By Hannah Shirey ’23, staff writer
While most children absolutely despise their annual trips to the dental office, Jessica Heister, a senior biochemistry and molecular biology major, loved going to the dentist. Heister’s interest in dentistry only increased as she grew older, resulting in her recent decision to attend dental school post-graduation.
Although Heister was always fascinated by the dental field, it wasn’t until she was in high school that she started seriously thinking about the possibility of attending dental school. Attending dental school became a career goal of hers during her first year of college.
“The first thing I notice about someone is their smile and being able to be confident in your smile is really important,” Heister said.
Heister began the application process in May 2020. She applied to a total of nine schools, all on the east coast. She knew she wanted to stay in Pennsylvania so she could still come home to see her family on holidays and occasional weekends.
Heister describes the application process to dental school as being “intense.” Once she finally had everything submitted including letters of recommendations, results from the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), personal interviews and dental office shadowing experiences, Heister dealt with the anticipation of hearing back from schools.
“It was very long and stressful because I spent pretty much the entire school year just waiting to hear back about interview invitations or acceptances,” Heister said.
Interviews began as early as October, while others weren’t scheduled until February.
In March, Heister finally began to hear back from schools. The months of eagerness and stress paid off, and Heister’s goal of getting accepted to dental school was achieved.
“I was overwhelmed because I truly couldn’t believe it at first, I actually started to cry,” Heister said. “Then it hit me that I was going to have to start getting everything figured out for next year, like where I am going to live and how I am going to pay for school.”
Impressed by both the location and the dental program, Heister ultimately has decided to attend Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry this fall. She will be a graduate student at Temple University for four years.
In addition to her acceptance to dental school, Heister also applied for and accepted a four-year scholarship through the United States Navy.
Heister will enter the Navy as an officer this summer while they help cover her expenses at Temple University over the next four years. After Heister graduates from dental school, she will serve as a Naval dentist for four years.
“I am really excited for the opportunities that will come with this experience and career opportunity in the Navy,” Heister said.
Heister aids a lot of her success and acceptance to dental school to her time as a student at LVC. She specifically appreciates all the support she received from her advisors and professors.
“They have connected me with so many opportunities that I know contributed to my acceptance,” Heister said. “I had the ability to do research here at LVC, and I was also connected with some LVC alumni who are dentists.”
As a Lebanon native, Heister had no interest in attending LVC while in high school. However, it was the interactions with science professors at discovery days and other on-campus events that made her want to attend LVC over any other school.
Heister has had an extremely positive experience at LVC and says that it has truly prepared her for the next steps towards her future.
“Looking back over my last four years here, I am so glad that I decided to come to LVC, and I wouldn’t change anything about my experience,” Heister said.
Heister plans on taking all of her undergraduate experiences and knowledge with her to Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry this fall. She hopes to one day be a dentist who children look forward to visiting.