Frank Sinatra sings ¨New York, New York¨ constantly in my mind as I have long dreamed of making New York City my home. My first choice for Dental School is NYU. When I was in the first grade in my native Poland, it was trendy to write diary entries, and I wrote: ¨I want to be a dentist and live in New York¨. Since then, I have remained convinced that NYC is the most fantastic city in the world - and my dream is now more vivid and alive than ever before. At NYU, I want to learn how to become the most effective and compassionate dentist possible. I want to ´make it´ in NYC by learning to provide optimal dental care to as many New Yorkers as possible. This is how I sing, and I sing best in NY.
I hope to pursue my dental education in the heart of Manhattan at NYU. It is a perfect place for students from Europe like me who are most comfortable in an environment characterized by great cultural diversity. I picture myself interacting with people of many different ethnicities and places of origin and learning more about their cultures and unique oral health issues in their home countries. I see NYU as the perfect place to expand my horizons and think globally about dentistry, everyday learning to practice more effectively so that I can become a dentist for all. At NYU, the third oldest dental school in the USA, one also receives a history lesson everywhere you look. I deeply respect the program at NYU for educating no less than 10% of American dentists; I also very much admire the tremendous amount of innovative research in Dentistry that goes on at NYU. I appreciate the large patient pool, among the most diverse in the world, and the vast opportunities for professional development afforded to students at NYU.
I find the prospect of four years of education in one of the largest dental school programs in the country to be delightful, for where there are large numbers of students, there are many resources and opportunities. I look forward to making friends worldwide who share my passion for dentistry and caring for the underserved. I love the modern facilities and want to take full advantage of innovative technology, and I hope to build a professional network at NYU that will last a lifetime.
One of the doctors I worked with, Dr. ____ ____, attended dental school at NYU and has a practice in Manhattan. He only speaks of NYU Dentistry in superlatives. He likes to say that the city and the school combined make NYU the best place to study Dentistry in the world. He declared his clinical experience at NYU to be top-notch, and he graduated with significant hands-on exposure. He even gained experience with lasers, CAD/CAM, and the best materials.
I live in Queens with my mother, which would be an easy commute to school on the subway. This would enable me to concentrate on my studies 24/7 with no distractions or worries – and still have an early breakfast with my best friend every day, my mom. Not long after coming to the United States, we walked past NYU, and she told me that she hoped one day I would be able to study there. If accepted, we plan the happiest breakfast in Queens before heading to Manhattan.
We both thank you for considering my application.
This applicant made the first cut at NYU and asked me to provide her with answers to additional questions as follows.
Covid-19 has negatively impacted me, my family, and my friends, as it has with most people. Every day in my living building, somebody was taken out in a black body bag. 'Back home' in Poland, my family and friends in Europe were also hard hit by the pandemic. Two of my family members died of COVID-19.
The suspension of face-to-face learning during my last semester of college in the Spring of 2020 was a blow to my education. I missed the interaction with classmates and with professors. I have always treasured each moment I listen to a professor providing me with counsel, playing it repeatedly in my mind - emails are not the same. I took a Biochemistry course which I started with strong A grades. Then the semester went online for the remainder of the semester. I lost the ability to interact with the professor. I was hoping to receive a letter of recommendation from Dr. ____. The pandemic made it more difficult to ask him for this favor.
Concerning my employment, I could not continue tutoring children in their homes as before, which resulted in the loss of my primary income for an extended time. But I found another income source, helping undergraduate students with Chemistry courses. I saved several students from dropping the course in these challenging times. I helped my cousin struggle with her grades to organize better and improve her academic performance. My family appreciates me for being the only one who speaks much English. This was enhanced by the pandemic, as suddenly, there was an even greater and urgent need for translation and interpretation.
Since everyone in my family speaks Polish the Pandemic resulted in my progress in English suffering, as I had fewer face-to-face role models to imitate and practice with. While I have devoted a lot of time to using resources available on the Internet to improve my English and have made it a point to talk at length in English with my friends, there is no substitute for face-to-face contact. My face-to-face contact has been hampered since I often read lips as I listen to English speakers, which is impossible with a mask on. I am hoping to be able to return to the classes soon and pick up where I left off in my quest to improve my English constantly.
Personal Statement for Admission to Dental School