Writing Your Personal Statement

Ahh...the personal statement, 4500 characters in which you have to demonstrate your passion for dentistry without even mentioning the word 'passion'. In my opinion, the personal statement is most under-rated part and the most important part of your application. Why do I say this? This is because the other 1000+ people that are applying to the same school as you all have similar DAT and GPA scores.

For reference this is what a group of 3000 people roughly looks like:

So this is where your personal statement comes in. This is where you bring your digital application to life, and bring a story to the admissions committee. You'll need to catch the reader's attention during the first sentence, keep their attention for the rest of the essay, and in the end, the reader should be able to say, "Hey, I really want to meet this person". That's the goal you should be aiming for when writing this essay. However, the most important thing is that this essay is written by you, with your own voice.

Now, I definitely never focused a lot of my attention in high school and college improving my writing skills, but like your English teachers have told you before, it's one of the most important skills you can have. You will always be writing, whether it is for personal statements, homework assignments, or publications, it's crucial to be able to express yourself through writing.

That being said, it took me several months to sculpt a personal statement that I was completely happy with and ready to submit. I had about 15 drafts and 2-3 serious makeovers. I had a select group of people that I asked to read over my personal statement. I asked a mentor at a dental school, a dental student, and dental student who is a literature major. I suggest not to ask too many people because that will lead to many different opinions and may sway the personal statement away from your own intended voice.

I bought several books teaching me how to write a perfect personal statement for dental school, but after writing several drafts it seemed as if I was forcing myself into a confined style of writing. In my last makeover of my personal statement, I was very happy with what I wrote and I knew it truly embodied why I want to pursue the profession of dentistry.

I've recently been reading a book called "Mastery", by Robert Greene, who is also the author of "48 Laws of Power". This book is meant to help individuals find their own vocation and ultimately truly master their passions, whatever that may be in life. While reading this book, it reminded me of how I developed my passion for dentistry over time and how it perfectly matched my interests. Through analyzing the masters of human life such as Darwin and Da Vinci, Robert Greene helps readers find their hidden potential and become masters themselves. Although I'm 63/442 pages through this book, I highly recommend this book to read prior to writing your personal statement. It will teach you to ask yourself if this is truly the profession you want in life and why. And by that, you will be able to write your personal statement with your own unique voice and emotion.