Night Before Another Tooth ID Quiz
Motivation for Exam week
So I don't know about y'all, but when I feel exam week approaching, I get very anxious. The kind of anxious when the weekend starts dwindling down and its Sunday night and you're just now getting around to studying for that exam tomorrow. Panic begins to set in, and I enter stress mode.
Like most pre-dental and dental students (I'd imagine), grades mean a lot to us. We take pride in our work. We want to show off our long hours of studying and gained intelligence. We want to rank as high as possible. So, we begin to study for exams days and weeks beforehand.
Like most pre-dental and dental students (I'd imagine), grades mean a lot to us. We take pride in our work. We want to show off our long hours of studying and gained intelligence. We want to rank as high as possible. So, we begin to study for exams days and weeks beforehand.
In preparation for the busy weeks to come, I want to share something with you all. Especially those who are anxious (like me) and need a little pep talk.
A college friend once told me that grades are just numbers, and that admissions committee is more interested in the person than the score. While I don't think that all of that is necessarily true, I do believe parts of it are. The admissions committee definitely does care about your GPA (they need some way to weed out the hundreds of applicants), but, at the end of the day, it really is your character that is most important. Personally, I'd much rather have a gentle and caring dentist who gave every exam their complete preparation, but came out with a 90 over an unpleasant and bone dry dentist who crammed the night before and scored a 95. I want the dentist who took the time to know my case and me because I know that they will take care of me, the person, instead of me, their paycheck.
One of the quotes hanging on the wall above my desk is by Hernan Cortes. It's the quote about burning your ships. If you've never heard this saying, it basically means that in order to succeed, you must let go of your safety nets. When Cortes and his men began the Spanish conquest of Mexico, Cortes would burn the ships so that his men would either succeed or die. Puts a lot of pressure on a crew, right? I love this though because it is applicable to school in so many ways. In order to succeed, you have to let go of excuses and distractions. If you want something badly enough, you have to be willing to fight for it.
The other quote that I live by is one by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
One of the quotes hanging on the wall above my desk is by Hernan Cortes. It's the quote about burning your ships. If you've never heard this saying, it basically means that in order to succeed, you must let go of your safety nets. When Cortes and his men began the Spanish conquest of Mexico, Cortes would burn the ships so that his men would either succeed or die. Puts a lot of pressure on a crew, right? I love this though because it is applicable to school in so many ways. In order to succeed, you have to let go of excuses and distractions. If you want something badly enough, you have to be willing to fight for it.
The other quote that I live by is one by Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day. You shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”
Basically, some days are really exhausting and don't go as planned. But, that regret and pain cannot stop you from having a better tomorrow. Made a bad grade on a quiz? Well, that sucks, but you've got another test in two days. So it's time to get up and get going.
So, as exam week approaches, it is my goal (and yours I hope, too!) to remember that we will one day be serving patients whose health is literally in our hands. I want to learn and perform well for them. For those that cannot otherwise help themselves. That's why we began this journey after all, right? So, study hard. Anyways, it'll all be over in a couple of weeks. Then it'll be time for a longgggggg (like 3 weeks!) winter break.
So, as exam week approaches, it is my goal (and yours I hope, too!) to remember that we will one day be serving patients whose health is literally in our hands. I want to learn and perform well for them. For those that cannot otherwise help themselves. That's why we began this journey after all, right? So, study hard. Anyways, it'll all be over in a couple of weeks. Then it'll be time for a longgggggg (like 3 weeks!) winter break.
Y'all are awesome and smart and wonderful! You're going to do great on your exams and make your future patients proud!
P.S. I'm a sucker for motivational videos. I've linked some of my favorite ones below just in case you need a 5 minute study break! Just click on one of the pictures and you'll be redirected to the YouTube video! Enjoy!
Rise and Shine
Remember Why You Started
Not Enough