Tooth Talk: Q&A with William Farroll DMD 26
In our new Q&A series, “Tooth Talk,” we are sitting down with GSDM students and residents to learn more about their paths to Boston University, their time at GSDM, and how they have made Boston their home.
For the third edition, we spoke with William Farroll DMD 26. He shared his love for pediatric dentistry and how he found his niche groups within the GSDM community.
Questions and responses have been edited for clarity, context information, and length.
How did you first know you wanted to become a dentist?
I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. I had a wonderful pediatric dentist growing up. When I was in high school, I was at the dentist one day and my dentist asked if I wanted to come in and see what he did and help around the office. I went in and just shadowed him for a day, and I was like, ‘Wow, I really, really want to do this.’
How did your undergraduate experience continue to influence your dental journey?
I went to the University of Tulsa in Tulsa, Oklahoma for my bachelor’s degree. I lived there for a year after [graduating] and worked as a dental assistant in a pediatric office. Additionally, I was coaching lacrosse [while I was in college], and there were a bunch of parents [of kids on my team] who were dentists. They found out that I was interested in dentistry, and they have been a bunch of great mentors who have just kind of fallen into my lap.
What brought you to Boston and GSDM?
When I was in high school, I originally wanted to come to the Northeast for college, but I switched to Tulsa at the last minute. I met my now-fiancée when I was in college, and she’s a PhD student in aerospace engineering. [When] she was applying to graduate school, she got into MIT [to do a PhD in aerospace engineering], but at that point, I hadn’t gotten in anywhere close to her. I applied to GSDM because I knew it was a good school. I had friends that went to BU and I was really interested in coming here. When she got into MIT, I knew it would be perfect if I could go to GSDM.
What has your time at GSDM been like so far?
I love it here. I love my class, and I love the interclass connectedness that’s here. I feel like there’s not a single person I can’t at least talk to. I also absolutely love Boston. It’s a wonderful city to live in. Specifically, I think the friendships that I’ve made, the people who I’ve met, and the mentors I’ve met here too have been wonderful. The faculty here are amazing and I honestly can’t even imagine dental school anywhere else. It’s just been a wonderful three years so far.
I know you are in your third year with another year to go before commencement but are you planning on doing a specialty?
Before I even got into dental school, I knew I wanted to be a pediatric dentist. The energy kids bring in day in and day out is so fun for me. I love the work that pediatric dentists do. I think prevention is really important in dentistry and education. If you can get that information at an early age, I think it sets people up for lifelong health goals.
How are you involved with GSDM student organizations?
I joined American Dental Education Association (BU ADEA) my first year. I was a general member for the first two years. Now I’m on the board. I’m the third-year clinic coordinator for ADEA. I help put on events for the D1s and D2s where we have some upperclassmen and TAs come and help them practice for lab exams. I work along with the fourth-year clinical coordinator and the advanced standing clinical coordinator to plan those events. I’m involved in the Pediatric Dentistry Study Club. I’m also a National Health Service Corps (NHSC) scholar.
What has your experience with ADEA been like?
I love the teaching aspect, and I love being able to help the younger students. It’s just been wonderful to have a group of people who are all passionate about teaching. I think teaching and pediatric dentistry go hand in hand. It‘s been really nice to cross over the two. At GSDM, it’s amazing to find the community within the community.
Do you feel your involvement with NHSC has also allowed you to connect with peers?
NHSC is another little community within the GSDM community. I think I’m actually the only one in my class in NHSC, but the class above me has six scholars. It’s nice to have a niche of people you get to talk to that have this same experience of what they’re going to do after school.
If you could give advice to either a pre-dental student or someone who is interested in GSDM, what advice would you give them?
There’s a lot of stress that goes into applying to dental school and finishing college. I tell everyone that if you just do one step every day, if you just break it down into small chunks and try and accomplish something small every day, it makes big projects feel a lot more manageable. For pre-dental, and even first– and second–year dental, students, I think taking big things and breaking them up into small chunks makes dental school easier. It makes life probably a lot easier too. Also, finding people who have done it before and finding mentors is so important.
Getting familiar with Boston is one of the many perks of being part of the GSDM community. To end our conversation on a fun note, where is your favorite Boston neighborhood?
I lived in Beacon Hill for two years before I moved to Cambridge this past year. Beacon Hill is the best area of Boston, in my opinion, because Charles Street, is where there are great coffee shops and restaurants. In the winter when there’s no tourists, it’s amazing.