suggested guideline for the
personal statement
I know that many of us struggle to get those creative juices pumping, and that it is very easy to eel overwhelmed with a character limit of 4,500. How are we going to be able to portray all of our awesomeness in that little of space? What do they want to hear? How are you going to assemble your thoughts?
I've come up with a simple and basic guideline geared towards the essay topic of WHY DENTISTRY. This is what the personal statement is about, so let's write to that point.
Of course, each person's situation is different, so you might have to tweak the order or content. This is a good overall essay layout for a first time applicant. I hope that it helps!
General Tips
- Remember that the personal statement really should boil down to this: YOUR JOURNEY towards dentistry. It needs to be ORGANIZED to answer the question of WHY DENTISTRY?
- The general template that I advise students who are applying for the first time is this:
- The general template that I advise students who are applying for the first time is this:
- Paragraph 1: what originally sparked your interest towards dentistry
- This could be when you had braces (depending on how you present it)/ had an oral cavity injury/ shadowed your family dentist. Really, it is whatever originally really you interested in dentistry. That said, it excludes anything that involves the Tooth Fairy since she didn’t get you interested in healthcare (which is what dentistry is)
- This could be when you had braces (depending on how you present it)/ had an oral cavity injury/ shadowed your family dentist. Really, it is whatever originally really you interested in dentistry. That said, it excludes anything that involves the Tooth Fairy since she didn’t get you interested in healthcare (which is what dentistry is)
- Paragraph 2 and 3: Experiences that helped to strengthen and solidify that dentistry was the path for you. Usually I suggest specific examples that the reader will feel compassion towards—include lots of imagery and adjectives to help illustrate the emotions that you were feeling during this time period.
- Examples: Seeing someone receive dentures for the first time; seeing someone being instantly taken out of pain; seeing someone gain their confidence again
- Be SPECIFIC--describe not only what happened, but how that made you feel AND how it made you aspire even more to become the person helping that patient in the future.
- Be SPECIFIC--describe not only what happened, but how that made you feel AND how it made you aspire even more to become the person helping that patient in the future.
- Examples: Seeing someone receive dentures for the first time; seeing someone being instantly taken out of pain; seeing someone gain their confidence again
- Paragraph 4: Any obstacles that you’ve had to overcome along your journey. MAKE SURE to turn any negatives into a positive by twisting it to show that you are capable (and have) grown as a person. This will show your determination, will power, and grit—all things vital for the success for a dental student.
- Paragraph 5: This will be your last paragraph, so end it on a strong high note. I would suggest stating some of the following, and limiting each to 1-2 sentences.
- WHY you want to enter this field
- That you understand the hard work this will take, but that you are ready to accept this for the great opportunity to become responsible for your patient’s oral health.
- That any obstacles you’ve stated in paragraph 4 have been to ultimately work towards this moment of your application.
- Your promise to provide excellent patient-centered care.
- Remember that you MUST have smooth transitions between paragraphs.
- Breaking it up without transitions will be confusing for readers. They’ll get frustrated and/or you’ll lose credibility.
- Remember that how you portray yourself in the personal statement is how the reader assumes you’ll speak and think in real life. Make sure that you are forming a great impression.
- The PS should NOT read as a resume. Any of the following does not belong in the personal statement because there are spots on the primary and/or secondary applications for it (there are exceptions for this, but these are general guidelines. The PS is really more of an emotional piece to portray WHY you wish to pursue dentistry):
- Any jobs that you worked before applying
- Any specific research that you did to specifically show your hand skills
- Exceptions for the “research” bit: if it sparked your interest, then definitely include it. But if you did research on moths for the B.S. degree rather than the B.A. degree (*cough cough* me), then omit this here and keep it for the primary application section of the “Hand Skills” short answer section.
- Exceptions for the “research” bit: if it sparked your interest, then definitely include it. But if you did research on moths for the B.S. degree rather than the B.A. degree (*cough cough* me), then omit this here and keep it for the primary application section of the “Hand Skills” short answer section.