Self-deprecation

Started by fayevalentine
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fayevalentine

fayevalentine

See you space cowboy.
7+ Year Member
Is modesty frowned upon in a PS? I have never been phenomenal or stand out much in any way, and I don't want to use my PS as a platform to rave about what an incredible person I am. I'd rather be honest, but discuss the good qualities I do have that I believe would make me a good dentist. Any thoughts?
 
#humblebrag
The key is to say your acchievement without sounding like a douche. That is the thing you have to work on in your PS.

I was told by multiple people that I'm suck at self-promoting. And I was able to write my PS.

And so will you!
Good luck and good afternoon.
 
Just don't sound like a total prick. You don't want to say "I have xyz quality and I'm good with people" anyway. You want to show this by telling some sort of story.
 
Carbohydrates said:
#humblebrag
The key is to say your acchievement without sounding like a douche. That is the thing you have to work on in your PS.

I was told by multiple people that I'm suck at self-promoting. And I was able to write my PS.

And so will you!
Good luck and good afternoon.
Click to expand...

Haha exactly, a humblebrag is the perfect way to describe it! I just really hate people who talk themselves up. It drives me crazy. Like... if you have to talk about how great you are, I have a hard time believing you are actually great and assume you're just a giant self-conscious douchebag. I can't picture myself saying things like, "My extensive (<1000) hours of volunteer work show how DEDICATED I am to HELPING PEOPLE!!! <3" or "My outstanding (average GPA) scholastic achievements prove that I can handle the intensive workload!"
 
JLT223 said:
Just don't sound like a total prick. You don't want to say "I have xyz quality and I'm good with people" anyway. You want to show this by telling some sort of story.
Click to expand...
I agree, but I am trying to figure out if it's okay to tell a story where I don't try and make myself sound insanely awesome. I feel like in all the PS's I have read, people sound like they are stretching the truth, or have just led super interesting lives. I'd rather be honest and say "Hey, I'm pretty average, but here are some good things about me." Make sense?
 
fayevalentine said:
I agree, but I am trying to figure out if it's okay to tell a story where I don't try and make myself sound insanely awesome. I feel like in all the PS's I have read, people sound like they are stretching the truth, or have just led super interesting lives. I'd rather be honest and say "Hey, I'm pretty average, but here are some good things about me." Make sense?
Click to expand...
Make it sound natural is all I can say. Your plan sounds good to me!
 
fayevalentine said:
Haha exactly, a humblebrag is the perfect way to describe it! I just really hate people who talk themselves up. It drives me crazy. Like... if you have to talk about how great you are, I have a hard time believing you are actually great and assume you're just a giant self-conscious douchebag. I can't picture myself saying things like, "My extensive (<1000) hours of volunteer work show how DEDICATED I am to HELPING PEOPLE!!! <3" or "My outstanding (average GPA) scholastic achievements prove that I can handle the intensive workload!"
Click to expand...
Agreed.

Write about why you want to be a dentist and what led you down that path, not why you'd be a great dentist or dental student. There's a difference!

You're not trying to convince them that you're a good person. You can't, and that's also what LoRs are kinda for. You're trying to explain your motivation to be a dentist, so write about what motivates you, not about you. In reading about your experiences and motivation, they will get a better sense of you anyway.
 
strep mutans said:
Agreed.

Write about why you want to be a dentist and what led you down that path, not why you'd be a great dentist or dental student. There's a difference!

You're not trying to convince them that you're a good person. You can't, and that's also what LoRs are kinda for. You're trying to explain your motivation to be a dentist, so write about what motivates you, not about you. In reading about your experiences and motivation, they will get a better sense of you anyway.
Click to expand...
Thank you, this advice helped me quite a bit!
 
JLT223 said:
Just don't sound like a total prick. You don't want to say "I have xyz quality and I'm good with people" anyway. You want to show this by telling some sort of story.
Click to expand...
That's what a writing prof told me as well. However, when I was trying to show my personality by telling a story or experience, he said it came off as more like a retelling of my resume. How do I avoid this? There seems to be a balance between not explicitly saying your quality and also not just listing what you did (which I didn't think I did)
 
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