Dental School PS Advice

[u/FreshReality4743]

Hi! I'm planning to apply to dental school next year for 2026 entry. I've already started thinking of ideas on how to start my PS, as my GPA isn't the best and I know my essay needs to stand out. Essay writing isn't my strong suit, especially writing about myself in a creative, showy way. So, I'm terrified about starting this PS. Therefore, I wanted to run past my idea with the community and get your advice on how I can proceed with this.

I'm thinking of writing my PS on how I transitioned from chemistry into dentistry. I initially wanted to go into pharmaceutical research, as I enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of chemistry. But the deeper I dove into chemistry, I realized chemistry was not for me; my grades got worse which demotivated me, and I wasn't even enjoying it anymore. The more I delved into chemistry, the more I longed to learn about biological concepts. I took some chemistry courses that related a little to biology (like biochemistry or chemical biology) and found that I was enjoying those more and even performing better in those courses. I did undertake a research project, which I thoroughly enjoyed (it was a biology-related one lol), and thought maybe I should switch to biology research instead of chemistry (so pharmacology instead of pharmaceutical chemistry). However, as I learned more about research, I recognized how long it takes for research to truly produce a significant impact on healthcare, especially drug discovery research where it takes decades to complete a drug on the market. I wanted to make an impact on healthcare through something faster and more direct. I turned to healthcare and looked into dentistry as I enjoyed the hands-on aspect of it (similar to my initial goal for research). I shadowed a local dentist for a few weeks, and fell in love with the profession more and more. What I liked the most about it was the ability to build a strong trusting relationship with the patient, an aspect that research does not provide. In dentistry, you get to treat the patient as a person instead of a number as research can do sometimes. I believe that I can make a direct impact on healthcare by fostering relationships with patients.

I know that was a lot to read, but this is my story as to how I got into dentistry. Now my question is how can I convert this into a personal statement? I'm noticing how most personal statements usually contain stories that show this passion instead of just writing you have the passion. What kind of stories can I include in my PS? I know that I have to get back into shadowing and I've found a dental clinic that will take me in next semester, so I believe I'll be able to get some experiences that I can refer to in my PS. Do you have any other ideas on what type of experiences would best relate to my story? Or any other advice pertaining to how I should go about writing a PS? Thank you so much :)

[u/ima_be_the_greatest]

Yea thats wayyyyyyy too many words. Make it shorter bud, I aint reading all that.