anahorvath.com

Tag: Ana Horvath

  • A Refresh of anahorvath.com

    A Refresh of anahorvath.com

    WOW. The last time you heard from me was March 26, 2023. It is now February 17, 2025. So it’s been a minute. Looking at where things are, I realized I wanted to refresh anahorvath.com and see what new directions and places I can take my blog and this website.

    Let’s catch up, shall we? Since March 2023, I survived the nightmare that is the second year of dental school, started seeing my own patients in clinic, and can’t believe that I recently set my dates for taking the INBDE (Integrated National Board Dental Examination). We are over the hill in dental school which just blows my mind. I’m currently working on my first set of dentures and slowly but surely, I’m getting through all the requirements that come with graduating with my DDS. I’m also currently in the process of preparing to apply to orthodontics residencies coming up very very soon and look forward to the adventures that come with that.

    In my personal life, things have been pretty decent. Boo, my sweet little mini dachshund is now 14. My Taylor Swift-loving, screeching, fun, little green-cheeked conure Bobo is now 7. Pets make life so much better. I spent last spring break in Las Vegas which was a very fun and exciting trip! My aunt, uncle, sister, and I saw Blue Man Group, Ka (a Cirque de Soleil show), and walked pretty much the entire strip. We enjoyed the views from the High Roller, even if it was a rainy day, and experienced the Sphere from the inside and out. Personally, the Sphere is overrated. Much cooler from the outside if you ask me.

    What were some of the highlights from the Vegas trip?

    -Primrose at Park MGM. Great breakfast spot and it was away from the casino smells. Super cute atmosphere.
    -The gardens at the Bellagio. The theme changes each season and I just loved all the floral arrangements. The wisteria and hydrangeas were my personal favorites.
    -The Princess Diana exhibit at the Shops at Crystals. I’ve always had a fascination with the British royal family. This was a great exhibit. Also- if you’re into the fashion of the British royal family, this is definitely the thing to do. They even had a few of Kate’s dresses.
    -Blue Man Group. One of the performers came up and took a selfie with my sister and I! Super cool show.
    -Ka. I hadn’t seen a Cirque de Soleil show until Vegas and now I don’t know that anything will live up to this. It was incredible.

    I turned 25 this last October and took a girls’ trip to Miami to see the ERAS TOUR. Oh my goodness, probably one of the best nights of my life if not the best to-date. Taylor Swift is an incredible performer and Gracie Abrams was an incredible opener. If there’s any interest in a post about the concert, I am more than happy to share. I have SO many pictures and videos hahaha.

    So you might be asking yourself, what’s next for anahorvath.com. To be honest, I hope that I can continue to share my life happenings and travel adventures. But in addition, now that I’m almost through with dental school, I don’t see why I don’t include more dental content. If I can provide some evidence-based dentistry to you all every once in a while, I think that would be really cool. If there’s anything in particular anyone is wanting to know, please reach out- whether that’s dentistry-related or something else.

    Looking forward to more adventures!

  • Here’s to You, 2022

    Happy New Year everyone!! I know we’ve now started a new year, but I just wanted to take time in this post to share a little bit of my 2022 with you all. So I made a video! Enjoy and best wishes in 2023. ❤️

  • I’m a College Graduate!

    I’m a College Graduate!

    It’s official now. I am a Colorado State University alumni and a college graduate! Yesterday, I graduated from Colorado State University with a bachelors of science in biological sciences and a double minor in business administration and chemistry. Let’s go class of 2021!!

    On Friday, my family and I went to an honors recognition ceremony for me being a graduate of the university honor’s program. The ceremony was pretty small, which we all enjoyed and I got a medal that I wore for graduation from it! There was also cake, and I joked with my family that the honors program does one thing right for certain- there’s always good food or good cake at every honors event. I was not wrong. While it was stupid cold and windy that day, we still braved the weather to go take a couple of pictures with my medal and some of my regalia around campus. After our chilly little photoshoot we went to lunch at a place I really like in Old Town Fort Collins called Union. If you’re in Fort Collins, first, I recommend going to Old Town. It’s so cute. Second, definitely go to Union. They have great food. I had a Monte Cristo for first time there and it was pretty yummy! Friday night, we picked up my aunt and uncle from the airport. My aunt and uncle came to spend the graduation weekend with us and a few days following! I’m very excited they’re here and I’m thrilled to get to spend some good time with them for a few more days!!

    college graduate

    December 18, 2021 was a really good day. I woke up when I always do and from the moment I got up, I had to start getting ready for graduation. Yes, the ceremony was at 1 pm but I was at home already and line-up started at 11:30 for us, so that meant I had to leave by 10:15 am if I wanted to be there when I did. Around 10:15, we left and were just in time. I met with a couple of friends before the ceremony and just like that it was 1 pm, my feet were still doing ok (yes I did choose to wear open-toed three-and-a-half inch heels to graduation), and it was go time!

    college graduate

    The ceremony was wonderful, despite the fact that I had to wear a mask the entire time. We all did. I’m just thankful that I had the opportunity to actually graduate in person. I worked too hard to not get to celebrate in person!! I saw some of my previous professors from general biology and organic chemistry at the ceremony and that made it a bit more fun too. And after the ceremony, I took more pictures with family and friends and then my family and I went to Ted’s for dinner back home!

    It’s crazy to think that my undergraduate journey has now come to an end and that I’m now a college graduate. I’m incredibly thankful for all of the opportunities I had at Colorado State University and I am even more grateful to have met the people that I did. I complained a lot about the rigor and load I dealt with throughout university, but in the end it was all ok. I finished strong and I couldn’t be more proud of the work that I did. Not only that, but I finished a semester early. Pretty cool stuff. And with that chapter finished, I get to wait to start the next one now! Dental school, here I come!!

    college graduate
    Me and my sister 🙂

    I hope you all have an excellent week and a very Merry Christmas! If you also graduated this weekend or are graduating this semester too, congrats grad! We did it! Stay warm and stay healthy everyone! ❤️

  • I’M GOING TO DENTAL SCHOOL!!

    Well, based on the title of this week’s post I think you all have a pretty good idea of what’s going on. I’m going to dental school!! I am so excited to announce that this past Wednesday, I received an offer from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine to start in the fall.

    The past week, and particularly the days leading up to this past Wednesday, were interesting for me. I became increasingly stressed as decision day crept closer and closer. I really didn’t expect to hear back on the first day to possibly hear back but I’m glad I did. On Tuesday night, I called my mom on my way back from tutoring anatomy and she could tell just how stressed and worried I was. She told me to stop worrying otherwise I would probably make myself sick. She was so right on that too. My heart was racing and I was definitely on my way to a stress headache or something. So, Wednesday morning I woke up and thought nothing of dental schools or acceptance letters.

    But there was something inclining me to check my application page. Something deep down was teasing me, telling me to just take a peek and see if anything new showed up on my status page. I tried to ignore these feelings and did some yoga that morning, but all I could think about was whether or not I would hear back that day which was horrible. Right after I finished my flow for the day, I made a bee-line for my laptop and went right to the status page on my laptop. And that’s when the world stopped. Under the University of Colorado, it said “Offer made” and I started to cry.

    If I’m being honest, I didn’t think I had the best chance of getting into dental school. I’m a good student and I make good grades, but so do a lot of other people applying to dental school. I’m hard working and responsible and organized and detail-oriented, but so is the majority of the applicant pool for dental school! As decision day approached, I remember even starting to see what other options I had beside dentistry with my degree because I really wasn’t very sure of myself. Getting that offer has changed my perspective on myself. I am capable of doing hard things. I am good enough. I am smart enough. I am worthy and deserving of everything I have worked toward.

    Wednesday morning ended up being really special to me and it turned into a really good day in general too. My friends, sister, and I went to Dutch Bros like we always do at the beginning of the month for free stickers and that’s when I told everyone I had been accepted. I received a call from one of the professors at the dental school, congratulating me and letting me know how much he appreciated our conversation during my interview. I was with my friends and sister in the car when I got that call and I will never forget how we all screamed when I got off of the phone. I received so much support and love that day and it really touched me in ways that I don’t even think I can comprehend or thank everyone for enough. Later that evening, I also happened to receive an acceptance notification and offer from Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of University of Southern California which I am so honored to have received. Receiving two offers to two incredible dental schools is something that I am so grateful for. Despite the fact that I received an offer from USC, I will be attending University of Colorado, sticking closer to home. 😊

    So with the end of my application journey comes another one! Dr. Ana Horvath DDS coming to a dental world near you (give me about 7 more years though because I want to go to into orthodontics so it’s gonna take a bit)! Before I end this post, I just want you all to know that you are also more than capable of anything you set your mind to. You are smart. You are deserving. You are also capable of doing hard things and absolutely crushing them. Have a wonderful week. ❤️

    I'm going to dental school!!

  • My First Interview with a Dental School!!

    Hi everyone! I hope you had a beautiful week. This week was a good one for me. I had my first exam for a class on Friday last week and I’m currently getting ready to go into my first interview with a dental school. I’m so excited to announce this and feel incredibly honored to say that I have received an invitation to interview with Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC!

    I applied to five schools overall: Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC, Texas A&M College of Dentistry, University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC College of Dentistry), Creighton University School of Dentistry, and University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. I would be an amazing opportunity to attend any of these schools and I feel so excited and encouraged to have received even one interview. In addition to this interview, I actually also heard back from University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, and I will be attending their interview this upcoming week as well.

    Regarding my interview with USC, that begins today at 2 pm. I will be doing a written assessment and MMI interview which I believe will involve a variety of questions regarding difficult situations and scenarios. I will be limited in the time I have to prepare my answers and then deliver them so that my answer is the most candid answer I produce. I will be very curious to see what I am asked! As far as I know, I will not be interviewed directly by their admissions committee, but they will review all of my answers. I then have an admissions presentation to watch today as well. Tomorrow I will complete my interview with USC in a group setting. I look forward to the opportunity I have with USC and regardless of the outcome, it is so encouraging for me to have had the chance to interview with a school like Herman Ostrow.

    Before I received both of my interview invites, I was really starting to doubt myself. I’ve always known that I’m smart. While I don’t always admit it, I would really consider myself an incredibly hard-working, persistent, and intelligent person. But when you apply to dental school, you’re not the only hard-working, persistent, and smart person in the room. I started to worry that maybe I’m not good enough and I started to think that maybe I would never hear back. God works in funny ways though. The night before I received my interview invitation from USC, I sat in my apartment crying as I looked back over my application status, seeing that nothing had changed. Yes, I understood that it would take awhile for me to hear back from schools or that I may never hear back. But with that being said, I had read over a forum for prospective dental students that mentioned that all the schools I applied to with the exception of University of Colorado had supposedly already been sending out interview invitations since late July. I thought that maybe I was behind. Maybe I really wasn’t good enough. And then a little glimmer of hope appeared the next day after I got back from my morning classes. I received the good news from USC.

    interview with a dental school

    If I have learned anything during this dental school application process, it is that this process is my own journey. While other people may find it helpful to others to let them know when they’ve received interview invites or even helpful to their own confidence to brag to the world about what all they’ve got going for them, then more power to them. I’m going to take this journey as my own thing. I’m going to be thankful and grateful for every opportunity I get. Of course I will support people I know that are along for the same ride; they deserve all the best!! But maybe I also deserve the best. I have worked so hard to get to the point I have and I hope I get the chance to see that hard work pay off.

    I’m gonna go give this interview with a dental school my all now and keep you all updated on how it goes now. Have a great week everyone! And to those of you also applying to dental school or even medical school or some other graduate program, keep your heads up and keep chasing your dreams. We can do this. 🙂

  • Last First Day of School! Last First Day of School!

    last first day of school

    For those of you who don’t know, I’m graduating from Colorado State University this fall! Needless to say, I am VERY excited. So, this past week, I had my last first day of school. Or at least, my last first day of undergrad.

    I’m taking thirteen credits this semester in addition to tutoring anatomy eight hours a week. I’m taking human nutrition, pathology, genetics, and my senior honors seminar on the Cold War. Things were off to a pretty good start this week and I’m very excited to see where things go this semester.

    We are required to wear masks within all university buildings and there was a vaccination requirement in order for us to take classes this semester (unless we wanted to be tested twice a week and fill out exemption paperwork). I’m just hoping that I can have a semi-normal graduation at the end of this semester and walk away with opportunities for dental school.

    While this may be my last first day of undergrad and I’m considered a senior and “big dog” on campus, I’m really not feeling that. In my honors seminar this past week, a couple of the other students were mentioning that the senioritis is kicking in hard and it made me laugh hearing that again. I remember when everyone brought that up in high school and then, I could agree. Now though, I’m ready to kick things into high gear and just get going. I’m looking forward to a good semester and I’ll keep you all updated on how things go. For now, cheers to those of you also celebrating your last first day of school, have a great week, and go Rams!!

  • A Brand New Name!

    So you might have noticed, but after seven years, my blog has a brand new name!! Welcome to According to Ana. 🙂

    I’ve been thinking about changing the name for quite a while now, but just recently it felt like the time to do it. The blog is now seven years old and it just felt like time for a change. It also felt like the time for a good makeover. I hope you’re all liking the new format just fine! Same goes for the name! If you happen to find any weird bugs or link issues, feel free to reach out and I’ll see what I can do about it. The last time I updated the format here, things got a little wonky with some of the links and pictures, but it’s an easy fix. 😉

    This past week I finished one of my summer classes, worked out, and spent a lot of good time outside. There goes another week of this summer! It’s crazy how time flies when you’re having fun. This past Sunday, on the Fourth of July, it was great to be able to spend time with my family watching the fireworks again. My hometown did a great show. Exciting little story with that actually: they had to break the fireworks show up into two parts because halfway through, something exploded on the ground and for the safety of the crew handling everything, they stopped the show, contained that, certified that the rest of the show was good to go, and then continued. My family and I had left after the first half, only to realize that they were continuing by the time we were almost home and lost our great seats. We still got to see the big finale though and it was great. 🙂 I’m just glad everyone was ok!

    Again I hope you all like the new name and I’m excited for this fun little change! I hope you all have a wonderful week and I’ll see you next Sunday!

  • Another Year, Another Blogaversary

    So last year I missed my own blogaversary and that was a little sad. In all the world’s chaos, I just skipped right past it, oh man. Not this year though! Today, or at least within a few days of me posting this, anahorvath.com turns SEVEN!! That’s so crazy to me.

    First and foremost, I wanted to say thanks for being here! I’ve really enjoyed this blogging journey and I’ve really had a lot of fun sharing my life and my advice with you all. I hope it’s something you’ve enjoyed too. 🙂 A blogaversary is kind of a fun little day for me. It’s not the biggest thing in the world but it reminds of the day something really fun and special began for me: this blog and my website in general!

    another blogaversary

    Something I’ve been doing a lot lately is going back through some of my really old posts. I’ve come a looooong way as a writer, let me tell you. At the time, I definitely thought that writing was something good and life-changing, but now looking back on it, little freshman in high school Ana had a LOT of work to do. If you’re ever interested, a good chunk of my really old posts are still up, but I’m not sure how much longer I’ll leave those up. I’ve been cleaning out some of my really old posts, just to keep my blog looking a little cleaner and it’s been comical to read through my old stuff. A fun trip down memory lane too!

    So here’s to more years of anahorvath.com!! Please feel free to reach out if you want me to write about something or even if you just want to say hi! I’d love to hear from you all. Feel free to check out my contact page and reach me there or find me on Instagram at anahorvathh (yes there are two H’s!) Have a great week and I’ll see you next weekend! 🙂

  • I’m Back!

    I'm back

    Happy New Year everyone! I apologize for being gone for a bit but I needed some time to focus on my academics and also family and personal life for a bit. I’m back now though! I’m back and hopefully you won’t have to deal with hearing anything else about big stressful tests for a while. 🙂 I just thought this week I would do a little update on where I’m at and just wish you all the best for 2021.

    Christmas was quiet but very good. My family and I had a wonderful breakfast and included my great aunt’s cheesy potato recipe. We used to go to her house Christmas mornings when visiting family in New Mexico and so it has been nice to keep some parts of our old traditions in our Christmases the past two years we haven’t been to New Mexico. We also Skyped with my aunt and uncle that live in New Mexico and enjoyed opening presents with them. I really hope I can see family in person soon and I bet many of you can agree with me on that! Basically right after I finished opening presents, I spent the rest of Christmas Day studying as much organic chemistry and math as I could to feel decent going into my DAT the next day.

    I finished strong with my fall semester. I still made the Dean’s List (despite my B in anatomy) and my other grades looked really good too which I am super thankful for. Following my semester, I had a few weeks to really study hard and prepare for the Dental Admissions Test, which is also known as the DAT (I referred to it as the DAT above). I had been preparing to originally take the DAT in August but I wasn’t feeling ready so I made the decision to reschedule my test to December 26th, the day after Christmas. Throughout my semester, I dedicated a lot of time to reviewing material for the DAT, but when I was finally free from my schoolwork, that’s when the hardcore studying really kicked in. And I’m happy to report that all that hard work really paid off. 🙂 If I’m being honest, I thought I was going to have to retake the test but I scored above average so I’m really pleased with how I did.

    Finishing out 2020 was very low-key. I spent a lot of time just recovering from all the stress and exhaustion associated with the DAT and playing tennis with my dad and sister. We rang in the new year with sparkling cider and that’s basically where I’m at right now. For next year, I think I’ve decided that I’m going to call it good around 10 pm on New Year’s Eve. I STRUGGLED to stay up til midnight if I’m being honest.

    With the beginning of 2021 there was a lot that happened in our nation’s Capitol. In response to it, I just want remind you all that it is important to be respectful and it is important to be kind. I understand the frustration. I understand the anger. From both sides! There is a lot done by our government that is right and there is a lot that needs to be improved. There is absolutely no justification for breaking into and vandalizing the Capitol building however. That is low. If we want change, we must first go with clear heads and then make the decision to respect ourselves and others.

    I wish you all the best in 2021 and I really really hope that it’s not 2020 part 2. I’m glad to be back and I hope you all will still around for another year of blogging. Have a good week and I’ll see you all next Sunday! 🙂

  • 21!! Almost…

    This weekend has been such a fun weekend, mostly because my family and I decided to celebrate my 21st birthday! I officially turn 21 on October 20th (this Tuesday) but we decided to celebrate a little bit early since I won’t be home on my actual birthday because of school.

    Friday, my mom and sister treated me to Chick-Fil-A and Starbucks after I finished my macroeconomics recitation which is always a good time. I really like their spicy chicken sandwich with pepper jack cheese. Yummy! 🙂 Definitely not the most healthy meal but it tasted good and that’s what matters haha. The rest of Friday was spent doing a lot of homework just so I could spend more time doing other things over the weekend.

    Yesterday morning, I worked out and then my dad and I went to pick up my cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes. My aunt and uncle are always so sweet to get me a cake for my birthday. I love the tradition and I especially love the cream cheese frosting on Nothing Bundt Cakes. It’s so sweet but so good. I went with a pumpkin spice cake, because who wouldn’t in the fall? It was a super pretty cake and I’m very thankful that my aunt and uncle think about me. I just wish they could be here to enjoy it with us. 🙂 We played tennis yesterday and then later in the day, my sister and I got Clubhouse Games on our Switch and practically played that for the rest of the day. Clubhouse Games basically just has a bunch of games like mancala, checkers, chess, and Yatzhee. Very classical but super fun!

    Saturday night, we went to Ted’s Montana Grill, one of my favorite restaurants and my mom let me try some of her margarita. Yes, I’m technically still 20 but I’m so close to 21, we figured it was ok. Anyway, 10/10 do not recommend tequila. I like the lemony-lime taste of margaritas but the alcohol part I’m less happy about. Dinner was great and back at home, we had cake and I tried another tiny amount of alcohol, this time Baileys. Again, 10/10 do not recommend. I hated the burning feeling it gave me in the throat. The taste itself wasn’t horrible but I just think I’m never really going to be that much of a drinker and that’s ok! I know that alcohol typically tends to be a theme when people turn 21 and I’ve just never been that interested or curious. I was yesterday for a little bit but I think I confirmed my theories and know that I just won’t be doing what a lot of other kids my age are doing and I’m perfectly happy with that.

    Sunday morning, my mom and I did some grocery shopping before heading back to school and I got my gifts from my family. Beside the cute new pair of boots I got, I’m really excited to play around with my new Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. It’s such a cute little thing and I’m most excited to use it to track my workouts and see how active I am, especially doing online school for the most part.

    More than anything, I was just happy to spend some good time with my family and friends this past weekend to celebrate something special. Birthdays are always fun but they mostly remind me of how loved and supported I am and it really means a lot to me. I don’t say that to brag or make an attempt at showing how amazing my life is, but I say that because sometimes we struggle to feel loved and appreciated, and it’s during special celebrations like this that I’m reminded of how wonderful my family is and how much they mean to me.

    I hope you all have a wonderful week! Cheers to (almost) being 21!