Dental School Personal Statements

The personal statement allows you to demonstrate the thinking, strengths and values that are the foundation of your choice of a dental career and make you a strong candidate.  When someone finishes reading your statement, that person should sense that you have the potential to be a great clinician and want to talk to you more about your experiences and career plans.

ADEA limits the statement to 4,500 characters, including spaces.

Graduate & Professional School Advising at Career Services offers Personal Statement presentations in the spring to help you get started and go over the basics.

After completing a draft of your essay:

  • Read it one last time to proofread, check for word choice, and assess the tone.
  • Submit your draft into the documents section of your Handshake profile by clicking on your name.
  • Schedule a “Pre-Health Personal Statement Review” virtual appointment with your Pre-Health Advisor through Handshake.

Important Notes:

  • Each applicant is allowed a maximum of two reviews of their personal statement by a Pre-Health Advisor, provided you request the first one by the priority deadline in April. More info can be found on the Applicant Canvas site.
  • These reviews cannot be rescheduled but if you need to cancel your appointment, the cancelled appointment will count as one review.
  • To maximize the quality of our feedback and your opportunity to write an effective essay, we will not “proofread” or “edit” your draft — we will provide you with a focused reader response to assist you with your revision process.