Personal Statement - OMFS

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IndifferentOsteoblast

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In addition to CBSE, grades, LORs, and extracurriculars, the personal statements is said to be a big part of your application. I understand this might seem intuitive to some, but I was hoping faculty, residents, or recent applicants could provide personal insight into how they think an OMFS personal statement should be structured. Specifically, I'm mostly wondering about the ideal "personal background to why OMFS" ratio. Besides the personal aspect, it seems there could be a lot of redundancy between applicants on the "why OMFS" part. The answer might be that there is no correct answer. Either way, I appreciate the dialogue!

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Tips for PS

This might help. Haven't written mine yet so keen for tips!

Also how long is it supposed to be? Seems like a dumb easy question to answer but can't find anything online
 
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The goal of a PS is to show me (the reader) who you are and give me a taste of your personality.

If you give me a persuasive essay telling me how great you are or how much you love surgery, you’ve failed the assignment.

The best essays focus on unique hobbies or careers. they don’t try to tell me who you are, instead, they show me who you are through the story of the essay.
 
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The goal of a PS is to show me (the reader) who you are and give me a taste of your personality.

If you give me a persuasive essay telling me how great you are or how much you love surgery, you’ve failed the assignment.

The best essays focus on unique hobbies or careers. they don’t try to tell me who you are, instead, they show me who you are through the story of the essay.
Hobbies and careers unrelated to OS? I can't think of how to show that I'm unique with a hobby/career while also tying it to OS
 
Hobbies and careers unrelated to OS? I can't think of how to show that I'm unique with a hobby/career while also tying it to OS
This is an interesting point and something I had struggled with as an applicant this cycle.

To give my personal example (minus some of the finer details), my first draft of my PS basically started off with a short narrative of a unique hobby I had in college before I even heard about OS. I tried to connect it to OS through some elaborate thread because I thought it was cliche to do the basic " I do hard work and I do teamwork so I do residency good" theme. It wasn't the most eloquent story but I thought it was fine and conveyed the point. However, when I had friends and family read it, they pointed out that I was stretching it with my example and they were confused from the start. Oh well.

My second draft I scrapped the quirky unique story and went with a time I had a difficult situation on an externship and how I handled it. It didn't require any hoops to jump through to explain my reasoning for wanting to do OS, and I used an example that was not just something you could apply to AEGD/prosth/perio. I felt like while this didn't give the personal window into my soul that other personal statements may have, it still conveyed the fact that I was self-critical and self-correcting, which I think are two really important aspects of being a resident in any field.

In terms of how this played out for the cycle, I would say that of my 14 interviews, maybe 6 mentioned my personal statement, and of those only like 3 actually probed deeper (mainly just asking me to re-describe the story). Could this have been higher if I went with my first draft? Probably. But I felt like since that hobby was in college and not something I am actively involved in right now, it wasn't the best representation I could present to a program. I figured that talking about my externships, research, and personal life were the best options to sell myself to a program and thankfully it worked out. Now just to cover my bases, I did mention my hobby in my CV which actually was brought up like 3-4 times, but never as the main focus of my personality or whatever, but just as a fun hobby that added depth to my person.

Basically:
-Write a few drafts
-Have friends/family/whoever read em to get feedback
-Don't be worried if you don't have the most unique hobbies ever (spoiler alert: most people don't)
-You can always mention something interesting either in CV/app/interview to sell yourself, don't feel like it has to be the spotlight of your whole app

Hope this helps, good luck in the coming cycle!
 
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The goal of a PS is to show me (the reader) who you are and give me a taste of your personality.

If you give me a persuasive essay telling me how great you are or how much you love surgery, you’ve failed the assignment.

The best essays focus on unique hobbies or careers. they don’t try to tell me who you are, instead, they show me who you are through the story of the essay.

I agree with most of what you wrote but I think a better goal is to show the reader that you are someone who they would want in their program. If you accomplish that then the personal statement has served its purpose. Its a good idea to show who you are and give a taste of your personality but it needs to be through the lens of “this is why I’m an asset to this program.”
 
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For fun, I asked Chat GPT to write me an OMFS personal statement and this is the result. To anyone reading this, DONT do this. Most people’s personal statements will probably look similar to this and be tossed aside for obvious reasons.



“As I stood in the operating room, watching the oral and maxillofacial surgeon expertly navigate the intricate anatomy of the patient's jaw, I felt a sense of awe and inspiration that I had never experienced before. It was at that moment that I knew without a doubt that oral and maxillofacial surgery was the field I was destined to pursue.As a highly motivated and passionate individual, I believe that my experiences in dental school and externship have prepared me to excel in this challenging and rewarding program.

During my dental school journey, I was drawn to the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery by the intricate procedures and the ability to positively impact patients' lives through surgical intervention. My interest in OMFS continued to grow as I completed various clinical rotations and coursework related to the field. I was fascinated by the complex nature of oral and maxillofacial surgery procedures and their ability to improve a patient's oral health, function, and quality of life.

My interest in OMFS led me to pursue an externship in the field. During this experience, I had the opportunity to observe and assist with various surgical procedures, including dentoalveolar surgery, implant placement, and orthognathic surgery. I was impressed by the precision, skill, and teamwork required for successful outcomes in OMFS procedures. This externship experience solidified my desire to pursue a career in OMFS and prepared me for the challenges and rigor of a residency program.

Throughout my academic and professional career, I have consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence. I have excelled in challenging coursework, participated in various leadership roles, and engaged in community service activities. These experiences have strengthened my ability to work collaboratively with others, communicate effectively, and think critically, all of which are crucial skills for success in the OMFS field.

In addition to my academic and professional experiences, I am also passionate about giving back to the community. I have volunteered at various health fairs and dental clinics, providing free oral health screenings to underserved populations. These experiences have highlighted the importance of access to quality healthcare and have further solidified my desire to pursue a career in OMFS.

I am excited about the opportunity to continue my education and training in OMFS at [insert name of institution]. I believe that your program's emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach and commitment to providing exceptional patient care aligns with my personal and professional values. I am confident that this program will provide me with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience necessary to achieve my career goals and make a meaningful impact in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications with you.

Sincerely,

[insert your name]”
 
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For fun, I asked Chat GPT to write me an OMFS personal statement and this is the result. To anyone reading this, DONT do this. Most people’s personal statements will probably look similar to this and be tossed aside for obvious reasons.



“As I stood in the operating room, watching the oral and maxillofacial surgeon expertly navigate the intricate anatomy of the patient's jaw, I felt a sense of awe and inspiration that I had never experienced before. It was at that moment that I knew without a doubt that oral and maxillofacial surgery was the field I was destined to pursue.As a highly motivated and passionate individual, I believe that my experiences in dental school and externship have prepared me to excel in this challenging and rewarding program.

During my dental school journey, I was drawn to the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery by the intricate procedures and the ability to positively impact patients' lives through surgical intervention. My interest in OMFS continued to grow as I completed various clinical rotations and coursework related to the field. I was fascinated by the complex nature of oral and maxillofacial surgery procedures and their ability to improve a patient's oral health, function, and quality of life.

My interest in OMFS led me to pursue an externship in the field. During this experience, I had the opportunity to observe and assist with various surgical procedures, including dentoalveolar surgery, implant placement, and orthognathic surgery. I was impressed by the precision, skill, and teamwork required for successful outcomes in OMFS procedures. This externship experience solidified my desire to pursue a career in OMFS and prepared me for the challenges and rigor of a residency program.

Throughout my academic and professional career, I have consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence. I have excelled in challenging coursework, participated in various leadership roles, and engaged in community service activities. These experiences have strengthened my ability to work collaboratively with others, communicate effectively, and think critically, all of which are crucial skills for success in the OMFS field.

In addition to my academic and professional experiences, I am also passionate about giving back to the community. I have volunteered at various health fairs and dental clinics, providing free oral health screenings to underserved populations. These experiences have highlighted the importance of access to quality healthcare and have further solidified my desire to pursue a career in OMFS.

I am excited about the opportunity to continue my education and training in OMFS at [insert name of institution]. I believe that your program's emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach and commitment to providing exceptional patient care aligns with my personal and professional values. I am confident that this program will provide me with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience necessary to achieve my career goals and make a meaningful impact in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications with you.

Sincerely,

[insert your name]”
This is EXACTLY why I push students to put more personality into the essay, rather than writing about why they want to do surgery. So many essays sound robotic, just like this essay literally written by a robot.

Essays like this are forgettable. Show us who you are.
 
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For fun, I asked Chat GPT to write me an OMFS personal statement and this is the result. To anyone reading this, DONT do this. Most people’s personal statements will probably look similar to this and be tossed aside for obvious reasons.



“As I stood in the operating room, watching the oral and maxillofacial surgeon expertly navigate the intricate anatomy of the patient's jaw, I felt a sense of awe and inspiration that I had never experienced before. It was at that moment that I knew without a doubt that oral and maxillofacial surgery was the field I was destined to pursue.As a highly motivated and passionate individual, I believe that my experiences in dental school and externship have prepared me to excel in this challenging and rewarding program.

During my dental school journey, I was drawn to the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery by the intricate procedures and the ability to positively impact patients' lives through surgical intervention. My interest in OMFS continued to grow as I completed various clinical rotations and coursework related to the field. I was fascinated by the complex nature of oral and maxillofacial surgery procedures and their ability to improve a patient's oral health, function, and quality of life.

My interest in OMFS led me to pursue an externship in the field. During this experience, I had the opportunity to observe and assist with various surgical procedures, including dentoalveolar surgery, implant placement, and orthognathic surgery. I was impressed by the precision, skill, and teamwork required for successful outcomes in OMFS procedures. This externship experience solidified my desire to pursue a career in OMFS and prepared me for the challenges and rigor of a residency program.

Throughout my academic and professional career, I have consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence. I have excelled in challenging coursework, participated in various leadership roles, and engaged in community service activities. These experiences have strengthened my ability to work collaboratively with others, communicate effectively, and think critically, all of which are crucial skills for success in the OMFS field.

In addition to my academic and professional experiences, I am also passionate about giving back to the community. I have volunteered at various health fairs and dental clinics, providing free oral health screenings to underserved populations. These experiences have highlighted the importance of access to quality healthcare and have further solidified my desire to pursue a career in OMFS.

I am excited about the opportunity to continue my education and training in OMFS at [insert name of institution]. I believe that your program's emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach and commitment to providing exceptional patient care aligns with my personal and professional values. I am confident that this program will provide me with the knowledge, skills, and hands-on experience necessary to achieve my career goals and make a meaningful impact in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the opportunity to further discuss my qualifications with you.

Sincerely,

[insert your name]”
This would actually be an improvement on some of the personal statements I’ve seen passed around lol
 
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This is EXACTLY why I push students to put more personality into the essay, rather than writing about why they want to do surgery. So many essays sound robotic, just like this essay literally written by a robot.

Essays like this are forgettable. Show us who you are.
I have seen a couple comments on CVs. What's the general consensus on what to include on them? I was planning to only include stuff from the dental school time period.
 
I’m only a resident but have gone through a few years of applicants now and seems like all the attendings cared about was cbse score and if you were a person who they could stand to be around for 4-6 years. So include personal things that give us a sense of who you are and your personality. If you have a poor cbse score it won’t matter what else youve write in your personal statement or cv, but if you have a good score (which is becoming the norm), then you can distinguish yourself in a personality infused personal statement and cv.
 
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I assume they won’t look at anything else in your application. What do you want them to know?
That was my understanding, but I have seen a couple applicants include minor involvements or positions from undergraduate on CVs. I could understand listing previous employment if you were a non-traditional student, but not so much a single volunteering event or club position from 5+ years back. Seeing stuff like that is mostly what prompted my question.
 
That was my understanding, but I have seen a couple applicants include minor involvements or positions from undergraduate on CVs. I could understand listing previous employment if you were a non-traditional student, but not so much a single volunteering event or club position from 5+ years back. Seeing stuff like that is mostly what prompted my question.
Agreed. You don’t need them knowing your volunteer stuff unless it’s relevant.
 
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This is an interesting point and something I had struggled with as an applicant this cycle.

To give my personal example (minus some of the finer details), my first draft of my PS basically started off with a short narrative of a unique hobby I had in college before I even heard about OS. I tried to connect it to OS through some elaborate thread because I thought it was cliche to do the basic " I do hard work and I do teamwork so I do residency good" theme. It wasn't the most eloquent story but I thought it was fine and conveyed the point. However, when I had friends and family read it, they pointed out that I was stretching it with my example and they were confused from the start. Oh well.

My second draft I scrapped the quirky unique story and went with a time I had a difficult situation on an externship and how I handled it. It didn't require any hoops to jump through to explain my reasoning for wanting to do OS, and I used an example that was not just something you could apply to AEGD/prosth/perio. I felt like while this didn't give the personal window into my soul that other personal statements may have, it still conveyed the fact that I was self-critical and self-correcting, which I think are two really important aspects of being a resident in any field.

In terms of how this played out for the cycle, I would say that of my 14 interviews, maybe 6 mentioned my personal statement, and of those only like 3 actually probed deeper (mainly just asking me to re-describe the story). Could this have been higher if I went with my first draft? Probably. But I felt like since that hobby was in college and not something I am actively involved in right now, it wasn't the best representation I could present to a program. I figured that talking about my externships, research, and personal life were the best options to sell myself to a program and thankfully it worked out. Now just to cover my bases, I did mention my hobby in my CV which actually was brought up like 3-4 times, but never as the main focus of my personality or whatever, but just as a fun hobby that added depth to my person.

Basically:
-Write a few drafts
-Have friends/family/whoever read em to get feedback
-Don't be worried if you don't have the most unique hobbies ever (spoiler alert: most people don't)
-You can always mention something interesting either in CV/app/interview to sell yourself, don't feel like it has to be the spotlight of your whole app

Hope this helps, good luck in the coming cycle!
Love reading personal critique responses like this - thank you so much for the insight!
 
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How strictly is the personal statement supposed revolve around the central theme of: "Why OMFS?"

I ran into trouble with this while writing my dental school PS in that my first draft was infused with a lot of emotion and personality about my motivation for dental school, but not so much specifically about why dentistry specifically rather than other fields of medicine. I really liked my first draft more but I was advised by others to tailor my PS towards the prompt of "Why Dentistry?". When I did this it felt like my final draft was more robotic but it definitely fit the prompt more.

I'm running into this same problem again in that my OMFS statement focuses more on my character and my journey up until this point rather than "Why specifically OMFS vs. other specialties/paths". Should I tailor it to the prompt like I did with my dental school PS?
 
How strictly is the personal statement supposed revolve around the central theme of: "Why OMFS?"

I ran into trouble with this while writing my dental school PS in that my first draft was infused with a lot of emotion and personality about my motivation for dental school, but not so much specifically about why dentistry specifically rather than other fields of medicine. I really liked my first draft more but I was advised by others to tailor my PS towards the prompt of "Why Dentistry?". When I did this it felt like my final draft was more robotic but it definitely fit the prompt more.

I'm running into this same problem again in that my OMFS statement focuses more on my character and my journey up until this point rather than "Why specifically OMFS vs. other specialties/paths". Should I tailor it to the prompt like I did with my dental school PS?
I don't think your wrong to include that stuff. I read advice once that said a personal statement outline should be something like:

Paragraph 1 - story about something interesting/cool you saw related to the field
Paragraph 2 - you as a person
Paragraph 3 - how p1/p2 relate
Paragraph 4 - why this specialty is the best (longest paragraph)
Paragraph 5 - next chapter in your journey and how the field relates

I used this outline and I'm happy with mine (applying this cycle)
 
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Anyone willing to read my PS? Not looking for grammar or any hardcore edits but just a general vibes check
 
PD here, please keep PS under one page. I have over 150 to read and I dont need a novel. Also, dont try to get to cute. I stop reading when I see words like "passion" and " oral surgeons change lives". I know this is fluff and you are trying to stroke my ego. Just tell me who you are, why you like surgery and how you will be a good resident. Thats it. Really.

I recently cam across a PS that started with "It was a dark and stormy night..." I immediately stopped reading. This is not a composition class and I am not reading for fun.

As for a CV. Please be succinct and organized. Sometimes applicants put to much description in the CV's.

Example:
Education:
U of MN Dental School. Expected graduation 2024.
- Completed fillings, prophys, classes, CE, ect.

Yeah, I know what dental school is, no need to tell me.
I am always available to review CV and PS.
 
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