Dentistry degree personal statement example (1q)

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

I have always wanted to be a dentist since I was little this is why I chose to do my GCSE work experience at a single handed dental practice for two weeks to experience what life as a dentist would entail.

Dentistry became so appealing to me at an early age as my sister qualified from Cardiff University as a dentist. I was able to see what a dentist's life consisted of and how it helped other people; this appealed to me tremendously and since then I have wanted to practice myself.

Looking to the future I would love to own my own practice. The ability to help people in need is the most appealing aspect though and becoming a dentist would provide me with tremendous job satisfaction.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare for this course or subject?

Whilst at the practice I observed how a single handed NHS surgery runs and saw how the dentist interacts with the patients. During the summer break after my AS exams I spent two weeks in a corporate practice while they were switching from the NHS to private dental care. Whilst at the corporate clinic I was able to observe a wide range of dentists and realized how different dentists can be. During this time I also worked as a receptionist which gave a different perspective onto dentistry as I had to deal with many situations such as ringing the technicians looking for a set of dentures or arranging appointments for a family of 5 to be as close together as possible on a busy day.

This enabled me to see the full extent of the work as well as products needed to run a dental practice and also enhanced my people skills. Also at this time due to the switch from the NHS to a private "Denplan" scheme, it showed me the moral grounds for changing and how some patients benefited from the switch whilst some did not.

I have learnt how to prioritize and manage a larger workload throughout this year along with developing my self-discipline and organizational skills.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

I have always found great pleasure in helping others. I found this trait of myself whilst I cared for an elderly person for the past seven years. This enabled me to see the pleasure you can bring to someone else and enriched my life. This therefore further drove me towards dentistry as my profession of choice.

Dentistry involves dealing with people in a professional manner and keeping them calm when they are distressed. I feel I could be very good at this because of my ability to empathize with people. I developed this skill whilst on a 3 day course in peer mentoring which involved dealing with distressed people and looking at other peoples body language and our own.

My main interests are music and sport. I listen to music in order to relax and allow time to deliberate; this allows me to get a sense of perspective on what events have occurred during the day. I play badminton, basketball, table tennis, football and have recently taken up tennis. Playing sport allows me to get out my competitive edge in a healthy way and helps promote team play and the ability to handle pressure.

How personal statements have changed?

The current personal statement format, with three 'scaffolding' questions, was introduced by Ucas in September 2025. This personal statement was submitted before then, using the old essay-style format. It has been carefully edited into the three-question format, with all of the original wording kept.

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