Las Vegas dentist Dr. James B. Polley has announced a $500 scholarship for students who are interested in working in the dental field, are taking pre-dental courses, and are planning to apply to dental school.

Student Debt Linked to Poor Health, Low Wealth

A recently released joint study conducted by Gallup and Purdue University shows that students who incur more student debt are less likely to thrive after graduation. Rating students’ well-being on five key indicators of well-being, researchers found that in every category–including purpose, social, financial, community, and physical health–those who graduated with no debt were better off than those with debt, especially those in the highest category ($50,000 or more in student debt), though the difference was not always significant.

The smallest difference between the no debt and $50,000 or more in debt group was in the social category, (47% thriving vs. 45% thriving, respectively). The largest difference was seen in the financial category, where 40% of those who graduated with no debt were thriving, compared to only 25% of those who graduated with $50,000 or more in debt. The next largest disparity was in physical health, where 34% of those with no debt were thriving, but only 24% of those with $50,000 or more in student debt were thriving.

Helping Dental Students

This scholarship is intended to help students studying dentistry to cover the cost of their education.

Eligibility

In order to qualify for this scholarship, students must be undergraduates who are:

  • Interested in working in the dental field
  • Taking pre-dental classes
  • Planning on applying to dental school

Guidelines

Each applicant should write a 500 word essay on either of the following subjects:

  • Dental health and its relationship to whole-body health
  • The value of an aesthetically pleasing smile

Judged on

Essays will be judged on a number of factors, including correctness of information, passion for subject, and overall quality.

Application Directions

  • Fill out the application form
  • Write an essay no more than 500 words
  • Include your name, phone number, mailing address, and program where you are or will be enrolled

Deadline

The deadline for consideration for this scholarship is August 31st, 2015. Final decisions will be made in September 2015.

Apply Here

Please submit your information below to apply for this scholarship. The deadline for applying is August 31st, 2015 at 11:59PM PST. Your user session on this page may expire while you write your essay. In order to prevent losing your work, it is recommended that you write your essay in another program prior to submitting it here.

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