XXXX University is my first choice among DDS Programs for International Dentists because of the sheer excellence of your program and the fact that your university has the most diverse student population in the entire country. A dentist from India, I thrive on diversity and have made it a central theme while earning my MPA Degree here in the USA, coming here to advance my career in January of 2010. I earned my MPA at XXXX University (XXX) in New Jersey in May of 2014. Since then, I have been studying towards my second Master’s Degree in Biology, also at XXX, and will graduate in May of this coming year, 2016.
I look forward to many decades to come treating patients as a dentist after earning the DDS Degree at XXXX University, hopefully, both here in America and back in India periodically. I want to make my country of origin my principal focus in my efforts to help the underserved, since the need is so great in India. I trace much of my passion for oral health to my experiences with my maternal uncle, who I was very close to as a child growing up. It was traumatic for me to watch him die while I was an adolescent, a slow, painful, agonizing death from oral cancer. A smoker, he also chewed tobacco products, and I soon realized that this problem is widespread. The widespread use of tobacco products has resulted in India having some of the highest oral cancer rates in the world. When one considers that India is projected to overtake China as the world’s most populous nation by mid-century, one then understands the vastness and urgency of the problem of oral cancer in India.
I see dental education in the USA to be the most advanced cutting-edge, educational system in the world, with the most technological promise and the most creative minds. In other words, I believe very firmly that India depends on the United States, as a role model, and also a source of humanitarian assistance, especially as a result of the outreach and solidarity programs organized by American dental schools. I look forward to working closely with such programs throughout my career as they are sorely needed in India to help us to continue to make progress in the right directions, particularly in the areas of oral disease prevention and tobacco cessation.
I look forward to teaching at some point in my career, at least in India, if not in the United States as well, given my devotion to lifelong learning, hoping to distinguish myself in particular through intensive research in cell biology here in the US with a focus on fighting cancer at the cellular level. I personally see this as one of our most promising avenues of inquiry to help us in the struggle against cancer, generally speaking, and oral cancer in particular. A sincere and dedicated health care professional, staying abreast of developments in my field by reading the literature diligently has always been one of my favorite activities of the day. Often, I do this before going to sleep and wake up thinking about what I read the night before.
As part of my academic life here in the USA, as well as back in India, I have participated in student organizations, and I especially enjoy getting to meet other students from other parts of the world. I left India in 2010, as a licensed and experienced dental surgeon and already having completed several internships. My first hands-on experience was in the best government hospital, and dental college in Ahmedabad, India, and I also helped out at several private clinics providing treatment to patients. These experiences provided me with an opportunity to practice and refine my skills, and I am confident that they have laid an excellent foundation for me to excel in your Advanced Placement DDS Program at XXX.
During my MPA program, I began shadowing one of my cousins, who is an orthodontist in Georgia, for three months in the summer of 2011. I also became a member of the Pi Alpha Alpha organization, a global honor society for public administration students who maintain a GPA of higher than 3.7. I also began shadowing a dentist here in New Jersey and have continued to do so for the past two years, absorbing as much as I can about the practice of dentistry here in America. My father is a general surgeon back home in India, and my sister, who I am very close to, is also a dentist and practices in Australia. Thus, much of my family life has also served to inspire and empower me as a dentist. While completing my Master’s Degree in Biology at XXX, I worked on campus at a fitness center as a graduate assistant.
Helping the underserved whose need is the most desperate has long stood at the center of my work ethic and sense of professional identity. Throughout most of my dental education in India, I organized dental camps on weekends and promoted and participated in community health promotion events. I have also long cultivated my leadership skills, and I pride myself on my lively personality and sense of humor, which I see as especially significant assets for the practice of dentistry.
Thank you for considering my application to your competitive DDS program for International Dentists at XXXX University.
