The Dental College of Georgia (DCG) chapter of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA) hosted its 26th annual Impressions Day on Feb. 15, an opportunity for over 200 pre-dental students to visit DCG and experience a day in the life of a dental student.
The program is orchestrated by current dental students to give prospective students career exposure, with hands-on activities including drilling and filling fake teeth and making alginate impressions.
Hands-on dental practice for students
SNDA chapter president, Aliyah Hill, said that this was her third year helping run the event, after her first year attending as a pre-dental student.
“It’s full circle for me…I remember sitting in this exact same place doing what they’re doing and thinking to myself, I could see myself there,” Hill said.
Hill said the hands-on portion of the event gives students a chance to see what they’ll be working with in a career.
“It’s nice to get that feel of what that feels like here in the classroom setting, because before you know it you’ll be in the clinic doing the exact same thing on your patients,” she said.
Impressions Day 2025 was high energy, with experienced students and faculty sharing their perspectives with newcomers.
“My personal favorite thing about Impressions Day is the number of students who are available to just talk to you,” Hill said. “When I came as a pre-dental student I picked their brains, I asked as many questions as I could…I kind of felt like, it gave community. I felt like everyone here had a place here.”
Newcomer perspectives
Visiting students Colby Fanning said that she hopes to follow in her mother’s footsteps by working in the medical field.
“It’s been awesome,” she said about Impressions Day. “Everyone here is so happy, and like, they’re all volunteering their time to do this.”
Rohan Wadhwani said he would like to someday open his own dental practice in the Atlanta metro area. He said his experience at Impressions Day was “amazing.”
“We get to meet a whole bunch of people that have the same interests as us. And we get to work hands-on with specific dentistry skills,” he said.
