Admission essay to dental school Assignment | Online Assignment

The essay requires creative writing. No citation. No plagiarism. I attached all the required information below. Thank you.

The university of Iowa College of Dentistry (250 words or more)

1. Besides dentistry, what are you passionate about?  Farming and Braiding hair

2. What does integrity mean to you?

3. Why are you well-suited to a dental career?

4. What does integrity mean to you?

5. Beyond academic changes, have you been adversely affected by COVID-19? If so, please explain.

My Background: Below I posted the two essays I have already submitted for the school. I believe it’ll give you more insight about my background and passion.

Thank you for your help.

What I want to become a dentist (500 words or more):

Sitting helplessly in March of 2017 and watching my beloved sister’s life ebb silently away like a mirage has been the saddest experience of my life. It is even more saddening when I think that her death could easily have been averted through simple monthly oral care. The doctors had done their part and had given us the results, but I knew they were wrong because what doctors saw as the disease was merely the symptom of the actual disease. Deep within, I had a conviction that what killed Grace was not tongue cancer, the squamous cell carcinoma which her doctors diagnosed; it was ignorance, lack of information, and exposure. And so, I finally decided; to pursue a career in dentistry, spread awareness about oral care, and give others a reason to smile again. However, although the demise had catalyzed my decision, it was not the first time that I had nursed and fancied the desire to become a dentist.

Coming from a large family of eight children in Nigeria is already a potent difficulty but being the first child in such an environment makes the matter worse. Just as still is the case in most such families, growing up in mine was also a cross to bear. The problems of corruption and the unequal distribution of wealth and resources rendered difficult, and almost entirely impossible, the chances of my parents being able to send us all to school. Also, being the first of the eight children naturally and culturally reposed on my shoulders, the grim responsibility of having to learn to work hard with my parents to provide for the younger ones. And so, from a very tender age, I already committed myself to acquire various skills. I tried my hands at different jobs to assist my parents, the much I could, and the numerous family responsibilities.  I learned to farm, to weave hair, and to sew clothes. In doing these jobs, I eventually discovered that I had a special knack and love for these works. The hands-on work demanded not only the use of my hands but proper concentration, coordination, focus, attention to details, and good relationship skills with clients, qualities I would later find useful in dentistry.

At the age of 16, my sister and I were lucky to move to the United States. It was like the incarnation of an old dream; it was like a piece of heaven on a platter. While in high school, I learned about different career paths, and naturally, I was drawn to dentistry since it required especially the skills I had already cultivated. Therefore, this was my first motivation even before my sister’s passing, a few years later. To be sure that I had made the right choice and keep myself steady on the track towards actualizing this, I chose a university that had its own dental school. From there, I began exploring the career from the very early stages of my college education. I assisted dental students in the clinic, did my work-study job in the dental school’s office, and equally joined the pre-dental society.

To further acquire more field experience, I had a one-year gap after my college, and this year saw me in Ghana, West Africa. I traveled as a volunteer to help in spreading and creating awareness about oral health. I was shocked at how unaware the communities were about oral health. Upon speaking to the villagers, I discovered they use their hands to pull on crooked tooth to straighten it and apply bitter leaf juice to ease the pain. I was both moved and motivated, and I walked out of this experience with a renewed interest in dentistry.

I came back to the United States more determined to acquire the professional knowledge and one day, possibly travel back to Ghana and other countries where my services may be needed.  I took up a part-time job as an insurance specialist for the United Health Group. I was exposed to more experiences as I worked with Dr. John, a full-time dentist.

Having trained myself at maintaining busy schedules throughout my years in college, and as well as participating actively in volunteer and extracurricular activities, I am prepared for the challenges in dental school. Working full time has also lent an essential weight to my work ethics, and I pledge to inject these experiences into my work if admitted into dental school.

I still think about Grace. I always dream of turning back the hands of time. But I also know there are many other Graces out there, and I have sworn to see that none of them faces that same fate. I will see a little piece of Grace in every patient and will not let her die a second time.

Do you wish to be considered a disadvantaged applicant by any of your designated programs that may consider such factors (social, economic, or educational) 500 words or more?

My Country: Coming from Nigeria places one among the highly disadvantaged. Tell someone that you are going to Nigeria, and if they haven’t been there themselves, they offer sympathy. No tourists go there. No investors go there. The national Power company is known as NEPA, (Never Expect Power Always). For Diplomats, it is a punishment zone for posting. For journalists, it is a war zone, a land of no tomorrow, a frenzy of hustling humanity scrabbling for survival. Just like all other families, mine also passed through the daily struggle to eke out a bare existence in that land where the future holds no promise.

However, poor leadership and corruption have been a spanner in the wheel of any attempt towards progress. The late Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe captured the situation perfectly in the very first paragraph of his book, “The Trouble With Nigeria.” According to Achebe,  the biggest problem with Nigeria is a failure in the country’s leadership. This problem resonates in the forms of other societal vices. There is insecurity, and hence, one cannot be sure of the next day. People virtually sleep with one eye open.

This violence, while often stemming due to political tensions, is not limited to it. There is also the tension from religious violence and interethnic clashes. The education system is in shambles, and even with the best certificate after graduation from school, one is not assured of any employment.  You cannot get anything on merit. It is a question of whom you know. Delayed salaries for workers and pensioners are a big problem. My father worked for many years as a primary school teacher but could not train any of us in school because of unpaid salaries. Currently, he retired, and there is neither any hope of receiving payment for services delivered, including payment for pension after retirement. He is 70 years old and still goes to the farm with crude tools to till the soil. Unfortunately, he can no longer continue going to the farm because recently, there has been an increase in the frequency of massacres in that area by the terrorist group, Boko Haram.

Effects: I grew up in a little village with my family. My father worked as a teacher but had to support the family from the small farm he cultivated. He planted cassava, but unfortunately, the farm is so little that we hardly fed well.

Due to our meagre earning, I didn’t grow up in a mansion. It was just a two-room apartment.  My parents stayed in one while my siblings and I squeezed ourselves together in the other. Every morning, we would scramble up early and tidy up the room, which equally served as the sitting room. In the morning, we rolled up the sleeping mats and took them into my parents’ room and placed the three short wooden benches and a little table in the middle of the small room. At the other end of the room were my father’s old guitar and my mother’s old sewing machine, which we covered with waterproofs, especially whenever there was a sign of rain. It was always difficult, especially when we had a visitor who wanted to spend the night. On such occasions, we left the room for the visitor and shared the remaining room with our parents. On such nights I always silently prayed that there be no heavy rain. The roof of the house had weakened with age, and each time there was a downpour, we got drenched. My mother often kept some plastic containers at the strategic points through which the rain drizzled into the house, but much later, that no longer worked as there were more and more holes on the roof with each passing season. For every season that passed, there was a scar on the old and fragile roof of our house. The rainy seasons were very terrible for us, but the harmattan didn’t also spare the roof. Each time the high dry winds of the harmattan came, one or two sheets of the zinc roofing were often blown off, sometimes so far away that we had to go out in search of it, and when we were lucky, we found it in the neighbors’ compound. The story got better only when the parish priest of the village church heard the story of our roof and had given my family some zinc roofing sheets that had been removed from the old church during its renovation.

Nigeria is a place where peace has no place. Such an environment will not be helpful to me for my studies. I need an environment where my safety is at least assured. This sense of security is, of course, necessary psychologically and will help me be at my best.

Describe any activities requiring manual dexterity (e.g. activities requiring hand-eye coordination such as cross-stitching, sewing, art, crafts, playing musical instruments, auto repair, etc.) at which you are proficient. Be sure to enter your response as a narrative list; do not use bullet points.

Farming:

Growing up, My father’s little farm was our major source of sustenance and for that reason, we were all involved in the farm work. I learned to farm and provide for the family.

Sewing:

My mother had an experience of sewing. As the daughter of the house, i helped her with the trade and before the age of nine, I had mastered it perfectly.

Hair Braiding:

Back in Nigeria, our neighbor owned the house nearest to ours had a little kiosk which also served as a hair salon. I learnt the art while helping her. I earned some income from it when i moved to the in the United States.