This personal statement traces the author's journey from growing up in South Korea and serving in the military to pursuing a career in dentistry in the United States. Drawing on experiences in a military dispensary, a biology degree, early piano training, and a love of aesthetic harmony, the author explains how these diverse influences converged on dentistry as the ideal profession. The essay also discusses the evolving role of modern dentistry — including cosmetic procedures, preventive care, and oral cancer screening — and articulates the author's goal of contributing to both patients' oral health and overall well-being.
I was born in South Korea in 1975. There, I completed elementary, middle, and high school before coming to the United States to study biology in 1994. South Korea requires military service for all young men, so I returned home to fulfill that obligation before coming back to the United States to finish my undergraduate degree. While military service interrupted my studies in some respects, it had the unexpected benefit of helping me clarify my career goals.
While serving in the South Korean Army, I worked in the dispensary. I found myself becoming extremely interested in caring for people and helping them recover. Despite the fact that the work was arduous and the hours long, it was deeply fulfilling, and I believed my efforts were genuinely fruitful for those I served.
When I returned to school to complete my degree in biology, I began to investigate which form of medical service would best suit my talents while also providing a valuable service that people need. As I did my research, I realized that my background in biology was only one factor that should bear on my decision.
When I was seven years old, I began to study piano. I worked hard, but beyond that, my teachers found that my dexterity was excellent — even at an early age, I could complete difficult passages requiring sophisticated use of my hands. I realized then that my career goals should depend on and make use of all my abilities, both academic and otherwise.
There were, needless to say, many medical specialties I could have investigated. But I had to include one more factor: my enjoyment of helping people directly. That told me that becoming a medical researcher would probably not make the best use of all my skills, nor would it allow me to provide the greatest service.
My manual dexterity suggested that surgery might be satisfying; yet while there is certainly patient contact in being a surgeon, there is not the same depth of personal interaction found in, for example, being a family physician. I genuinely felt fulfilled when helping people at the dispensary — I enjoyed it, and I am quite sure those I helped benefited as well.
Then I had to factor in one more element: my love of beauty and harmony. Adding all these considerations together led me inevitably to dentistry. No longer is dentistry simply a matter of removing decay and placing fillings. As I investigated my choice, I found that cosmetic dentistry is a growing field, orthodontic treatment is available to nearly everyone, and expanding preventive care has made simply filling cavities almost a thing of the past.
"Cosmetic, preventive, and oral cancer advances"
"Commitment to oral health and patient well-being"
Always verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.