Student Starts School News Blog to Rekindle Her Love of Writing

Varsha Agnihotri, editor of the Dental Post Varsha Agnihotri, editor of the Dental Post

As a high schooler in Old Bridge, Varsha Agnihotri loved writing essays and short stories. But once she enrolled at Rutgers New Brunswick to focus on cell biology and neuroscience, writing stopped being a past time.

A recent chance to pen a few paragraphs in honor of a friend's wedding reminded her of what she was missing. "I tried to think of a way I could start writing again,'' says Agnihotri, a third-year student at RSDM.

She decided to give journalism a try with the Dental Post, RSDM's student news blog, which includes features on life during and after dental school and stories about trends in dental care, such as Cody Ching's report on the risks of  temporary DIY fillings, now available at drug stores.

The logo for the Dental Post. The logo for the Dental Post.

So far, Agnihotri has produced four Dental Post issues -- including articles she's written herself, such as her student loan series.

The response has been positive, she says, and readership has been building for the Post's monthly newsletter.

Agnihotri admits that it hasn't always being an editor and a dental student -- "I could never have done this in my first or second year''-- she exclaims.

But taking a break from the clinic floor and lecture hall was critical for her. "You just can't study around the clock. I make time to do this just like I make time to go out on Friday nights,'' she says. "If you don't, you go crazy.''