anyone interviewed without shadowing?

[human instinct]

hey... so I am just wondering if anyone here was interviewed this cycle without any shadowing experience. If so, were you accepted and/or how did you show your interest in dentistry during interview?
Thanks.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Albuterol]

do you have an other dental experience? Without any hours spent shadowing, working as a dental assistant, etc. how can u prove that you are truly interested in this field besides presenting your gpa and dat scores and going accept me.

 

[human instinct]

yes, i understand the importance of shadowing/dental volunteering and am not saying that not doing it is the way to go but am just wondering if dent schools overlook all such applicants and hence the curiosity.

 

[doc toothache]

Deep love for the profession but cannot find 20-30 hours spread over weeks to learn what it is all about.

 

[DrReo]

yes, i understand the importance of shadowing/dental volunteering and am not saying that not doing it is the way to go but am just wondering if dent schools overlook all such applicants and hence the curiosity.

Some schools require a letter of rec from a dentist and have requirements on the number of hours shadowed. In many of my interviews, they asked specifically to recall and event about the dentist, what I enjoyed when I shadowed, etc. It would have been awkward stating I haven't shadowed or had relevant experience. It's a minor time investment 50-100+ hours, and who knows, dentistry may or may not be for you.

 

[DrReo]

Q. Should my dental shadowing hours be completed with the same dentist?
A. Yes, the Admissions Committee would recommend that applicants shadow the same dental office to complete the required 30 hours. We would also advise that applicants shadow a general dentist rather than a specialist. By spending the full 30 hours with one dentist, you are able to obtain a richer shadowing experience. Also, a general dentist will provide you with access to many different treatment planning cases.



http://dental.tufts.edu/1186496760237/TUSDM-Page-dental2w_1204542009278.html

 

[nydds25]

Dentists in there 50's I spoke to never shadowed and just applied. These days it is much different. You need to shadow.

 

[Dentgirl09]

I don't know why yu would overlook this if you really were interested. 1. You should want to shadow. Not everyone wants to be an assistant and do hundreds of hours of shadowing, but don't you want to see what you'd be doing in 4 years????
2. What if you don't like it??

The only explanation that makes sense as to why you don't want to shadow is 1. you are lazy 2. you are in it for the $$ not the actual practice of dental medicine.

It's not that hard to do nor is it difficult to find a dentist who is willing.

Or that's how I would look at it as an ADCOM.

 

[cookand]

A little anecdote.

My wife went throughout undergrad thinking she would go to pharmacy school. Come junior year she realized she needed shadowing experience for her application. She found out VERY quickly she would have been miserable being a pharmacist. I think this applies to dentistry as well as other professions and why shadowing is strongly advised by adcoms.

I would be interested to hear of any applicant that didn't shadow and how they overcame that in the interview.

 

[doc toothache]

Dentists in there 50's I spoke to never shadowed and just applied. These days it is much different. You need to shadow.

They did, but the high attrition rate had ds change their minds.

 

[rodneymoss]

Try looking for an assisting position, with or without pay. great exp!

 

[midiland]

I know a friend of mine who got in without doing any shadowing hours
That person just wrote down i think 100 hours or something.
I know life is not fair...

 

[doc toothache]

I know a friend of mine who got in without doing any shadowing hours
That person just wrote down i think 100 hours or something.
I know life is not fair...

The joke may end up being on him/her if later he/she decides that dentistry was not what he/she thought it was going to be.

 

[SugarNaCl]

The joke may end up being on him/her if later he/she decides that dentistry was not what he/she thought it was going to be.

Doc toothache and I butt heads sometimes but I have to say in this case, he is right. You shadow for yourself... so you know what you are getting into. It is not the schools mistake for accepting you if you haven't shadowed (though I think many would be hesitant)... it is your fault for potentially ruining your future happiness if you end up not enjoying the profession. If that happened and it showed up in your work... God help your patients.

 

[dentalmeddmd]

honestly, going through the first 2 years of dental school without having any idea what dentistry is all about is really tough.

hey... so I am just wondering if anyone here was interviewed this cycle without any shadowing experience. If so, were you accepted and/or how did you show your interest in dentistry during interview?
Thanks.