Need some advice on direction for extracurriculars

[drillbitjoe]

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Hey everybody,
1st time poster here.😱I'm a pre-health microbio sophomore who is trying to walk the line between pre-med/pre-dental as far as extracurriculars go. My gut feeling is I will end up applying to only dental school, so my question is twofold..

1- Is it a bad idea to have a lot of "pre-med" (rather than dental) extracurriculars such as hospital volunteer hours and a medical mission trip?...Or could that work in my favor as being simply healthcare-related volunteer work?

2- Does anybody know of any good avenues for specifically "dental" extracurriculars besides shadowing a dentist?..Anybody been on a dental mission trip or anything like that and is it normal to ask a dentist for an internship?

I'd appreciate any other advice!

Thanks yall👍

 

[UCSFx2017]

I volunteered at an Emergency Department and at Patient Support. Do everything that interests you. I always wanted to do a little paramedic volunteering but the training was too long for me to seriously consider it. Things that are more dental-related are volunteering at a free dental clinic, local dental service events like Mission of Mercy, and research that is relevant to understanding/improving oral health. Some of my other volunteering activities were spent elsewhere for causes or activities that I supported/was interested in.
The extracurricular activities should reflect who you are/want to become. Remember not to make it into a checklist.

 

[drillbitjoe]

Thank you, that's what I was looking for!

I was also going to ask, is it imperative that you have like 50+ shadowing hours when you apply? My general dentist isn't too keen on me shadowing him a lot since he has to get authorization from patients...

He already volunteered to write me a LOR, but doesn't want me to shadow. Should I just hit up another dentist? lol

 

[JohnnnyD]

Not all schools are interested in the number of hours you log. They want to see something that makes you stand out. Many of the schools, especially those focused on public health, ultimately want to teach you to find a problem in your community, make a plan of action, and work to help solve the problem. You can do just that. Do some research in/on your community. In my experience, I found a large demand for dental supples for children in my community. I've worked for about a year now doing what I can to bring supplies to those indigent children. It has been a particularly successful volunteer project that I can honestly say I'm proud to be a part of and I think the adcoms saw that in my application. I'm a nontraditional applicant and pride myself on not being a cookie-cutter applicant and future student. Feel free to PM me if you want more details on my project. maybe you can mimic it in your community. Or, if you want to brainstorm up a unique project for yourself I can help with that as well. Hope this urges you to think outside the box at the very least. Good luck

 

[dentalWorks]

Hey everybody,
1st time poster here.😱I'm a pre-health microbio sophomore who is trying to walk the line between pre-med/pre-dental as far as extracurriculars go. My gut feeling is I will end up applying to only dental school, so my question is twofold..

1- Is it a bad idea to have a lot of "pre-med" (rather than dental) extracurriculars such as hospital volunteer hours and a medical mission trip?...Or could that work in my favor as being simply healthcare-related volunteer work?

2- Does anybody know of any good avenues for specifically "dental" extracurriculars besides shadowing a dentist?..Anybody been on a dental mission trip or anything like that and is it normal to ask a dentist for an internship?

I'd appreciate any other advice!

Thanks yall👍

there is no such thing as "pre-med" or "pre-dent" extracurricular...

an extra-curricular activity is "outside one's regular work, responsibilities, or routine" (from dictionary.com). Basically find an activity that has to do with you putting in your time to help others (volunteering is a great option). How/when/what/which activity you do is irrelevant.

I spent about 2 years volunteering at a hospital near by and it had zero dentistry relevance before applying.

 

[rebmem eman]

Do what you love.

 

[drillbitjoe]

Right right, by that i meant EC that would enhance an app to dental school. I do enjoy the volunteering I do like working in the hospital...I just anticipate the first interview question being "why are you applying to dental instead of med, based on all this med stuff you have done". I just hope that isn't a deal breaker for dental

 

[Predent36]

Do what you love.

Exactly, well said!
For me, it was research and leadership. Participate in extracurriculars that you care about.

 

[rewJW]

I just anticipate the first interview question being "why are you applying to dental instead of med, based on all this med stuff you have done". I just hope that isn't a deal breaker for dental

You just might get that question if your ECs are geared towards the 'med field' but it is absolutely not a deal breaker - just be prepared to answer it. Pretty much all of my ECs were animal related (mentoring kids in 4H clubs, animal rescue volunteering, etc) so I got the "why not veterinary medicine" question at a few dental school interviews, but not all. [And as a sidenote: it actually came back up at one of my pediatric residency interviews... was totally not expecting that! LOL] If your passion lies with dentistry it won't be a problem that your ECs aren't "dental related" and you should be able to explain "why not (insert other profession here)." A question of "why this and not that" can set you up to show the admissions committee that you really have put a lot of thought into your future, considered alternatives, and have chosen the profession you are truly committed to.

Honestly not many pre-reqs can be dental in nature, aside from being a member of your school's pre-dental club (if they even have one -- my undergrad did not) or a predental member of ASDA.

 

[Mr PS09]

If you are looking for dental mission work, check out Global Brigades. I went on a medical/dental trip with my school club and i had a great time. I think you can start your own club or join another club's trip.

http://www.globalbrigades.org/dental-methodology