Help me with my personal statement!!

[FloorMatt]

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Sooo I was wondering if someone could help me out with my PS. I was thinking about writing about an accident that happened while playing basketball back when I was 11 years old that had trauma on my two top front teeth and cracking multiple surrounding ones (my mouth looked like broken glass ) and eventually leading to 6 years of braces, 2 root canals and 3 crowns. I am actually getting some final work done this summer because when the two front crowns were put in at 17 years old (after braces) they weren't aesthetically nice, and if I wanted to replace them, there would be a risk of getting implants if the replacement failed, meaning I would have to wait till age 21 (jaw isn't fully developed till 21). I haven't had a nice smile for what feels like my whole life and this summer I may finally get my dream made

Any how, thats clearly a lot, and I wanted to know how much of this to include in my personal statement and how to organize it all into a convincing paper. Being in the dentist's office hundreds of times has sparked my interest in how these dentists dedicate there lives to helping others with confidence, and I am basically first hand experience on that.

How I plan to organize:
1. Vivid story of accident happening to gain readers attention
2. Results of accident (braces, crowns, future implants)
3. Interest gradually increasing at young age --> tie this into my confidence increasing as teeth became straighter, and how dentists genuinely help the lives of patients even though they hate going to the dentist (1st hand experience)

If anyone has any suggestions, such as the length of any of these numbered points, or if I should add or remove anything please let me know!!! Also, how much of the nitty gritty details of my accident are actually necessary? I really appreciate it

 

[JLT223]

I really wouldn't go into the accident that much at all. I wrote about an accident I had as a child (craniotomy) which originally lead me down the pre-med path, but only wrote 2 or 3 sentences about it and got into the much deeper stuff fairly quickly. By deeper stuff, I mean WHY you are attracted to dentistry (don't say helping people...), things you've learned from shadowing that will help you be a better healthcare provider, how you will ultimately treat your patients (your philosophy), etc. You need to show that you have experiences which will allow you to be successful in dental school. Definitely include the accident, but do not focus on it. Hope this helps. PM me if you have any questions throughout the process.

Also, your PS shouldn't really be more than 1 page single spaced (~650 words). Admissions officers read thousands of these and in this case shorter = sweeter.

 

[FloorMatt]

Thanks ill take that into consideration. Anyone else??