How important is volunteering/shadowing?

[MedicineNutt]

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i know it is sort of important for premed, but is it that much important for dental school? where do predentists usually work/volunteer? i recently discovered dentistry out of the ashes...a family member (a DDS) explained to me how the job is an art (descriptively) , which elevated my interest

also, is research an asset? in general, are extracirricular activities deciding factors for dental school acceptance?

thanks again...sorry for posting in bunches!! im curious 😀

 

[americanpierg]

I would like to know too. Let's say I have a 3.7 gpa and 20 on the DAT, but ZERO voluntary work/ dental experience. Would this be very detrimental to my chances of getting accepted? Also would community service from highschool (200+ hours) count?

 

[KOM]

I would like to know too. Let's say I have a 3.7 gpa and 20 on the DAT, but ZERO voluntary work/ dental experience. Would this be very detrimental to my chances of getting accepted? Also would community service from highschool (200+ hours) count?

200+ hours community service from high school eh? Was it a misdemeanor or felony?

 

[KOM]

I would like to know too. Let's say I have a 3.7 gpa and 20 on the DAT, but ZERO voluntary work/ dental experience. Would this be very detrimental to my chances of getting accepted? Also would community service from highschool (200+ hours) count?

I don't really understand this. Dentistry is a tough and stressful career choice regardless of what anybody says. Don't you want to at least get a bit of an idea of what dentistry truly entails before making your decision to pursue it?

 

[INFNITE]

I would like to know too. Let's say I have a 3.7 gpa and 20 on the DAT, but ZERO voluntary work/ dental experience. Would this be very detrimental to my chances of getting accepted? Also would community service from highschool (200+ hours) count?

yes, it's detrimental. You should at least have SOME sort of exposure to dental work...and no...routine visits to dentist for dental prophylaxis don't count.

 

[maksidaa]

yes, it's detrimental. You should at least have SOME sort of exposure to dental work...and no...routine visits to dentist for dental prophylaxis don't count.

i would agree. regardless of what schools may think about your lack of experience, you need to know for yourself what you might be getting into. there are way too many people that get thru three years of dental school and hate dentistry, and who wants to go see a dentist that hates his or her job? not me. check it out first. also, call the schools and see what they say.

 

[Galen1]

i would agree. regardless of what schools may think about your lack of experience, you need to know for yourself what you might be getting into. there are way too many people that get thru three years of dental school and hate dentistry, and who wants to go see a dentist that hates his or her job? not me. check it out first. also, call the schools and see what they say.

Just do some shadowing, don't worry too much about volunteer work. As long as you spend a good amount of hours (more than 50) at a general dentist and maybe a few at a specialist's office, you'll be fine.

 

[Baylor83]

How shadowing re-affirms your aspiration to be a dentist weighs a lot more than your need to show this to the dental school. Dentistry is a lifelong commitment, considering both the cost, time, and acute focus mandated, not forgetting too of its comparatively short-lived career especially to the older applicants.

 

[HC_smiles]

i think shadowing is definitely an integral part of your application cuz it shows not only that you are interested in this profession, but you actively sought to further your knowledge with hands-on experience. if you are interested in applying for 07 now and have not shadowed yet, i would definetely mention that it is a plan for you in the very near (like this month/next) future. that way even tho u havent had the time to shadow a dentist yet, you will have by the time that you begin getting interviews.

about research, i dont think its absolutely necessary but i would think it is one of those aspects that is smiled upon. performing research shows that you have the dedication and persistency that is necessary in dental school.

 

[americanpierg]

200+ hours community service from high school eh? Was it a misdemeanor or felony?

Haha nah it was a college prep school and 50 hours a year was required...and wow never thought of shadowing in that way before...very informative thread.