DrStudentDentist

While we’re on the subject of personal statements, I might as well include some key points I learned going through the process as well and looking back on it.

1) Quality beats quantity any day
After I had drafted and edited my essay, I was a bit self-conscious that it was hanging onto page 2 by a sliver of 2 sentences. This was my chance to shine and I could only come up with 683 words. What was I to do? Nothing, I copied and pasted that sucker right into AADSAS and sent it off*. I said what I had to say succinctly and to try to puff it up any more would be 1) not my style and 2) looking back, unnecessary. I imagine admission staff are actual living, breathing people and they see the world as you and I see the world so if you’ve finalized your essay and got a second opinion on it, more than likely, it’s good to go.

*Wanna hear something blasphemous? I didn’t even indent!

2) Play up your strengths - If you got it, flaunt it
I didn’t have much under my belt before getting serious. Up to that point, I had zero volunteer hours, was part of zero organizations, and did zero research. Was I going to base my personal statement around those things? No, my personal statement would have been really short. Instead, I talked about what I did do. I did ace my upper division biology courses. I was top of biochemistry class. I was a TA (for 2 classes actually) and I was nominated for an award based on my stellar work as a TA. The fact that I did all that after I had horrible grades need not be mentioned. Having horrible grades prior does not subtract from the fact that I did all those things but writing about them does. In the essay, the goal is to convey what you can bring to the dental school. A spoonful of confidence (based on real results) can go a long way.

Plus, they have a complete record of my grades - A’s and D’s. What they don’t have are letter grades quantifying my drive, dedication to the field of dentistry and unwavering perseverance. Let that stuff shine in your essay - backed by real results, obviously.

So if you’ve worked in a dental office, you can talk about the exposure you got, what you’ve learned about being a team player, how it cemented your desire for dentistry even further. If you have great grades already, you can talk about the extracurricular activities that make you stand out, that round you out as an applicant - from surfing to knitting. It can all be linked back to life experience and in that way, make you a better applicant.

3) If you don’t got it, what can you do to change that?

If you’re like me and had nothing to list under manual dexterity, what can you do to change that? For the summer of 2007, I signed up for ceramics and piano lessons, in addition to yoga. I got into biking and volunteered at a dental office. Since I couldn’t list them under exhibiting manual dexterity or anywhere for that matter, I took the liberty to let the admissions staff know, in my personal statement, that I would be gaining some manual dexterity skills soon enough. I think this lets them know that I’m committed to learning, that I know where I can improve and I’m taking the steps in the right direction, and that I will be a well-rounded applicant. And even if I wasn’t all those things when I wrote the essay, by the time I’m 6 inches from them, I would be.

Remember, your personal statement is unique to you. Aside from accentuating your strengths and being grammatically sound, there is no one recipe for your story.

What does your tale say about you?