A-Level Art

 

Going into university to study dentistry, as expected, my science A levels helped me start off the course. However it was Art that gave me an advantage when transitioning into the course and university.

I found myself applying the same skills I had used and developed in Art. Whilst experimenting with etchings and photograms, I learnt to pay attention to the shadows and negative space, the same skills needed to be able to successfully read off a radiograph. The disciplines needed in colour mixing were mimicked when mixing up different tooth filings that require precise measurements. And of course, having had experience with sculpture and creating models in Art, I had a better understanding of creating things in a three-dimensional form. And since teeth aren’t 2D, I’ll be using this skill when trying to rebuild someone’s tooth out of amalgam because they didn’t brush their teeth properly.

But ultimately, it was the independent nature of Art that helped me the most when adjusting to university. Unlike most “text book” subjects that give students a checklist of things needed to pass, Art requires you to think for yourself. I learnt how to manage my time well, how to set my own goals and how to explore and research about different ideas in order to strengthen my own. And these were the skills that helped me the most when easing into university, because you no longer have a mark scheme that you can memorise, you no longer have teachers making sure you’re on top of work and you no longer have one simple textbook where you can get all your information from. Doing Art for A level ended up not only being my much-needed refuge in school, but also ended up being the one subject where I learnt skills that I utilise during university.

 

Shahzeen Imran Rasool