AEGD Personal Statement

Started by pma96
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

pma96

Full Member
7+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Hi,

I'm finishing my application for AEGD programs and putting together my PS. After giving it much thought and a few drafts, I ended up with a statement that follows what I've always considered my basic PS style and what has always worked for me:
1-Background/story
2-Why dentistry
3-Two or three relevant dental school experiences and the impact they had me and the kind of dentist I want to be
4-One paragraph on why an AEGD and what I'm bringing to the program.
5-Tying it all together

I honestly thought my statement was pretty strong and genuine but I sent it to a couple of dental school friends and one of them destroyed it, saying that basically it should be a cover letter for a work application and should focus on saying what my expectations are from an AEGD, why would I be a good match, and basically be more objective and have a mature style. He said it didn't look like it was written for a dentist to read. Now I'm super confused LOL but my gut is telling me to go with my style because it's going to be more genuine. I feel like directors read all the time great things about their program and I also feel that throughout my essay different traits about why I'd be a good match are implied. I also think my recommenders will talk about my clinical strengths, traits, etc. which is another reason I wanted to focus more on my story.

Anyway, I'd appreciate any points of view on how a residency PS should look like 🙂