Since many new applicants are struggling with their PS as the new cycle is approaching, and since I already got accepted to a dental school, I figure I'd post my own PS as an example. Consider this as a final gift to this awesome forum. @aqz also posted his great PS here http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/personal-statement-example.1132989/
My stats are completely average: 3.5 GPA, 21 on the DAT. I also applied pretty late in the cycle (late Aug/early Step), partially due to AADSAS lost my transcript. So while my PS isn't the greatest in the world, I'd like to believe that it accounted for several interview invites I received so late into the cycle.
My only advice to applicants who are struggling with their PS right now is: be sincere. Good luck!
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Growing up in a Vietnamese family, I never had much freedom. My parents were always pressuring me to “become something significant.” I grew up with that resounding in my head. Although I understand where my parents were coming from, where I came from, I still developed a keen desire to see the world through my own eyes. Then my family moved to the United States. More freedom arrived with age and the change in culture. In this new crucible, I yearned to define myself. I took up tennis and soccer. I immersed myself into the lustrous world of jazz. I taught myself the interplay of electricity and machinery. I experimented, broadened, and varied. However, high school came to an end, and the person that I wanted to be remained murky. I struggled to clearly define myself amidst my new and swirling interests.
During the summer of 2011, I was visiting my cousin in Milwakee, Wisconsin. My wisdom teeth were giving me some problems, so I went into Dr. O’s office to have them extracted. That day, I saw dentistry anew. Before my visit with Dr. O, I’d only been to my regular dentist, Dr. S, for my checkups in Cincinnati. Dentistry had never stricken me as interesting. My impression of the profession had always been the damp wallpaper, the unusual scent, the blinding light. In Dr. O’s office I received a pan x-ray of my teeth. Dr. O proceeded to explain what I was seeing on his computer, that beautiful, ghostly image of my teeth. It was surreal. I went in there thinking that I was going to be in excruciating pain. Instead, I experienced the sharp pleasure of acquiring a new interest. The x-ray and the other machinery beckoned me with ephemeral hues. I ran my tongue across my teeth, still there, aligned as they had always been in my mouth. Then I looked up at the image on the x-ray. Something larger-than-life happened in that moment. After the procedure, I expressed my interest in dentistry to Dr. O by repeatedly coming into his office, asking him questions about dentistry. Finally, one day, he smiled at me. I knew then that he had taken me under his wing.
I’ve learned a great deal about dentistry during my time with Dr. O. He became one of my greatest mentors. With rapid succession, I learned how operate an x-ray machine, read an x-ray, and open and update the patient’s dental record. It was at his office that I was given the opportunity to observe a variety of dental procedures, from crowns and bridge prep to extraction. Instead of the long, hot arc of the sun over the pitch, or the radiation of a tennis court’s clay, patients’ wide smiles after a successful bridge procedure, or their looks of relief after a tooth extraction, or their curiosity following a filling became the hallmarks of my summer. I got to interact with individuals of diverse ages, cultures, and backgrounds.
In this way, I realized the importance of communication between a dentist and his patients. I learned the responsibilities, hard-work, and organizational skills of the profession. I even learned the unique facets of a small dental practice such as Dr. Os, for example, the tedious billing process that insurance companies make him follow. The longer I stayed at Dr. O, the more my interest in dentistry grew. Perhaps it was the dedication to excellence, the contenting smiles, and the lives I’d touched that gave me a sense of belonging.
After my first summer at Dr. O’s office, I continued to learn more about dentistry through pursuing a degree in Neurobiology at the University of Cincinnati. I feel that a better understanding of the nervous system will help me along the path of dentistry. Also, so as not to lose the touch of a real office, I spent several hours after classes observing at Dr. S’s - whenever my schedule permitted. During the following summers, however, I always returned to Dr. O, as that is where my training began.
To me, dentistry sits at the elusive intersection of health care (public service), engineering, and art in the cosmetic sense. Dentistry is something that I enjoy practicing and studying. Dentistry helped me define myself. Now that my undergraduate years are almost over, I’m excited and eager to see what awaits me in dentistry. I know that dentistry will present many challenges, but I believe that, through Dr. O and Dr. S, I have built a strong foundation from which I will move forward into the world of dentistry.
My stats are completely average: 3.5 GPA, 21 on the DAT. I also applied pretty late in the cycle (late Aug/early Step), partially due to AADSAS lost my transcript. So while my PS isn't the greatest in the world, I'd like to believe that it accounted for several interview invites I received so late into the cycle.
My only advice to applicants who are struggling with their PS right now is: be sincere. Good luck!
*****************************
Growing up in a Vietnamese family, I never had much freedom. My parents were always pressuring me to “become something significant.” I grew up with that resounding in my head. Although I understand where my parents were coming from, where I came from, I still developed a keen desire to see the world through my own eyes. Then my family moved to the United States. More freedom arrived with age and the change in culture. In this new crucible, I yearned to define myself. I took up tennis and soccer. I immersed myself into the lustrous world of jazz. I taught myself the interplay of electricity and machinery. I experimented, broadened, and varied. However, high school came to an end, and the person that I wanted to be remained murky. I struggled to clearly define myself amidst my new and swirling interests.
During the summer of 2011, I was visiting my cousin in Milwakee, Wisconsin. My wisdom teeth were giving me some problems, so I went into Dr. O’s office to have them extracted. That day, I saw dentistry anew. Before my visit with Dr. O, I’d only been to my regular dentist, Dr. S, for my checkups in Cincinnati. Dentistry had never stricken me as interesting. My impression of the profession had always been the damp wallpaper, the unusual scent, the blinding light. In Dr. O’s office I received a pan x-ray of my teeth. Dr. O proceeded to explain what I was seeing on his computer, that beautiful, ghostly image of my teeth. It was surreal. I went in there thinking that I was going to be in excruciating pain. Instead, I experienced the sharp pleasure of acquiring a new interest. The x-ray and the other machinery beckoned me with ephemeral hues. I ran my tongue across my teeth, still there, aligned as they had always been in my mouth. Then I looked up at the image on the x-ray. Something larger-than-life happened in that moment. After the procedure, I expressed my interest in dentistry to Dr. O by repeatedly coming into his office, asking him questions about dentistry. Finally, one day, he smiled at me. I knew then that he had taken me under his wing.
I’ve learned a great deal about dentistry during my time with Dr. O. He became one of my greatest mentors. With rapid succession, I learned how operate an x-ray machine, read an x-ray, and open and update the patient’s dental record. It was at his office that I was given the opportunity to observe a variety of dental procedures, from crowns and bridge prep to extraction. Instead of the long, hot arc of the sun over the pitch, or the radiation of a tennis court’s clay, patients’ wide smiles after a successful bridge procedure, or their looks of relief after a tooth extraction, or their curiosity following a filling became the hallmarks of my summer. I got to interact with individuals of diverse ages, cultures, and backgrounds.
In this way, I realized the importance of communication between a dentist and his patients. I learned the responsibilities, hard-work, and organizational skills of the profession. I even learned the unique facets of a small dental practice such as Dr. Os, for example, the tedious billing process that insurance companies make him follow. The longer I stayed at Dr. O, the more my interest in dentistry grew. Perhaps it was the dedication to excellence, the contenting smiles, and the lives I’d touched that gave me a sense of belonging.
After my first summer at Dr. O’s office, I continued to learn more about dentistry through pursuing a degree in Neurobiology at the University of Cincinnati. I feel that a better understanding of the nervous system will help me along the path of dentistry. Also, so as not to lose the touch of a real office, I spent several hours after classes observing at Dr. S’s - whenever my schedule permitted. During the following summers, however, I always returned to Dr. O, as that is where my training began.
To me, dentistry sits at the elusive intersection of health care (public service), engineering, and art in the cosmetic sense. Dentistry is something that I enjoy practicing and studying. Dentistry helped me define myself. Now that my undergraduate years are almost over, I’m excited and eager to see what awaits me in dentistry. I know that dentistry will present many challenges, but I believe that, through Dr. O and Dr. S, I have built a strong foundation from which I will move forward into the world of dentistry.
Getting over that PS mental block was a struggle, so good luck to everyone!
