What to write in your personal statement

My first draft for my personal statement was awful. I sent my draft to my Health Advising Office and they gave me a “C for Satisfactory."

You get 750 words  to talk to the admissions committee. Because the rest of the AADSAS application is so thorough, you should take this opportunity to tell your special story instead of listing your accomplishments.

I asked several of my friends to read my revised personal statement. One friend who is skilled in the art of graduate school admissions checked my essay for content and clarity. Another copywriter friend perused it for grammar and structure (I’m not a native English speaker). I recruited my English-major suitemate Alex to read my essay with a careful ear for my voice.

And no, you won’t sound like Hemingway. (Picture source)

In the end, I ended up cutting away half the points I wanted to make. If you are on the fence about a paragraph, just hit “delete” and read your essay again. If the essay feels weaker, you can hit Ctrl+Z (How did people survive before Word?).

I discussed in detail three activities that were a huge part of my growing & learning process. One was my lifeguarding experience. It may not seem so relevant to dentistry, but I learned about the importance of acquiring knowledge and skills that can help others. Plus in teaching lifeguarding as an instructor, I learned how learning skills can transform a regular swimmer into a “lifeguard”.

Mot importantly I wanted to convey the feeling of excitement and anticipation I had about entering dental school. If you’ve read Jacques Steinberg’s The Gatekeepers, I pictured the admissions committee nodding around the table and saying, “Yep, she definitely wants this.”

Think about why you want to go to dental school and what makes you qualified. We can’t all have sob stories like Quinn Fabray but make best with what experiences you have. Write to convey the message that yes, you want this and yes, you can do this.