There are hundreds of stories when students with both excellent DAT and GPA scores think that they will be accepted to their top choice dental schools, but fail. One reason can be behind that – they neglect the importance of personal statements. The admission committee of most dental schools goes the extra mile picking the best candidate for admission, so your grades are not the success, but you have to impress them with your personality too. Yet, no need to worry if you are far from writing persuasion. This guide will share with you some tips on writing a personal statement for dental school.
Why Are Personal Statements Important?
Let’s pretend you are a really smart student, who managed to score excellent DAT and GPA, and you know that the admission will be yours. Such thoughts especially appear when your scores are compared with the other candidates who have lower ones. No, friend, the admission committee may hide some of their working strategies of picking the students, and a personal statement may play a crucial role in that selection.
The main goal of personal statement writing is simple – you have to prove, persuade, demonstrate, and so on, to the committee that you are the one they need. Beyond that, the more interviews you will have thanks to your statement, the more choices you can end up possessing, you know. The ideal variant for those who lack motivation and skills to write such a paper is to refer to professional services which offer personal statement help online. Yet, you can always try alone prior to ordering anything. Off we go to the tips!
№1 Acknowledgement of Requirements
Never neglect the acknowledgment of the personal statement requirements, or do not mistake them for ordinary essay rules. If referring to the established requirements, they are the following:
- One-page only, not exceeding 4,500 characters including numbers, letters, carriages, and spaces.
One page is pretty enough to show your goals, intentions, and persuade the committee, so do not go over the specified word count.
№2 Outlining Personal Statement
It is similar to your college papers and takes a few minutes only. We recommend sticking to the following structure:
- Introduction. Draw the reader’s attention with a catchy thesis or hook. Your goal is to make the reader interested in learning about you as a great candidate for their dental school. So, no irrelevant info, or showing off;
- The main body. Demonstrate to the committee your journey into dentistry in 3-5 paragraphs. Speak of your motives, potential, and acquired skills that may help you become successful in the future;
- Conclusion. Refer to the thesis, and confirm your firm passion regarding dentistry.
№3 Stick to Rule #5
Do not be scared, rule 5 is related to brainstorming the ideas for your personal statement. It helps to outline 5 possible ideas and themes to impress the readers. For instance, check the below information:
- 5 key life experiences related to dentistry or just life that made you think about becoming a doctor;
- 5 interesting accomplishments that strengthened your motivation, or personality;
- 5 interests or hobbies apart from the dentistry interest;
- 5 failures or challenges that helped you learn something;
- 5 setbacks you overcame.
№4 Why Do You Want to Become a Dentist?
After brainstorming the key ideas you will manipulate in your personal statement, think about answering one question – why do you want to become a dentist? Academic writing companies recommend to clearly understand your own motives and have confidence in your choice. Beyond that, do not be scared to make some slight jokes if they are. You have to stand out from other candidates.
№5 Concluding Your Statements
When you are done with the writing of the introduction, and main body, the conclusion should be a cherry on the top. Since you are limited to 4,500 characters only, you do not have much room to repeat the same things. So, instead of summarizing everything, just reinforce – why dentistry is your choice, and what potential you have toward it. Do not forget to refer to your thesis.
Errors to Avoid in Personal Statement
To finalize all the tips mentioned above, it is crucial to speak also about common errors students make when writing a personal statement. Based on experts from reliable essay writing service:
- Do not try to look very smart. Yes, you might have a high DAT and GPA, but who cares about reading it. No need to emphasize that you received only good scores at school, or that you stood from other students;
- Be sincere. Clichés, big phrases, jargon, and just fake statements about your mastered skills that you do not really possess might be your failure. The admission committee wants real people without fake stories, so be humble but sell yourself, be confident but not too much, and speak from your heart;
- Do not copy one’s personal statement. One of the most common students’ mistakes is just copy-pasting the online samples by adding your name, and some details on your life journey. Nah, it won’t work. If you want third-party help, a paper writing service might come in handy;
- Do not neglect the revision and proofreading. Some students have the tendency to forget about proofreading and editing their personal statements. What a frustration! If you are not so skillful with grammar or spelling, rely on this task again on essay writers or online editors. The latter ones are free or some of them are cheap.
Finally, your dental school personal statement can be additionally checked by your friends or even professor. If applicable, ask your professor to read it and give unbiased feedback. Ask them – can it work? Is it persuasive? And so on. Otherwise, your friends or relatives can hint at some details as well. When you revise, proofread, and receive feedback, only then you can deliver your personal statement. Again, if you have any doubts, or you are fully sure that you won’t manage it, rely on this task on an online essay writing service.
