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?

Ben, from DMDstudent, commented on my blog! eeek. I’m as giddy as a schoolgirl.

Ben is really amazing. He balances the dental school thing and a family - with kids to boot. Very awesome.

I started reading his blog when I was applying the 1st time, to get an idea of what being a dental student was like. It wasn’t until my 2nd time applying that I began using it as a resource. I was lost trying to come up with another personal statement as my first one wasn’t turning heads. I hadn’t written anything other than biology lab reports. And the history class I took requiring essays, I opted for pass/no credit and walked out of the class with no credit. It was sad times and even sadder thinking I needed some inspiration and there wasn’t any to be had. Then this article, AADSAS Personal Statement Essay, showed up on DMDstudent with links to sample personal statements written by real pre-dents. Reading them showed me that you don’t have to be an English major to write acceptance worthy personal statements.

That’s a good thing. I was freaking out and putting lots of pressure on myself to pump out modern day Shakespeare and since I didn’t fit the mold of I-wanted-to-be-a-dentist-since-conception or I’m-the-Harry-Potter-of-the-dentistry-world-can’t-you-see-the-flowable-composite-coursing-my-veins, coming up with a way to prove myself worthy in my essay seemed a daunting task. In the end, I managed a 683 word piece telling my story in my own way. You can read it below:

“Dentistry is a multifaceted profession that includes being a businessman, a manager, a salesman, an educator, a craftsman, and an artist, in addition to the role as a doctor” — this was the summary of his job a dentist gave me that finally convinced me I wanted to become one, as well. These roles are what I have attempted to incorporate into my life in order to prepare myself to be successful in the profession.

Since the winter of 2003, I have worked at my family’s dental clinic as a receptionist. On slower days, I would observe the dentists working in their operating rooms. I was intensely fascinated with the work the dentists performed — the way they kept a patient calm, even as they cut into their mouths and repaired their damaged teeth. My parents and I worked out a schedule whereby I shadowed a doctor for an hour for every three hours of work at the front desk. By now, I have observed ten dentists for approximately 500 hours in total. I had the opportunity to watch common preventative procedures as well as more serious operations, such as alveoplasty. While working in the Brooklyn-based dental office, I encountered patients from many cultures and backgrounds. Under these circumstances, I developed an understanding of what makes a dental office a welcoming environment for all patients.

After researching the field and conversing with the dentists I was shadowing, I developed a passion for dentistry and decided to commit to the profession. I knew the first step was to turn around my academics. Since I had underperformed in my lower-level science courses, I knew my effort in my upper-level science courses would have to be especially ambitious. For the following semester, I took on an aggressive course load, including Organic Chemistry II and lab, Cell Biology, and Genetics. Despite advice to lighten my schedule, I knew the goal was realistic; I performed well and scored no lower than A- in my science courses. This achievement continued into the next semester as well, where I ranked top of the class in Biochemistry I.

One of the best things that has come out of my success in my upper division biology courses was the option to become a teaching assistant in the courses in which I was most interested. I enjoy being a TA because it allows me be a guide to undergraduates who, like me, only became serious students late in their academic career. I make lecture recordings available to students, make myself available outside my office hours, and hold voluntary question-and-answer sessions before exams. My professor was so impressed with my dedication that he nominated me for a student leadership award, but more important than the recognition I received was the opportunity I had to educate.

This summer, I will be combining the above elements of my life — work, academics, and helping people — by going across the country to be a part of a dentist’s office in Palo Alto, CA. This position will allow me to see the operation and management of a dental office different than that with which I have experience. A new and different patient pool, with a different dentist managing his team, will allow me to get out of my comfort zone of my family’s dental practice and provide further perspective on running a dental clinic. I will also be extending the success I have achieved in my academic life into my personal life by taking on activities for personal enrichment, such as learning Mandarin Chinese and taking up hobbies such as playing piano and sculpting — the latter two of which will also help me develop manual dexterity.

In these ways, I continue to expand my experience in each of the different roles of a dentist. Whether dealing with the day-to-day activities of running a clinic, applying the academic medical knowledge to the treatment of my patients, or educating patients and future dentists about the profession and dental health, I want to be prepared to perform in a way that exemplifies what it is to be a dentist.”

In other news: I will be revisiting Taking the DAT! No worries, kay?

Here’s a website I found with information about the dental school interview. Dental School Interview

It looks a little old as it discusses “Important topics of 2003-2004″ but I think it would still be helpful for potential interviewees to get an idea of possible questions that may be asked. It also provides a few suggestions for answers. It also has tons of questions, more than I’ve been asked during my interviews. Do be sure to check SDN’s interview feedback spot. That’ll give you an idea of what questions may be asked for a given school.

When I interviewed, I checked out SDN’s feedback page on the school I was interviewing at. I copied and pasted all past questions onto a page, printed it and answered them in my own words. Since I get really excited from the nervousness of interview day, I tend to talk a lot and sometimes my brain shuts down and I end up babbling. For me, it was important to get an idea of what I was going to say. I knew I wasn’t going to be as articulate as I am on paper but having some focus was better than just yapping. Well, I still yapped but at least it was towards an albeit muddled point. If you know this area needs work, make sure you prepare whichever way works for you whether it be mock interviews with friends or visualizing the interview in your mind.

Also, it’s not necessary to have every single question memorized verbatim. There are so many questions, I don’t think it’s feasible to try to learn them all. You still get a very good idea of the sorts of questions will be asked from SDN. Just know yourself and trust that you’re a great candidate for the school. Know what you’re for and what you’re against, what sort of dentist you’re looking to be, etc. Also if you’re not sure, it’s okay to say so.

At my UOP interview, I told my interviewer the second we got started that UOP is my first choice. His response was that everyone says that and it did catch me a bit off guard. It didn’t shake me up too bad since it was the absolute truth and I was confidant in that. Then he asked me about specializing. I told him that I wouldn’t know until I had some hands on experience in each area. In fact, I actually brought up Columbia in my interview and afterwards, kicked myself over and over about bringing up another dental school during an interview. Though, it seems everything turned out pretty well in the end.

I started reading The Great Gatsby yesterday. It’s a colorful, funny, and insightful book. I never got around to it in high school and it’s been wanting my attention for some time now. For anyone who hasn’t read it or want a great book to talk about during the interview, why not go with a classic like this one? If you have read it before, then you already know what it’s about. Just brush up on it and you’re set when interviewers ask questions like “What was the last book you read?”

When I applied in 2006, I was asked that very question during my Columbia interview. I didn’t have an answer. What went through my head was a series of thoughts along this line,

Maybe my organic chemistry text because I’m taking that course. Or maybe genetics, or … or heck, cell biology? Come on, that reads just like Russian literature. You know Crime and Punishment? Crime being I’m a pre-dent. Punishment being I’m a pre-dent.

Of course, what came out of my mouth was a stammering, “Well, I read Atlas Shrugged a while ago.” A classic, must-read on many a person’s favorite books’ list. This was a winner answer, right? Sure is. No doubt about that but it had been 4 years since I actually read it and since I didn’t think too highly of it as a work of fiction, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about my response.

I was again asked this question in 2007 during my Nova interview. Except this time, a year had gone by and I graduated college and spent my summer pursuing such things as biking, yoga, an intro piano course, ceramics, and of course, reading. I read a few Paolo Coehlo books: The Alchemist, Veronica Decides to Die and another classic, Watership Down. When the question of what my last book read was, I happily chirped, “I read The Alchemist by Paolo Coehlo over the summer and it really resonated with me. I liked the message it had.” or something to that effect. Although during the nervousness of the interview I could barely remember anything. Still, I was able to remember that because I really did like it. It was an honest, real-me answer. It’s not as flashy as Atlas Shrugged but in a half an hour interview, they just want to get a picture of you as a well rounded person. It’s not like if you read a bigger, wordier book, they’d give you a scholarship for being an awesome book reader. I’m sure the key is that you read “books” and understand it’s difference from a “textbook”.

Bottomline: Have a book ready to talk about. It doesn’t matter if you liked it or not. A serious, well thought out critique of the book whether positive or negative will be just as respected. If you don’t have the time, there’s always Sparknotes but be warned, it’s not as fun as actually reading the book.

P.S. For those who have read The Great Gatsby. Chapter 4, Mr. Wolfshiem, Gatsby’s “gonnegtion”, has cufflinks made out of human molars. Is that not the pinnacle of pimp?

This is an interview with Dr. Lippman, DDS. He’s the assistant Dean of Admissions at Nova Southeastern University. In this interview, Dr. Lippman goes into things like what he and his staff look for in a potential student, extracurriculars, red flags, research, etc. It’s worth reading through.

Any other advice or tips on the application process?

The best advice I can give is to apply early!

I echo his answer as the best advice you can take during applying.

You can read the interview here: 20 Questions with Dr. Lippman, DDS

There are lots of places I could start. In fact, I started writing in reverse chronology like in Memento but opted to start where all good starts start, the beginning.

I can’t say I always wanted to be a dentist. The only thing I did know was that I wanted to provide a service. It wasn’t until I started working at my step-father’s dental office in 2003 that I began to see dentistry as a viable career choice. For all my life, I had seen dentists as television and movies set out to portray them. When I began working with actual dentists, that stereotype was shattered. I wanted to do what they did but how to get there was the million dollar question.

I wasn’t really committed to dentistry until the fall semester of 2005 and it reflected in my grades. I didn’t know that then. To me, I had poor grades but couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong. Family troubles, an external locus of control mindset, a lousy record, and being able to mooch off my parents culminated in a general sense of apathy. I didn’t see why or how I needed to change while I continued to trudge onwards towards the mirage of getting into dental school. I had already taken all my prerequisite courses with B’s and C’s. There was also a D or two speckled in there for variety. Aside from the A’s I got as a freshmen and another I got in a summer business 101 class, my grades were that of a low B student.

Then during fall 2005, my senior year, I registered for physiology. This was my second upper division biology course; the first was microbiology and I earned myself a C+. I was a psychology major with a B and C in General Bio 1 and 2, respectively. Also, at my undergraduate school, this is rumored to be a tough course. It was. The professor was a huge b*llbuster and he liked to write exams asking for the most incorrect answer. With only 20 questions per exam, it wasn’t hard to have points lopped off left and right. I respected him right away. That wasn’t enough to get me to care, though, and I ended up with a 60 on the first exam. That was supposed to be the easy one. Then the second exam rolled around and I got a 30. With a lot of things in my life pointing to the fact that the only direction I was headed was to McDonald’s School of Burgers, a soul driving, passivity crushing discontent began to brew in my gut. I hated how things were going, the feeling of having little control over my life, and knowing I would never reach my dream of anything professional, let alone dental school. With that, I came to realize I just needed to start doing something, anything at all since there really wasn’t any place to go but up.

After my grade of 30, I spent some quality time with my good friend, box o’Kleenex. I made up my mind to not only not fail but to get an A in the course. I probably knew that was absurd with a 60 and a 30 but I set the lofty absurd goal anyways. My thought was, aim for the stars because even if I don’t get there, I’d still be amongst the clouds. I put everything into that class, really truly studying for the first time. It was different to say the least. For the third and final exam, I ended up with an 80. I walked out of that course with an A-. Later that week, I overslept and missed my a 200 level psychology final. I walked out with a C+ in that class. Baby steps.

With my appetite whetted, for Spring 2006, I signed up for as many upper division science courses I could see myself confidently handle. SuperC from the SDN forum once wrote about his academic turnaround and said, “… go big or go home…”. I made that my motto for getting into dental school. I knew if I could show that despite my lackluster performances of years past, I was capable of performing on par or better than those who’ve performed steadily then I had a good shot. And if not, I’d keep going until they noticed me. I put in another good semester with 2 As and 2 A-s in the upper division biology courses and a B- in my psychology statistics class. For the first time since freshmen year, I made the Dean’s List. For me, that was a big accomplishment and a notch in my academic bedpost. Confidence +1. I wasn’t overly excited since one great semester does not an awesome applicant make.

For the summer of 2006, I set out to apply and take the DAT. There was no point in pussy footing since I didn’t know what the outcome would be if I tried but I knew exactly what it would be if I didn’t. I studied like fiend, took my DATs and scored in the 99.9 percentile for my total science (TS) and 99.6 percentile for my academic average (AA). I applied and the rejections started piling up. In the end, I was interviewed at Columbia and University of Maryland. I was rejected from the former on December 1st and wait-listed then rejected from the latter.

I continued onto another year of undergrad and set out to show that I could do well and be consistent with my results. I did just that and reapplied later that year. I ended up with five interviews, one with the school of my dreams. I was accepted into my top choice, University of the Pacific, and now I’m waiting to start.