Persistence is Key for Internationally Educated DMD Student

Deepak Bhardwaj At age 16, Deepak Bhardwaj made the radical decision to become a dentist. For many, this wouldn’t have been a bold move. But for Bhardwaj, the son of a shop keeper in  a town where many families are poor, it was an unexpected choice. Family and friends assumed that Bhardwaj, who grew up in the Punjab region of India, would enter the family business. Instead, he wanted a medical career and eventually found his way to dentistry, gaining the support of his parents. He wanted to make dental care accessible in his town, which had no dentists. But most patients couldn’t afford anything beyond extractions. Preventive care wasn’t a priority either. Their attitude was shaped by hardship, he knew, but Bhardwaj grew frustrated with the limitations of practicing there. He also sought more financial stability, so he moved to Canada with his wife and children, where he worked factory jobs and did a stint as a security guard before finding an opening for a dental assistant. It was a step up, but still felt short of his dreams. “I didn’t want to stay on the left side of the chair,’’ he recalls. Bhardwaj hoped to attend dental school in the U.S. but his applications were repeatedly rejected. Friends and family members wondered why he didn’t give up. Undiscouraged, he worked on building his profile and earned a masters degree in Biomedical Science from Rutgers to increase his chances of getting into dental school. It took five years of preparation, but finally, he was accepted to RSDM. “I can’t tell you how happy I am,’’ he declares. “If you keep working hard to achieve your goals, you’ll eventually get it.  Some people get it early, some people get it late. It doesn’t matter if it’s in dentistry or something else.  Just keep working hard.”