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The Internship Advantage

CJ Widdifield ’16

Biochemistry major shadows area dentists to prepare for dental school

“With dental school starting in the fall, what better way to begin learning than being hands on and applying knowledge that I was taught while at ɫ��ɫ?” This became biochemistry major CJ Widdifield’s motivation as he set out to shadow area dentists before embarking on his next educational chapter.

He began by contacting Nazareth-based dentist Edward C. Krupa DMD, who then reached out to other dental professionals in the area to connect Widdifield to a variety of practices providing different dental needs. “This allowed me to broaden my horizons and truly ‘see’ what the dental field is all about,” Widdifield says. 

Observing procedures in general dentistry, oral surgery, and orthodontics not only reinforced Widdifield’s desire to become a dentist, but also afforded him invaluable real-world experience his future dental school peers may not yet have.

“This allowed me to broaden my horizons and truly ‘see’ what the dental field is all about.” — CJ Widdifield '16

“Reaching out and making this happen was my job, and after searching for the right people, I was able to learn a lot about my field prior to starting dental school, putting me ahead of others in my class,” he says. 

From psychologically thinking about how to approach a patient to understanding the science behind a procedure, Widdifield’s classroom experience prepared him for the challenges of taking on an internship as an undergraduate. 

“While for others college trains you for your career, college prepped me for further schooling, and making connections that I can make to my desired profession an intriguing and driving factor in my journey to becoming a dentist,” he says.