Spectacular essays...

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ItsGavinC

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For those who have spectacular essays, I'm wondering what your opening sentence was?

Not only was I an English major in undergrad, but I've also read *many* personal essays as I've helped with interviews at my school this year. I've noticed that the best essays are the ones that grab the readers' attention in the opening line.

What did your opening lines say?

My favorite applicant essay this year began with "Not all empty houses are built with stone and brick..."

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I didn't have a killer essay, but mine went like this:

Pondering to the early days of my college experience, I cannot be more astonished of how confused I was about the direction I was going to take in my life.
 
I thought mine was pretty creative, I wrote it about bicycle riding. Send me a pm if you want to read it.
 
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Here is my opening sentance or two. I am not sure if it was a killer essay, but I'd like to think it was rather well written.

"
As my heart rapidly pumped blood throughout my six-year old body, I took a deep breath and grasped the doorknob before closing my eyes. With some silk string attaching my throbbing tooth to the knob, I braced myself to slam the door and evict the guilty incisor once and for all.

"
 
Originally posted by Zurich5
I thought mine was pretty creative, I wrote it about bicycle riding. Send me a pm if you want to read it.

interesting you'll post your telephone number but not a few sentences from your personal statement.
 
Originally posted by Balki
Here is my opening sentance or two. I am not sure if it was a killer essay, but I'd like to think it was rather well written.

"
As my heart rapidly pumped blood throughout my six-year old body, I took a deep breath and grasped the doorknob before closing my eyes. With some silk string attaching my throbbing tooth to the knob, I braced myself to slam the door and evict the guilty incisor once and for all.

"

in someways i hope you're joking...just sounds somewhat clicheish for a dental personal statement.... but what do i know... good luck.
 
man... get to the point people. Mine was so simple :

"My passion in life has always been inclined towards the medical profession"
 
The best one was by Mr. Gallahar:

Hugh Gallagher's 'College Essay'
3A. ESSAY: IN ORDER FOR THE ADMISSIONS STAFF OF OUR COLLEGE TO GET TO KNOW YOU, THE APPLICANT, BETTER, WE ASK THAT YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED TO DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.
 
Originally posted by StarGirl
in someways i hope you're joking...just sounds somewhat clicheish for a dental personal statement.... but what do i know... good luck.

No I didn't think it was Childish at all because it is realistically how I came to learn about the profession. Moreover, I reinforce the idea later on with much mature understanding and interpretation. I basically come back to what I wrote initially.
Additionally, I don't think it's an absolute NO NO to "sound childish" or even humourous in the essay. The essay should tell the ADCOMS something about the writer's personality and if it is humour then by all means. If you are reffering to being mature enough to be admitted into a dental program then I think many of us who completed college, earned the grades and succeeded on DATs have that maturity already. I agree that maturity is an important attribute for a dental student but, in my oppinion , so ist humor and "lighter" way of thinking about things.
I think I took this a little off the topic, But I hope it clarifies a little what I did and why I did so.
Again I never thought of my essay as spectacular, but rather a composition that makes its point.
THanks for your reflection,

-Balki-
 
Some dude described how riding a bike allowed him to choose a career in dentistry. I am still laughing at that statement :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
I like the essay but:
The 450 word composition contained
48 Is! I'd better spend the time showing my characteristics rather than telling you openly about them.
But that's just me :)


Originally posted by vishal_k32801
The best one was by Mr. Gallahar:

Hugh Gallagher's 'College Essay'
3A. ESSAY: IN ORDER FOR THE ADMISSIONS STAFF OF OUR COLLEGE TO GET TO KNOW YOU, THE APPLICANT, BETTER, WE ASK THAT YOU ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:

ARE THERE ANY SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES YOU HAVE HAD, OR ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE REALIZED, THAT HAVE HELPED TO DEFINE YOU AS A PERSON?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am a dynamic figure, often seen scaling walls and crushing ice. I have been known to remodel train stations on my lunch breaks, making them more efficient in the area of heat retention. I translate ethnic slurs for Cuban refugees, I write award-winning operas, I manage time efficiently. Occasionally, I tread water for three days in a row.

I woo women with my sensuous and godlike trombone playing, I can pilot


bicycles up severe inclines with unflagging speed, and I cook Thirty-Minute Brownies in twenty minutes. I am an expert in stucco, a veteran in love, and an outlaw in Peru.

Using only a hoe and a large glass of water, I once single-handedly defended a small village in the Amazon Basin from a horde of ferocious army ants. I play bluegrass cello, I was scouted by the Mets, I am the subject of numerous documentaries. When I'm bored, I build large suspension bridges in my yard. I enjoy urban hang gliding. On Wednesdays, after school, I repair electrical appliances free of charge.

I am an abstract artist, a concrete analyst, and a ruthless bookie. Critics worldwide swoon over my original line of corduroy evening wear. I don't perspire. I am a private citizen, yet I receive fan mail. I have been caller number nine and have won the weekend passes. Last summer I toured New Jersey with a traveling centrifugal-force demonstration. I bat 400. My deft floral arrangements have earned me fame in international botany circles. Children trust me.

I can hurl tennis rackets at small moving objects with deadly accuracy. I once read Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and David Copperfield in one day and still had time to refurbish an entire dining room that evening. I know the exact location of every food item in the supermarket. I have performed several covert operations for the CIA. I sleep once a week; when I do sleep, I sleep in a chair. While on vacation in Canada, I successfully negotiated with a group of terrorists who had seized a small bakery. The laws of physics do not apply to me.

I balance, I weave, I dodge, I frolic, and my bills are all paid. On weekends, to let off steam, I participate in full-contact origami. Years ago I discovered the meaning of life but forgot to write it down. I have made extraordinary four course meals using only a mouli and a toaster oven. I breed prizewinning clams. I have won bullfights in San Juan, cliff-diving competitions in Sri Lanka, and spelling bees at the Kremlin. I have played Hamlet, I have performed open-heart surgery, and I have spoken with Elvis.

But I have not yet gone to college.
 
Originally posted by an unnamed source:

Fortunately for me, cycling, along with work experience and volunteering, was not only a tool for self-improvement; it also helped me complete the arduous task of picking both a major and ultimately the profession of dentistry.

I ask how can cycling help you choose a career in dentistry?

:laugh:
 
Originally posted by flong
Some dude described how riding a bike allowed him to choose a career in dentistry. I am still laughing at that statement :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

It's an ANALogy. The parallel doesn't have to be clear or even make sense for you. As long as it does for him and there is a connection I think it can be pretty powerful. I actually read couple of strange ones to med school. LIke A working a year as contract electrician made me realize that Medicine is for me. Or that I didn't want to spend the rest of my life screwing bulbes. There are others and you'll be surprised how many of those students get accepted.
 
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My opening paragraph was:
It is 3:00AM and I wake up to the piercing sound of my beeping pager. It reads ?Chest pain outside Mudd dormitory.? My heart skips a beat as I struggle to quickly put on my shoes. I turn on my Emergency Support Team (EST) radio to get further information and meet the two other medics on duty, outside my dorm. Our crew of three has only a two-minute drive to the site and thus quickly discuss the possibilities, roles, and the action plan. Prepared to treat anything from heartburn to heart attack, we arrive to find a girl sitting on the floor holding her right side.
 
Originally posted by Balki
No I didn't think it was Childish at all because it is realistically how I came to learn about the profession. Moreover, I reinforce the idea later on with much mature understanding and interpretation. I basically come back to what I wrote initially.
Additionally, I don't think it's an absolute NO NO to "sound childish" or even humourous in the essay. The essay should tell the ADCOMS something about the writer's personality and if it is humour then by all means. If you are reffering to being mature enough to be admitted into a dental program then I think many of us who completed college, earned the grades and succeeded on DATs have that maturity already. I agree that maturity is an important attribute for a dental student but, in my oppinion , so ist humor and "lighter" way of thinking about things.
I think I took this a little off the topic, But I hope it clarifies a little what I did and why I did so.
Again I never thought of my essay as spectacular, but rather a composition that makes its point.
THanks for your reflection,

-Balki-

not childish...cliche-ish (but who cares what I think... as long as your essay tells the reader who you are as a person...)
 
Mine wasn't anything too creative. Because I was an English minor, I just wrote my essay like one of my English papers. My opening sentences were

"William Blake?s Marriage of Heaven and Hell asserts, ?Opposition is true friendship,? suggesting that struggling between oppositional forces provide individuals a medium for development in character. These antagonistic entities have ultimately collaborated to reveal my weaknesses and strengthened them."

I really liked his quote. i thought it totally defined who i was.
 
Originally posted by flong
Originally posted by an unnamed source:

Fortunately for me, cycling, along with work experience and volunteering, was not only a tool for self-improvement; it also helped me complete the arduous task of picking both a major and ultimately the profession of dentistry.

I ask how can cycling help you choose a career in dentistry?

:laugh:

Hey flong, have you ever spent six hours on a bike and burned over 4000 calories in one day? Have you ever put together a derailleur on a bicycle and taken five hours to do it? I didn't think so, so please don't rip me apart here when I?m trying to help you out there chief? I've ridden my bike all over the country and probably could have pursued a professional career, but decided to go to school, and it helped me choose dentistry over medicine, optometry, etc.. Don't be such a jerk...what's your personal statement about...getting reamed by a 12 incher?
 
Originally posted by Zurich5
Hey flong, have you ever spent six hours on a bike and burned over 4000 calories in one day? Have you ever put together a derailleur on a bicycle and taken five hours to do it? I didn't think so, so please don't rip me apart here when I?m trying to help you out there chief? I've ridden my bike all over the country and probably could have pursued a professional career, but decided to go to school, and it helped me choose dentistry over medicine, optometry, etc.. Don't be such a jerk...what's your personal statement about...getting reamed by a 12 incher?

I'm still wondering how pedals, handle bars, and wheels relate with dentistry. :laugh:
 
This is always why I hated English. There is always some thing not perfectly said. It is either too emotional or too bland, too simple or too complex. Whatever.

For my personal statement I was blunt and with on figurative writing and no stories. I basically stated and described why I have the characteristic and ability to be a great dentist while giving some history and a insight into my character as straight forward as I can.

I will not mention it here because that is like giving my name to all the possible Adcoms, or adcom informants. I do not want my opinions I say on this forum mess my chances up. Call me paranoid.

Gavin, is it possible for you to give an example of a opening sentence that you liked?
 
Yeah, I loved my essay (and it got me into several schools). Here are the opening sentences:

"I will never forget the look on the dentist?s face as he welcomed my missionary companion and me into his office. Although ?No Peddlers or Solicitors? was posted clearly in the office window, his face held a large smile as he brought us in from the pouring rain."

My essay told a story, and mentioned nothing (zilch, zip, nada) about stats, DAT scores, GPAs, classes, or anything else academically.

Not everybodies cup of tea, but I do think it is a succesful way to go.
 
I question whether or not even half of my interviewers even read my essay. At least not any any depth. I'd be like " Yeah, I did so and so, and I grew up in so and so" And they would be like "Wow, Really?"

All the while I was thinking......hmmm, I coulda sworn that was in my essay :laugh:

I kinda wonder how important the essay really is. I would venture to guess the interview is far more important.
 
This thread is a joke. Did people ACTUALLY submit such essays. :rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by critterbug


I kinda wonder how important the essay really is. I would venture to guess the interview is far more important.

From what I heard, the personal statement is probably the most important part of you application, with the exception of your grades and DAT scores.
 
Originally posted by blankguy
This thread is a joke. Did people ACTUALLY submit such essays. :rolleyes:

Yes. You have to write a creative, original, and personal essay or risk being lost in the crowd.
 
Originally posted by ItsGavinC
Yeah, I loved my essay (and it got me into several schools). Here are the opening sentences:

"I will never forget the look on the dentist?s face as he welcomed my missionary companion and me into his office. Although ?No Peddlers or Solicitors? was posted clearly in the office window, his face held a large smile as he brought us in from the pouring rain."

My essay told a story, and mentioned nothing (zilch, zip, nada) about stats, DAT scores, GPAs, classes, or anything else academically.

Not everybodies cup of tea, but I do think it is a succesful way to go.

Mine too. My entire essay was a hypothetical about the kind of dentist I wanted to be. I don't remember exact verbiage, but "suppose you found an individual who..." sentences were rampant.

And flong, my and Gavin's "******ed" narrative essays that mentioned nothing whatsoever about academics...well, they <em>worked</em>. I don't know what your English credentials are--if you have any at all--but save your criticism for after you get in somewhere.
 
Originally posted by blankguy
This thread is a joke. Did people ACTUALLY submit such essays. :rolleyes:

Umm, yeah, and those essays you are referring to are the ones that win out if the committee can't make up their minds or are on the edge as to whether or not to dish out an acceptance.
 
Ya, I did not mention anything about academics. They can see my transcript, why mention it. I mentioned my volunteering and what my experience mean to me and how it demonstrates my strengths as a dental student and dentist.
 
Yes, I have a degree in English, but here is my perspective WITHOUT that in mind:

Adcoms give you a page (your personal essay) to talk to them, to explain yourself to them, to show them something about yourself that they can't glean from your other AADSAS information.

If you waste that page rehashing your GPA, DAT scores, ECs, and LORs, then you've done just that--wasted a page.

They can see all that on the first page of the AADSAS form. Use the personal essay section for something NEW and INVIGORATING, not to paraphrase stuff they've already seen.

And always leave a paragraph of empty space at the bottom of the essay. The way AADSAS prints them out makes it look very classy and crisp that way.
 
"The average person goes to the dentist because they have to. I go because I want to."

That was my opening. Apparently, it was captivating and opened my app to the adcoms, according to a couple of my interviewers.

I didn't mention my grades or stats at all. All I mentioned was how and why I wanted to be a dentist.

Gavin hit it right on the nose with that last post. Stand out, and tell your story about yourself that's not on the AADSAS.
 
I agree with Gavin....I didnt put anything about my academics in my essay as well.......I thought of it the same way as a page to sell the non-academic self to the adcom....however I didnt know about leaving a paragraph at the end.......dang!

THis is how I started my essay:

"In 1998, the World Health Organization reinitiated its lifetime goal of ?Health for All in the 21st Century,? a goal that I strongly believe in."

ANd I talked about how my intentions is to do dental public health as a post-doc, and how my experiences in the Mexican dental clinic reinforced this goal of mine and showed me hands-on how oral health is neglected in developing nations. I also talked a little about why I wanted to be a dentist and why I would make a good dentist.
 
Originally posted by ItsGavinC
Yeah, I loved my essay (and it got me into several schools). Here are the opening sentences:

"I will never forget the look on the dentist?s face as he welcomed my missionary companion and me into his office. Although ?No Peddlers or Solicitors? was posted clearly in the office window, his face held a large smile as he brought us in from the pouring rain."

My essay told a story, and mentioned nothing (zilch, zip, nada) about stats, DAT scores, GPAs, classes, or anything else academically.

Not everybodies cup of tea, but I do think it is a succesful way to go.


Kinda funny, I just had flashback of my missionary companion and me walking into a dental office. I still wonder when he'll take a step out of the oficina and into the capilla!
 
I don?t remember William or Chris?s last name, which is embarrassing, as they play an important role in my life. They don?t know it, but they are a large part of the reason I chose dentistry as a career goal.


Those are my first two sentences, and then I proceeded to tell the story of the day that they changed my mind about dentistry.

But yeah, I did that because it seemed better to talk about the specific event that made me become interested in dentistry rather than just talk about why I like dentistry etc (which is basically similar for everyone) or just rehashing things I've talked about elsewhere on the application. Unfortunately I suck at writing though, hehe, so no matter what I think I did right, I have that whole composition thing against me. Though it did seem like my interviewers at both UMDNJ and SUNY Buffalo seemed to have skipped the darn thing altogether.
 
What if you have so-so stats or way below average stats? Shouldn't that be mentioned?
 
Originally posted by blankguy
What if you have so-so stats or way below average stats? Shouldn't that be mentioned?

What for?

The entire flipping AADSAS is full of your numbers. You've got <em>one</em> opportunity to make yourself look like a human being amid all that, and that one glimmer of potential humanity lies in writing a personal statement that describes you as a <em>person</em>, not just a rehash of your AADSAS written in complete sentences.

In the end, though, it's your application; Gavin and I and everybody else can tell you about what worked to get us admitted, but you're perfectly free to ignore it and cast out your own line if you're so inclined.
 
Originally posted by blankguy
What if you have so-so stats or way below average stats? Shouldn't that be mentioned?

I dont think there' anything wrong with explaining why you did poorly one semester. But if you do, just make sure you tie all togeather with the original essay question "Why do you want to be a dentist?".
 
My essay's opening sentence was: "If you can dream it, you can achieve it." That was a quote on a refigerator magnet that I read every morning while getting milk for my cereal before school.

So sorry blankguy, I guess there really are people who submit those kinds of essays. I guess you should know that I have had many compliments on it, one of which was Dr. Simonsen at AZ (Gavin...).
 
The wierd thing is that every interview i went on this year (4), it seemed like none of the interviewers had read my essay. They were asking me questions that I had directly noted in my essay :(

Oh well
 
Okay, sorry it was a bit rash and ignorant of me to post such comments.:(
 
I've had a couple of adcoms comment on my essay, I think it's just because I wrote about something a little more interesting than "I want to be a dentist because I love helping others.." I think everyone should take a chance with this part of the application and really try to set themselves apart. I know Case is a big advocate of different essay types...I read one a few years ago where a guy talked about baking cookies for the first time. Good stuff.
 
Originally posted by blankguy
What if you have so-so stats or way below average stats? Shouldn't that be mentioned?

If there is a reason for those below average stats I would absolutely mention it in the essay, the reason probably wont come out in your application.

Also, a word about creativity. I had a former dental school admissions director tell me that the first paragraph is extremely important. He literally said that when he has a stack of essays sitting in front of him , if he gets bored after the first paragraph he wont continue reading and move on to the next. This could (and im not putting down anybodys essay but just hypothesizing) be why some interviewers seemed to not have even read some people's essays.
 
Originally posted by ItsGavinC
Nahh, that's what we are all here for. I learn from you, and you learn from me, etc., etc.

...and hug now!

*smacks gavin*
Knock it off. No hugging, Yah-E tries to pinch my butt now you are trying to hug me. :eek:
 
*Calls Yah-E from Los Angeles, to Ft Lauderdale, "Yah, did you just pinch my a$$?"*

-Night @ the Roxbury
 
The other day I was sitting in Anatomy reviewing the endrocrine system and this nursing student (who wants to turn Den) walks up to me excited, "I heard you are a predent, are you a pre-dent??"

Me, "Nooooo........YES!"
 
What if you have so-so stats or way below average stats? Shouldn't that be mentioned?

I had a horrific first year, but I did not mention any thing about that in my essay. I am not definite that not mentioning it will not hurt my application. I did not mention it because there is a space for it where it ask specifically have you had any academic deficiencies do to others or your own actions. I used the space to sell the positives; I did not want to inject excuses and complaints into my best stuff about who I am.
 
here is how mine went for this year:
"Ten years ago, while in junior high school in Iran, my interest in the dental profession started with my passion for paleontology. "


and my last year's:
"I woke up; but did not cry. I looked around instead. "
BTW: this is one of the most creative pieces that i have ever written!

Comet
 
If you have such a passion for paleontology, why didn't you pursue it?
 
The Flongster is just quite the little instigator here.

My essay started out like this:
?Dear distinguished adcom, you know you want to admit me, so lets just mark the ?yes? box and move on to the next applicant??
 
HeHe...Relax Zurich, I'm just messing with you guys. I'm sure you had a great paper

Best of Luck...

Flongy
 
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