The Greater the Difficulty, the More the Glory in Surmounting It

By: Chad Suissa

"The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it." ― Epicurus, Greek philosopher

Our first year feels like it was eons ago, the time when classes such as Embryology or Head and Neck Anatomy gave us heartburn and headaches. It was our first taste of dental school, an adjustment to long hours at 433, late nights, and taking advantage of the free coffee to push through dozens of lectures. For some of us, it was a relatively easy adjustment, for others like me, it was an incredible challenge. It was a taste of failure in most instances, where I had to sit down and reevaluate my game plan of sorts to undertake the copious amount of information we were required to digest. It meant asking for help, something that can be hard in a place where we hold ourselves to such extreme standards of success. We work in an environment where falling behind can be catastrophic, and the challenge will only grow greater as we push through into this new fall semester.

As Epicurus stated, there is glory in overcoming such a challenge. My greatest accomplishment of the past year wasn’t the number of passed classes, or the number of single tooth practical tests that went my way. My greatest accomplishment of my D1 year was that under the pressures of failure, I was able to learn from my mistakes and improve. To be frank, my D1 summer and fall semesters weren’t kind to me, and left me questioning my place at NYUCD, and whether I was going to be able to make it to the spring at all. My saving grace came from my peers, and the support systems that we have surrounded ourselves with to face the odds. They taught me how to push forward and believe in myself, to believe that I can improve, that I still had a fighting chance. I even picked up a mantra I use when the semester begins looking bleak: “everything is going to work out, one way or another”.

Now, as we face new challenges in clinic, lab, and our didactic courses, I can say with both feet on the ground that I am ready. We all have our goals moving forward, whether that be better grades, better hand skills/dexterity, or simply to become more active in the community. What separates dentistry from other professions is that we have something more. We have the drive to constantly evaluate our work and to find solutions. Our individual goals are what define us among such a large class. For some it may mean specializing, and for others it may mean opening their own practice. Our goals help to drive us forward through the storms of each semester, fighting every step of the way. My own goal for our second year is to continue improving, to reach the academic standards that I am holding myself to, and to make sure I never fall back into doubting my own ability to succeed here at NYUCD.

For those who may be able to relate, take some comfort in knowing that you are not alone in our sea of students. Know that everything will work out, one way or another. Now, let us look forward to the lessons this new year of school will teach us, and take the challenge head on.