A day in the life of a dental student

Hi! I'm Sophie a second-year dentistry student here at RCSI.

A typical day as a dental student in Sandyford starts around 7:00 AM and ends around 5:00 PM, but the reality is that no two days look the same. Between morning lectures, Enquiry-Based Learning group cases, hands-on simulation labs, and patient care in the clinic, it is a constant balancing act. Here is an unfiltered day in my life, in case you are wondering what you are getting yourself into!

7:00 AM: Getting Ready & The Commute

My day starts at 7:00 AM when I get ready. I take the Luas to get down to Sandyford because the dental building is there. On my commute, I drink my coffee on the Luas and listen to music. I definitely don't do assignments!

9:00 AM: Morning Lectures & Enquiry-Based Learning

Starting the morning with lectures isn’t too bad because it eases you into the day. Depending on the day, our schedule might mix morning lectures with Enquiry-Based Learning (EBL) groups where we work collaboratively on clinical cases.

• Current Focus: We are currently diving into topics like viruses, immunity, and professionalism to help guide us through clinic.

• Looking Back: Last year, our academic focus was heavily centred around anatomy.

11:00 AM: Study Break & 2nd Floor Breakout Space

When there’s a block of free time between classes or EBL, my friends and I make the most of it.

• Where we go: We spend lots of our time in the 2nd-floor breakout space, or pop over to the Dunnes nearby if we need to grab something.

• Studying: When we are studying together, we help each other as best as we can. I usually make notes and try to understand it all before testing myself.

1:00 PM: Lunch Time

Lunch is usually at 1:00 PM. I usually bring something from home, but there is a Dunnes nearby where I can grab food if I am stuck.

2:00 PM: Simulation Labs & Clinic

Some days are heavy on practical and clinical work.

• SDLE (Simulation Lab): On Wednesdays, we have simulation lab where we do anything from practising scaling to restorations, which is quite hands-on.

• Clinic: On other days, we head into clinic where the work varies from check-ups and cleanings to radiographs and fillings.

5:00 PM: Unwinding & Evening Food

We have so much fun together outside of classes. We especially love grabbing an Xian before heading to the library, or grabbing a coffee in Oakberry.

6:30 PM: Evening & Getting Settled

After coming home, I make dinner, catch up on cleaning my room and the kitchen, and sometimes call my parents. If I need to look over something for tomorrow, I will do it and try to get to sleep as early as I can. Although this is usually not the case.