Personal Statements
Whew! Talk about writer’s block.
Written By: Caylen Davis, DDS
Last Updated: June 2024
If you’re reading this, you’re most likely a pre-dental student looking to start working on your personal statement. And as a pre-dental student, creative writing may not be one of the skills you get to flex very often. However, this is crucial when it comes to writing a powerful personal statement.
In all honesty, crafting a personal statement can be very challenging. I think the biggest obstacle to get over is figuring out what you want to write about. How can you tell your story and make yourself stand out? How can you concisely organize your paper? Keep reading to see how to get started on a winning personal statement!
What is a Personal statement?
When you log on to the ADEA AADSAS application, the personal statement section will come with a simple prompt: “Please explain why you want to pursue a dental career.” Here you will respond to this prompt with your personal statement. It is a one-page essay of ~4,500 characters (including spaces, punctuation, letters, etc.). The goal of your statement is to paint a clear picture of who you are and your journey to choosing this career path.
Getting Started
Now that we know what a personal statement is and what it should be answering, here comes the hardest part: figuring out where to start.
There are no set rules that state what a strong personal statement should include, but there are some similarities that winning essays share. When you start your rough draft, think about answering the “why”. Why do you want to be a dentist? What attracted you to the field of dentistry in the first place? What aspects of the career do you love? Here are some possible answers:
- Dentistry as an art
- Interacting with patients and forming rapport
- Manual dexterity involvement
- Innovative problem solving
Whatever your “why” may be, decide what initiated that spark. Once you have this, start brainstorming!
Make a list of experiences
After you do some soul searching, pick that defining moment that directly put you on the path towards dentistry. Ideally, this should also be the focal point of the story you tell in your essay. Here are a few experiences that you may consider writing about:
- Shadowing
- Volunteering/Community Service
- Extracurriculars/Hobbies/Athletics
- Life/personal experiences
- Research
- Gap Years
After you decide on what experience(s) you want to talk about, you can move on to connecting this to your reason for choosing dentistry.
Connecting your "why" and experience
Now it’s time to connect your “why”, your experience, and how this connects to dentistry. For example, if your “why” is the artistic characteristics of the field, you can discuss how a hobby you have, such as painting, compares to dentistry. If your “why” is the personal growth you gained, describe how your experience allowed you to develop a trait that amazing dentists share. Here are some other examples:
- Art: extracurriculars/hobbies (painting, drawing, dance, etc.)
- Personal interactions/bonds: volunteering/community service, life/personal experiences
- Manual dexterity: extracurriculars/hobbies/athletics (sports, sculpting, musical instruments, etc.)
- Overcoming adversity: life/personal experiences
- Innovation and problem-solving: research, invention
- Personal growth: any experience
After making the connection, illustrate it in your essay. What did it look like? What did it feel like? Also describe your role, what you learned, and how this led your interest in dentistry. This will set the foundation of your essay.
important things to consider
The goal of your essay is to stand out. Pick a story that is unique and memorable. Think to yourself, “Out of 500 applications, would I enjoy reading my personal statement?” Have a strong opener and a strong closer. And most importantly, be honest. Admissions want to see the real you, not some made-up image of what you think they want to see. In all of this, remember to be genuine and show your passion for dentistry and why you would make a great dental professional.
Author’s Note: Remember that your personal statement should NOT read as a resume. This is a place for you to show who you are, your journey, and your personal and emotional connection to dentistry. Don’t get caught up talking about your latest job or all your awards and accomplishments. There will be other places on the application for those things.
essay format
So by this point, you’ve mapped out your ideas and you’re ready to start writing. Let’s go! Below I have a simple guideline for how to structure your personal statement:
Introductory paragraph (The hook + the “why”): This paragraph needs to be your attention grabber. When you begin your opening paragraph, it is important to tell a story and, more importantly, your story. Be as descriptive as you can and creative in delivering it. Then, begin to paint the picture of your “why”. Do NOT start off with “I want to pursue a career in dentistry because…”. Give your readers a reason to keep reading. Draw them in and show your passion.
Body paragraphs (Your experience): In your 3 or 4 body paragraphs, now is the time to elaborate and support your “why” with your experience(s). Give specific examples that the reader can connect with and use imagery. Also, don’t just describe what happened, talk about how you felt, your takeaway from this event, and how this connects to dentistry. Put the reader in your shoes; make them feel the passion you felt.
Concluding paragraph (The closer): In your final paragraph, now is the time to tie everything together. Reiterate the connection between your “why” and your experiences. Explain how eager you are for the opportunity and your dedication to serving your future patients. Be creative here and end your personal statement on a strong note. You can also allude to future career goals. Leave your readers wanting more.
Author’s Note: If you choose to use one of your body paragraphs to discuss any obstacles you faced on your journey, make sure to turn any negatives into positives. You want to show admissions that you are determined and will persevere through your challenges, so focus on your growth and what you gained from the hardship.
From The ADEA: Things To Avoid
The following information is adapted from the ADEA website. Here are a few things to avoid:
- Writing what you think the admissions committee wants to hear.
- Using a gimmicky style or format.
- Summarizing your resume or repeating information directly from your transcripts or recommendation letters.
- Emphasizing the negative.
- Waiting until the last minute to get started on your statement
For more tips and guidelines, take a look at their page! The information here is very helpful and comes directly from the application creators. See what they have to say about how to craft a winning personal statement.
The Big Picture
Writing a personal statement is A LOT of work, more than most students realize. But in all of this, the key is to tell your story. Everyone’s journey is unique and no one can be YOU. Just Flossy hopes the information on this page helps get you started! Remember these things: be original, be colorful, be thoughtful. You’ll be sure to stand out amongst the crowd.