Introductory Letter to Dental School Admission Essay

Dental School Personal Statement

Thank you in advance for your consideration of my application to enroll in your fine dental school. My interest in dentistry has not been a life-long calling. In fact, after my freshman year in college -- while majoring in Biology -- I began to think about how dentistry would be a wonderful career to pursue, and it certainly had more attraction for me than my employment during that freshman year -- working at BB&T Bank. So I enrolled in night classes at a dental assistant's school.

Learning about oral anatomy was exciting and intriguing for me, and the more I learned about what dentists do for their patients the more I became committed to pursue an education in that direction. I have always enjoyed activities and positions which allow me to work with my hands, and so this was an additional motivation for me to pursue dentistry. I have steady, willing hands, my hand-eye coordination is superb, and my mind is sharp and learning comes easily for me.

So committed was I that in fact once I had completed my dental assisting program, I pursued a position assisting a dentist in my community, but there were no openings.

But I was not to be deterred at all because I had by this time become truly locked into the idea that this was the absolutely correct career direction for me. As an example of how strategically and emotionally committed I was to becoming involved in the dentistry profession, I even volunteered to be an assistant in the offices of Dr. Jina Naghdi, an orthodontist in Herndon, Virginia.Still, I had to continue working at the BB&T Bank because I needed to support myself through my Bachelor's Degree. Clearly, I am portraying myself as an energetic person, because I was holding down a bank position, taking classes at night, and volunteering as a dental assistant for a busy and classy dentist, Dr. Naghdi. And I must include the fact that I learned a great deal from Dr. Naghdi; being around a competent, well-respected orthodontist was an enlightening educational experience for me that I deeply appreciate.

I also was a witness to the fact that Dr. Naghdi is a community leader and was generous in her desire to give back to her community. She became a powerful role model for me. My interaction in her office showed me that dentistry can allow a professional to not only give back to the community, but also to positively impact the lives of the patients you come into contact with.

In banking, there is rarely an opportunity to develop a personal relationship with a customer; but in dentistry, as I could clearly see based on my experience, those opportunities exist with each patient that comes into the office needing the quality attention that a gifted dentist can provide. It is a wonderful opportunity to provide a healthcare service to citizens who come to trust the dentist and return again and again as the months and years go by.

Through my volunteer work with Dr. Naghdi I came to realize….....