As we move closer to summer, many of you will be reflecting on your time at university and thinking about starting work. Stepping onto the career ladder is exciting, but you’re also stepping away from university and the life you’ve created there.
With this in mind, we’ve asked final year dental student, Hritik Jangra, for their thoughts on finishing university…
My name is Hritik, and I am in my final year at University of Leeds Dental School. I’m hoping to graduate and become a foundation trainee dentist near to my home, as it will be nice to have some home comforts after five years of university.
Leaving a place you have called home for so long is tough, but the training has left me feeling excited to finally graduate and work in the real world as a qualified dentist.
Although I’ve had an amazing time, with excellent support from university staff, I feel like it’s time to move onto a new, exciting challenge.
What are you most looking forward to about starting work?
I’m excited to help a wider variety of patients improve their oral health and wellbeing. I’m looking forward to learning under a new team of supervisors and gaining lots of new skills, as well as starting to work with more speed and precision.
It will also be great to meet lots of new people and colleagues in the area I am going to be based in.
What are you most nervous about?
Like most people, I am scared about a complete change of environment. This includes where I live and work, as well as being responsible for several patients in a practice. However, with nerves comes excitement, and I am looking forward to growing as a professional and developing my career.
Do you have a plan for the summer?
This will be the last long summer I have for a while – so I definitely want to make the most of it!
I have plans to go to Greece and travel in Europe with friends from university. I’m also planning a family holiday and looking forward to having a nice, relaxing summer as a reward to myself. It’s been a long but enjoyable five years of studying, and I plan to take this time out to wind down and prepare for starting work.