Tell me about yourself and the type of person we'd be getting as a new enrollee in our dental school.
Dental schools interview many qualified candidates for admission into their program each year. The program you are interviewing with wants to admit well-rounded individuals who are academically focused, have a great outlook on their future, and will be a great fit with the team and culture of their program and institution. By asking you this open-ended question, the interviewer can hear your best sales pitch on what makes you the ideal student to join their program.
While this is a very open-ended question that allows you to take your response in any direction you see fit, remember that the time given during this MMI session allows you to hit several points about yourself. Discuss qualities and experiences that show your commitment to success, your ability to get along well with others, and even your ability to have fun while working hard in an action-packed and stressful situation.
When talking about yourself and who you are during the dental school MMI process, start by giving a brief history of your upbringing so your interviewer will get a feel for the values you were raised upon. Stress that family values are important to you because they reflect well on success in dentistry. Then talk in detail about your academic path and the successes you've seen along the way. To give your interviewer a chance to see what excites you and makes you unique, talk about your hobbies and interests outside of the classroom. No matter how you answer, allow the interviewer to hear your passion for living life to the fullest.
"I appreciate the opportunity to let you get to know me better. My name is Jane Doe, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be here today! I'll start my story like any story from the beginning, where I was born and raised in a small Midwest farming community. I feel very fortunate to have been raised with small-town community values and a strong sense of family, teamwork, and working toward your dreams. My dad was a laborer at a local mill for his entire career, and my mom was a part-time nurse at a local skilled nursing facility. They always inspired me and my brothers to work hard for our dreams and gave us the freedom to pursue our interests. I've always been interested in the sciences and helping others, so a career in dentistry was sparked sometime in high school. I also really loved the care our family dentist provided for me, and she even let me shadow her the last two summers knowing that dental school was the path I was going to take. If I'm fortunate enough to be accepted into your distinguished program, you'd be getting an honest, respectful, and hard-working student that both my fellow student colleagues and faculty would enjoy being around. I can be a bit quirky in my humor at times, but it helps lighten the mood in stressful situations. Outside of the classroom and work, I'm a bit of a Star Wars nerd and a member of several fan-related communities. I'm also a pet lover and would relocate here with my four-year-old cat named Marvin."
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