How important is shadowing/volunteer hours in the admissions process?

[JYD]

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I'm a predental student still taking my prerequisite science courses. To this point I have just mainly focused on doing well in my science classes, but I do not have any shadowing hours or any dental volunteer experience. My question is how important the shadowing is in the admissions process? How many shadowing hours/volunteer hours are sufficient? And how do I get started with shadowing--I don't know any dentists and my school doesn't have a very good counseling center that could refer me to a dentist. Thanks for any advice.

 

[aphistis]

One of the big things I've noticed about admissions is whether you have in-state options. I changed my mind to dental less than a year ago, applied with virtually no volunteering, and pretty much walked in.

Having said that, volunteering is definitely *good* 🙂 Easiest way to do it is just call up a dentist near you, explain that you'd like some exposure to the field, and schedule some time. All of 'em I've talked to are extremely receptive to helping out that way, and it's a good way to familiarize yourself. Good luck!

 

[badaboom]

definitely spend some time in a dental office, preferably a general dentist's office.

you'll learn so much about a dental practice faster than hearing people talking about it.

it's a good experience, knowing what it really it is about before you commit into it for the next 50 yrs of ur life.

 

[GTchick]

Some dental schools require a minimum number of hours shadowing. Kentucky requires 20. It isn't a lot and it gives you a chance to check things out. I didn't have much above 20 hours and got into my top choice school where I was out of state.

 

[shootin4par]

JYD--

Well the first thing is shadowing really shows you what dentistry is all about. The reason why shadowing is important (besides you giving up precious time and doing work for free) is it shows the ad-com your serious about dentistry. It shows them you know what you're getting into and will be familiar with some of the jargon/lingo/terms. I did a ton of volunteering/shadowing/assisting. The best way to approach this is ask your own dentist. If you're away from home, call a dentist up who is in your town, and just introduce yourself as a student who is pre-dental and would like to come in to shadow. If its ok, they may ask for a resume, so the doctor can learn a little about you. I was REALLY lucky. I only made one call and the receptionist did the rest for me. She talked to the dentist, called me back, and told me to come in and meet the doctor. That was fall of 2001. Now this doctor is my mentor, who takes me fishing with him, wrote me a letter of recommedation, and helped me take independent classes (I created a couple of classes with him).
So in essence, should you shadow? Yes. Besides learning about dentistry, you may just develop a relationship that will further your interest in dentistry. Shadowing is cool, but once you got the relationship going you'll get a chance to do some REALLY cool stuff!!

 

[Energon]

Also not such a bad idea to volunteer at a local Dental school or one that you may be interested in. Networking is an integral part of a good career in dentistry and it is never too early to start.

 

[LetMeIn]

I think the shadowing/volunteer requirement is more of a benefit to the prospective dental student than it is a selection criteria for dental schools. They want to make sure each applicant knows what he/she's getting themselves into before they start school...

Looking into peoples mouthes might not be the ideal career choice for a lot of people...