The dental hygiene program is a fast-paced program. You have two years to complete your associates degree and if you want, you can move on to complete your bachelors degree. Due to the short time in the program the work load is intense. For this current semester, I am taking eight classes. While taking those eight classes, I am involved with Rambassadors, the RAM program, and Love Over Hate. This semester I have spread myself out too thin. At first it was difficult managing everything, but I have learned a whole lot on how to manage my time wisely. In the following paragraphs, I will explain my daily schedule.
Monday is my longest day of the week. I start my day off at 9 am with my histology and embryology class. After class, I go to the gym for 1 to 2 hours. Every other week at 3pm I attend the Rambassadors meeting for an hour. At 4:30 pm I have a late lunch before clinic. Then at 5:30 pm I have my clinic session until 9:30 pm. After this class, I go home and I review my notes for the two classes I have on Tuesday.
Tuesday is not such a long day for me, but I try to get a lot of my work done for the week on Tuesdays. I start off my day at 9 am at the gym. After the gym, I come to campus and usually attend my club meetings, or campus events. If nothing is going on, I will study for exams during the week. At 12:15 pm, I have my first class of the day which is dental materials lecture. Then, at 2:05 pm I have my radiology lecture. After class ends at 4:30 pm, I usually go to the library and complete my homework assignments for my two classes on Thursday.
Wednesday is also a long day for me. I start my day off at 9 am with my clinical session. Clinic ends at 1:30 pm. At 2 pm, I have dental materials lab and at 4 pm I have radiology lab. In between both classes I don’t have much time which is why it is an exhausting day. I get out of radiology at 6 pm, at this time all I want to do is go home and sleep. So, I usually take an hour break and then begin my work. On Wednesdays, I usually begin my homework or studying for the week coming up. I always try to stay a week ahead so I don’t get too overwhelmed.
Thursday is my shortest day and my favorite day. On Thursday, I sleep in until 10 am. At 11 am, I usually have club meetings or events. My first class is at 12:15 pm which is preventative health concepts. At 2:05 pm, I have my periodontology class and it ends at 4:05 pm. After this class I go to the gym and then go home and relax. At 7 pm, I attend bible study class.
Friday through Sunday are my days off from school, but I work. Usually most Rambassadors events are during these days. During these 3 days, I try to catch up on work and relax while taking some time to plan my week ahead. When I plan my week, I feel less stressed and better prepared for the week since I know what to expect.
