Real-world essay examples paired with expert analysis, to help your application wow adcoms.
You’ve worked hard to achieve academic success, excelled on the DAT, and maintained a remarkable GPA through years of effort and determination. Now, one of the most critical—and often most daunting—parts of the dental school application process approaches; writing your dental school personal statement.
What should your dental personal statement include to capture who you truly are? Should you focus on a single story or weave together multiple experiences? How can you make your essay stand out, even if your journey feels ordinary? What qualities are admissions committees (adcoms) seeking, and how can you communicate them effectively?
Answering these questions often leaves dental school applicants stuck with extreme cases of writer’s block. We’ve heard from countless students that they don’t know what to say or how to arrange their dental personal statement to highlight why they’re the best candidate for a seat at their dream school. Should they start their essay with a creative hook, a personal experience, or an ‘Aha moment’ that solidified their desire to pursue dentistry?
Then begins the process of scouring the internet for dental school personal statement essay examples. Hours spent pouring over essays and tips on everything from topic ideas to structure and eventually reading so many examples, they simply reformulate a few and hope they’ve created an essay that sounds unique to them. We have a term for these types of personal statement writers, “example chasers,” and after 20 years of helping students get into top dental schools, these essays are easy to spot.
But what are example chasers doing wrong? Why won’t their essay stand out and grab the attention of adcoms? We’ve seen time and time again applicants fail to write stellar essays because they don’t understand this crucial question—why.
Enter the Dental School Personal Statement Premium Example and Analysis Hub. One place for real-world example essays, showing you exactly what works and what doesn’t. But most importantly—why it works.
Every essay in our Dental School Personal Statement Premium Example and Analysis Hub is analyzed paragraph-by-paragraph using our proprietary QPUD method, which shows you how to craft an essay that demonstrates your uniqueness and fit for your dream dental school program. Our QPUD essay analysis asks the following questions:
Q - Does the applicant demonstrate positive qualities related to their personal growth? If so, which ones?
P - Is the paragraph mostly about the applicant, or other people? Is the paragraph personal to the applicant?
U - Could anyone else have written this paragraph, or is it unique to the applicant?
D - Does the paragraph cover too much, or is there real depth?
By examining how this approach leads to exceptional essays, you’ll be equipped to craft a compelling and memorable dental school personal statement that solidifies your name in the minds of adcoms.
What’s more, each essay is placed into one of 10 essay categories, providing clarity on how to effectively approach specific themes in your dental personal statement. Each category features examples tailored to common topics seen in dental school essays, offering insights on how to make a lasting impression.
“Aha Moment”
Personal statements in this category center around a pivotal moment or defining experience that inspired the applicant to pursue dentistry. This single, impactful event shaped their understanding of the profession or solidified their desire to embark on a career in dentistry.
Healthcare Disparities
Dental school personal statements in this category highlight one of two primary journeys: (1) the applicant’s direct experience with oral health disparities in their community or (2) their dedicated efforts to address these inequalities through volunteer work, advocacy, or employment. These essays often explore broader social factors that influence oral health, such as socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or access to care, demonstrating the applicant’s awareness of these challenges and their commitment to making a difference in the field of dentistry.
Sick Family Member/Friend
Personal statements in this category explore how significant moments involving illness influenced their decision to apply to dental school. By reflecting on how these events deepened their understanding of the profession and its impact, applicants demonstrate a heartfelt connection to dentistry and their motivation to make a difference in the lives of others.
Patient Applicant
Dental school personal statements in this category focus on applicants who have personally experienced dental challenges, whether due to a chronic condition, injury, or a significant dental procedure. These essays explore how their experiences as patients shaped their understanding of oral health and ignited their desire to pursue dentistry.
Longstanding Interest in Dentistry
Dental school personal statements in this category encompass a variety of experiences and aspirations, but they share a common thread. The applicant has known from a young age—or from the start of their college journey—that dentistry was their calling.
Creative Hook
Dental school personal statements in this category stand out by starting with a distinctive and imaginative introduction, designed to captivate the reader’s attention while setting the stage for the rest of the essay.
Immigrant/Immigrant Family
This category of dental school personal statements explores how an applicant’s immigrant heritage or cultural upbringing has guided their path toward dentistry. Frequently written by first- or second-generation Americans, these essays emphasize the profound impact of their family’s traditions, values, and experiences.
Nontraditional Applicant
Dental school personal statements in this category highlight unconventional journeys to a career in dentistry. These essays often come from applicants who took significant time off—such as an extended gap period—or transitioned from an entirely different career path before deciding to pursue dentistry.
Public/Community Health
Dental school personal statements in this category emphasize public health challenges such as limited access to oral care, addiction, widespread dental diseases, and shortages of community resources.
Dental Research
Dental school personal statements in this category focus on applicants who have engaged in dental research, highlighting how their experiences in the lab or through clinical studies have shaped their passion for dentistry.
Whether you’re considering an engaging hook to grab attention, recounting the pivotal moment you decided to pursue dentistry, showcasing a commitment to underserved communities, or highlighting your multicultural background, you’ll find inspiration and guidance in the Dental School Personal Statement Premium Example and Analysis Hub to jumpstart your writing.
It’s time to stop worrying your writing will never be good enough to get you in. With 50 example essays and more being added all the time, our premium dental school personal statements and analyses will show you the way forward to a rewarding dental career. And with every example essay available wherever you are, whenever you want, and on any device, it couldn’t be easier to spark your creativity and move your application to the interview pile.
Gain instant access to the most in-depth dental school personal statement resources available so you can write an essay that stands out.