Studying a practical degree such as dentistry I would have expected more to be in person. So far in my first year, I’ve had less than 20 lectures in person. In addition one of my essays that went to my final first-year grade was a shadow report. This involved shadowing current students in clinics and reflecting on how they communicate with patients. However, due to the school’s worries with covid, we were not allowed in the clinic and instead had to base our essays on videos made by lectures. These fake scenarios didn’t give us a true insight into what it’s like in the dental hospital and interacting with real people.