Personal Statement

Why Dentistry?

The personal statement is an essay that allows dental programs to get a clear picture of the applicant and why they want to pursue a career in dentistry. 

The ADEA AADSAS application limits students to 4.500 characters in their personal statement essay.  This includes both spaces and punctuation.  For that reason, it is important to take this piece of writing seriously and begin working on it early.  The ADEA website provides a good list of tips about what an applicant may consider including in their personal statement. 

The PMHSC also suggests the following tips and resources: 

• Plan to attend the PMHSC Personal Statement Workshop in the winter semester of the year of application 
• Start the pre-writing process EARLY 
• Make the essay about the applicant and not the people who influenced the applicant 
• Determine a group of trusted people to review the essay.  This list might include a mentor, a pre-dental advisor and someone close to you. 
• Use university resources such as the WRT Zone for grammar, spelling and formatting suggestions 
• Write the essay on a word processing document and RETYPE into the application, read backwards when done to catch any errors or typos 

If there are any discrepancies in an applicant's academic record, the personal statement may be a good place to address the issue.  Consult with a pre-dental advisor if you have concerns about your academic record and feel like it should be addressed in your personal statement.