Dental COVID Complications

[joseph.zajac]

Hey guys, first time poster here. I’m currently a pre-dental sophomore at a private college, and I’m finding it really hard to find dental opportunities. I switched last April to pre-dental from premed and kinda feel left behind. I currently have 40 hours of dental shadowing and 10~ hours of dental volunteering (I have 70~ hours volunteering in non-dental related fields).

I was just wondering how worried should I be? I see students on SDN working in dental offices getting 100s/1,000s of dental hours (and good for them). Meanwhile, I’ve been rejected from 7 dentists this winter break alone after asking to shadow (all for good reasons sure, but still soul sucking). I like to think of myself as a hard working student who doesn’t make excuses but COVID has made this process a lot more difficult. I think 150 shadowing hours by the time of application is reasonable, but then again I don’t even know what is good since COVID hit. Volunteering is going to be harder because the clinic releases 5/6 2 hr opportunities per month to be shared by 10~ pre-dental students.

Thanks guys, any response helps.

For reference:
•4.0 gpa in honors curriculum (hopefully stays this way).
•Officer positions in a medical club and a social club (schools version of a fraternity).
•Social service director for freshman class - 20~ hours of volunteer time.
•2 semesters being a TA (Gen bio and Gen chem).
•1 semester of undergrad research (non-dental related) - 50+ hours.
•Member of the schools steel drum band (till COVID cuts removed the director)- 100+ hours.
•30+ hours volunteering in a free clinics pharmacy.
•20+ hours volunteering as a speech coach for high schoolers/middle schoolers.

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[macsak]

Hey guys, first time poster here. I’m currently a pre-dental sophomore at a private college, and I’m finding it really hard to find dental opportunities. I switched last April to pre-dental from premed and kinda feel left behind. I currently have 40 hours of dental shadowing and 10~ hours of dental volunteering (I have 70~ hours volunteering in non-dental related fields).

I was just wondering how worried should I be? I see students on SDN working in dental offices getting 100s/1,000s of dental hours (and good for them). Meanwhile, I’ve been rejected from 7 dentists this winter break alone after asking to shadow (all for good reasons sure, but still soul sucking). I like to think of myself as a hard working student who doesn’t make excuses but COVID has made this process a lot more difficult. I think 150 shadowing hours by the time of application is reasonable, but then again I don’t even know what is good since COVID hit. Volunteering is going to be harder because the clinic releases 5/6 2 hr opportunities per month to be shared by 10~ pre-dental students.

Thanks guys, any response helps.

For reference:
•4.0 gpa in honors curriculum (hopefully stays this way).
•Officer positions in a medical club and a social club (schools version of a fraternity).
•Social service director for freshman class - 20~ hours of volunteer time.
•2 semesters being a TA (Gen bio and Gen chem).
•1 semester of undergrad research (non-dental related) - 50+ hours.
•Member of the schools steel drum band (till COVID cuts removed the director)- 100+ hours.
•30+ hours volunteering in a free clinics pharmacy.
•20+ hours volunteering as a speech coach for high schoolers/middle schoolers.

relax

 

[Dr.Deadpool97]

I had about 150 volunteering 200 shadowing and 0 hr work history in a dental office and got 2 acceptences in top schools so far. Its good to realize 2 things. First you are a sophomore and still have plenty of time. Second most people that has the courage to post here on sdn are the ones far away from average students so its highly skewed.

 

[PerioDont]

I never worked in a dental office. Had 150 shadowing hours with 100+ or the majority of those being just 2 months before I applied.

Don't worry too much about shadowing right now. I believe apps have a COVID impact essay as well for dental school that may be there when you apply in the future.

See if you can get some more research experience right now. Or volunteer at a local hospital or vaccination site as one of their coordinator type people.

 

[USC-Dentistry]

I don't think you need to be worried at all. I applied for the first time this cycle and received acceptances with 5 days (~40-50hrs) of dental shadowing. No other dental-related experiences. COVID may be making shadowing/volunteering difficult or impossible now, but you will definitely have time later down the road since you're only a sophomore.

 

[CharlieAF]

I agree with everyone. You have plenty of time, and things may become looser next year as vaccinations become more common.

Your stats are fantastic. Nail a good DAT score and I think you’ll be fine.

And remember everyone else is in the same boat as you, and the schools you’re applying to know this. You should see the angst in the residency application threads for dental students trying to find externships, lol.

 

[sunshinedental]

I don't think you need to be worried at all. I applied for the first time this cycle and received acceptances with 5 days (~40-50hrs) of dental shadowing. No other dental-related experiences. COVID may be making shadowing/volunteering difficult or impossible now, but you will definitely have time later down the road since you're only a sophomore.

Do you mind me asking where you received acceptances from and what your stats were? I am applying this cycle and switched to pre-dental last January, so I do not have much shadowing hours in comparison to others due to COVID and it's kind of freaking me out!

 

[USC-Dentistry]

Do you mind me asking where you received acceptances from and what your stats were? I am applying this cycle and switched to pre-dental last January, so I do not have much shadowing hours in comparison to others due to COVID and it's kind of freaking me out!

I was accepted to UNE, USC, Touro, and LLU. My DAT scores were not stellar: 20AA, 18PA, 23QR, 23RC, 19TS. My overall GPA was 3.82, sGPA was 3.78. The main component of my application was my research background (4 years throughout undergrad followed by several years of research employment, with a few publications).

All this said, I really think it's important to NOT compare yourself too much to other applicants. I'm sure you already have a general idea of what sorts of experiences pre-dental students apply with, but in my case, I believe my differences are what made me stand out in a positive light. And although I had relatively very few hours of dental shadowing, the quality of the experience was truly transformative. I know it's cliche, but quality over quantity!

Good luck with your application! Happy to answer any other questions