ASDOH attending people, how many of hours of community service??

[caloriefree]

Since I've been hearing so much about how much ASDOH cares about community service etc etc, this one is for those of you who gained acceptances to ASDOH. What kind of community services have you done and how many hours in total at the time you were applying??? Thanx!

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[laugh]

Good question.... I would like to know as well. Does ASDOH like to see community service mostly in a dental setting? Or does any community service look favorable upon? I heard ASDOH increased their student class from ~55 to ~80. Is that true?

 

[DentPursuer88]

i'm not sure if i can help much but I'll tell you what I know. I talked to Gary Cloud, who is in the admissions committee, and he said that you can do community service any way possible and try to get a letter sent to him to hopefully gain admission. Basically, it doesn't have to be in a dental setting.

hope that clarifies a few things.

 

[ztoothdr]

On my application I stated 60+ hours community service. I volunteered at a dental clinic during Give Kids a Smile day; I volunteered at a Native American CHC; I volunteered at a soup kitchen; I helped put together a community-wide sporting event to raise money for a family who had lost a father/husband. My feeling is that ASDOH is more concerned with overall community service, rather than dental specific community service. But I may be wrong; I'm not on admissions.

 

[rdhdds1]

Per Vicki Driving Hawk in the admissions office of the Mesa, AZ location any and all community service works. Habitat for humanity, picking up trash on the side of the road, community dental clinics, soup kitchens etc, etc, etc.

 

[dentonal]

Since I've been hearing so much about how much ASDOH cares about community service etc etc, this one is for those of you who gained acceptances to ASDOH. What kind of community services have you done and how many hours in total at the time you were applying??? Thanx!

One suggestion: BE UNIQUE! (But don't be weird.)

It seems that everyone at my undergrad university is the president of some club, helped in some dental office, or ran a marathon for some benefit charity. Those are great things, but my suggestion is to find some service that shows your dedication (i.e., show longevity, not quantity), and your willingness to seek out your own, unique opportunities of service.

I was able to find a very unique niche of working with an often-overlooked community for over 500 hours. Not many people seek out their own opportunity--I really think that made me stand out (I don't think my scores really did🙂).

(I'm not trying to push numbers here to make myself better than another. I am not inflating anything--I have no reason to inflate since I've already been accepted. I'm just trying to help the person out who asked the question. Please take this comment in context of the question, and as no statement of showiness!)

 

[dentonal]

Since I've been hearing so much about how much ASDOH cares about community service etc etc, this one is for those of you who gained acceptances to ASDOH. What kind of community services have you done and how many hours in total at the time you were applying??? Thanx!

Let me add that the particular service I did was done over eight years. Don't push yourself to do something outrageous in a short time. Be consistent; that is what they want more than anything!

 

[UCSF2012]

I had over 700 hours listed on my application. I just didn't have any in the last year or two cuz of other stuff, and I got rejected immediately.

 

[dentonal]

I had over 700 hours listed on my application. I just didn't have any in the last year or two cuz of other stuff, and I got rejected immediately.

I have heard about a lot of people in this same boat. I know that I have a large number of hours of service, but I realize that there are MANY more applicants who have the same, or more. While my 500 was only one of my many service experiences (different times for different projects/activites), I don't think that the numerical value (or qualitative value) of service says it all for ASDOH.

After talking with many people who have been rejected from ASDOH, and after reading about people who have been accepted, I cannot come up with any thing (or things) that are common across the board. Really, you have to be the fit ASDOH wants. It is funny saying that, but it is true. I really don't see myself above any other person in terms of qualifications on my application. I guess I just "fit"!

Good luck to all.

 

[Hmmwhat]

I'd say that the single most important aspect of volunteering or being an active member in your community isn't the hours per se but what have you got out of the experience. How have you grown and matured from the experience? There is no right answer to this question. Simply volunteering hundreds of hours isn't that impressive unless you have learned something from the experience that you can use as a leader to later better a community.

Being involved with the community brings life experience and maturity that I believe ASDOH looks for. This is why there are those with hundreds of hours of volunteer experience and still get rejected. They lacked something else.

Attitude and action I believe are very different. Many people may have the right attitude but lack the action or follow through, others simple have the action with out the attitude. In other words there are a lot of people that full fill requirements but don't really care or want to be involved with the community. Its not just charity work.

 

[Quattro DMD]

Good question.... I would like to know as well. Does ASDOH like to see community service mostly in a dental setting? Or does any community service look favorable upon? I heard ASDOH increased their student class from ~55 to ~80. Is that true?

They increased it last year from 54 to 60.....only six seats but its better than nothing!

 

[dentonal]

I'd say that the single most important aspect of volunteering or being an active member in your community isn't the hours per se but what have you got out of the experience. How have you grown and matured from the experience? There is no right answer to this question. Simply volunteering hundreds of hours isn't that impressive unless you have learned something from the experience that you can use as a leader to later better a community.

Being involved with the community brings life experience and maturity that I believe ASDOH looks for. This is why there are those with hundreds of hours of volunteer experience and still get rejected. They lacked something else.

Attitude and action I believe are very different. Many people may have the right attitude but lack the action or follow through, others simple have the action with out the attitude. In other words there are a lot of people that full fill requirements but don't really care or want to be involved with the community. Its not just charity work.

After all that has been said, this quote says it best (in my opinion). Make your service QUALITY!

 

[brightdream]

Hi,
So do you think that how many hours of community service won't matter as long as you're wiling to help other?
What did mean not many peope seeked out their own opportunity?
I am currently (in a summer) started doing some community service work at two churches where they diliver food boxes for seniors, homeless, and other who have no or low income. Can I do the volunteering only during semester break or it has be while you're enrolled in classes. Because I can't realy manage between studying and volunteering at the same time. Please help me out and give your best opinion on that. Thanks for your help in advance.

One suggestion: BE UNIQUE! (But don't be weird.)

It seems that everyone at my undergrad university is the president of some club, helped in some dental office, or ran a marathon for some benefit charity. Those are great things, but my suggestion is to find some service that shows your dedication (i.e., show longevity, not quantity), and your willingness to seek out your own, unique opportunities of service.

I was able to find a very unique niche of working with an often-overlooked community for over 500 hours. Not many people seek out their own opportunity--I really think that made me stand out (I don't think my scores really did🙂).

(I'm not trying to push numbers here to make myself better than another. I am not inflating anything--I have no reason to inflate since I've already been accepted. I'm just trying to help the person out who asked the question. Please take this comment in context of the question, and as no statement of showiness!)

 

[olivejuicee]

I am not a dental student at ASDOH (AZ) but I work at a restaurant where many of them come in. I have asked and it all ranged in different hours. One girl I talked with said, about 1,000.. another said 300.. It really all depends.

I have also emailed an admissions counselor about a year ago.. quote:

"On average, ASDOH students have around 500 hours of community service. While you do not need that many, the more community service hours you have, especially those working with underserved populations, the more competitive you will be."