Celyn Tan

About me

Heya, I'm Celyn! I'm currently in my fourth year of Dental Surgery at the University of Otago. I'm originally from Singapore and came through the HSFY pathway, so I also have experience with foundation studies if that's something you're looking into. I try my best to keep a balanced lifestyle outside of study, which can definitely be a challenge in a degree like this, and I want to provide the kind of help I would have wanted during HSFY. I know it can feel daunting having to figure out your whole career path at 18, but there is so much more to it than that, and I'm excited to help you navigate your journey!

My uni experience

Fourth year has been the most demanding so far. Managing clinics on top of keeping up with lectures means we're essentially at university from 8am to 5pm most days. It's a high workload but still manageable. Second and third year were a lot more relaxed and well-paced by comparison. Honestly, I love the clinical side of things because seeing patients makes the lecture content click in a way it doesn't when you're just studying from notes. I stayed in Caroline Freeman College in a double ensuite room in first year. The food was pretty similar to other halls, nothing spectacular, but there were good social events to meet new people. One big bonus was having in-house tutorials for HSFY, which were really useful for getting questions answered. I keep my social schedule pretty packed and try to make the most of weekends to recharge for the week ahead. I'm also president of the Otago Singapore Club, which has been a great experience. Joining clubs is honestly one of the best things you can do at university for meeting people outside of your degree.

Hobbies

Keeping consistent with the gym, running (I recently joined a run club!), baking and cooking, crocheting and knitting. I'm also convinced the crocheting is good practice for dental dexterity.