Introduction
From the transformative care of my childhood orthodontist to my immersive hands-on experiences in dental practices and research, my journey toward becoming an orthodontist has been shaped by compassion, perseverance, and a deep commitment to serving others. With a personal understanding of the life-changing impact of orthodontics, I am inspired to help families of modest means and bring confidence to children through beautiful, healthy smiles.
Sample Dental School Personal Statement
My foremost hero as a child was my orthodontist. I especially appreciated him because he was the fifth orthodontist that we went to and the only one of the five who was willing to help me at a price that my parents could afford. As a result of my Orthodontics treatment, my self-esteem improved enormously. After seven years of treatment, I began to feel like my orthodontist was a part of my family. This type of relationship-building is one of the foremost reasons why I hope to become an orthodontist myself and show compassion for patients from families of humble resources. In preparation for dental school, I majored in Biology and will be graduating at the end of this fall semester, 2016. I hope to begin dental school next year, 2017.
Throughout this past year, I have spent four hundred hours shadowing and assisting Dr. XXXX DDS and learning a great deal about how to operate a general dentistry practice, from cleaning and caring for the equipment to helping with office duties and paperwork. Most of all, I help prepare the patients for their treatments, and this part of my time spent with Dr. XXXX has left me inspired and thoroughly convinced that dentistry is the correct path for me to follow.
Being teased by one’s peers at a tender age can be extremely difficult for any child. My teeth protruded dramatically due to my bad habit of sucking my thumb. It was a vicious cycle: hurt by the teasing, I tried to comfort myself by sucking my thumb. My orthodontic treatment was instrumental in giving me a life replete with the professional dream of becoming an orthodontist myself and saving many children from the suffering that I endured. I hope to have my own orthodontics clinic someday; and to help children whose parents have only modest resources, as was the case with my family.
My adolescent and adult life so far has been entirely devoted to learning, especially everything I can about the human body, since learning and adapting is especially critical in our field, with dentists endlessly confronted with new advances and innovations requiring them to keep up with the latest procedures and technologies. As an undergraduate research assistant working in a cancer research lab, I continuously perform experiments in search of breakthroughs. The excitement and eagerness surrounding the search for new knowledge and discoveries in one's field is something that I find extraordinarily fulfilling, and this inspires me to devote my professional life to excellence in dentistry.
As an instrumentalist of the hammered dulcimer, a percussion and string instrument, I have developed precise hand-eye coordination as a musical artist. My experiences with shadowing dentists and volunteering at dental clinics have helped me to better appreciate the importance of a steady hand and a keen eye. In the cancer research lab, my tasks include snipping mice tails at precise measurements while refraining from being distracted by their squealing and squirming and using pipettes to proliferate DNA samples for accurate analysis. My hands-on experience in the lab, as well as with music, will help me to excel in dental school and beyond.
My own experience as an immigrant from Iran has helped me to master the art of interaction with people from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds here in America. During my time as a mentor at XXXX Community College, I had the profound pleasure of mentoring many students of minority ethnic backgrounds, one of which had a severe cognitive disability, requiring compassionate and patient communication. I have also volunteered many hours in XXXX Hospital’s Recovery Room. Observing the professionalism and friendliness of the doctors and nurses, especially in their interactions with patients, has also greatly inspired me to give my all to dentistry.
My dedication to the community and passion for providing services to others makes me a natural for dentistry and I eagerly anticipate working with a wide range of patients, always with special attention to underserved populations, helping them to feel just as I did when my orthodontist gave me a beautiful smile for the first time. Being accepted to dental school will enable me to live my professional dream of a lifetime, building one cherished relationship after another.
Thank you for considering my application.
Detailed Analysis of the Personal Statement
Strengths of the Statement
Personal Connection to Orthodontics: The story about your orthodontist is compelling and relatable. It effectively demonstrates how personal experiences shaped your professional aspirations.
Dedication to Underserved Populations: Highlighting your commitment to helping families with limited resources adds depth to your motivation and aligns with the values of many dental programs.
Diverse Skill Set: Your experiences as a research assistant, musician, and mentor illustrate a range of skills (precision, patience, cultural sensitivity) that are transferable to dentistry.
Practical Experience: Shadowing and assisting a dentist demonstrates a proactive effort to gain hands-on knowledge in the field.
Cultural Competence: Sharing your background as an immigrant and your ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds strengthens your profile as a compassionate professional.
Areas for Improvement
Structure and Flow: The statement lacks a clear structure and jumps between ideas. For example, personal experiences, academic preparation, and future goals are scattered throughout instead of being grouped logically.
Overemphasis on Certain Details: While the story of your orthodontist is touching, it occupies too much of the statement. Balance this with more details about your skills and preparation for dental school.
Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]
Q. How do personal experiences influence the decision to pursue dentistry?
Personal experiences, such as undergoing orthodontic treatment, often highlight the transformative power of dentistry and inspire a passion for helping others achieve the same confidence and well-being.
Q. Why is shadowing and assisting a dentist beneficial?
Q. How does musical training help in dentistry?
Q. Why is community service important for a dental school application?
Q. How does research experience enhance dental school readiness?
Q. How can immigrants leverage their background when applying to dental school?
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Sample Dental School Personal Statement
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