymore. They tell me I'm throwing away my future, that I did all this things and spent so much time and effort, that I'm always changing my mind and I can't stick to things and I should rethink. They know I didn't do well on my UCAT.
1 week before I send my uni application I change my personal statement. I change my course. I go to an ok uni. Still pursuing academic validation.
Sorry I got carried away talking about myself! This situation just reminded me a lot of the past.
