Crappy EC's, what are they and who has them?

[Maybe.a.dentist]

---

Members do not see this ad.

It seems like everyone on here who post a chance me says they got "good EC's" what does this even mean and what would you consider bad EC's? I'll be honest, I don't think my EC's are all that good, I was very shy coming in to college (homeschooled in a rural area K-12 grade) and when I did start coming out of my shell I didn't stick with stuff much partly for logistical ( I commuted from out of town) or financial reasons (I'm broke and had to work all through college). Additionally I went to a small school and a lot of stuff that people tried to start just didn't gain enough momentum to really take off, heck even the student government really struggled due to lack of interest.

Is there anyone out here who can honestly say, "yeah, my EC's kinda sucked but I got into dental school anyway."? Or is everyone here just overestimating the values of their EC's?

 

[JLT223]

People have no idea what constitutes "good" ECs in most cases. It's not as black and white as some people make it out to be.

 

[SrJulio]

Your EC's say something about you, and dental schools want to know that. Whether you did research, volunteered, etc., schools want to know. To answer your question, whether your EC's are good or "bad" depends on the schools. If you apply to a research heavy institution, having some research experience under your belt will be helpful.

 

[kimball]

I would say generally that the more long-term involvement you have the better. Example: 120 hours volunteering at a health clinic over the course of a year and a half vs 100 hours gained from a week-long mission trip that you did the month before you applied.

 

[Likkriue]

My ECs pale vs some stuff I read around. 150 hours shadowing for about 6 months, 80 volunteering hours over 4 months. 200 Research hours no pubs for about 6 months. And of course full time work for 6 years.

 

[doktorinprogres]

Is there anyone out here who can honestly say, "yeah, my EC's kinda sucked but I got into dental school anyway."? Or is everyone here just overestimating the values of their EC's?

If you give me a year i might be able to say that to you

 

[fayevalentine]

My ECs pale vs some stuff I read around. 150 hours shadowing for about 6 months, 80 volunteering hours over 4 months. 200 Research hours no pubs for about 6 months. And of course full time work for 6 years.

I think working is a great EC. A lot of pre-dents have no real world experience, and you do.

 

[SrJulio]

I think working is a great EC. A lot of pre-dents have no real world experience, and you do.

What do you mean by real world experience? I am sure a lot of people work full time or part time to pay off their loans like I do. I would think a majority of the applicants have work expereince in college. I do agree that working is great to include on application

 

[fayevalentine]

What do you mean by real world experience? I am sure a lot of people work full time or part time to pay off their loans like I do. I would think a majority of the applicants have work expereince in college. I do agree that working is great to include on application

Lots of students that go the healthcare route are fortunate enough to get scholarships or have their expenses paid for by their parents. At least that is what I found during my undergrad studies. To go out in the world and have to pay your own way is experience that you just don't get if you live completely in the college bubble.

 

[Meeza]

I certainly don't think anyone would have "bad" ECs. I'm guilty of saying my ECs are "strong", and by this I mean I was a waitress at the same restaurant for 3 years, intern at a dental office (going on 2.5 years, 2000 hours in general private practice in addition to some other stuff), assisted in getting an IGEM lab program at my school and have a few leadership roles, an award for community service, etc. I just think saying they are "good" just means having spent a lot of time doing stuff independent of our academics and maybe showing that you were committed to important activities regardless of building your resume for dental school. Nevertheless, I am weakened by the fact that I lack research experience... so eh, it's really just a way we make ourselves feel better about having otherwise average stats. Lol.

Oh and it's totally fine if you weren't all gung-ho about activities when you started college, but you can definitely work that into how you are "growing" to be more involved. I used to be a horrible student until like junior year. Always about improvement! 🙂