Why I Chose To Study Dental Hygiene
Why did I choose to take Dental Hygiene?
To those who know me in class, they might have heard this story more than once. I chose Dental Hygiene because it was the easiest route to graduate college, or so I thought. I was a transferee from another university where I studied Veterinary Medicine for six long years but I didn’t finish. Stuff happened along the way and, honestly, I just wanted to go for the fastest option.
My mom, who runs her own dental clinic, suggested Dental Hygiene, which happens to be a two-year associate degree in the Philippines. I was in bad shape at that time, both mentally and emotionally. But the thought of being able to graduate within two years made me a bit excited even though I wasn’t exactly prepared to get back to school. With a little nudge from my mom, I enrolled at National University in June 2019.
I’ve been trying to choose between De Ocampo Memorial College and NU Manila and I thought that going to De Ocampo was more convenient because it was closer to home. So I visited their campus and took their psychological test as part of their registration requirements. However, my mom disapproved when I told her about it. She said that she prefers NU Manila so I went there with her to take their entrance exam.
On the day of the entrance examination, I psyched myself thinking that I could go home right after taking the test. Little did I know that I was in for a couple of surprises. After handing in my test paper, they told me that I can wait for the results which will be released during the day. So I was like, ok I can wait since we’re already here. And so I got the results after a few hours. I wasn’t surprised at all that I passed the exam but I didn’t expect that I’d be spending the whole day going through the enrollment process. It so happened that their enrollment week was ongoing at the time, and I probably didn’t notice because I couldn’t have cared less; I was still in a rough patch.
After running around the campus from one department to another, I waited in front of the Accounting Office to get my Certificate of Registration (COR) which shows my enrolled subjects and a breakdown of my tuition. My mom casually asked how much it cost, then she literally took out a stack of cash from her bag like it was nothing. I was soooo shocked! I was able to pay my tuition in full right off the bat…. almost like it was planned! lol
Next thing I knew, I’m at another university. With new classmates. New professors. New faces. New classrooms. And a new ambiance overall. It felt good… and new! Like a breath of fresh air! It felt like I could begin again.
So that’s just about it. After I graduate, I can help out my mom at the clinic. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t really have a good reason to take up Dental Hygiene. It’s not something that I really like to do, but it’s not something that I hate to do either. I hope that I can learn to love the practice and enjoy what I do as I gain more experiences along the way!
