When I reached my senior year of high school and it was time to apply for university, I didn’t now what I wanted to be. I was thinking about becoming an orthodontist up to that point, but I was beginning to wonder if that career choice was truly for me. To make children choose a career that they are expected to have for the rest of their life at the tender age of 17 makes absolutely no sense. Adults would constantly belittle children, saying that they don’t know anything and claim that they are irresponsible, but would expect them to choose what they wanted to be after being in school for the last 15 or so years and never having experienced life yet.
When the time came to search for university programs to apply to, I didn’t do any research whatsoever. Mother spearheaded my university application by researching various accelerated dental programs in America for me to apply to as Canada did not offer any. She came up with University of Detroit Mercy’s 7-year BS/DDS program, New York University’s 7-year BA/DDS program, Howard University’s 6-year BS/DDS program, Case Western Reserve University’s 7-year Pre-Professional Scholars Program for Dental Medicine and Nova Southeastern University’s 7-year BS/DMD program. She told me to apply to them and I did. I sent in my applications by December 2011. I have included the essay that I wrote for University of Detroit-Mercy:
Essay Question: Describe your educational goals and why you wish to achieve them at the University of Detroit-Mercy.
I find goal-setting to be an important aspect of one’s educational journey. I have many educational goals which I would like to achieve at the University of Detroit-Mercy. Choosing the correct occupation is probably the most important decision that young people have to make in their lives as they strive to determine their true calling. I believe that being an orthodontist is the perfect occupation for me. It would be amazing to attend college, dental school, and an orthodontics specialty program, all at the University of Detroit Mercy. My goal is to be accepted into the seven-year-long BS/DDS combined program for undergraduate studies and dental school, and then be accepted into the orthodontics specialty program to complete my goal. Smiles can only be perfected with the help of an orthodontist and it would be exciting to be involved in the process of “perfecting” smiles.
In my research, I discovered that teeth straightening existed at the time of the Egyptians around 2000 BC, but the modern field of orthodontics did not emerge until the 1880’s. Many different inventors contributed their knowledge and efforts to create the braces that we all know today. Two books, “The Surgeon Dentist” (1728) and “The Dentist’s Art” (1957), were the first significant references to the new dental field of orthodontics. Two men share the honor of being called “The Father of Orthodontics.” One was a dentist named Norman W. Kingsley, who wrote a book that greatly influenced the new dental science. The second, J.N. Farrar, was the first dentist to suggest that moving teeth with mild force at timed intervals could result in a more cosmetically appealing appearance. In the early 20th century, Edward H. Angle created the first classification system for malocclusions, which orthodontists around the world still use. I am grateful to these innovators for their significant contributions to the orthodontics field. I hope to be given the opportunity to learn more about the field of dentistry and orthodontics during my years of study. The history of orthodontics has always interested me and I wonder if I will be able to make history in the orthodontic field one day!
The field of orthodontics sparked my interest for various reasons. My inspiration to become an orthodontist began with my mother, who is a dentist. I was lucky to be surrounded by dentistry ever since I was young. I remember being terrified during my first visit to the dentist’s office, even though the dentist was my mother. The sharp dental tools made me cringe as I was sure that they would puncture my gums. Now I am fascinated by the technology used in orthodontics and am looking forward to seeing how it changes and improves in the future. Considering a career in this field, I have recently shadowed at an orthodontics office and thoroughly enjoyed the experience of seeing patients having their smiles fixed and leaving happy. Furthermore, my community volunteering has made me realize that I honestly enjoy helping others. Assisting patients at the local hospital warms my heart and makes me appreciate being young and healthy. I aspire to continue helping others in my community and beyond. Also, I would love the opportunity to have ongoing relationships with patients and to see the different generations of families throughout the years. It would be a pleasure to be responsible for patients’ perfect smiles and their resulting boost in confidence.
Another reason I believe I am particularly suited to the field of orthodontics is that orthodontists must be detail-oriented, in order to ensure the best results for their patients; I have been praised by my peers and teachers for my great attention to detail, as evidenced in my neat printing and excellent grades. I have good organizational, teamwork, and time management skills, which I believe an orthodontist must possess. Organizational skills are necessary to free one’s mind from trivial details, in order to be able to focus completely on the work to be done with the patients. Team work skills are crucial for orthodontists as they must be able to work efficiently with their support staff. Orthodontists must have time management skills to be able to determine and allot times that each patient will require. I would like to have an occupation which will allow me to make the best use of these qualities and I believe that being an orthodontist will satisfy this goal. Being a successful orthodontist with my own private practice would be my ultimate hope.
Maintaining a high GPA in my years of science studies is another goal that I would like to achieve at the University of Detroit Mercy. Having a consistently high GPA will hopefully guarantee a place in my desired dental program. I will be able to maintain a high GPA by utilizing study techniques that I have found successful in high school. I will finish homework early to avoid procrastination. I will also keep a positive attitude, because I believe in the ideology that a positive attitude results in positive grades. In addition, I will stay healthy by getting a minimum of eight hours sleep each night. I would utilize my full potential to achieve and maintain a superior GPA in order to get into my program, immediately after three years of science. As I am currently achieving consistently high marks in high school, I hope to continue this pattern of superior achievement throughout my entire academic career.
Receiving a broad education in order to become a more well-rounded, informed individual at the University of Detroit Mercy would be another educational goal. Prior to entering dental school, I will participate in several courses in which I have special interest, such as learning a new language, social sciences, and astronomy. Taking these courses will give me the opportunity to be more aware of the world; I may be able to communicate with other people in a foreign language or be more informed about historical events or recent space exploration expeditions. Learning new languages, such as Spanish and Chinese (Mandarin), will allow me to communicate with a more diverse population in regards to my volunteer work and my possible future career in orthodontics. In addition, I have always been interested in astronomy and the possibility of life on another planet. Studying a wide range of courses will truly enhance my knowledge of the world.
Another goal of mine is to pass the DAT (Dental Admission Test) during my undergraduate years. Passing the DAT and maintaining a high GPA should guarantee me a spot in my desired dental program. In order to pass the DAT, I will study my science subjects thoroughly, practice my perceptual ability, and polish my reading comprehension skills. Hopefully, after being accepted into dental school, another educational goal would be to achieve distinguished marks in all my course-related subjects, since I hope to specialize in orthodontics. Studying efficiently and effectively will guarantee high marks throughout my university years.
I believe that by attending the University of Detroit Mercy, I will be able to achieve these educational goals. The fact that this university was established in 1877, and the School of Dentistry was founded in 1932, provides a history full of success and recognition, of which I would like to be a part. It would be an amazing opportunity to be able to work in one of the 190 clinical operatories, state-of-the-art classrooms, and the simulation laboratory. It would be an exceptional opportunity to work in an actual dental atmosphere in the hospital-based, 42-chair clinic, which is the largest of any dental school in America. In addition, I believe that being surrounded at the university by a collection of diverse students with various career paths will allow me to be more aware of the world.
More than 72,000 living alumni with respected careers came from UDM. I would like to be included in that great number and make a difference in people’s lives. In addition, I find the fourteen-to-one student-to-teacher ratio to be considerably beneficial, because it allows students the opportunity to have direct interaction with the teacher. This interaction permits students to maximize their potential to learn and understand concepts taught during class. The many distinguished graduates of UDM with careers in sports, business, acting, and politics give me hope that I may become a distinguished orthodontist one day. Personal comments from alumni in online interviews have also made me realize that UDM will truly change my life. Alumni have stated that UDM brought about “the sense of family” and “grounded (them) and reminded (them) that there is more to life than work.” Furthermore, the University of Detroit Mercy offers an orthodontic program. Thus, I will be able to complete an orthodontic degree at the same university from which I obtained a dental degree. I will not have to go through the stress of attending a new university, after completing four years of dental school, and will be able to devote myself to achieving my goals. I will already be familiar with the facilities and the campus. Thus, I will be able to concentrate fully on my dental studies. I know that the University of Detroit Mercy will be the perfect place for me to pursue my career path.
The University of Detroit Mercy is an established school which it would be an honor to attend. I know that my many educational goals can only be fully achieved at this prestigious university. I would like to include the University of Detroit Mercy in my life plans.
Yeah, I fluffed that essay up so much! I BS’ed practically every other line. I guess it worked though as I received an invitation for interviews with University of Detroit Mercy and Nova Southeastern University. I got rejected from Howard University, Case Western Reserve University and New York University though. I interviewed at both UDM and NSU, eventually receiving acceptance at both. I chose UDM as it was closer and within reasonable driving distance, being only 4 hours away.
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