Personal statements

[jaro]

I have been working on my p statement and its been slow going. My brother in law is going to med school and he said that the personal statement is extremely important.
Should the p statement be the same as med school....in terms of what is said and creativity? Where can I find good examples of personal statements for dental school? I've googled it and can't find any good examples. I was under the impression that the p statement for dental school is diff then med school. Am I mistaken? I'm on my iPhone...so sorry for bad grammar etc.

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[MelonDew]

Yes

 

[Datooth]

iirc, there was an article discussing the med school PS was actually pretty insignificant. Unless its a very unique situation (which its probably not) PS is just another hoop.

 

[Coffeeisamust]

iirc, there was an article discussing the med school PS was actually pretty insignificant. Unless its a very unique situation (which its probably not) PS is just another hoop.

I remember reading that article that said that a PS wont get you an interview but it can make it where you dont get an interview.

 

[jeffity]

I remember reading that article that said that a PS wont get you an interview but it can make it where you dont get an interview.

That's how I feel. A majority of applicants probably don't have a great story. You either do or you don't at this point. And no matter how awesome you think you are or how creative you think your writing is, you're in the pool of peeps where is doesn't play much of a factor. Just another fulfilled requirement. If you're in this faceless bunch, your goal is to not have it suck. I'd never count on a stellar PS to make up for lackluster performance elsewhere.

 

[emorypredent]

They are similar. The main difference is on focus. Dentistry, in some ways, is like an early specialty. Med school has a much broader scope. I feel like a good dental school PS should be able to (directly or indirectly) answer the question why not medical school? I don't think that a med school PS typically answers "why not dentistry?"

 

[hellobruin]

They are similar. The main difference is on focus. Dentistry, in some ways, is like an early specialty. Med school has a much broader scope. I feel like a good dental school PS should be able to (directly or indirectly) answer the question why not medical school? I don't think that a med school PS typically answers "why not dentistry?"

I totally agree. The best advice I got while writing my dental PS was, "Can you substitute any other career in this personal statement?" If you can't, I think the PS is solid. If you can, probably reconsider changing the focus.

 

[AlbinoPolarBear]

That's how I feel. A majority of applicants probably don't have a great story. You either do or you don't at this point.

That's why when parents ask me how to improve their kid's chances of getting into dental/meds, I tell them to get a divorce and ignore their kids. Let their kids struggle financially and emotionally during their early schooling, and they will definitely find something amazing to write.

The earlier the divorce, the better.

 

[emorypredent]

I think one way to compensate for a lack of something special in your life is to show a lot of maturity/early wisdom.

For example:
You are in your early twenties, have had a "traditional" college education, are not disadvantaged, did not have an "aha" miracle moment that got you to want to be a dentist,etc.

You can still show some depth. PROVE that you know there are other options but you chose dentistry because____.

 

[jeffity]

That's why when parents ask me how to improve their kid's chances of getting into dental/meds, I tell them to get a divorce and ignore their kids. Let their kids struggle financially and emotionally during their early schooling, and they will definitely find something amazing to write.

The earlier the divorce, the better.

Yes! And to top it off, slip them a copy of this to read:

 

[Ferneezy]

Yes! And to top it off, slip them a copy of this to read:

View attachment 24365

lol. strong avi.

you got a problem with the jews, bro?

 

[ktran17]

@ Jeffity

This is off topic, but I love how your avatars have been dental schools that didn't exist or don't exist anymore