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Essays

The time has come for you to complete the essay portion of the application. This is your opportunity to shine in a way that is less driven by data and more driven by your personal experiences and your unique perspective.

important note

Not sure what to include in your Personal Statement?
In this article, TMDSAS offers suggestions to help you get started writing your personal statement.

4 Things to Remember About Essays

  1. Timing - The application can time out on you, especially when completing this lengthy portion. Avoid losing your essays or other data by saving frequently!
  2. Spacing - Watch your spacing! Remember that the character count includes spaces.
  3. Abbreviations - Spell out all words. Do not use shorthand or abbreviations.
  4. Formatting - Avoid formatting issues by typing your essay directly into the TMDSAS application, rather than copying and pasting your essay from word processor programs. Copying formatted text into the application may result in issues that cannot be edited once your application has been submitted.
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Dental Applicant Personal Statement  dent icon

The personal essay asks you to explain your motivation to seek a career in dentistry. You are asked to discuss your philosophy of the dental profession and indicate your goals relevant to the profession.

The essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.

 


Medical Applicant Personal Statement  med icon

The personal essay asks you to explain your motivation to seek a career in medicine. You are asked to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.

The essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.

 


Podiatry Applicant Personal Statement  med icon

The personal essay asks you to explain your motivation to seek a career in podiatry. You are asked to include the value of your experiences that prepare you to be a physician.

The essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.

 


Veterinary Applicant Personal Statement  vet icon

The personal essay asks you to describe opportunities and challenges (veterinary-related and non-veterinary-related) you have experienced and how these have helped to prepare you to enter the veterinary profession.

The essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.

 


important note

Check out this episode of the TMDSAS Podcast!
In Episode 42, two of our admissions deans discuss how they review essays, and they offer advice on how to prepare your responses to the prompts.

 

Personal Characteristics  dent icon med iconpodiatryvet icon

 Required of All Applicants


Learning from others is enhanced in educational settings that include individuals from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Please describe your personal characteristics (background, talents, skills, etc.) or experiences that would add to the educational experience of others.

The personal characteristics essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces.

 


Optional Essay  dent icon med iconpodiatryvet icon

There is one optional essay available for all applicants. This essay is an opportunity to provide the admissions committee(s) with a broader picture of who you are as an applicant. The essay is optional; however, you are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.

Optional Essay:

Briefly discuss any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application, which have not previously been presented. Optional Essay is limited to 2500 characters, including spaces.

Attention Veterinary Applicants!    vet icon 
While traditionally the third essay has been optional, all three essays are now required and will be read and scored by the review committee. Therefore, take advantage of the unique opportunity that essay #3 provides by presenting the review committee with a more complete picture of who you are and what you can bring to the veterinary program.


important note

Optional Essay
This is not an area to continue your other essays or reiterate what you have previously stated; this area is provided for you to address any issues that have not previously been covered.

 


Additional Essays

 

DO/PhD & MD/PhD Program Essays

  • Explain your motivation to seek a MD/PhD or DO/PhD dual Discuss your research interests and career goals as an applicant to a dual degree program.
  • Describe your significant research Include the name and title of your research mentor as well as your contributions to the project. List any publications that have resulted from your work.

Each essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.

DDS/PhD Program Essays

  • Explain your motivation to seek a DDS/PhD dual
  • Describe your significant research experiences, research interests and career goals as appropriate for an applicant to the DDS/PhD dual degree program.

Each essay is limited to 5000 characters, including spaces.