How important is volunteering for dental school?

[youraverageasia]

Hey guys I was wondering if dental schools place an emphasis on having a lot of volunteer hours? Is it okay to have different EC's than volunteering? For example I've been working at a lab for a year and a half, and I've also been on the Eboard for LiNK (humanitarian group for north korea) for 2 years. Is this okay?

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[NMC2010]

Volunteering is very important for the application. It asks you on AADSAS to specify what your EC's are classified as, and one of the options is volunteering. Since dentistry, and all medical careers emphasize the well-being of others, they want to see that you've at least spent some time helping people. They don't want people who aren't going to treat patients properly or reflect poorly on the medical field(s). I'd suggest having a minimum of 100 volunteering hours.

 

[The Buff OP]

Volunteering is very important for the application. It asks you on AADSAS to specify what your EC's are classified as, and one of the options is volunteering. Since dentistry, and all medical careers emphasize the well-being of others, they want to see that you've at least spent some time helping people. They don't want people who aren't going to treat patients properly or reflect poorly on the medical field(s). I'd suggest having a minimum of 100 volunteering hours.

Hi, what type of volunteering and Ec's do dental school's like to see? I'm asking on behalf of my brother who is interested in going into dental school. I'm a pre-medical student so on that side I'm golden with info, but not so much on dental school.

 

[y3nd0]

Hi, what type of volunteering and Ec's do dental school's like to see? I'm asking on behalf of my brother who is interested in going into dental school. I'm a pre-medical student so on that side I'm golden with info, but not so much on dental school.

Pretty much the same things as commitments/EC's as desired for med school. Except the clinical experience should be dental related.

 

[The Buff OP]

Pretty much the same things as commitments/EC's as desired for med school. Except the clinical experience should be dental related.

So for volunteering he can do a a hospital too? If this applies, what places did you volunteer at?

 

[y3nd0]

So for volunteering he can do a a hospital too? If this applies, what places did you volunteer at?

He can do volunteer work at a hospital if he's working in a dental area (working with a hospital dentist or something of that sort). Dental related volunteer positions at a hospital might be hard to find.

I did not volunteer at a hospital, but rather at an actual dental clinic.

 

[NMC2010]

So for volunteering he can do a a hospital too? If this applies, what places did you volunteer at?

You can volunteer at a hospital if you want to, but it doesn't have to be. In fact, it doesn't even have to be in a dental clinic. My volunteering was from: a mission trip, helping at my church's homeless shelter, and helping with the local food pantry for a school service organization I am in.

 

[sgv]

You don't volunteer because you're a saint...you volunteer to become a saint

you want to fill up as many entries, under the community service headline, as you can on the application

you want to show genuine commitment. you show genuine commitment by volunteering at a few places for many, many hours rather than at a lot of different places with a few hours each.

 

[The Buff OP]

Thanks for the feedback, dudes.

 

[The Buff OP]

Do you guys (dental applicants) have an MDapps for dental or nah?

 

[MedDevil]

Do you guys (dental applicants) have an MDapps for dental or nah?

Yes, although it's still fairly new: dds.studentdoctor.net

 

[The Buff OP]

Yes, although it's still fairly new: dds.studentdoctor.net

Oh nice, thanks. On my side it's better to attend a top medical school so you can match in great residencies. For dental does it matter where you attend?

 

[MedDevil]

Oh nice, thanks. On my side it's better to attend a top medical school so you can match in great residencies. For dental does it matter where you attend?

Some people say it does, some say it doesn't.

Some dental schools, however, do have a higher percentage of their class going into specialty programs than others. Curriculum differences among dental schools probably play into this as well (e.g. a dental school that combines classes with medical students will probably have the upper hand in preparing pre-OMFS students for the NBME).

 

[The Buff OP]

Some people say it does, some say it doesn't.

Some dental schools, however, do have a higher percentage of their class going into specialty programs than others. Curriculum differences among dental schools probably play into this as well (e.g. a dental school that combines classes with medical students will probably have the upper hand in preparing pre-OMFS students for the NBME).

Are all specialties competitive? He is thinking of going into orthodontics.
(BTW I told him to make an account here so he can do his own research.)

 

[MedDevil]

Are all specialties competitive? He is thinking of going into orthodontics.
(BTW I told him to make an account here so he can do his own research.)

orthodontics and oral surgery have historically been the most competitive.

 

[bpoore19]

If your brother lives in a bigger city, try looking for a free dental clinic. I had the opportunity to volunteer and assist a dentist for a semester and it was one of the most enriching experiences that totally sold me on dedicating my life to the dental profession.

 

[The Buff OP]

If your brother lives in a bigger city, try looking for a free dental clinic. I had the opportunity to volunteer and assist a dentist for a semester and it was one of the most enriching experiences that totally sold me on dedicating my life to the dental profession.

Is Houston big enough? lol So I want to ask you guys for me I know I want to become a doctor to help people and I could come up with lots of reasons why. But with dental how do you guys sell your ticket into dental school while you guys only focus on the dental part/diseases of the oral cavity?

 

[The Buff OP]

orthodontics and oral surgery have historically been the most competitive.

Does URM also apply with you guys for admittance to dental school?

 

[y3nd0]

Does URM also apply with you guys for admittance to dental school?

Yes. Honestly, med and dental admissions aren't that much different... :/ We have an admissions test, require letters of rec, shadowing, volunteer work, having research is good, we also apply in June, etc.

You live in Texas, and there are three big dental schools there that accept primarily in state students. So if your brother does the right things (I'm sure you can guide him in the right direction, like keeping grades up, studying for the DAT's, etc.) then he'll be fine.

Is Houston big enough? lol So I want to ask you guys for me I know I want to become a doctor to help people and I could come up with lots of reasons why. But with dental how do you guys sell your ticket into dental school while you guys only focus on the dental part/diseases of the oral cavity?

Being a dentist also means helping people. People suffer from oral health problems and there needs to be someone to fix it. Personally, the humanitarian aspect of dentistry is appealing, and I like the fact that it requires a lot of attention to detail and hand work.

 

[The Buff OP]

Yes. Honestly, med and dental admissions aren't that much different... :/ We have an admissions test, require letters of rec, shadowing, volunteer work, having research is good, we also apply in June, etc.

You live in Texas, and there are three big dental schools there that accept primarily in state students. So if your brother does the right things (I'm sure you can guide him in the right direction, like keeping grades up, studying for the DAT's, etc.) then he'll be fine.

Being a dentist also means helping people. People suffer from oral health problems and there needs to be someone to fix it. Personally, the humanitarian aspect of dentistry is appealing, and I like the fact that it requires a lot of attention to detail and hand work.

Hell yeah! He is learning from my mistakes and I have been mentoring him and so far he has really good grades. In addition, me and him are URM's and some people get jealous of that. We come from crappy school systems and also bad neighborhoods (Well when we use to live in California) life is not easy being a minority.
Is it kind of bad that he is interested more in the money making side of dentistry?

 

[y3nd0]

Hell yeah! He is learning from my mistakes and I have been mentoring him and so far he has really good grades. In addition, me and him are URM's and some people get jealous of that. We come from crappy school systems and also bad neighborhoods (Well when we use to live in California) life is not easy being a minority.
Is it kind of bad that he is interested more in the money making side of dentistry?

That's great. I'm glad to hear that you're being a good role model for your little brother. I, myself, grew up in a crappy neighborhood. I am the youngest of 3, and had to learn the tricks of the application process/undergrad by myself. My older brothers were either very unhelpful (and sometimes discouraging) or just crossed to the wrong side of the tracks.

People pursue careers for many different reasons. Money can certainly be a driving force, but I'm sure you know doing something for the money isn't going to be as rewarding compared to if you do something you truly enjoy. If you met someone who wanted to be a doctor for the money and prestige, what would you say to them? Granted, the path to becoming a doctor is lengthier and depending on the situation, more stressful, your thoughts on that question can certainly be applied to dentistry. Dental school is not cheap, specializing (in orthodontics) is not cheap. The only thing that gives your brother an advantage in this aspect is that Texas dental schools are among the cheapest in the country. Even then, your brother is looking at about $200,000 just for 4 years of dental school. Specializing in ortho will tack on around $70,000. If he has loans from undergrad, the total figure will definitely be higher. Just like graduating out of medical school where you guys will have to live on a resident's salary for 3-4 years, recent dental grads have loans to pay back and will have to live frugally to pay it off. I'm sure specializing will give your brother a head start so he can pay off his loans quicker... but this is assuming he gets into one of the most competitive specialties (just to give you a perspective, UWash accepts only 5 students into their ortho program per year).

 

[youraverageasia]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! So does my participation in this humanitarian group count as volunteering? We set up fundraisers and raise awareness for the atrocities that are present today in North Korea.

 

[Blake1e]

Thanks for all the feedback guys! So does my participation in this humanitarian group count as volunteering? We set up fundraisers and raise awareness for the atrocities that are present today in North Korea.

Call AADSAS and see what they have to say.

 

[bpoore19]

Is Houston big enough?

Definitely lol. My city's population is ~500,000 and there's at least two here.

 

[Illfavor]

Speaking as a URM and Texas resident who was recently admitted, there as some specifics to discuss. Baylor is very URM-friendly in general. They are one of the few schools that make it an admissions policy to increase URM numbers, and they are proud of that fact. This applies to mostly blacks and hispanics. I actually love this about them. Houston and San Antonio are URM friendly in the sense that they necessarily have to admit decent numbers of hispanics (given the patient population), less so for blacks. While I was admitted to all 3 schools as an African American, I'm pretty sure my application and interviews had more to do with that than my skin color.

I am not saying this to suggest that some schools don't want URMs or whatever. A good applicant is a good applicant, regardless of race. Schools want the most qualified applicants to best serve the needs of the institution and its surrounding community. That may mean racial and ethnic considerations must be made. This whole thing is a touchy subject, but Baylor is pretty much the only school I've seen that has actually commented/taken a position on it.

 

[The Buff OP]

That's great. I'm glad to hear that you're being a good role model for your little brother. I, myself, grew up in a crappy neighborhood. I am the youngest of 3, and had to learn the tricks of the application process/undergrad by myself. My older brothers were either very unhelpful (and sometimes discouraging) or just crossed to the wrong side of the tracks.

Yeah, same here as a first generation college student I had to learn everything and go through mistakes that ended up hurting my grades.

People pursue careers for many different reasons. Money can certainly be a driving force, but I'm sure you know doing something for the money isn't going to be as rewarding compared to if you do something you truly enjoy. If you met someone who wanted to be a doctor for the money and prestige, what would you say to them?

I have actually had a doctor who I felt like she was force into being a doctor (she is Indian) and she is only in for the money, even the nurses felt that way. Order all this expensive test and I just felt she never put attention when I would talk to her about my problems (acid reflux).

Granted, the path to becoming a doctor is lengthier and depending on the situation, more stressful, your thoughts on that question can certainly be applied to dentistry. Dental school is not cheap, specializing (in orthodontics) is not cheap. The only thing that gives your brother an advantage in this aspect is that Texas dental schools are among the cheapest in the country. Even then, your brother is looking at about $200,000 just for 4 years of dental school. Specializing in ortho will tack on around $70,000. If he has loans from undergrad, the total figure will definitely be higher. Just like graduating out of medical school where you guys will have to live on a resident's salary for 3-4 years, recent dental grads have loans to pay back and will have to live frugally to pay it off. I'm sure specializing will give your brother a head start so he can pay off his loans quicker... but this is assuming he gets into one of the most competitive specialties (just to give you a perspective, UWash accepts only 5 students into their ortho program per year).

Yeah, hopefully he could get end up specializing in something.

 

[The Buff OP]

Speaking as a URM and Texas resident who was recently admitted, there as some specifics to discuss. Baylor is very URM-friendly in general. They are one of the few schools that make it an admissions policy to increase URM numbers, and they are proud of that fact. This applies to mostly blacks and hispanics. I actually love this about them. Houston and San Antonio are URM friendly in the sense that they necessarily have to admit decent numbers of hispanics (given the patient population), less so for blacks. While I was admitted to all 3 schools as an African American, I'm pretty sure my application and interviews had more to do with that than my skin color.

I am not saying this to suggest that some schools don't want URMs or whatever. A good applicant is a good applicant, regardless of race. Schools want the most qualified applicants to best serve the needs of the institution and its surrounding community. That may mean racial and ethnic considerations must be made. This whole thing is a touchy subject, but Baylor is pretty much the only school I've seen that has actually commented/taken a position on it.

We are Hispanic. Do most dentist open up their own practice or enter a practice? When I use to have braces my orthodontist had different locations she would go to do her service. Is that a way they make the most money, having contracts all over the place?

 

[The Buff OP]