This is a guest post by Georgina Hughes
Bio: Georgina Hughes is a contributor various blogs, including those that are to do with cosmetic dentistry, green living and children’s health, and she knows all about mixing work with pleasure during college.
Life for most students is pretty enviable: loads of free time, a flexible timetable and lengthy holiday. However, for some it’s not all holidays, drinking and daytime TV. For dental and medical students, university is intense and a great deal of time and commitment is required in order to succeed.
Dentistry at university
Most students spend their first couple of years at college or university making friends, broadening their horizons, building up a social circle and engaging in fun activities and new hobbies; this is usually followed by two years of cramming and intense revising in order to graduate at the end. For dental students, the hard work starts on day one and doesn’t stop until the day you finish your last exam, as there’s a lot to learn because people’s lives will be in these young people’s hands in a few years time, so it’s no surprise that dentistry is one of the most rigorous courses on offer.
Most dental courses offer a combination of practical work experience and academic study and you’ll need to pass both parts to graduate. Many colleges and universities work alongside local professionals and organizations, so you may find that you spend as much time in a local dental practice or hospital as you do working at your desk.
Making the most of college life
College is designed to be an educational experience but it offers so much more. You’ll get the chance to meet people you probably never would have if you didn’t go to college and participate in activities that you’ve probably never heard of before. Most colleges and universities also have great sports facilities, a massive range of societies and clubs you can join and outstanding research facilities, which will provide you with the best possible environment for your studies.
Life as a dental student is busy, but this doesn’t mean that you need to spend all your time thinking about studying and sitting in lecture theatres. It’s true that you will have to spend a lot of time either studying at college or working in dental practices or community dental centres, but you will also have time to participate fully in college life. It’s important to try and achieve a good balance between work and play and make the most of all the opportunities available to you during your college years.
Tips for surviving student life
Most people assume student life is a breeze but for many, it’s a struggle. Students often struggle for money, experience homesickness and struggle to get used to college life, especially if they have not been away from home before. Many also get stressed and anxious about their studies, upcoming tests and exams and their final results. If you experience problems or you feel stressed, worried or upset, it’s important to try and talk to somebody and sort out the situation before it gets any worse, and remember that if you choose to go into an area such as cosmetic dentistry then the money will make all the effort worthwhile!
Student life is often synonymous with eating lots of fast food, not getting enough sleep and drinking too much alcohol. Try to keep an eye on your health, get enough sleep and be sensible about drinking. This doesn’t mean you need to be boring, it’ll just help to ensure you stay healthy and fit.
