Current applicant, deciding on volunteer activity to start

[KingCounty]

Hi everyone,

I am a current applicant this cycle. I wanted to start volunteering again and was wondering if I should volunteer as a dental assistant at a free dental clinic, or go back to my old research lab and volunteer as a research assistant for genetic neurological diseases. I am currently a medical assistant, and have plenty of clinical volunteering hours as a hospice volunteer (4 years worth). I only have roughly 1 combined year of research experience, and it was mostly basic things. I want to make my gap year worth while, but I'm afraid that going back to the research lab is gonna drive me crazy with boredom. I love the research they perform there, but with lack of funding, there aren't many projects currently and I don't get to help out in the big ones. Plus it's lonely haha.

Would volunteering as a dental assistant raise an eye during my interviews?

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[Goro]

Forget about DDS unless you want to become a DDS.

Strongly suggest non-clinical volunteering with those less fortunate than yourself.

 

[KingCounty]

Forget about DDS unless you want to become a DDS.

Strongly suggest non-clinical volunteering with those less fortunate than yourself.

Thanks for the response Goro! That was my intent with dental assisting, as it serves the city's homeless population. I also became interested in it because my fiancee is a dental student currently. I used to be really involved in my communities highschools and elementary schools tutoring programs. I could go back and tutor during lunch times or afterschool, since I have maintained close contact with the teachers there.

A different problem I'm facing is overwhelming myself, as I work full time with 12 hour shifts, and am a hospice volunteer on the side.

I also thought about possibly furthering my hobby of tailoring clothes. I had approval to shadow Nordstrom tailors last year, but never got to it. Should I just not pick up any more volunteering, and develop my hobbies more?

 

[Dox4lyfe]

Working as a dental assistant during a gap year will raise eyebrows.

Time would be better spent continuing tutoring those who are less fortunate. Keeping up with your hobbies sounds like a great idea as well.

Not sure how your numbers are, but if you're aiming for research heavy schools, I'd suggest the research as well. No one said you need to continue with the same lab. Some find translational research much more interesting than basic (if that's what you meant by basic).

 

[KingCounty]

Working as a dental assistant during a gap year will raise eyebrows.

Time would be better spent continuing tutoring those who are less fortunate. Keeping up with your hobbies sounds like a great idea as well.

Not sure how your numbers are, but if you're aiming for research heavy schools, I'd suggest the research as well. No one said you need to continue with the same lab. Some find translational research much more interesting than basic (if that's what you meant by basic).

Thanks for the input. I guess I won't pursue dental assisting! I thought it would be a unique and refreshing experience haha.

My LizzyM is ~70, but I don't have much research. I did apply to SOME research heavy schools, but I don't know the benefits of starting research again if I don't get interviews from these schools. The lab is both basic and translational research, as the PI is an attending neurologist. It's just so damn far of a drive to be honest haha.

 

[Goro]

Thanks for the response Goro! That was my intent with dental assisting, as it serves the city's homeless population. I also became interested in it because my fiancee is a dental student currently. I used to be really involved in my communities highschools and elementary schools tutoring programs. I could go back and tutor during lunch times or afterschool, since I have maintained close contact with the teachers there.

A different problem I'm facing is overwhelming myself, as I work full time with 12 hour shifts, and am a hospice volunteer on the side.

I also thought about possibly furthering my hobby of tailoring clothes. I had approval to shadow Nordstrom tailors last year, but never got to it. Should I just not pick up any more volunteering, and develop my hobbies more?

I think that if you spin your dental assisting as helping the underserved, then you can allays fears that you're more interested in DDS. But still, why do that as opposed to, say, reading to, or tutoring poor children, or working with the homeless?

You also have to budget your time well. If you have several hundred hours of hospice work, then you can lighten up on that, and do something else. Don't over-extend yourself.