The Student Room Group

Help!!!! - Dentistry Personal Statement

Hi all, I have a personal statement due, but I've made two drafts for my q1.
I've asked around and they both seem strong to everyone so far ? The first version is of the vague explanation in a dental appointment about a specific condition i have, reflecting on that and what i did (ie taking action, researching), then comparing it to an ideal interaction btwn patient and dentist (patient also learnt they had the same condition) in my work experience and reflecting on this.
Second version is dental trauma my mother underwent.
The bruxism one focuses more on clarity, communication and compassion, the dental trauma with my mother focuses on the wider impact of dentistry (ie to loved ones) and therefore idea of the significance of restoring comfort/ relief.

My dilemma is that a teacher advised me to use the dental appointment one, which I'm leaning more to but I'm unsure whether it's as meaningful as the one about my mother's dental trauma although I know I'm only observing that rather than being a patient, especialy as a friend advised me to choose that one instead. Although, I know it can be quite generic to talk about another person's dental issues for dentistry.

Both of these experiences have contributed to my decision to dentistry in a genuine way, and I'm conflicted in which would be better suited in terms of the personal statement. I appreciate the short notice and that my description is quite vague. Regardless, i hope you all enjoy your day.

Thank you, and good luck everybody !
Original post
by empty-vase
Hi all, I have a personal statement due, but I've made two drafts for my q1.
I've asked around and they both seem strong to everyone so far ? The first version is of the vague explanation in a dental appointment about a specific condition i have, reflecting on that and what i did (ie taking action, researching), then comparing it to an ideal interaction btwn patient and dentist (patient also learnt they had the same condition) in my work experience and reflecting on this.
Second version is dental trauma my mother underwent.
The bruxism one focuses more on clarity, communication and compassion, the dental trauma with my mother focuses on the wider impact of dentistry (ie to loved ones) and therefore idea of the significance of restoring comfort/ relief.

My dilemma is that a teacher advised me to use the dental appointment one, which I'm leaning more to but I'm unsure whether it's as meaningful as the one about my mother's dental trauma although I know I'm only observing that rather than being a patient, especialy as a friend advised me to choose that one instead. Although, I know it can be quite generic to talk about another person's dental issues for dentistry.

Both of these experiences have contributed to my decision to dentistry in a genuine way, and I'm conflicted in which would be better suited in terms of the personal statement. I appreciate the short notice and that my description is quite vague. Regardless, i hope you all enjoy your day.

Thank you, and good luck everybody !

Talking about a family member's experience is less unique - coming from someone who has reviewed multiple dentistry PSs in the last month. At the risk of making your Q1 quite long, could you find a way to include both?

Reply 2

Original post
by 04MR17
Talking about a family member's experience is less unique - coming from someone who has reviewed multiple dentistry PSs in the last month. At the risk of making your Q1 quite long, could you find a way to include both?
I feel like I'd struggle to achieve that. Someone else has also asked me if I could combine these two, but I think Id struggle cramming both into one question within the character count and maintain a good reflection in my writing. I'll see if I can achieve that today, but as my question three is the most character heavy I'm really wary on how I'd be able to achieve this. Thank you a lot for replying, I appreciate your time.☺️

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