How important is shawdowing a dentist?

[z123]

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Hi Guys,

I need from anyone who has is attending dental school or knows exactly what the dental schools are looking for.

My biggest weakness in my application for dental school is that I have not shadowed a dentist. I am really, really worried about this.

I have a 3.78 GPA, my science is higher. My DAT AA: 19, PA: 20 TS: 20.
I have volunteered hundreds of hours over the past four years and worked thousands more.

I've got recommendations from science teachers and a medical doctor who knows me well, but not a dentist.

Lastly, the only volunteering experience I have had in the dental field is assisting dental schools at Marquette University for about seven hours.

Do I have a shot at getting in or where do I stand based on lack of shadowing?

Thank you in advance your for advice.

 

[pmantz]

I am glad I am the first to respond. Although I think dental exposure through shadowing is critical for your application, I don't feel you need to log in 100's of hours. I shadowed about 12hrs total (in office) and gained admission. What adcomms want to see is you have been exposed to the profession and you have some kind of Idea what your getting yourself into, you don't need to go crazy, shadow as much as you want. I personally would have shadowed more because I also could have assisted, but with my family obligations it was impossible. I personally feel time spent volunteering is much better spent then sitting in an office observing, it also can make you appear more well rounded because you are involved in things outside of dentistry. Good Luck

 

[dentaldentist]

Shadowing/assisting/voluntering with a dentist is important as it demonstrates to schools that you have some real dental experience and are at least somewhat familiar with the types of procedures you will be performing. As the previous poster mentioned, you don't need 100's of hours - but ideally an applicant should try to have a good 30 to 50 hours of shadowing. A few school have a set minimum required number of hours of shadowing or whatever to be accepted, while others it is just a negative if you don't have any. This is a negative for your application, but doesn't mean you will not get in. Your stats look good so I'm sure you will be fine and you did volunteer with a dental school for a few hours so you have at least some exposure.

 

[Artful Dodger]

Just a question here...

How do you go about getting a letter of recommendation from a dentist with 12 hrs of shadowing? Are dentists willing to do that? I know that 12 hrs isn't enough to get to know a person, but hey...time isn't infinite.

 

[xdianaax]

I'm going to post this here for those that are newer to the forums...this topic has been beaten to a pulp on this forum, a simple search will pull up plenty. Please start searching the forums, especially for common questions like this. I also think that if you truly want to know if not having shadowing will hurt your chances, call the school and ask. Good luck.

 

[tekstyle]

 

[DentDelOriente]

i just wonder if there's any topic that has not been beaten to the pulp yet...

 

[doc toothache]

Hi Guys,

My biggest weakness in my application for dental school is that I have not shadowed a dentist. I am really, really worried about this.

I have volunteered hundreds of hours over the past four years and worked thousands more.

The record is sure to impress adcoms. Time for hundreds of hours of volunteering but no time for shadowing a dentist.

 

[daryoush85]

i am curious if a school wants a letter for shadowing a dentist do they usually call up the dentist and check up?

 

[ChilliCheeseDog]

Heres a thought...or a question I guess...how do you know you want to be a dentist if you haven't spent considerable time shadowing.....i mean how can you really know that this is what you want to bust your ass for and spend the rest of your life doing if you've spent pretty much no time shadowing? I think you underestimate the commitment that dentistry requires....this is what dental schools SHOULD be, but unfortunately are not, looking for when evaluating applicants...I know some schools that couldn't care less about the actual genuine desire to practice dentistry that an applicant demonstrates....rather they care about GPA and thats about it...these are typically state schools b/c the higher their stats are for their entering classes, the higher their boards typically are as a group, and the more money they get for their school....private schools on the other hand operate differently b/c you pay a ton. Is this exactly how it works? no....do I even know what im talking about? prob. not....should you listen to me? i wouldnt. But I know i'm right when it comes to the shadowing....its seems like it would be difficult to write an even half way decent essay about why you want to be a dentist if you dont really know first hand what a dentist does and deals with on a daily basis......what would you say? "I like money and having Friday's off and playing golf with my croneys at the club while we sip fine scotch"? The fact of the matter is, is that even if you do get accepted, your still about 20 years from becoming a decent dentist. All I'm saying is, its a serious commitment, and you find out real fast just how serious of a commitment it is when you begin dental school....just make sure that you are pursuing dentistry for the right reasons. Anyways, like a said, dont listen to me.

 

[blankguy]

Shadowing and volunteering at important because if they ask you "why dentistry?" or "what don't you like about dentistry?" you will be well equipped to answer those questions during the interview. If a school doesn't have a specific shadowing requirement they will check via interview via the questions that I mentioned above. They may not call up the dentist (I seriously doubt they will do given the number of applicants) but it will show during the interview.

 

[Crentist]

I think that your hundreds of hours of volunteering will serve you well. Check with the specific requirements of the school that you're applying to because I know that the U of MN and several other schools require at least 30 hours MINIMUM of shadowing. Even if it isn't required, it's really good experience and will give you something to talk about in your interviews, will let you know if dentistry is right for you, and you'll learn a lot.