Has anyone been able to justify low extracurricular hours due to working?

[JohnWickDentist]

To be more specific, is it possible to somehow show dental schools that I am lacking in volunteer/research hours due to working a job to support my family and myself? I will have hours but probably not enough to consider them “competitive”

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[GoDental101]

To be more specific, is it possible to somehow show dental schools that I am lacking in volunteer/research hours due to working a job to support my family and myself? I will have hours but probably not enough to consider them “competitive”

Can you get a dental related job? If so become a lab worker, assistant, or even work in a call center for a dental supply company. Any of those look good.

 

[JohnWickDentist]

Can you get a dental related job? If so become a lab worker, assistant, or even work in a call center for a dental supply company. Any of those look good.

I stopped work working this year to get my shadow hours up and do some research instead, but would schools even ask about what I was doing freshman and sophomore year?

 

[Anonamoose]

I stopped work working this year to get my shadow hours up and do some research instead, but would schools even ask about what I was doing freshman and sophomore year?

Make sure it's in the experiences section of your application. As long as all of the gaps are filled and they can easily see that you were working throughout that time, I am sure they will take it into consideration.

 

[PerioDont]

I stopped work working this year to get my shadow hours up and do some research instead, but would schools even ask about what I was doing freshman and sophomore year?

I don't think they will go that in depth for analysis of your time

 

[Peon.]

Having work experience is very valuable and could be a highlight on your application. That being said, you should still try to get some shadowing hours in to meet the requirement for dental school. Having some volunteering experience is also a bonus as it shows your humanistic personality. You don't need hundreds and hundreds of hours, even a couple hours a week can add up over time.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Most dental schools won't really care much about research hours unless it's in their mission. Volunteer hours depends on the mission of the school. Yes, I think most dental schools will pay attention to your claim of having to work to support your family or your education, but this should not be an excuse to not have done your shadowing or clinical experience. But you do need to have some insight on working with underserved communities since most of your patients in medical school will likely lack any dental or medical insurance.