Leaping Tall (Dental) Buildings in a Single Bound

THIS is where it gets interesting.  I cannot put my finger on exactly what “THIS” is, but please allow me to explain a little bit further.  Fall semester of my D1 year is done.  Winter has laid down on Ann Arbor, and the cold wind at the bus stop is the only thing that makes me shiver these days.  Last semester, all it required was the sight of our final exam schedule to make me shiver.  With the achievement of the first semester in my rear view mirror, “THIS” is where it gets interesting.  I have a feeling that I could open my blog entries in a similar fashion for the next 3 years.  My relatively limited time in this dental school has showed me that achieving one goal will only open my eyes to a wide variety of further opportunities that may merit my consideration as I establish new goals.

My primary focus, during this past semester, was to find a strategy that best allowed me to balance the course load that is thrown at us.  With a strategy in hand, I have begun exploring all of the opportunities that are within my reach as a lowly D1 student.  What I find is that being a first year student only makes me lowly if I do not realize the opportunities that this privileged position allows.  As I spend time with my wife, my church, my classmates, and my books, I am currently communicating with instructors, peers, and organizations that might provide the best fit for the remaining time I am looking to spend.  This time may be spent volunteering in dental clinics (within the school or community), becoming more involved in the American Student Dental Association, meeting with dentists that can guide my steps during the next few years, practicing hand skills in the pre-clinic, or even just building relationships with classmates that I have yet to know well.  I could write on and on about the lengthy list of opportunities, but the fact of the matter is that this dental school experience is going to be what I make of it!  “THIS” is about taking advantage of opportunities.

Nathan P. is a current D1 student who is ready to take on the world one dental emergency at a time.

For links to more information about the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, please see our “About U-M School of Dentistry” page.