Dental Degree Study Program - Essay Example

If I had not left my homeland of South Korea I would perhaps not have the opportunities that I do now and if I had not seen and learned to adapt to the extremely diverse cultures surrounding me I would possibly be ignorant to many new and wondrous things, especially with regard to my educational experiences. 

These facts alone have changed my outlook on what drives me to succeed in college and in my attempt to enter into dental school as the next phase of my learning experience.  My ambitions are strong and my will to make something of myself even stronger as my current level of education can attest to.  For emphases in the past, I have volunteered my time to areas of dentistry where people are economically deprived.  I worked alongside Dr. Cox in the Friday free clinic of which assisted me in making up my mind to focus solely on dentistry as a career.  I gained adequate knowledge through this experience some being learning how to pull teeth, make crowns, and developing more fluid interpersonal skills for areas of communication.  All that I have gained thus far, and my personal characteristics and attributes, are all positive elements of an individual who is sincere in gaining a degree through college study as it takes perseverance, patience, and an understanding within you to make it through this complex period.  However, there is one other experience that helped in concreting my future goals and plans in a profession of my choosing. 

This next experience has motivated me to want to become a dental student in my past participation in the Medical Students Organization.  I became involved with the Mission Waco Dental Service which happens to be another area where I volunteered freely, and next to my experience with Dr. Cox it has been one of the most enlightening for me educational wise.   I personally guided and helped many patients get to the dentist office and prepared medications for them at a laboratory as well.  It was exhilarating to me to learn and find out about so many wondrous techniques that are available in dental care and the experience in itself gave me my own inspiration to want to attempt to become a part of this profession full time.    Basically, I love working with people as I have volunteered at the Alzheimer center and spent a great deal of time just communicating with the elderly.  Due to this, it helped me to realize that there are many patients that go to a dentist’s office with great fears and worries about what their experience is going to be like.  Through my developed communication skills, I feel wiser and more able to guide people through their visit and make them feel more comfortable, even though I am not a dentist myself yet.  Furthermore, I think that dental school takes someone with individuality that exudes natural leadership skills, communication skills, dedication to helping others, high organization skills, and a willingness to be a team player.  I fully feel that I carry these quality traits.