At the beginning of the semester, I felt rather confident in my biology knowledge because of my prior coursework as a biology major, but I approached my learning as a process of memorization, not application. Through my capstone work, I became better at this, framing concepts and mechanisms within the context of larger biological systems. My annotated bibliography and literature review especially helped me develop this skill by working on synthesizing information, and working to truly understand it. One assignment that really helped me grow was my mini manuscript because I had to connect biological mechanisms to actual data and explain how chronic inflammation could contribute to neurodegenerative disease. This pushed me to think more deeply about biology instead of just repeating information from articles. I also became more comfortable recognizing the limitations of scientific research, and causation is a lot harder to prove than anticipated. Every article I read noticed a relationship between periodontitis and Alzheimer’s disease, but none of them could definitively prove that periodontitis was a causal factor of Alzheimer’s disease. These assignments helped me become a better problem solver and innovator. I still think I can grow in applying biological knowledge more independently, especially in more advanced research settings. As I prepare for dental school, I want to keep improving my ability to connect biological concepts to patient care and clinical decision-making.

At the start of the course, I was less confident working with data than I was reading scientific articles. I could usually understand conclusions from studies, but I wasn’t very confident interpreting statistics or presenting data myself. My mini manuscript and research poster helped me improve the most in this area because I had to analyze a simulated dataset and explain what the results actually meant, developing my problem solving and communication ability. Using Welch’s t-tests in my manuscript helped me better understand how statistical analysis supports scientific conclusions. Creating the research poster also challenged me to communicate data visually in a way that was easy to understand. In my literature review, I practiced evaluating the quality of evidence and recognizing limitations like confounding variables and reverse causality. Even though I’ve improved, I still see data analysis as an area where I can continue growing. I want to become more confident interpreting larger and more complex datasets and feel more independent when using evidence to support conclusions.

Scientific communication was probably one of the areas where I grew the most. At the beginning of the semester, I was much more comfortable writing traditional papers than presenting information in different formats. I also struggled with confidence in oral communication and talking about myself. Assignments like the editorial and research poster really pushed me outside my comfort zone. The editorial helped me learn how to communicate scientific ideas to a more general audience using language that was clear and meaningful. The poster challenged me to present information visually and keep things concise without losing important details. My literature review and mini manuscript also helped me improve my scientific writing by making my organization clearer and my explanations more focused. Writing my personal statement was especially important for me because it forced me to reflect on my experiences and explain why I want to become a dentist. I still want to continue improving my oral communication skills, especially for presentations and interviews, but I definitely feel more confident than I did at the beginning of the semester.

Critical Thinking & Synthesis has always been one of my stronger areas, but this capstone experience helped me strengthen it even more. Before the semester started, I already felt comfortable reading multiple sources and connecting ideas together. However, this experience made me think more critically about the quality of evidence and how complicated scientific relationships can be. My literature review helped me grow the most in this area because I had to compare competing explanations, identify gaps in research, and distinguish between correlation and causation. In my annotated bibliography, I practiced comparing studies and recognizing contradictions between mechanisms like inflammation versus bacteremia. My mini manuscript also pushed me to connect statistical results back to biological meaning instead of just reporting numbers. All of these assignments helped me develop my identity as a problem solver. I still want to continue improving my ability to apply critical thinking in more real-world and clinical situations. As a future dentist, I know it will be important to evaluate new research and make informed decisions based on evidence.

Professionalism & Ethics was one of the areas I felt most confident in before starting the capstone because of my experiences as a recitation leader, shift leader, and clinical coordinator. Those roles taught me responsibility, communication, teamwork, and professionalism in both academic and healthcare settings. One assignment that especially contributed to my growth was my editorial on stigma in opioid use disorder. Writing it made me think more deeply about how language affects patients and reinforced the importance of empathy and person-first communication in healthcare, emphasizing my development as a community contributor. My literature review and annotated bibliography also helped strengthen my understanding of academic integrity and responsible use of scientific evidence.

Reflection & Career Readiness was definitely the area I felt least confident in at the start of the semester. I’ve always struggled with self-reflection and talking about myself because I can be very self-conscious. However, this capstone experience helped me become more comfortable recognizing my growth and connecting my experiences to my future goals. Writing my personal statement and reflective synthesis helped me the most in this area because they forced me to think more deeply about why I want to become a dentist and how my experiences have shaped that goal. Creating my CV also helped me realize how much I’ve actually done throughout undergrad and how those experiences connect to my future career. Even though reflection is still something I struggle with, I feel much more confident than I did at the beginning of the semester. I know self-reflection and communication will continue to be important as I apply to dental school and eventually work with patients. Moving forward, I want to continue becoming more confident in advocating for myself and communicating my strengths clearly and authentically.