I had the pleasure of interviewing Shannon Grewal, a 2021 La Sierra University Honors Program alumni. She is currently completing her second year of dental school at the University of Michigan.
Grewal’s personal experiences with dentistry in her youth inspire her to become a dentist. When she was younger, she dealt with a lot of cavities and had to wear braces for a long time. While most people do not enjoy going to the dentist, she liked these visits because of how interesting all of the equipment and procedures were. Because of that, she decided to shadow at a dental office in high school and continued to during her time at La Sierra. Her shadowing experiences played a major role in developing her initial passion for dentistry.
One thing Grewal appreciates about dentistry is the relationship that dentists form with their patients during their routine appointments. She also values how dentists can make a major change in people’s lives in a way that is often overlooked. Additionally, she likes that there are many different paths within the dental field. There are endless possibilities from cosmetic procedures to minor surgeries, and of course, major reconstructive surgeries.
Grewal studies at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Her day consists of attending a rotation, clinic, and some of the mandatory didactic classes. She spends most of her time, however, studying for exams. This was especially true during her first two years. When she does not have any tests, she uses that time to do what she wants such as going out with friends or working out. I was surprised to hear this since I always expected dental school students to be too busy to do things for fun. I, therefore, asked her how she manages to keep a balance between dental school and her personal life.
Grewal talked about how La Sierra University taught her that school cannot be everything. Like many other Honors students, she struggled to find a balance between studying and personal life. But, ultimately, she found that health comes first, then personal relationships, and then school. This realization came after she had a hard exam season that made her reevaluate everything. She said the mentality of “C’s get degrees” helped her relieve some of the pressure of wanting to get perfect grades all the time.
It was also surprising that the hardest part of Grewal’s academic career was her time at La Sierra, not dental school. While she did very well in her freshman year, she describes struggling during her sophomore year. Taking the DAT that same summer was something that challenged her. She had to learn then that failure is okay.
“If I had to decide between a dentist that always got A’s and a dentist that got B’s, I would pick the one that got B’s because I know they had to learn how to adapt to failure and try again, whereas an A student probably has probably never faced a failure,” she commented. She also went on to explain that failures should be viewed as an opportunity to try again and practice more. Considering the back-to-back practicals in dental school, reaching a point of failure is inevitable. With that being said, being able to quickly adapt methods and try again is a crucial step in moving forward. Failure is common and what matters at the end of the day is the response.
Despite her struggles that year at La Sierra, Grewal mentioned there were also some very memorable times. The same summer she took the DAT, she traveled to Malaysia and Singapore for the Honors trip. She considers that trip one of her most valuable experiences in the program as she formed amazing friendships and experienced something new with her classmates outside of an academic setting.
As a STEM major, Grewal valued unique classes in the Honors curriculum. For instance, she shared that courses like The Arts and Religion in the Future were particularly interesting and insightful, as they challenged her in many different ways and gave her new perspectives.
The two-year-long Honors Scholarship Project also significantly impacted her undergraduate years. Grewal joined Dr. Trueblood in his research lab during her freshman year, where they studied octopus species and the impact of ocean acidification on those specific species. She was also able to visit the Rosario Beach Marine Station to continue her research before she graduated in June. Aside from research, she benefited from the exposure to lab techniques. Part of the research they did included drawing blood from octopuses, which ultimately helped her with hand dexterity, a useful skill for any future dentist. She was able to take her 3D printing skills from her octopus lab and translate them into a research lab in dental school.
To improve manual dexterity, Grewal recommends taking Intro to Dentistry with Dr. Dean. The class includes practicing wax-ups, impressions, and festooning, which has helped her as a dental student. Additionally, her classmates at UMich offered many other ways to improve manual dexterity, such as playing video games, painting, crafting ceramics, and even playing volleyball.
On another note for dental school preparation, Grewal suggested blocking out at least 10 weeks for DAT studying. This is important to avoid getting bogged down by potentially poor practice exam scores. She also emphasized that the DAT is not everything. As there are other important aspects that go into the application, she believes it is important to take advantage of all the opportunities available at La Sierra. While she was at La Sierra, she TA’ed for a lot of classes, was a student chaplain, took part in the Honors Council, conducted research, and played intramural sports. She was also involved with the Pre-Dental Society, which she recommends all pre-dental students get involved in. Finally, she found that becoming familiar with the professors, especially the ones in her department, enriched her learning experiences. She emphasized the importance of making lifelong connections with classmates and professors in undergrad. Moreover, establishing these connections with faculty allowed her to receive strong recommendation letters when it was time to apply to dental school.
I would like to extend a thank you to Shannon Grewal for taking time off of her busy schedule to answer my questions. It was truly an honor to interview her. As an Honors student and Pre-Medicine major, the relatability of her struggles was both comforting and inspiring. I learned a lot about what it takes to get into professional school, and plan to take her advice as I prepare to apply to medical school.
— Elva Garcia (Major: Biology, Class of 2025)