EC's

[ten10]

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Hi, I'm relatively new to the pre-dental stuff. I've become increasingly interested in becoming a dentist ever since I've talked to my cousin (who's a dentist) about the line of work.
Anyway, I had a question about EC's...
I know that there's already been a few threads on it, but I'm still a little unclear as to the importance of EC's. (I've also already looked at predents.com)

On the track I'm going on in college, I'll probably end up with a gpa around 3.5 cum, and 3.5 science (i'm a BS chem major).
i have no idea what my DAT scores will be.. but let's say hypothetically (and please don't say I'm being "this or that"... please, i'm really clueless/worried),
I got a 22 on the DAT, and a cum 3.5 gpa, and 3.5 science.

Exactly... what kind of EC's would be about right for stats like that?
I know I need shadowing, volunteering.
Would 200-300 hours of volunteering be all right?
With 40 hours of shadowing?--> or what is considered the "going rate" for volunteering hours? is 40 hours enough? I feel like it's not.
I'm planning on doing chemistry-related research? is that okay too? or is there a certain type of research I should get into to be competitive? (i.e. biology research related to humans)

and this is where I'm stuck. the only other dental-related EC I can really think of is becoming a Dental Assistant, which..unfortunately, there's no way I could attain certification for because of the price.... I'm already sorely in debt due to undergrad expenses.
I know some people have mentioned that they've become dental assistants w/o training, but that's the problem, I highly doubt that I'll get that lucky too--esp. where I live... plenty of dental assistants here who do have qualified training.

so what other dental-related EC's would help out? or would you say the shadowing and volunteering is about enough (i doubt this though.. right?)?

(and I have other EC's that have been going for me for a while--school clubs, sports/hobbies--just personal stuff though, not at all dental related. I'm also planning to volunteer abroad for one/two weeks helping children next summer.)

I'm sorry I'm so clueless, I'm not usually like this, I swear!

 

[SuperDuper]

Since your cousin is a dentist, maybe you can talk to him/her about being his/her assistant with training. If you live far from the practice, perhaps you can do this during your summer break.

All dental-related extracurriculars I can think of are working as a dental assistant, shadowing a dentist, joining a dental club, volunteering at a big hospital's dental department, and doing dental-related research.

Your research experience sounds good. I think dental schools realize that there are not very many dental-related research opportunities available at undergrad level. They are, for the most part, happy that their applicants have some sort of research experience.

Also, there is a limited number of dental-related extracurriculars, so you should just keep yourself busy with other extracurricular activities that you are really passionate about. Perhaps something that shows your leadership skills and your love for humanity in general 😀🙂😎 Good luck!

 

[ten10]

thank you for the help. i'm already much at ease! 🙂