Statement of purpose for dental school application

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My passion for becoming a dentist started when I suffered from a class III malocclusion (misalignment of teeth in both dental arches) when I was an adolescent. In my case, the teeth in the lower jaw became more prominent than those in the upper jaw.  Meanwhile, even during childhood, I used to get the fascination from my father’s dexterous movements as he went about his carpentry work, making windows and doors. I quickly picked up the skill of manual dexterity, only to find it useful to my later-life pursuit of passion in dentistry.

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For a long time, I did not believe that this condition could be cured until I met my orthodontist, during my junior year in college. I had been wearing braces for almost two years. I became extremely fascinated by dentistry as a profession at the thought of starting a new life without braces and malocclusion. At the end of the treatment plan, I had an orthognathic surgery (surgery that aligns the lower jaw back to its proper place). This is the surgery that changed my life, making me who I am today.

In Thailand, studies in dentistry or in any other healthcare-related discipline usually start right after graduation from high school. Even during my senior year in college, I really wanted to switch to dentistry. My parents did not approve of this decision. They thought I had come too far to go back and start all again. Furthermore, I had been awarded the Development and Promotion of Science and Technology Talents Scholarship (DPST) during my undergraduate studies. That kind of support reinforced my parents’ conviction that starting all over again in a dentistry class was not the right decision to make. Meanwhile, my passion for dentistry prevailed.

During my freshman year in college, I had met and made friends with Dr. Tinagon. After graduation, she had decided to follow the ‘unusual route’ and to continue with her studies in dentistry as if she had freshly graduated from high school. She always encouraged me to follow the same path; I also wanted to but a strong family relationship with my parents stood in the way.

Therefore, I saw a lot of sense in coming to the USA to study biosystems engineering. Dr. Tinagon and I still kept in touch and she always informed me about her life as a dental student. The more I talked with her, the more I felt the need to study dentistry.  In 2005, I had a chance to go back to Thailand and reunite with her.  She still wanted me to change my study plans and to come back to Thailand to study what I really wanted. She not only let me figure out her life in a clinic with a patient, she let me experience it. I was exasperated at the thought that I could also be doing a similar task if I chose to study dentistry. I was thrilled to find a joyful patient who had gone through a life-changing treatment similar to the successful orthognathic surgery I had gone through a few years back. This experience re-ignited my passion to pursue dentistry in readiness to do my part in changing people’s lives for the better. I promised my self that I would follow my dream immediately I satisfied my parent’s request of graduating with a master’s degree in the US.

Since graduating with my master’s degree in biosystems engineering, I have been working as a research technologist for the last two years. I was doing greenhouse design work, setting up instruments, analyzing computer-stored data and writing up reports. All these tasks did not satisfy my passion in the way I thought dentistry would. The only thing seemed enjoyable to me was carrying the vegetables grown in the greenhouse project site to the Food Bank every week.  I really liked the staff over there especially when they smiled and said how thankful they were to have me around. During the weekend, I work at a local restaurant as a manager. Whenever the customers are pleased, I feel overwhelmed with joy. Therefore, I find this position rewarding.

The biosystems engineering background has enabled me to become meticulous in everything I do. I can go for an easier route that leads me to a decent lifestyle with decent pay but the decision to leave this field and into dentistry did not come to me in a flash of insight. It grew up side me gradually. I was an international student before, and English is not my native language.

In the large pool of applications, I may not be the most intelligent applicant. However, I am positive that I am one of the applicants who never stop pursuing their dreams even when they seem unreachable even to the best of friends. I sincerely hope that my diverse background will be of use to other classmates in dental school. I look forward to the challenge; now more than ever, my desire to learn never fades out.  This is why I request to be allowed to become a person who makes a difference in the lives of others through the dentistry profession.