People often call me a romantic, and not without reason. In the few years that I have been at CS, I have often dreamt of an opportunity to answer this one dental interview question “tell me about yourself!” And do you know why? Because it feels like the backdrop to a meet-cute in a rom-com or an arranged marriage scenario! Boy-meets-girl, both of them testing the waters, eager to know about the other, trying to gauge if they could spend a lifetime together, basis that first conversation! How exciting!
But from a dental school admission perspective, it is not a romantic start, but a serious and high-stakes scenario. This seemingly innocent question, disguised as an ice-breaker, is actually the tip of an iceberg. And the aim of this write-up is to help you understand this dental interview question better and thus enable you to to craft an answer that introduces you best!
Why this question?
Obviously, to get to know you better, to break the ice. But is there more to the question? ABSOLUTELY YES.
Despite not having met you, the admissions committees have already formed a visual image of who you are based on your documents and experiences. This dental interview is their actual chance to figure out if all that is authentic or just tall talk. It is their opportunity to confirm if you are indeed who you claim to be; more importantly, to ascertain if you can be more than who you claim to be.
For instance, your evaluation letters and your personal statement repeatedly claim that you are highly adaptable. But when you actually tell them about how you had to frequently change schools because of your parents’ transferable job, there is a logical explanation behind that adaptability and extroverted nature of yours! It helps them connect the dots.
The dental interview question – ‘Tell me about yourself’, is your version of the places you have been to, the people you have met, the experiences you have had, and your takeaways from these. And remember – they are also lowkey analyzing if the person, the profile, and their process documents – all narrate the same story and speak in the same voice!
How to answer?
Moving on to the more important question – what are all the aspects my answer should cover? Ideally, your answer should summarize your personal and professional journey and how they have fused to shape you into the perfect candidate for dentistry in the U.S.
In our honest opinion, there are no right or wrong answers or a rigid template. In fact, you can play around with the format, chronology, and content, true to your personality. A very witty and jovial person could include a humorous anecdote
(eg: My biggest red flag is, for someone with good hand skills, I am a disaster in the kitchen),
whereas a more somber candidate could stick to being straightforward
(eg: One notable trait about me is that I have always been called a quick learner – whether its a classical dance piece that my guru choreographed at short notice or a complicated technique I learned by observing my supervising dentist).
Irrespective of the tone you adopt, you could still use this basic skeletal structure to help you frame your response.
- A backdrop – give a sneak peek into your family, passion, hobbies, strengths, etc..
- A build-up – gradual transition into your career back home, why dentistry/why the U.S., and your American work experiences,
- A highlight – outlining achievements – personal or professional, and
- A hook – end on a high point, a little something for them to latch on to!
Tips to answer the most frequently asked Dental Interview Questions | Caapid simplified
Here is an example of what you could attempt:
Good day, Dr. XXX YYY! I am glad for the opportunity to be here today and truly excited! For this dream of wanting to study in the U.S. is a childhood dream – one I had imbibed from my father, a practicing orthodontist in my home country who himself almost became an American dentist three decades ago. The elder daughter of dentist-parents from varying ethnic backgrounds, I grew up in four diverse states in India, and dental school happened to be located in a state diametrically opposite to the ones I was raised in! This upbringing nurtured my adaptability and extroverted personality.
What brought me to the U.S., in addition to my childhood dream, was my curiosity and eagerness to learn. I owe the seed of ambition to my father, but I had carefully nurtured this dream through multiple experiences back home in India and in the U.S.
Pursuing a Master’s at the prestigious Temple University provided me the opportunity to understand the American educational system, and shadowing at numerous dental clinics in the city also lent me an insight into the country’s dental ecosystem.
On a personal note, living in Philly has itself been an exhilarating experience. In fact, you might find this amusing, but as a movie buff and amateur actor, the first thing I did upon arriving here was recreate the Rocky scene of Sylvester Stallone running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum. I am no underdog, but the movie is a constant reminder that with a little grit and determination, nothing is impossible. And that is about me, in a nutshell.
Now, don’t you think this is quite a memorable introduction? I do. For, this not only gives us a glimpse of this applicant’s experiences (which is anyway available to the interviewer through the CAAPID Portal and documents), but also paints a vivid picture of his personal life. A picture that clearly highlights their personality, and even hobbies (as an amateur actor, a movie buff)!!!
Now let us also attempt to reread this excerpt and identify the four aspects we mentioned above, to help you get a clearer idea of how your answer can be made crisp and captivating!
Backdrop – The candidate’s father’s dream
Buildup – His upbringing
Highlight – His qualities – adaptability, ability to embrace diversity and change
Hook – Philadelphia, Rocky.
And just like that, you have a winning answer to the ubiquitous “tell me about yourself” question!
What can you say?
Frankly, you could talk about anything that you decide that the school should know about you and all the things that could make you an interesting and strong candidate in their eyes. But if you can sieve through your life, and find instances that showcase certain desirable qualities (such as hand skills, creativity, growth mindset, adaptability, entrepreneurship, self-motivation, leadership, team skills), then you can string them together to give a sneak preview into the person you are and the professional you have become.
A skeletal structure could look like this:
- Personal – hobbies, childhood, family, life altering moments
- Professional – qualifications, variety of things done, rationale to move to the US,
- Bridge between the two
- Not a hard and fast combo, but just an idea of all that you could say.
This video here by our Founder, the marketing whiz Karthik Vinayagamoorthi, also outlines a few simple hacks to get your interview game right!
Tell Me About Yourself – Simple Strategy for US Dental Interviews
Some dos and don’ts
And before we conclude, here is a quick checklist – of what to and what not to do, and some real examples and simple explanations on crafting convincing and catchy responses.
Dos
- Show and tell. Substantiate and validate.
- Include a little bit of both your personal and professional life.
- Can connect your personal traits/skills/hobbies to your professional life as well.
eg: my love for sustainable living rubbed off on my dental practice as well and I began looking for more eco-friendly options.
- Leave planters/hooks for them to latch onto.
eg: lived in 12 states of the US in 8 years.
- If possible, make it catchy
eg: There are 3 things you should know about me.
- Can customize it for the school/city –
eg: a Mumbaikar being reminded of home in NYC.
- Keep it crisp – max 2.5 to 3 minutes.
Donts
- Narrate your CV.
- Give too many specifics – GPAs, years, names of professors, colleges, unless imperative.
- Speak about controversial topics such as extremist beliefs, politics, religion, etc.
- Say – ‘feel free to ask me more, will be happy to answer!’ That is the reason you’ve been invited, and they will feel free!
This is also pretty much what Dr. Nourah, our Founder, herself advocates –
Below are some real examples and answers we deal with everyday, and our justification as to what could give your answers an edge, that extra oomph, over your peers and competitors.
❌I have been a dental assistant at ABC Dental Clinic since 2021.
✅In the last four years that I have been assisting at a dental clinic here in New York, I have truly come to understand the concept of teamwork.
⁉️Details such as 2021 will tempt them to do the math (2025-2021=4 years) which is distracting from the conversation. If the detail truly matters, then better to hand it to them directly.
2.
❌ I moved to the United States to pursue my Masters in Public Health.
✅The Master’s in Public Health was a natural extension of my eager/ humble attempts at learning more about enabling universal access to health.
⁉️It is obvious you moved to study, but what is the motive behind the study? That explanation will help more than stating the obvious fact.
3.
❌ I chose dentistry because I am a very empathetic person and like to help people.
✅ Caring for others came naturally to me – even as a child, sometimes much to my parents’ exasperation. I still remember being slapped by a monkey in return for offering it a biscuit.
⁉️Amongst 100 applicants who give such clichéd answers, these kinds of bite-sized stories will make you memorable and will make them smile!
By now, I think you have got the drift of our constant clamoring and no further reiterations are needed. But before we conclude this write-up, here is one different tell me about yourself I want you to read (not because it would give you wild ideas, but because I want to put it out there 😀)!
What would be my response if my CEO, Flynn George, is looking to hire me as a Coach-cum-Writer at CS?
“Hi Flynn 🙂 A pleasure to meet you! I am Meenakshi, an accountant-turned-homemaker and a proud mom of two. I grew up in a large family in Singara Chennai and eventually ended up discovering myself in Aamchi Mumbai. What has not changed over the years is my love for stories – reading, writing, and narrating! The rare granddaughter who narrated bedtime tales to her grandmother today continues the legacy, creating cute stories for her children instead. And it is that uncanny skill that I seek to put to good use at CS – to help dental aspirants craft captivating stories – through their documents and interviews – to convince dental school admission committees.
I had spent 7 years interpreting numbers at a leading rating agency, but numerous more understanding people – as a daughter, granddaughter, daughter-in-law, friend, and mother. I am sure I can continue to do so as a Coach as well :)”
Can you see what this response does here? Gives Flynn a peek into my childhood, creates a visual image of me narrating stories to an old lady, and seamlessly transitions to my adulthood, where I still do the same, to a different demographic. The common thread – or defining quality – is my ability to connect with people and an aptitude for writing/crafting stories – the precise demands of my role as a Coach at Caapid Simplified.
And did it work on Flynn? You know the answer by now!
