How many hours of community service is recommended

Started by ketone
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ketone

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I did some community service but i did not record them >.<
... So apparently, I have 0 hours so far. I've heard that community service is significant when applying to dental school. I just finished sophomore year so....hopefully it's not too late.

How many total hours of community service is considered "good"?
Thank you. 🙂
 
I did some community service but i did not record them >.<
... So apparently, I have 0 hours so far. I've heard that community service is significant when applying to dental school. I just finished sophomore year so....hopefully it's not too late.

How many total hours of community service is considered "good"?
Thank you. 🙂

What's really significant in applying to dental school are your academic achievements: DAT, GPAs. Take care of that first.

You don't have 0 hours just because you didn't record them. If you can recall a rough time frame, give an (honest) estimate of hours, and possibly remember someone who you could put as a contact (schools probably won't check...but don't assume they can't), then it's fine to use those hours. If they're legit hours, don't discard them.

You're not too late. I'm not going to play the numbers game. There's not really a magic number. I'll just tell you to try to be involved with something you like. Go for quality over quantity. There's nothing wrong with trying to volunteer to help your application. Just don't try to do something you think the schools will like to see. And above all....do not sacrifice DAT/GPAs for extracurriculars.
 
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I remembering hearing that the total number of hours will be taken into consideration with the longevity of the work. It would look better if you volunteered 100hrs over the course of a semester vs 100hrs in 1 month. I think it makes you look like a more dedicated applicant instead of someone who rushed to get numbers in.
 
100 is the golden number. Schools are increasingly looking at admissions with a holistic perspectives(something I don't necessarily agree with). Shadowing and volunteering is very important. Your grades do take a priority. The first sieve used will be a numbers match. The highest grades and DAT will win. So don't sacrifice your gpa or DAT score for the sake of volunteering. Be balanced. That's the key.