Dental School Personal Statement: The Ultimate Guide (Examples Included)
/Learn step-by-step how to write a unique dental school personal statement, including full length examples
your dental school personal statement can mean the difference between and acceptance and a rejection
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Part 1: Introduction
If you’re applying to dental school and beginning to contemplate your dental school personal statement, you likely fall into one of two categories:
You aced the DAT, have an excellent GPA, and after all of the work you put in for those scores you’re thinking, “I have no energy left… Does the personal statement even matter?”
Your DAT and/or GPA are good or average, and you’re stressed about how you can improve your overall application by writing an absolutely amazing personal statement.
Whatever position you find yourself in, this guide will address your concerns. We’ll explain the importance of the dental school personal statement and why it can make or break even the best application. We’ll also provide detailed, step-by-step guidance on how to write an excellent personal statement, along with multiple full-length dental school personal statement examples so you can see for yourself how it’s done.
How much does your dental school personal statement matter?
If you’ve got a good score on the DAT and a high GPA, this question has likely crossed your mind. It is true that admissions committees can and do use these scores to quickly sift through the thousands of applications they receive each year. That said, these scores are not on their own sufficient to get you accepted to the dental school of your dreams.
There are plenty of stories of applicants who had a strong GPA and an unbelievable DAT score but were not accepted to their top choice dental school (or any dental school at all). Often, the personal statement is the distinguishing element that can ruin a great application or significantly enhance an average application.
The good news is that there are predictable strategies for writing an excellent dental school personal statement—more on those momentarily.
(Suggested reading: How Hard Is It to Get Into Dental School?)
What is the goal of a dental school personal statement?
With both your GPA and your DAT score, the goal is quite obvious—the higher the better. It may be tempting to assume that the applicant with a 22 DAT and 3.8 GPA will be accepted over the candidate with a 20 DAT and 3.6 GPA, however the admissions process is not nearly this cut and dry, and it is often the personal statement that can separate these two candidates in the minds of an admissions committee.
So, what is the goal of a personal statement? The answer is remarkably simple: the goal of the personal statement is to get the admissions committee interested in you as a person, and to make them want to meet you.
The entire goal of your application is to land an interview at as many dental schools as possible (or at least at your dream school), and the personal statement is your opportunity to demonstrate your unique and interesting characteristics.
Think of your application as building a house.
Your GPA and DAT scores are like the blueprints. They are mathematically based and must meet specific structural and engineering requirements in order to support the eventual home. While there is certainly variation in blueprints between different homes, there are specific benchmarks and requirements that must be met for blueprints to meet city building codes and be approved.
Your personal statement, however, is a much more creative process similar to the interior and exterior design of the home. What color of paint will you choose? What type of windows do you want? Will you select a specific theme for the furniture, drapes, and paintings? After all of these creative decisions have been made, two homes with identical blueprints could have a drastically different appearance.
While the creative and subjective aspects of writing an excellent personal statement may feel overwhelming to the more analytical students who make up a large portion of dental school applicants, the good news is that there are very clear strategies that can help guide you in this creative process.
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Part 2: How to write a dental school personal statement
According to the ADEA, “Your personal statement is a one-page essay (not to exceed 4,500 characters, including spaces, carriages, numbers, letters, etc.) that gives dental schools a clear picture of who you are and, most importantly, why you want to pursue a career in dentistry.”
That doesn’t quite convey the real goal of your statement, which is to convince the admissions committee that you, as a person, are interesting and unique, and to compel them to want to meet you off the page.
Just as understanding the goal of your personal statement is critical, starting the brainstorming process with a general roadmap can help simplify an otherwise overwhelming process.
Fortunately, there is a simple and well-tested format that has been followed by many successful dental school applicants.
Outlining your dental school personal statement
We’re fans of knowing exactly where you’re going before you even begin writing. Here’s the general format that we recommend using for your personal statement:
Intro: Engage the reader immediately with an interesting introductory paragraph
Body: Illustrate your unique dental journey in 3–5 paragraphs
Conclusion: Reinforce your passion for dentistry and tie back to the introduction
But how do you fill these in paragraphs with information that’s engaging and, most importantly, conveys what’s unique about you? What should you include? Next, we’ll go over five steps that will help you draw out the best topics for your dental school personal statement.
Step 1: Brainstorming
Begin by brainstorming possible topics or areas for your personal statement. Our recommendation is to come up with far more than you’ll actually end up writing about—even as many as 30.
We know what you’re thinking: Why would I brainstorm 20+ ideas and experiences when only 3–5 will actually make it into my personal statement?
The answer: Often a bad personal statement comes about because an applicant has chosen the wrong topic. Sometimes applicants choose clichéd material, or material that isn’t personally meaningful. Then they feel locked into the essay they’ve begun. But, by brainstorming strategically, and working with someone whose opinion you trust on subject matter, you can position yourself to enter the writing phase confident that you’ve got a subject you can write about fluently and passionately.
To get there, we like an exercise called “the Rule of 5s” that provides a systematic approach to guide the brainstorming process.
While we’re calling this the Rule of 5s, it could just as easily be the Guideline of 5s—the number five is simply a good target to help you stretch. However, don’t get too caught up on it. If you have three or four examples in one category and seven in another, that is fine.
Here’s the Rule of 5s: Brainstorm five good examples in each of the five categories listed below:
Five significant life experiences
Five unique and interesting accomplishments
Five unique and interesting hobbies or interests
Five failures and five lessons you learned from them
Five challenges or setbacks you have faced and had to overcome
Step 2: Your personal journey to dentistry
After completing the Rule of 5s brainstorming activity, your next step is to outline your personal journey to dentistry in a way that clearly answers the question of why you want to be a dentist. This outline should be concise and can even be in bulletpoint form. That said, be detailed and try to think of any key experience, interaction, person, class, conversation, or “aha!” moment that influenced you to ultimately choose a career in dentistry.
When your outline is finished, review it and identify 3–5 of the most interesting and unique aspects of your journey. If you are having difficulty narrowing it down, consider reviewing the other areas of the ADEA AADSAS application (Dental Experience, Employment, Extracurricular Activities, Research, Volunteer) and see if some of your experiences can be included in sections other than your personal statement.
Step 3: Choose a memorable opening
Admissions committees will be reading thousands of statements every application cycle, and many applicants will have similar stories about why they want to become dentists. Perhaps they had a good experience in dentistry early on. Perhaps they like science and want to help people. Those aren’t unique attributes in dental school applicants. You’re going to have to begin with something that’s more particular, interesting, and specific to you.
Let’s look at two different openings to see how they work and why.
Here’s June’s first attempt at an opening paragraph:
Growing up in a middle-class community I had the opportunity to go to my family dentist every six months. For most of my childhood, these visits were fairly routine as I had good oral hygiene and no major dental issues. However, when I was 16 years old, I chipped my two front teeth in an accident. My dentist was able to repair them and they looked even better than before the accident. At that point, I knew I wanted to be a dentist. I attended college and selected biology as my major as I have always enjoyed the sciences. I view dentistry as the perfect combination of art and science that will allow me to help other people the way my dentist helped me.
What aspect of herself is June emphasizing here? It’s hard to tell. She’s beginning with a story of wanting to become a dentist, but the writing is noncommittal and generic. It doesn’t give us something memorable about her to hold onto, and this paragraph is in no way unique to her experience or dental journey.
Let’s take a look at Marissa’s opening:
As I looked down, I couldn’t believe what I saw. One of my central incisors had been knocked completely out of its socket and sat in a small but noticeable circle of blood near the free-throw line on the basketball court. Just seconds before, I had taken an elbow to the face at the start of the fourth quarter of our state championship high school basketball game. As any high school senior would do, I picked up the tooth, put it in a cup and handed it to my coach. I finished the game with only one central incisor. My parents still have a picture of me on their fridge, hoisting the state championship trophy with an awkward, closed-mouth smile as I tried to hide the missing tooth. Little did I know that six months later, after a failed attempt to save the tooth and the eventual decision to get an implant, the determination and effort I had previously put into basketball would be transferred into my passion of becoming a dentist.
What works here? It’s simple. Marissa tells a story. She gives us images, characters, and a scene. Then she immediately ties that scene into her long-term narrative: becoming a dentist.
By opening with an anecdote and setting the scene the way a movie director might, you draw us into your story and stand out from the pack.
As you think about what anecdote you might use to open your personal statement, remember that it does not have to be directly related to dentistry. Ultimately, however, you will want to tie the anecdote into your dental journey.
Step 4: Connect your opening with your personal journey to dentistry
With your memorable opening created (step 3) and your unique journey to dentistry outlined (step 2), you are most of the way to completing your personal statement.
The key to an excellent personal statement is finding a creative yet smooth way to connect your personal experiences with your professional journey into dentistry, with a clear and concise answer to the question of why you want to be a dentist.
Let’s take one example from Yasmin:
I can still remember my heart pounding before my first “major” performance. I was six years old and had been asked to sing “Happy Birthday” in front of the entire family for my grandma’s 80th birthday. I love singing, and in high school and college I sang in a folk band with three of my friends. At times, singing has been my life, providing an escape from the day-to-day stresses and difficulties that we all face. And oddly enough, there’s something we don’t think of when we think about singing: teeth. They’re critical to singing. My desire to pursue a career in dentistry stems from a chance encounter with a singer in Argentina who taught me about the significance of our dentition.
While the transition from singing to dentistry is somewhat abrupt, this candidate has effectively and concisely described a unique personal characteristic, singing, that transitions smoothly into telling the story of her journey into dentistry, which started in Argentina. After reading this paragraph you immediately know something unique about the candidate—she sings—and you are interested to learn more about how her interest in dentistry developed.
Step 5: The conclusion
In most high school and college writing classes, you are taught that the conclusion should simply summarize your essay. However, in a one-page, 4,500-character personal statement, there is no room to repeat yourself. Rather than summarizing, consider using your concluding paragraph to reinforce two things in the mind of the admissions committee:
Why you want to be a dentist
Your personal and unique story
Your conclusion might refer back to one of your experiences, pulling through a message of how you hope to make an impact in the field of dentistry in the future.
Let’s look at two quick examples.
Here’s Eveline’s first attempt:
I have had several experiences that have all led me to pursue a career in dentistry. The opportunities I have had to shadow dentists have taught me that dentistry is much more than restoring individual teeth, as it incorporates a much larger scope including both oral health and systemic health. I am grateful for the opportunity to apply to dental school and I look forward to completing my studies and becoming an oral health professional focused on both the preventive aspects and restorative aspects of dentistry.
This concluding paragraph is full of buzzwords like “oral health,” “systemic health,” and “prevention,” however it ultimately does not leave the reader with any strong sense of the unique characteristics of this applicant. A paragraph like this could be found in almost anyone’s personal statement. It fails to reinforce the applicant’s specific and unique passion for dentistry, and it does not refer back to any personal experience or unique story. Eveline’s personal statement will blend in with all the rest and she will be less likely to get an on-site interview.
Here’s the conclusion that Yasmin, the folk singer, wrote:
Much has changed since my “performance” as a scared, six-year-old singing at my grandmother’s birthday. I never would have guessed that my passion for singing would have led me on a 16-year journey: to Argentina and, eventually, to dentistry. But I know I’ve found the path for me.
This concluding paragraph is quite brief at only three sentences, but it effectively reinforces both the unique origins of this applicant’s interest in dentistry as well as the applicant’s memorable history as a singer. The reader is left thinking about the unique aspects of this applicant and will be much more inclined to want to meet them in person by extending an interview.
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Part 3: Common dental school personal statement errors to avoid
While there is no perfect formula that encompasses all excellent personal statements, there are some fairly common errors that can quickly transform a good statement into a poor one, drastically decreasing your chances of getting an interview. Below we will discuss six common errors to avoid.
Error #1: Writing a dental school personal statement that reads like a medical school personal statement
It’s no secret that medical school and dental school applicants have many shared characteristics. The prerequisite courses are almost identical, the overall undergraduate experiences mirror each other, and the extracurricular, leadership, research and clinical shadowing experiences have significant overlap. That said, dental admissions committees don’t want lukewarm applicants who appear to have been on a premedical route their entire undergraduate career, as this brings up questions of whether the applicant is truly dedicated to a career in dentistry or merely views dentistry as a backup plan to medicine.
Of course, many students are “pre-health" during their freshman and sophomore years as they take prerequisite science coursework and explore various health professionals including dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, PA, etc. It’s normal to have had experiences in research, leadership, direct patient care, or other extracurriculars that span various health professions and which you may want to include either in your application or your personal statement.
The secret is tailoring all of the experiences you include in such a way as to leave no doubt about your interest in dentistry.
Let’s look at some example sentences that show how pre-health or premedical experiences can be described in a way that reinforces an applicant’s interest in dentistry.
Here’s what not to do:
While conducting research on the production of insulin in pancreatic beta cells, I became fascinated with the human body which sparked an interest in pursuing a career that would enable me to help other people.
An interest in the sciences and a desire to help people are two common characteristics found in nearly every applicant to any healthcare-related profession. While these are important characteristics, it is essential to take them a step further and make sure you connect them directly to dentistry.
It can sometimes be difficult to make that connection to dentistry if the experience occurred while you were either investigating all healthcare professions or perhaps were focused on a profession other than dentistry (i.e. medicine or pharmacy).
One tip is to realize that the connection does not have to be synchronous, meaning that even though you were not thinking about dentistry at the time of the experience, you now see how that experience connects to dentistry and enhances your interest in the field.
We can easily imagine that the candidate who wrote the previous example was conducting research regarding diabetes during their sophomore year as a premedical student. A year later, during their junior year, they decided to switch to pre-dental. While there is a year-long gap between the research and the eventual interest in dentistry, the link between the experience and their desire to pursue a career in dentistry is easily made in an honest and genuine way as follows:
While conducting research on the production of insulin in pancreatic beta cells, I gained an appreciation for the systemic effects of diabetes. I have subsequently become fascinated with the oral manifestations of this disease, which can allow dentists to recognize the oral signs of pre-diabetes, sometimes even before a physician.
This example takes what could be viewed as a very medical experience (research on pancreatic beta cells) and seamlessly connects it to the applicant’s interest in dentistry. Sometimes you may need to do additional research—for instance, learning about the oral manifestations of diabetes—in order to make these connections.
Taking the time to focus any story or experience in your personal statement on dentistry will transform your essay from average to excellent. As you write your statement, continually ask yourself whether the examples and descriptions you have included could just as easily be found in a personal statement for medical school or pharmacy school or any other health profession. If the answer is yes, go back and find a way to make it hyper-focused on dentistry.
Error #2: Telling rather than showing, or using clichéd statements rather than specific examples
It is a common pitfall to tell rather than show the reader what you are trying to say.
For example, most students choose to pursue a career in dentistry for their shared interests in science, art, and helping people. It is completely appropriate if these are your reasons as well. The secret, however, is avoiding these clichéd statements by diving in-depth into the experiences and journey you have had that has ultimately led you to a career in dentistry. Rather than telling the reader that you enjoy science, art, and helping people, show them through your unique stories and examples.
As you write your statement, make sure to frequently ask yourself whether each paragraph and story uniquely describes you or could just as easily apply to someone else. Be sure to include details such as your hometown, family, culture, heritage, creative hobbies, physical characteristics, and anything else that is distinct to you.
Let’s look at a quick example of how you can add personalized elements and descriptions to a clichéd statement to transform it into something that is uniquely you.
What not to do:
Growing up, I was always interested in artistic and hands-on activities. The opportunity to pursue a career in dentistry, which is a perfect blend of both artistic freedom and working with your hands, is therefore particularly appealing.
What works:
As the only child of two working parents in a rural part of Oklahoma, I often had time alone and gravitated towards hands-on, artistic pursuits, eventually developing a passion for building model airplanes. Visualizing how each small piece would eventually come together to form an airplane actually has many similarities to the field of dentistry.
Notice how the first, clichéd example tells very little about the applicant. We have no details about what makes them unique, and the sentence “tells” us that the applicant enjoys artistic and hands-on activities; however, it does not “show” this through an example.
The second example, on the other hand, provides details that likely only apply to this candidate regarding two working parents and growing up in a rural part of Oklahoma. Additionally, rather than simply telling us about their interest in hands-on, artistic pursuits, they provide a specific example of building model airplanes.
Putting yourself in the shoes of the admissions committee, which of these two candidates would you rather meet?
Also, take heart: the second example isn’t telling some dramatic, flashy story. It begins with something simple—being an only child in rural Oklahoma—but ties it to the larger point of the applicant’s interest in hands-on activities as well as art. You do not need to have a life-changing or dramatic story to paint a unique picture of who you are as an applicant.
Error #3: Trying to convince the admissions committee that you are smart
The hypercompetitive nature of dental school admissions can lead applicants to use the 4,500 characters of their personal statement to try to demonstrate their superior intelligence.
This can be evident in either the specific examples and stories an applicant chooses to use or in the language the applicant employs to write their statement. Either way, this approach is rarely effective.
Here is an example of what not to do:
As valedictorian of my high school, my teenage years were occupied by hours of studying and homework each night in order to maintain my 4.0 GPA. When I entered college, I increased my level of discipline and dedication to my studies allowing me to maintain that same level of academic excellence throughout my collegiate career, finishing my undergraduate studies with another perfect 4.0 GPA.
Having a 4.0 GPA and being valedictorian of your high school are certainly accomplishments that should be included in your application. However, trying to convince the admissions committee of your intellectual abilities by including them in your personal statement is not wise.
Your GPA will be apparent from your transcripts, and the “achievements” section of the AADSAS application is a perfect place to include the distinction of being valedictorian. Neither your GPA nor your high school class standing are directly related to your desire to be a dentist and therefore need not be included in your personal statement.
Personal stories and unique experiences that relate to why you want to be a dentist or that help the admissions committee get to know you on a more human level should comprise the majority of your statement.
Remember, the goals of your personal statement are to convince the admissions committee that they want to meet you in an interview and to demonstrate that you’re personable enough to be in this patient-facing field. Sounding pompous, self-satisfied, or unrelatable will work against you.
Error #4: Repeating or summarizing what you have already described elsewhere in your application
Another common mistake is simply telling a chronological story that includes or repeats information from the rest of your application. This type of personal statement often reads like a resumé in prose form.
While it is certainly appropriate to use the personal statement to expand upon something mentioned elsewhere in your application, make sure that you are providing additional, specific information that cannot be gleaned from other parts of your application.
For example, if you have mentioned your shadowing experience in your application, it can be appropriate to include a story in your personal statement that occurred while shadowing a dentist. Make sure, however, that you focus your personal statement on a very specific event—remember, a story or an anecdote—rather than just mentioning your overall shadowing experience.
Here are two examples that illustrate the difference between simply summarizing what you have already described elsewhere in your application and providing additional, specific information.
What not to do:
My shadowing experience at the Jamestown Public Health Clinic taught me the importance of oral health education and prevention, especially in socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.
The above sentence provides little information beyond what can already be assumed by this applicant listing their shadowing experience at a public health clinic. Stacking sentences like these one after another wastes valuable space in your personal statement.
What works:
One day, while shadowing at the Jamestown Public Health Clinic, a three-year-old patient named Alice came in with her parents. Nearly all of her teeth were black and carious and she was crying because of the pain. Unfortunately, this situation of early childhood caries is not uncommon, especially among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. It was sobering to realize that, while the treatment options available for Alice were now limited, the entire situation could have been avoided by providing her parents meaningful oral health education and prevention techniques a mere one to two years earlier.
This example dives into the applicant’s shadowing experience in detail by describing a very specific patient encounter. The story brings to life this applicant’s shadowing experience and highlights the applicant’s ability to think critically and observe specific patient encounters with empathy while making broader connections to oral health education at a population level. This type of critical thinking will certainly be noticed by an admissions committee.
Error #5: Including too much information rather than focusing on a handful of meaningful experiences
With only 4,500 characters, and your chances of being admitted to dental school on the line, it is understandably tempting to attempt to fit as much as possible into your personal statement. Fight this temptation!
With a personal statement, depth is more important than breadth. You can offer an angle on yourself, a story about why you want to be a dentist, and 3–5 compelling details from your personal and professional history. Don’t try to do more.
Remember, the personal statement is only one portion of your application. There are several other sections that allow you to include many experiences and achievements beyond what you discuss in your statement (i.e. Academic Enrichment, Dental Experience, Employment, Extracurricular Activities, Research, and Volunteer).
Additionally, you will also be asked to write secondary essays for most schools, which provide additional opportunities to bring in other experiences to your application.
And remember: this work will help you in your interviews!
The personal statement can initially appear daunting. Following the process outlined above and avoiding the five common errors can help you craft a unique and genuine statement that catches the eye of the admissions committee and secures an invitation for an on-site interview.
Additionally, taking the time to write a thoughtful, introspective, and unique personal statement will not only help get you an interview, but will be some of the best time spent in preparation to set you up for success in your interviews.
(Suggested reading: How to Ace Your Dental School Interview)
Error #6: Not leaving enough time to edit, revise, and get feedback from trusted readers
As one of the most important components of your entire dental school application, you’ll want to invest considerable time not only in writing your personal statement, but also in editing and revising it. Part of that process involves recruiting trusted readers, such as friends, mentors, and admissions consultants, to give you valuable feedback from an outside perspective.
For these reasons, it’s a good idea to begin the writing process well before you want to submit your application. We recommend beginning about six months before you plan to apply—so if you’re counting on submitting your application on June 1st, the earliest possible day, you’ll want to start brainstorming in December.
Aim to have a full-length first draft completed by no later than the end of April. This will give you at least one month to edit, revise, and solicit feedback before submitting your application in June or July.
(Suggested reading: The Ideal Dental School Application Timeline)
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Part 4: Full-length dental school personal statement examples
Let’s now take a look at two full-length examples in order to put together everything we’ve discussed. Each of these essays successfully conveys who its writer is, what is unique about them, and why dentistry is their ideal career.
Dental school personal statement example #1
I can still remember my heart pounding before my first “major” performance. I was six years old and had been asked to sing “Happy Birthday” in front of the entire family for my grandma’s 80th birthday. I love singing, and in high school and college I sang in a folk band with three of my friends. At times, singing has been my life, providing an escape from the day-to-day stresses and difficulties that we all face. And oddly enough, there’s something we don’t think of when we think about singing: teeth. They’re critical to singing. My desire to pursue a career in dentistry stems from a chance encounter with a singer in Argentina who taught me about the significance of our dentition.
The summer after my freshman year, I studied abroad in Buenos Aires to learn about Argentinian culture and history, especially Argentinian folk music. I spent many evenings in town squares and restaurants listening to local folk bands. One evening, I introduced myself to an impressive lead singer after a concert. We connected, talking music and influences. I was shocked when he reached into his mouth and removed a “flipper,” which included prosthetic teeth for all four maxillary incisors. This Argentinian singer became emotional as he recounted the story of a serious motorcycle accident that had left him without his four front teeth, making it physically challenging and emotionally impossible to sing in front of a group. Unable to afford any dental treatment, he had to quit singing wholesale for several years. Fortunately, a friend eventually introduced him to a dentist who restored his pronunciation and his ability to sing in front of a crowd.
Upon returning from Argentina, I began shadowing in dental offices. One afternoon, I observed Dr. Ashani, a general dentist, deliver a set of overdentures to a 36-year-old woman named Ashley. She had lost all her teeth due to xerostomia caused by radiation treatment for throat cancer. As Dr. Ashani placed the dentures in her mouth and handed her a mirror her entire face lit up. She had regained a sense of dignity and self-worth. I also noticed a change in Dr. Ashani. Later that day, we talked, and he said he’d been anxious about delivering the dentures as he understood both the responsibility and the opportunity he had to dramatically change this woman’s life. Those two words, “opportunity” and “responsibility,” seem to capture the essence of dentistry.
As I continued along this path, I sought a research assistant position in the lab of Dr. Delia Acosta where we focused on stem cell tooth regeneration. While we are several years away from re-growing teeth, the possibility of stem cell treatment in dentistry is fascinating at a scientific level and potentially life-changing at a human level. It is exciting to think that I might be able to provide stem cell treatments to people like Ashley or the Argentinian folk singer to restore not only dentition, but also function and confidence. And while stem cell tooth regeneration is an exciting possibility, even a traditional root canal on a painful molar or a class III filling on a maxillary incisor can have a significant impact on the life of a patient.
Much has changed since my “performance” as a scared, six-year-old singing at my grandmother’s birthday. I never would have guessed that my passion for singing would have led me on a 16-year journey: to Argentina and, eventually, to dentistry. But I know I’ve found the path for me.
What this essay does well:
As mentioned earlier, this applicant does a fantastic job of opening with a personal anecdote that hooks the reader. This humanizes the applicant and gives some insight into their personality as well as their interests.
In the following paragraph, the applicant continues the anecdote with a direct connection between their personal experience and their journey to an interest in dentistry. We get a front-row seat to the encounter that sparked her passion.
The applicant does a great job of naturally peppering the essay with dental-related vocabulary—a signal to admissions committees that this person is not only interested in dentistry, they’ve done the work to learn about it individually. Additionally, they have highlighted their knowledge in the essay in such a way that avoids the trap of error #3; trying to convince the admissions committee that you are smart.
The essay continues accentuating key moments along their journey as they delve deeper into their interest in dentistry—showing instead of telling why they are determined to pursue dentistry as a lifelong career.
The applicant then concludes their personal statement organically, tying it back to the introduction and reiterating their enthusiasm for the field through a recap of their entire journey and stating clearly that they’ve found the path for them.
Dental school personal statement example #2
With spindly legs and frizzy hair, I backhanded the bright yellow tennis ball across the court to my opponent. She quickly ran up to the net, hit an overhead shot, and the ball zoomed towards me faster than I had expected. The next thing I knew, I was on the concrete court with a handful of blood gushing from my mouth. The ball had hit me in my face, knocking out my front tooth. I was horrified—our yearly school photographs were the next day. The first thought that raced through my mind was how I would have to smile with lips glued together, fearful of being teased by my classmates. It was in this moment that I recognized how my teeth and, specifically, my smile were so integral to who I was as a person. My teachers and friends described my smile as a contagious form of love, and the thought of losing this trait was terrifying. This experience laid the foundation for my keen interest in dentistry, a career that will afford me the opportunity to enable my patients to smile brightly and to feel like their most confident selves.
My interest in dentistry matured after I traveled to India to assist with a dental health mission in the rural town of Dwarka. Here, our team set up a clinic in several tents and offered free dental services to those in need. I assisted dental hygienists with cleanings, observed dentists fill cavities and fit dentures, and helped with dental hygiene education. I recall meeting Mona, an 8-year-old girl with a lopsided ponytail. She inquisitively wrapped the bubble gum flavored floss around her fingers and mirrored my motions guiding the tasty strings through her teeth. Her mother told me that she had received floss before, but no one had taken the time to explain how to correctly floss or the benefits of flossing. Though a simple exchange, I recognized the power of dental education.
Upon returning from India, I began volunteering at a general dentistry practice. My main duties involved welcoming patients to our practice, performing health screenings, and coordinating their follow-up care. Through this experience, I also had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Simon, a pediatric dentist who had a cabinet overflowing with yo-yos and an ability to put children at ease despite the painful procedures they were anticipating. I was frequently reminded of my own experience as a child, as many of our patients came in with broken front teeth secondary to various misadventures. Dr. Simon took the time to ask each of his patients about their favorite class in school and any new comic books that he should know about. As we developed a closer relationship, Dr. Simon told me that he was drawn to dentistry because it enabled him to both help kids live healthier lives and have beaming, confident smiles. He spoke with genuine conviction, and his words resonated deeply with me.
My experiences working with patients motivated me to pursue research related to dentistry. My main project observed various demographics and categorized which adult patients have increased access to dental care as classified by yearly cleanings and required fillings. Here, I saw a stark contrast in which patients have stable access to dental care and gained a deeper understanding of the disparities that contribute to the less reliable care of those from underserved communities. My research motivated me to institute an outreach program at the pediatric dental clinic I volunteered at. I described the problem and constructed a proposal for which I received community funding that I subsequently used to create educational brochures for patients. We also utilized this funding to offer patients free cleanings and screenings on Friday afternoons for over a year. Through this experience, I recognized that, as a dentist, I would be able to serve as a health advocate and restore smiles across several communities.
Although my experience of losing my front tooth occurred at a young age, it left a lasting impression, just as a smile does when you first meet someone. I have been fortunate to learn about dentistry through the lens of different practitioners and patients in a variety of environments. All of these experiences have culminated in my strong desire to pursue dentistry, a career that will empower me to deliver care ensuring that others can live healthier lives with confident smiles. I will carry my compassion for helping others and my desire to increase equal access to healthcare services with me forward as a future dentist.
What this essay does well:
The applicant opens their essay with a life-altering anecdote and one in which they realized the a healthy smile is important to one’s sense of self-worth as well as to their identity. The realization mentioned in this anecdote grants the reader a deeper insight into the writer’s sense of what it means to be a dentist and their motivations for pursuing the profession.
The writer then does an excellent job of developing this idea further, showing—as opposed to telling—how their interest in and passion for dentistry grows. Furthermore, the applicant naturally showcases their genuine motivation to help others by discussing their dental service to those less fortunate. This also opens up an opportunity to highlight leadership qualities when they institute an outreach program for the underserved population in their community.
The applicant then wraps everything up by reminding the reader of the lost tooth that kickstarted their journey and calling attention to the compassion they feel for others that inspires them to help patients achieve their best smiles.
About the Author
Dr. Shirag Shemmassian is the Founder of Shemmassian Academic Consulting and one of the world's foremost experts on dental school admissions. For nearly 20 years, he and his team have helped thousands of students get into dental school using his exclusive approach.
THERE'S NO REASON TO STRUGGLE THROUGH THE DENTAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS PROCESS ALONE, ESPECIALLY WITH SO MUCH ON THE LINE. SCHEDULE YOUR COMPLIMENTARY CONSULTATION TO ENSURE YOU LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE.