The Art of the Essay: Small Tweaks, Big Impact

Let us look back at the introduction to this post. “Writing an essay can be a daunting task. We all know the significance and importance that a good essay can have on your dental school admissions application.” Notice any changes that can be made? “Can be” and “can have” are phrases often used. However, it is possible to make this more concise by simply saying “is” and “has”. “Good” is an acceptable adjective to use, however, it can often be replaced by another synonym that makes your writing sound more refined by demonstrating an expansive vocabulary. For example, try using superior, exceptional, distinguished, etc. Also, avoid overusing the same word/phrases multiple times in the same paragraph. This will make you seem limited in your writing abilities.

Another great topic to tackle is proper punctuation. Semicolons are often incorrectly used or not used when they need to be. When should you use a comma vs a semicolon? Semicolons join two closely related independent clauses; meanwhile, commas are used to separate items, introduce phrases, or to connect two clauses with a proper coordinating conjunction. Independent clauses contain a subject, verb, and express a complete thought, which are also referred to as complete sentences. If you do not remember what the coordinating conjunctions are, you can remember the acronym, FANBOYS.

For
And
Nor
But
Or
Yet
So

These are all basic rules taught to us in elementary school that most have forgotten over the years. It is possible to avoid using semicolons altogether if you are not confident in using them correctly; however, using them will make your essay more sophisticated. One more note, avoid using contractions in academic writing. For example, do not instead of don’t. Now, let us look back at our sample paragraph once more with all of the changes we discussed.

“Writing an essay is a daunting task. We all know the significance that an exceptional essay has on your dental school admissions application. Grades and a distinguished DAT score will get you through the door; however, the supplemental items such as volunteering, shadowing hours, extracurriculars, and of course, your essays, are what take you to the next step in the process.”

These changes make the paragraph a lot better. However, there is still more work to be done.

HOW TO THINK WHILE WRITING!

A critical aspect to writing are the thoughts you should have while you edit. Your rough draft is exactly what it sounds like, “rough.” It should sound bad, be lengthy, and have some grammar issues. A rough draft is your opportunity to introduce your topic and organize your essay the way you want. You should also jot down all of the content and have an understanding of what you want to express. Below is a sample of a rough draft:

“As I learned to be more social, I met more people that I connected with. Every person had unique backgrounds and life experiences. Interacting and forming bonds with these people taught me that we did not need to have commonalities to connect. All of our different experiences helped to enrich each other. Furthermore, they pushed me to try new things and pursue opportunities I would not have in the past. One such example is being a mentor for the American Student Dental Association. This will challenge me to grow even more as I have to get out of my comfort zone and socialize with my mentees. As their mentor, I also have to be a role model and guide them towards the right direction.

In dental school, I will meet people of all backgrounds with different personalities and social norms. I understand that some classmates will be introverted, as I was once in their situation. I want to help them form bonds with our classmates and myself, as these are the people we will be together with for the next four years. Additionally, just as my friends did with me, I want to push these people to be more involved in activities such as organizations, which will present them with opportunities to take advantage of and explore. I will also have mentorship experience going into dental school and hope to be a mentor and guide for my classmates.”

These two paragraphs are very wordy and need to be concise. It is important to ask yourself probing questions. Here are some examples:

Have I mentioned this topic in a previous dental application essay?
The mentor program for ASDA was mentioned in another essay, so that can be removed to avoid recycling content.

Is the content relevant to my topic or does it make sense?
While wanting to promote self growth in others is commendable, the topic of this essay is to present any unique circumstances or life experiences that are relevant to your application which have not previously been presented. Therefore, it would be best to focus on your growth as a person and only briefly mention your desire to motivate others as well.

Are my pronouns defined and are my thoughts complete?
If nothing else, please make sure to apply these. While reading a paragraph, ask yourself, “so what?” If your paragraph cannot successfully answer that question, then it needs to be reworded. For example, if my introduction’s purpose is to define, “why dentistry?” and that question has not been explicitly answered at the end of the paragraph, then your “so what?” has not been answered.

Additionally, make sure that your pronouns are clearly defined. If you use a pronoun, make sure to ask yourself, “what is this/her/him?” If you cannot clearly answer that question by referencing the previous sentence, then you need to make sure to clearly define that pronoun, or make it more clear in the previous sentence.

Now, let’s see what the final product looks like.

“As I learned to be more social, I met more people that I connected with on a deeper level. Every person had unique backgrounds and life experiences. Interacting and forming bonds with these people taught me that we did not need to have commonalities to connect. All of our different experiences helped to enrich each other. Furthermore, they pushed me to try new things and pursue opportunities I would not have in the past. One example is when I attended a community outreach at Lockhart Elementary School. I was always big on educating others but was too shy to talk in front of large groups. However, with my friends’ support, I pushed myself to overcome my fear and pursue my goal of raising awareness about dentistry and oral healthcare. As I head into dental school, I am eager to meet new people and surround myself with diverse individuals. I strive to continue growing as an individual and motivate others to do the same.”

MAKE SURE THAT THE ESSAY REFLECTS YOU AND YOUR STYLE OF WRITING!

Your final product will by no means be perfect. After all, a majority of you are not an English major. However, you should avoid having any syntax or grammar errors, and your prompt should be answered completely. Aim to make your essay feel personal and authentic. Having someone you trust look over your essay will help to ensure the fundamentals are there; however, by no means should the writing not reflect your style or your original ideas.

Having a friend that knows you well might help with brainstorming ideas and making you dig deep within. Make your essays a bit personal and do not be afraid to be vulnerable and connect with your audience. That being said, do not trauma dump on the admissions board. Make sure you are explaining how these situations helped you grow as a person, develop a love for dentistry, or whatever the prompt requests of you. Also, make sure that you give specific examples when possible. Anyone can talk about how much they love dentistry or how much they grew, but having examples will paint the image for your reader and also provide support to your claims.

Even when you think you have nothing to talk about, you always do. Everyone has a story, so make sure you share yours!