How crucial are these things?

[MTD52]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I'm fairly new around here and I know you guys probably aren't going to like this question because I'm sure it has been asked before, so sorry if I'm repeating stuff. I did search though and I couldn't exactly find my answer, so hopefully you can help.

Anyway, how important are extracurricular activities, community service, and shadowing to getting accepted? I don't really have much of any extracurriculars right now. I'm not in any clubs or organizations at my school, solely because I truly don't have the time to attend all (or any) of the meetings and events. The only potential is an Honors Biology Fraternity, which has applications coming midsemester. I am also a notetaker for disabled students at my college, which I guess is a plus. I do community service with Habitat For Humanity and will continue to do so, but it's not a weekly occurence or anything and I haven't kept track of how many hours. I have shadowed only a few times so far and plan to go more, but it's doubtful that I can make that a weekly occurence either because of the dentist's hours and my class/work schedule.

Any thoughts on if I would need more than that or what they are expecting and hoping to see?

THANKS A LOT

 

[burnzee06]

While it certainly won't stop you from getting accepted, you do need a letter from a dentist so just shadow enough to get that, I suppose.

 

[DrReo]

Dental schools what to know that you can make time. We all have hectic schedules. You will want at least 30 hours from a dentist and some type of activities to set you apart or show your dedication to service.

 

[daves85]

Well, it seems like you already do some stuff on your spare time, but you can always do more 🙂 EC is pretty important, especially when your dat and gpa is just average. Research looks even better, but def not necessary. And you should get at least 50hrs shadowing done before you apply. That should be enough, although having a little more wouldn't hurt. Don't overdo it hehe.

 

[eldirty]

Like some of the others said already it looks like you have listed a few good things already. You say you've shadowed already ... do you think that dentist would be willing to write you a nice letter. With shadowing and ECs it alway looks better to go a bit overboard than to not have enough. Admission committee want to see that you have been in the dental environment and know the ins and outs before you are excepted to a 4 year program. Learning that dentistry isnt for you during school and dropping out isnt the best thing for a dental school. I found that breaks (summer, winter) are great times to really rack up on the hours.

 

[MTD52]

Ok so I'll try to hit around 30 hours then.

A letter from a dentist is required? I've been to two different dentists and while I know for sure that one of them (my dentist) would be willing to write me a letter, I don't know if he would have enough to write just yet I guess.

My GPA is really high and I don't plan on that changing at all, at least not much, especially since the only grades effecting it before I apply will be this current semester. You think that limits the amount of EC that I should have to do, or still just go for as much as I can? I mean I don't want it to sound like I don't want to do anything b/c that's not the case. I just really don't have the time to go crazy.

 

[Hordel]

The bottom line is you need to do as much as you can to separate yourself from the herd. I had over 150hrs of shadowing and 80hrs community service and I didn't get in (so EC's aren't everything). Yet, these EC's might just place you on a different level then those you are applying with. So, my advice, for what it is worth, is to cram in as MUCH EC's as possible. Now a days, you need any advantage you can get to gain an acceptance.

 

[doc3232]

Gpa and DAT matter the most.

 

[MTD52]

The bottom line is you need to do as much as you can to separate yourself from the herd. I had over 150hrs of shadowing and 80hrs community service and I didn't get in (so EC's aren't everything). Yet, these EC's might just place you on a different level then those you are applying with. So, my advice, for what it is worth, is to cram in as MUCH EC's as possible. Now a days, you need any advantage you can get to gain an acceptance.

Gpa and DAT matter the most.

lol wow now there's a different set of opinions

 

[dent2009]

over 150 hrs of shadowing + 80 hrs of comm. service is not that impressive. Yes do everything that you can to stand out from the rest, especially if your GPA and DAT is subpar.

GPA/DAT are weighed the most heavily.

The bottom line is you need to do as much as you can to separate yourself from the herd. I had over 150hrs of shadowing and 80hrs community service and I didn't get in (so EC's aren't everything). Yet, these EC's might just place you on a different level then those you are applying with. So, my advice, for what it is worth, is to cram in as MUCH EC's as possible. Now a days, you need any advantage you can get to gain an acceptance.

 

[MissionDental]

lol wow now there's a different set of opinions

Just my opinion:
Being a well rounded applicant is indeed important and having a handful of "minor" EC's on your app is good, but you should have atleast 2-3 strong EC's that you can really have an indepth conversation about. An important thing to remember is that you only really have time to talk about 2 EC's during an average interview (for me at least).

Also, there's a huge range of the amount of hours applicants shadow. I had 75. A buddy of mine wrote 400+. I dunno if it really matters when it comes to ad-coms as long as you can talk about your experience and what you learned from shadowing.

 

[MTD52]

Just my opinion:
Being a well rounded applicant is indeed important and having a handful of "minor" EC's on your app is good, but you should have atleast 2-3 strong EC's that you can really have an indepth conversation about. An important thing to remember is that you only really have time to talk about 2 EC's during an average interview (for me at least).

Also, there's a huge range of the amount of hours applicants shadow. I had 75. A buddy of mine wrote 400+. I dunno if it really matters when it comes to ad-coms as long as you can talk about your experience and what you learned from shadowing.

What exactly is considered a "strong" EC? (presumably this means aside from shadowing too...right?)

 

[I-Baby]

I think that aside from bulking up on ECs you should also make sure that there is variety to them. I think that you'll stand out if you have ECs that aren't your typical predent applicant ECs. What types of things are you into? Find causes that you support and see if you can volunteer your time in those areas. From my experience, adcoms like to see what things you are passionate about in addition to dentistry, and how all of those passions come together to make you who you are.

 

[MTD52]

I think that aside from bulking up on ECs you should also make sure that there is variety to them. I think that you'll stand out if you have ECs that aren't your typical predent applicant ECs. What types of things are you into? Find causes that you support and see if you can volunteer your time in those areas. From my experience, adcoms like to see what things you are passionate about in addition to dentistry, and how all of those passions come together to make you who you are.

Well, I don't exactly have a particular cause that I want to support. I just like helping people, so it varies as to what I do. I've raised money for the American Cancer Society and I volunteer for the Habitat for Humanity

 

[NyCzPeter]

I definitely think it varies from school to school. Some would emphasize more on shadowing various fields of healthcare, some would like to see more job experience. I'm sure there is no standard formula that applies to every school.

 

[MTD52]

Hopefully I'm just reading too far into this and I'll be fine 😀, in a perfect world at least.. lol

I'm officially registered to take the DAT on June 6th though, so I'm starting to get nervous knowing that I definitely need to make time to study now

 

[yayforcoffee]

Just my opinion:
Being a well rounded applicant is indeed important and having a handful of "minor" EC's on your app is good, but you should have atleast 2-3 strong EC's that you can really have an indepth conversation about. An important thing to remember is that you only really have time to talk about 2 EC's during an average interview (for me at least).

Also, there's a huge range of the amount of hours applicants shadow. I had 75. A buddy of mine wrote 400+. I dunno if it really matters when it comes to ad-coms as long as you can talk about your experience and what you learned from shadowing.

For sure about the interview aspect of planning out your stuff. I guess an easy way to see if you're doing the right stuff is to look at the questions you'll be asked on your primary and secondary applications, as well as your interviews (you can check out the interview database for the schools you're really interested in).

Here are a few:
ASDOH
(first they ask you to use paragraphs and describe every significant volunteer / work / comm service / clinical exposure specifically in dentistry or health care)

"Why did you participate in the volunteer activities you listed in the Clinical, Volunteer and Community Service section? What did you gain from participating in these activities?"


UCLA
There is a page labeled "work experience," another labeled "non-dental community service," and another labeled "dental-related experience." Each of these pages has room to list basic info like dates, contact info; there are five slots on each page.
Essays:
1. If you have done any research, please describe it here including a description of your role. Include the name of your faculty sponsor and the duration of your research experience. If you wish, you may submit copies of any publications. If possible, please submit a letter from your faculty sponsor/advisor.
2. Do you intend to apply to the combined 7-year D.D.S.-Ph.D. program? Yes X No
If yes, please explain your future plans for your D.D.S.-Ph.D. career.


Additional pages ask you to describe your publications, disadvantaged status (in paragraphs)...


UCSF

1. Describe any practical or observational experience (paid or voluntary), including the amount of time spent, that you have had in the dental/health care field. What have you learned from this experience? How did it reinforce your career choice?


2. Describe any barriers you have had to overcome in achieving your educational objectives and how you overcame these barriers. These could include any or all of the following: educational and economic barriers, or other hardships that you have overcome.


3. Discuss one activity or experience you listed in your AADSAS application as a means of providing evidence of your leadership skills or self-initiative.


4. Discuss your contributions to your community. Focus on any special skills or insight you have gained or developed, and how this will influence your future practice as a dentist.


5. Are you proficient in any language other than English (either written or spoken)?


6. Please state briefly why you should be chosen for admission to the UCSF School of Dentistry over other applicants with similar experiences and qualifications.


7. (Optional) Please use this space to tell us anything additional that you believe is relevant to your application for admission.


8. (Conditional) Re-applicants should use the following space to detail what steps they have taken since their last application to make themselves a more competitive applicant. All others should leave this space blank.


I guess it goes without saying that you'll want to have stuff to write about! Following what MissionDental said, for interviews I'd say it's nice to have at least good clinical, volunteer and research activities to talk about during your interviews. I pictured it as bringing different tools to use for your interview and not knowing really which one you'll need; give yourself tools! Anyways good luck.


ps i hope it's okay to post those questions...

 

[MTD52]

ps i hope it's okay to post those questions...

lol won't it suck if it isn't? Where can I find the interview database? UMDNJ is my first choice btw

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527523

 

[Contach]

lol won't it suck if it isn't? Where can I find the interview database? UMDNJ is my first choice btw

the questions s/he posted were not from interviews, but instead from the supplementary applications you hand in before you go for an interview.

you can find them on the school's website..