How can i compete with this?

[Mazz]

http://www.predents.com/?page=user&user_id=6086

Serious question. Actually looking for answers.

I go to school full time and I work full time as a Bio-Medical Engineer. I was in the Navy 6 years as an Electronics Technician. Im married and have a 4 year old daughter.

What can I do to compete with EC's like that? I have absolutely no time do anything remotely close to what that dude has done. Am I stuck with shadowing on the weekends?

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Members don't see this ad.

 

[Svart Aske]

None of that means much if you don't do well in school and on the DAT. Few of us have ECs anywhere close to that list.

 

[Zubnaya Feya]

http://www.predents.com/?page=user&user_id=6086

Serious question. Actually looking for answers.

I go to school full time and I work full time as a Bio-Medical Engineer. I was in the Navy 6 years as an Electronics Technician. Im married and have a 4 year old daughter.

What can I do to compete with EC's like that? I have absolutely no time do anything remotely close to what that dude has done. Am I stuck with shadowing on the weekends?

The stuff you have just listed probably overshadows all of the ECs from that link. Get a shadowing position if possible (I work as a Research Scientist full-time and am able to dedicate 3 hours a week to shadow a dentist) and that would do it. Do excellent on the interview too=)

 

[ddsbruin]

I go to school full time and I work full time as a Bio-Medical Engineer. I was in the Navy 6 years as an Electronics Technician. Im married and have a 4 year old daughter.

That alone is impressive.

Everyone is different and if I were you, I'd just go at your own pace. This isn't a race or competition. Everyone brings something different and unique to the table. That pre-dent is very unique is his own way, and so are you. Just do what you can with the limited time you have and you should stand out as well.

 

[telebeans]

.

 

[DrReo]

If you're a likeable person who has relevant experiences and well rounded (i.e. Navy, engineer, family man) and the other individual is glued to school, socially awkward, etc. you have my vote.

How did you like the Navy?

 

[Sbosu]

Yeah I'd say your EC's (navy for 6 years, a real job, etc...) are more impressive than that long list, most of which there is no room on the application for. Just get some shadowing in and you'll be good to go.

 

[hellonurse]

No need to compete with that. Live your life!

 

[cdmOMR]

I feel sorry for that guy/girl... all those things he did and I doubt one adcom would even read half that list.

 

[Stephie3]

that's a pretty crazy long list.

HOWEVER, stuff like "Member of Alpha Lambda Delta & Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Societies" usually require no real effort on the part of the person. for example, my school keeps trying to get me to join these honor societies and pay $25 to join. all they do is like have an initiation ceremony and that's it. so the honor society stuff doesn't really impress me.

also, just b/c ppl list a LOT of stuff, doesn't mean that they've consistently done that stuff. how often were they a high school tutor? an hour a week? how long was the summer internship..a few weeks? (not to discredit the persons efforts or anything...its just that what may look daunting on paper is not really that big of a deal in real life)

also, don't worry about comparing yourself with ppl. focus on getting good grades and a good solid DAT score. do a few things in the summer or something. shadow a dentist...that is a very time flexible thing you can do (and also super important for your app!) you can even join some "pretend" honor societies that don't really do anything

 

[Stephie3]

its like asking ppl how many instruments they play.

some ppl will be like "i play the piano and the violin"

others will be like "well...i play the piano, violin, and umm...the tambourine, symbols, the recorder, the keyboard, the harmonica, the maracas, etc." get my point? lol

 

[Vicviper]

I'm sure on some of those things that guy maybe spent a week tops. Having a huge list doesn't show what they're looking for, dedication. I think having 3-4 things that you've been dedicated to for a while show better than that huge list. Don't stress!

 

[Zubnaya Feya]

its like asking ppl how many instruments they play.

some ppl will be like "i play the piano and the violin"

others will be like "well...i play the piano, violin, and umm...the tambourine, symbols, the recorder, the keyboard, the harmonica, the maracas, etc." get my point? lol

Also it depends on what you mean by "play". "I play piano with my fists" =)

 

[playa2652]

I am a bioengineering major myself and even though my ECs are good, there no where as long compared to that person's EC list. You shouldn't have to compare yourself in the same league as that person. Plus, it doesn't seem like that person has anywhere close to real experience as you do.

 

[yayforcoffee]

All of you guys are attacking the dude on predents, both on this thread and the other...did you actually read his ECs??

 

[DrDDSman]

gunnin for the number 1 spot.

 

[ArmyDDS2013]

I think that persons predent profile is super great and fantastic. He/she will probably get accepted into UCLA and UCSF but is just 1 person out of a class of individuals that did 10% of those activities. You shouldn't compare yourself to others but just try to do your best and whatever happens, happens.

 

[JamesOSU]

that's one person who can AT MOST enroll in ONE dental school.

don't worry about other people - concentrate on yourself and doing the best that you can.

p.s. you can only put 10 extracurriculars on aadsas.
p.p.s. good luck.

Best answer to this OP's question on the thread. This is not the average applicant.

 

[Vol]

Why would you want to compete with this person? I was always a big fan of doing what you liked in college. It looks like this person is just a d-bag that has made his life out to get into dental school. I can't stand people like this, the people who do anything and everything to expand their resumes. I didn't have a ton of specialized experience and I wasn't the founder of clubs, but I did what I loved, got good grades, wanted to be a dentist, and I got into dental school. It's really not that complex. Don't worry about people like this.

 

[adizzle87]

Best answer to this OP's question on the thread. This is not the average applicant.

I'd like to add to that. I would say a lot of people who use predents.com, especially those who link their profiles using their SDN handle, have avg-higher than average stats. They post theirs up because they feel comfortable with their numbers, for the most part. Are there those who score 19s across the board, have a 3.2, and get in? You betcha, people like that represent about, throwing something out there, like 20% at some schools if not more. However those who don't score high don't post up their scores, thereby making SDN surfers think "everyone has a 3.6 and is gettings 20s on their DAT....I'll never get in!"

This is far from the truth, check out Marquette's applicant pool (UNLV's stats were also pretty similar when I saw their slide show).

http://www.marquette.edu/dentistry/admissions/ClassProfile.shtml

Look at the stats listed for applicants....3.14 avg sGPA, 16 for the DAT. That means that roughly 50% (~1500 applicants) have a 3.14 or lower for their sGPA. How often do you see people who list those numbers on predents? Practically never....Another thing to look at is the number of people who accept their offers on predents relative to the actual size of the entering class. If predents only lists 10 people who have accepted the offer to school x but there are 120 seats availible in the class, thats an indication that 110 people who got into that school did not use predents, very well because their scores weren't super stellar.

At the end of the day its important to know that predents isn't representative of how it really is out there in the real world.

 

[Mazz]

Lol, thanks for the great pep talk guys

I just feel like there are so many people out there that are way more qualified than I will ever be. I guess you are right that this person is not the majority but there are a lot of people like him out there who make the average pre-dent look like a GED flunky.

How did you like the Navy?

Navy was great. I joined for the college money and now I have more college money than I know what to do with...until I get to dental school.

 

[sl2obel2ts]

His ECs are good but it may act as a double-edged sword. too much UCLA = good for admission to UCLA SOD but what about other schools? well, its good if hes just gunnnin for ucla.

 

[uclaDDS101]

I go to school full time and I work full time as a Bio-Medical Engineer. I was in the Navy 6 years as an Electronics Technician. Im married and have a 4 year old daughter.

Dude, i'm wondering how i can keep up with you. It seems like you have so many great things in your life going for you. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't worry about some kid (me) who has a list of ECs. You seem to have accomplished so much already. In the end, it's all about what we have gained from our own unique personal experiences and how we can inspire other people in the process.

And I think I might as well make a few other comments since I already happen to be the topic of discussion.

HOWEVER, stuff like "Member of Alpha Lambda Delta & Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Societies" usually require no real effort on the part of the person. for example, my school keeps trying to get me to join these honor societies and pay $25 to join. all they do is like have an initiation ceremony and that's it. so the honor society stuff doesn't really impress me.

Well, you're right about ALD & PES. Other than a few reading to kids events, beach cleanups, food drives, and retirement home events, I don't do much with this honor society, and I wasn't planning to put it on the app. But I'd like to think that the other stuff I do is ok.

I'm sure on some of those things that guy maybe spent a week tops. Having a huge list doesn't show what they're looking for, dedication.

As far as dedication goes, I really do try my best. On another post, I addressed this concern.

I do most of the activities on a weekly basis: Oral Surgery ~3-5 hr/wk, teaching 5th graders ~4.5 hr/wk, TA for anat/physio lab ~8 hr every other wk, dental assisting ~3-4 hr/wk, high school tutoring/mentoring ~3 hr/wk, predental club ~1.5 hr/wk, intro to dentistry course ~2 hr every other wk, resource desk volunteer ~2 hr/wk, etc., etc.. Believe it or not, all of this and more fits my schedule.

Other things, I don't do on a weekly basis: international health missions, shadowing/volunteering in orange county (any free time I get), summer internships (3 months, 4-5 days/wk), etc.

So even though my PreDents might seem daunting, it's definitely doable, even comfortably so. As long as you have a passion for what you do, it doesn't feel laborious.

As I hope you can see, I actually do like doing these things, and I put in as much time as I can for each of them. So I'd really appreciate it if people would stop assuming personal characteristics about me. I'm not trying to seem defensive. I just think that if the point of this thread is to motivate and give the OP some positive perspective, it shouldn't be accomplished by personally bashing me.

 

[UCSF2012]

He makes basic tasks sound grandeur by using full names of organizations and classes. His EC's are nothing out of the ordinary.

He shadowed an oral surgeon: "Clinical Observer of an Oral Surgeon in St, Joseph's Hospital in Orange, CA"

He was a TA: "Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Life Sciences 2: Cells, Tissues, and Organs"

He was publicity chair (a position within a small organization where there usually is no competition. Presidency's hard, publicity chair's a one-runner deal): "Publicity Chair of Pre-Dental Student Outreach Program (PDSOP) at UCLA"

He got a part-time job teaching a class: "Dental Clinical Assistant and Oral Health Instructor at The Children's Dental Center of Greater Los Angeles through Health Outreach and Pre-Medical Experience (HOPE) at UCLA"

....blah, blah, blah. You have to filter through the majestic fluff.

 

[uclaDDS101]

I was always a big fan of doing what you liked in college.

As far as I know, I am doing what I like. I love working with kids, and I like the teaching aspect. In fact, I am planning to do a teaching internship next quarter (irrelevant to application). I also have a great passion for dentistry. I get so excited every time I learn a new skill or bit of information. I feel like it is a profession with so many different opportunities, and I just feel the urge to explore many of them. What's wrong with getting excited about a field that I plan on dedicating my professional life to?

It looks like this person is just a d-bag that has made his life out to get into dental school. I can't stand people like this, the people who do anything and everything to expand their resumes.

Again, who are you to say what my motives are? You don't know anything about me. Who are you to determine my "likes"? You just see a single list of ECs that I do, and you feel that you have the right to judge my character.

I've only been on SDN for a short time. And from what I have seen so far, there are a lot of predents (and apparently dental students) who feel the need to bring others down in order to feel better about themselves. I did not realize this before I came to SDN. As an officer in my pre-dental club or even as just a person who was aware of different volunteering opportunities, I have always been more than happy to share ideas and help other pre-dents to find valuable opportunities. But then I have encountered some of the people (not all) here on SDN, who really let the ugliness of competition and insecurity show. I am really sad that this seems to be what the pre-dental environment is really like. In my short time here, (polite) people have PMed me, and asked for some advice and/or some help. And I have tried my best to accommodate each of them. I initially thought that helping each other become more informed was the point of this forum. Was I wrong?

I have done nothing to intentionally hurt anyone here. While you, Vol, do nothing to contribute anything positive. If anyone is being a "d-bag", it might be you. I'm just minding my own business. I didn't say I was better than anyone.

Please have some respect for other people, especially ones that you don't know.

 

[UCSF2012]

His ECs are good but it may act as a double-edged sword. too much UCLA = good for admission to UCLA SOD but what about other schools? well, its good if hes just gunnnin for ucla.

What double-edged sword? An undergrad at UCLA is supposed to be involved in UCLA activities.

 

[playa2652]

As far as I know, I am doing what I like. I love working with kids, and I like the teaching aspect. In fact, I am planning to do a teaching internship next quarter (irrelevant to application). I also have a great passion for dentistry. I get so excited every time I learn a new skill or bit of information. I feel like it is a profession with so many different opportunities, and I just feel the urge to explore many of them. What's wrong with getting excited about a field that I plan on dedicating my professional life to?



Again, who are you to say what my motives are? You don't know anything about me. Who are you to determine my "likes"? You just see a single list of ECs that I do, and you feel that you have the right to judge my character.

I've only been on SDN for a short time. And from what I have seen so far, there are a lot of predents (and apparently dental students) who feel the need to bring others down in order to feel better about themselves. I did not realize this before I came to SDN. As an officer in my pre-dental club or even as just a person who was aware of different volunteering opportunities, I have always been more than happy to share ideas and help other pre-dents to find valuable opportunities. But then I have encountered some of the people (not all) here on SDN, who really let the ugliness of competition and insecurity show. I am really sad that this seems to be what the pre-dental environment is really like. In my short time here, (polite) people have PMed me, and asked for some advice and/or some help. And I have tried my best to accommodate each of them. I initially thought that helping each other become more informed was the point of this forum. Was I wrong?

I have done nothing to intentionally hurt anyone here. While you, Vol, do nothing to contribute anything positive. If anyone is being a "d-bag", it might be you. I'm just minding my own business. I didn't say I was better than anyone.

Please have some respect for other people, especially ones that you don't know.

I'm sorry that you are feel like people on SDN are trying to bash on you...I applaud you in that you try to do as many activities with dentistry as possible because it shows your determination to become a dentist. However, I would say that you should try and do other activities that aren't necessarily educational related because you'll look like more of outgoing applicant who doesn't focus primarily on school, but rather on your personal interests. When I mentioned in my interview about community service, I told my interviewer I was involved in multiple organizations which participated in giving back to the community thru a variety of ways. Hopefully my statement makes sense to you. A well-rounded applicant is better than an applicant who seems to focus mainly on dental experience. Hope that helps. Sorry people on SDN seem negative, but most of us are trying to help each other out.

 

[uclaDDS101]

He makes basic tasks sound grandeur by using full names of organizations and classes.

To "sound grandeur" wasn't my intention. My intention was to provide predents, who are from UCLA or are from the LA area, with the opportunity to possibly find the organization if they were interested in a particular activity. Thus, by writing out "The Children's Dental Center of Greater Los Angeles", I open up the opportunity for an interested predent to look it up and start volunteering there if they so desired. I'm sorry if it made my list look unnecessarily verbose. I was just trying to be helpful.

He was publicity chair (a position within a small organization where there usually is no competition.

Actually, PDSOP is the only pre-dental student group on the UCLA campus. So I'd like to think that the organization is a little bigger than you make it out to seem. And we actually did have quite a few applicants and a round of interviews for the position.

Presidency's hard, publicity chair's a one-runner deal)

I'm actually in contention for next year's presidency right now, so hopefully I'll have at least one achievement that can be considered a little important.

 

[Black Teeth]

Take it easy people. I'm sure it was probably not the intention of uclaDDS101 to show off his EC's. Just keep in mind that he didn't start this thread so you really can't accuse him of showboating. The guy is just responding to people's questions. He's not trying to pick an argument with anyone. And I'm sure it was not the OP's intention to have people single out uclaDDS101 on a personal level. The OP was just asking how a person can find the time to participate in this many EC's is possible. No need to resort to personal attacks, especially when uclaDDS101 doesn't seem to be the one instigating anything. Let's keep it civil.

By the way, for those of you who are curious, some of his EC's are short term activities with only a handful of sessions are involved. They don't consume that much time. I know that for a fact because I helped organize and teach some of those courses to the predents when I was at UCLA as a dental student. If a predent were to constantly rotate through short term activities such as this for a year or so, it's quite possible for that predent to rack up an extensive EC list such as this with only a little bit of motivation. So give the guy a break and give him credit where credit is due. His list of EC's is still impressive nonetheless. He wasn't lazy...that's for sure so don't criticize him for taking the initiative. A list of ECs such as this is very do-able for the average person with some free time. But in this case, the OP's situation makes him an exception because he clearly has more important priorities in his life. But the OP shouldn't let himself feel that he is at a disadvantage at all. He should just do the best that he can with the time he has available. There are many different paths to get to dental school and his route will be different from uclaDDS101.

 

[austinsanity]

http://www.predents.com/?page=user&user_id=6086

Serious question. Actually looking for answers.

I go to school full time and I work full time as a Bio-Medical Engineer. I was in the Navy 6 years as an Electronics Technician. Im married and have a 4 year old daughter.

What can I do to compete with EC's like that? I have absolutely no time do anything remotely close to what that dude has done. Am I stuck with shadowing on the weekends?

With decent grades and DAT scores and the things you listed, you won't have a problem getting into schools. Just get into a dental office or two and do some shadowing when you can.

I read on Wikipedia about a statistician who said that if Rickey Henderson was split into two people, they'd both be Hall of Famers. I didn't read the whole list, but I imagine that if you split that applicant's ECs in half, you'd have two sets of more than worthy dental school credentials.

As someone mentioned earlier, every applicant is different. Both of you have great things to talk about and not all of it will fit on the app anyway, so I wouldn't worry if I was in your shoes.

 

[bjhath]

I go to school full time and I work full time as a Bio-Medical Engineer. I was in the Navy 6 years as an Electronics Technician. Im married and have a 4 year old daughter.

What can I do to compete with EC's like that?

You can't compete. It's comparing apples and oranges. Both of you have impressive experiences, but in different ways. He has the student/volunteering resume, while you have the service to country/family/real world experience resume. Don't sell yourself short, I am sure if you really think about your time in the Navy and your life, you will find a lot of leadership and marketable experiences. I know I did.

Example (not on my AADSAS, but for illustration): When I was an Airman, I supervised and sold candy in the geedunk. Rewritten and polished properly, this becomes, "Supervised personnel, provided customer service, and managed procurement operations for a retail outlet." It's all about presentation.

....blah, blah, blah. You have to filter through the majestic fluff.

Isn't applying to dental school all about marketing and selling yourself? Hell, I know I had to market the hell out of myself to get in, because I ain't no golden boy.

Sure, you need good grades and DAT scores, but after that it comes down to ECs. The better one's ECs are perceived, the easier time one will have getting into D-school. Adcoms may/may not see through the flowery wording, but it is still an impressive resume and uclaDDS101 is well be on his way to being a D1. Additionally, he shows ingenuity by spending the time to present himself in the best light possible.

Which EC do you want on your application:
"organized picking up trash in the park"
-or-
"coordinated a city beautification project"

Kudos to you uclaDDS101, I wish you the best of luck in getting into the d-school of your choice.

 

[JamesOSU]

Glad UCLA101 commented on the thread - I was waiting for him to set people straight.

Cheers

 

[xhamburgersamx]

Who cares! You can only enter 10 items of EC into your application anyway!

 

[Dentgirl09]

Everyone has their own experiences to offer. As a father who has had time to do different things with his life--I'd say you have A LOT to offer.

For UCLA--as a student, he made the most of his time (unlike a lot of students) by volunteering and DOING THINGS.

I could have done WAY more in undergrad if I put for the effort. Some people like trying a lot of different things, are social, and involved themselves in many different things. THATS GREAT!!
I do one or two things but dedicate more time to just those two things. This is also great!!

Everyone has a different amount of time they can or are willing to dedicate to different things depending on where they are in life. College students usually just have college and then nothing. Some work to pay for school so they may not do as much volunteering as they could. Some are part time. Comparing yourself to others doesn't help. Everyone has something to offer. From there--it's a numbers game!

As long as you are doing something and have passion, motivation, and insight into yourself and why you wanna do this with your life--you have everything to offer.
You are married with a wife and kid--I'd say that's a big time commitment in itself!

 

[bjhath]

Who cares! You can only enter 10 items of EC into your application anyway!

But there is no stopping him from including some of these experiences (one's not in the EC section) in his PS.

 

[PSU SHC 414]

Dude, i'm wondering how i can keep up with you. It seems like you have so many great things in your life going for you. If I was in your shoes, I wouldn't worry about some kid (me) who has a list of ECs. You seem to have accomplished so much already. In the end, it's all about what we have gained from our own unique personal experiences and how we can inspire other people in the process.

And I think I might as well make a few other comments since I already happen to be the topic of discussion.



Well, you're right about ALD & PES. Other than a few reading to kids events, beach cleanups, food drives, and retirement home events, I don't do much with this honor society, and I wasn't planning to put it on the app. But I'd like to think that the other stuff I do is ok.



As far as dedication goes, I really do try my best. On another post, I addressed this concern.



As I hope you can see, I actually do like doing these things, and I put in as much time as I can for each of them. So I'd really appreciate it if people would stop assuming personal characteristics about me. I'm not trying to seem defensive. I just think that if the point of this thread is to motivate and give the OP some positive perspective, it shouldn't be accomplished by personally bashing me.

uclaDDS101 -

based on your posts, you seem like a very humble and genuine person, so don't take all the criticism and skepticism that's being dished out against you to heart... and don't feel as if you need to justify your accomplishments to anyone/everyone. now if you were a pompous ass about it, like some other SDNers (cough cough... jimmychoo... cough cough. sorry, couldn't help myself ), i'd be singing a different tune...

you'll face things like this throughout your entire career - it's an inevitable part of human nature to be doubtful and envious of those who are able to achieve what might be seemingly unattainable to most others. i just started reading a thread over on dentaltown about a grad who was able to build/establish a general practice with some incredibly high production (and thus... take-home) numbers only a few months out of school... even in a forum of professionals there were a sea of doubters crying out "bullsh*t".


best of luck to you and the OP in the upcoming cycle...

 

[Enso]

What's with the "bashing the rich kid" bs in here? UCLADDS seems like a nice, humble guy.

Best of luck with dental school buddy.

 

[xhamburgersamx]

But there is no stopping him from including some of these experiences (one's not in the EC section) in his PS.

More power to him. He's just better than most of us, on paper

 

[xhamburgersamx]

Everyone has their own experiences to offer. As a father who has had time to do different things with his life--I'd say you have A LOT to offer.

For UCLA--as a student, he made the most of his time (unlike a lot of students) by volunteering and DOING THINGS.

I could have done WAY more in undergrad if I put for the effort. Some people like trying a lot of different things, are social, and involved themselves in many different things. THATS GREAT!!
I do one or two things but dedicate more time to just those two things. This is also great!!

Everyone has a different amount of time they can or are willing to dedicate to different things depending on where they are in life. College students usually just have college and then nothing. Some work to pay for school so they may not do as much volunteering as they could. Some are part time. Comparing yourself to others doesn't help. Everyone has something to offer. From there--it's a numbers game!

As long as you are doing something and have passion, motivation, and insight into yourself and why you wanna do this with your life--you have everything to offer.
You are married with a wife and kid--I'd say that's a big time commitment in itself!

True of UCLA person. He utilized his time effectively whereas people like me played too much

 

[JamesOSU]

True of UCLA person. He utilized his time effectively whereas people like me played too much

Ah but I played hard, did well enough in school and got into dental school all the same. Guess I win

 

[UCSF2012]

To "sound grandeur" wasn't my intention. My intention was to provide predents, who are from UCLA or are from the LA area, with the opportunity to possibly find the organization if they were interested in a particular activity. Thus, by writing out "The Children's Dental Center of Greater Los Angeles", I open up the opportunity for an interested predent to look it up and start volunteering there if they so desired. I'm sorry if it made my list look unnecessarily verbose. I was just trying to be helpful.



Actually, PDSOP is the only pre-dental student group on the UCLA campus. So I'd like to think that the organization is a little bigger than you make it out to seem. And we actually did have quite a few applicants and a round of interviews for the position.



I'm actually in contention for next year's presidency right now, so hopefully I'll have at least one achievement that can be considered a little important.

There's nothing wrong with what you did. You're supposed to do what you did. It's the art of writing a resume. And it's better to be involved than ...not. That's for sure.

Just something to keep in mind. What's your motive for doing all those activities? If it's to get into dental school, then after you get into dental school, there's a chance you'll stop doing anything like that all together. You may continue to do them to get into a specialty program, but once you get into one, you'll stop doing them. Find an activity you love doing. For no other reason that because you love doing it. That's the only way you'll keep doing it in the future.

 

[UCSF2012]

http://www.predents.com/?page=user&user_id=6086

Serious question. Actually looking for answers.

I go to school full time and I work full time as a Bio-Medical Engineer. I was in the Navy 6 years as an Electronics Technician. Im married and have a 4 year old daughter.

What can I do to compete with EC's like that? I have absolutely no time do anything remotely close to what that dude has done. Am I stuck with shadowing on the weekends?

Here's how you can one up other candidates...

You're a biomedical engineer. Do you know how few of those there are in dentistry? Most of us are bio/chem majors and have the computational ability of a chimp. Come up with how you're a benefit to dentistry. Surely, there must be something dentistry could benefit from that only engineers can offer.

You're in the navy. You've undergone some of the most grueling training known to Americans. How does this toughen you mentally?

You're married. Does this mean you can do damage control on ...those tough times when she's flipped out? What have you learned from it?

You have more wisdom than the kids from college. Use it.

 

[Mazz]

You're married. Does this mean you can do damage control on ...those tough times when she's flipped out? What have you learned from it?

LoL, I like it!

 

[Hordel]

As far as I know, I am doing what I like. I love working with kids, and I like the teaching aspect. In fact, I am planning to do a teaching internship next quarter (irrelevant to application). I also have a great passion for dentistry. I get so excited every time I learn a new skill or bit of information. I feel like it is a profession with so many different opportunities, and I just feel the urge to explore many of them. What's wrong with getting excited about a field that I plan on dedicating my professional life to?



Again, who are you to say what my motives are? You don't know anything about me. Who are you to determine my "likes"? You just see a single list of ECs that I do, and you feel that you have the right to judge my character.

I've only been on SDN for a short time. And from what I have seen so far, there are a lot of predents (and apparently dental students) who feel the need to bring others down in order to feel better about themselves. I did not realize this before I came to SDN. As an officer in my pre-dental club or even as just a person who was aware of different volunteering opportunities, I have always been more than happy to share ideas and help other pre-dents to find valuable opportunities. But then I have encountered some of the people (not all) here on SDN, who really let the ugliness of competition and insecurity show. I am really sad that this seems to be what the pre-dental environment is really like. In my short time here, (polite) people have PMed me, and asked for some advice and/or some help. And I have tried my best to accommodate each of them. I initially thought that helping each other become more informed was the point of this forum. Was I wrong?

I have done nothing to intentionally hurt anyone here. While you, Vol, do nothing to contribute anything positive. If anyone is being a "d-bag", it might be you. I'm just minding my own business. I didn't say I was better than anyone.

Please have some respect for other people, especially ones that you don't know.

You seem like a great person! I would TRY not to let others get to you. They most likely feel intimidated by you (not that I am trying to start anything).

 

[Pyrex]

x

 

[PDizzle]

Mazz, don't sweat it.

I also was in the Navy for 6 years (Fire Controlman -- Tomahawk missle system) and was in the first gulf war (I know, most of you were wearing diapers...I'm an old fart,...I get it!! )

I taught myself web programming and started my own business for another 6 years after I got my BA. I had nothing like uclsDDS101 has,..no where near it but much to my surprise, I found out that adcoms loved what I did. Remember, you want to stand out. There will be more applicants along the lines of uclaDDS101 than you. Emphasize your military experience as much as possible.

 

[BillytheEchidna]

I also was in the Navy for 6 years (Fire Controlman -- Tomahawk missle system) and was in the first gulf war (I know, most of you were wearing diapers...I'm an old fart,...I get it!! )

I was in 6th grade during the first Gulf War! I still remember when the Simpsons began. Maggie Simpson is older than most of these kids! Good job on creating PreDents.com!

Time to volunteer is difficult to find when you work full time and take classes at night... I donate platelets (I'm not paid for it) at St. Jude Children's research hospital and have done other weekend projects through some service organizations. It's not much, but at least it's something! I think they mostly want to make sure that you're not selfish or too high-fallutin' to help people. Your schools of choice should have lists of qualities they're looking for in applicants (empathy, maturity, etc.). Pick activities that exemplify those qualities.

 

[doc3232]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=7657605&postcount=13

"I'm an MS-4 at Johns Mayo-San Francisco of Harvard atop Mount Sinai. I scored a 295 on Step 1, was appointed Grand Poobah of AΩA as an MS-2, and earned Ultra Honors on all Clinical Rotations. I have 57 total publications in Nature and Science, in 62 of which I am first author. Last summer I went on a trip to Southeast Zanzibar where I showed the natives how to build a Level 1 trauma center out of coconuts and spam cannisters. I have LoRs from 2 attendings, my Dean (who wrote I'm currently smarter and a better clinician than him), and every living Surgeon General since 1956. My senior class voted me most likely to defeat the Hun. I'm totally freaking out because I think one of the Prelims who was on my last service didn't shake my hand sufficiently firmly after our last shift. Do you guys think this may affect my chances of matching into Dermatologic Radiosurgery?"

hahaha

 

[PDizzle]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=7657605&postcount=13

"I'm an MS-4 at Johns Mayo-San Francisco of Harvard atop Mount Sinai. I scored a 295 on Step 1, was appointed Grand Poobah of AΩA as an MS-2, and earned Ultra Honors on all Clinical Rotations. I have 57 total publications in Nature and Science, in 62 of which I am first author. Last summer I went on a trip to Southeast Zanzibar where I showed the natives how to build a Level 1 trauma center out of coconuts and spam cannisters. I have LoRs from 2 attendings, my Dean (who wrote I'm currently smarter and a better clinician than him), and every living Surgeon General since 1956. My senior class voted me most likely to defeat the Hun. I'm totally freaking out because I think one of the Prelims who was on my last service didn't shake my hand sufficiently firmly after our last shift. Do you guys think this may affect my chances of matching into Dermatologic Radiosurgery?"

hilarious!!

 

[hl11]

Hey DDS101, i think you don't need to take this very seriously. A lot of the people here who target against you partly b/c they are jealous of what you have accomplished, and partly b/c they are just trying to encourage Mazz. And maybe some tried to express their jealousy by doing so.

I agree with that the average applicants don't have stats like DDS101, so why don't we just go w/ this direction and be nice to each other??

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