Thinking of studying dental hygiene?

I began studying dental hygiene at the university of Essex in September 2019. Being accepted onto the course was an absolute dream come true for me! I had passed my dental nursing exams and received my diploma in 2018. I decided that the next step I wanted to take in my career was to become a Dental Hygienist.

After much research and time spent online looking at entry requirements, I felt quite overwhelmed. Most universities required A-levels in sciences or additional qualifications. I only had AS levels because I didn’t finish my second year of sixth form (due to personal reasons), but even so, the subjects I had previously studied were so far away from sciences – English literature, French, media and textiles! It sounded challenging going back to A-levels after being in the working world, and being 19 at the time meant I would have to fund the A-levels myself. However, I had to do it to get to what I wanted. After more research, I decided to do the A-levels online through Oxford Open Learning. This meant a lot of self-studying, which would require a great deal of motivation.