No research, no awards, so so extracurriclars: How screwed am I?

[Dr. Konfetka]

Ok so in filling out AADSAS and reading these posts, I'm starting to freak out that i'm lacking in all this stuff and don't stand a chance.

I didn't do any research even though I'm getting a BS in bio because I always had some scheduling conflict and my advisor was just like you don't really need it.

I didn't get any awards b/c BU isn't too charitable with that. I mean I got little certificates of participation when I did the Special Olympics, but that was it.

I have a long list of extracurriculars, but I never held any leadership positions or anything. My school just has so much going on, that I just tried to get involved in whatever I could whenever i could. I wasn't about to go to a meeting when I had a hudge exam the next day. I just hope they don't think I'm making things up by giving them 10 activities.

I feel like i'm lacking in community service. I tend to do things on and off. I did go to give out food a few times..but it wasn't a usual thing for me. And I do tutor some kids, but it's not steady and often those things turn into jobs. I was an assistant for the bio labs, for which I didn't get paid, but I heard I should list that in employment anyways.

Ugh, with a 3.46 gpa and a 3.4 for a Sci. gpa, is my application any good?

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[san9]

I dont think awards & leadership are important as people might think, but you do want dental experience & shadowing.

 

[PickMe]

i agree with the above post. shadowing and showing interest in dentistry is most important, but none of it is as important as gpa and dat. for example, i had very few shadowing hours (<20), and barely any extracurriculars or awards because i also went to a big school and found it hard to get involved. i think most applicants do not have research, so i wouldnt even worry about that. as for community service, a little would look nice on an application, but i didnt have many hours and i was fine (2 hrs/wk for 1 summer). then again, it all depends on the schools you apply to. the ones that i applied to didnt focus on much besides the dat and gpa. when looking at the applicants from the school's position, i think they find it very important to find those with good gpa's and dat scores in order to boost their own stats.

 

[americanpierg]

i agree with the above post. shadowing and showing interest in dentistry is most important, but none of it is as important as gpa and dat. for example, i had very few shadowing hours (<20), and barely any extracurriculars or awards because i also went to a big school and found it hard to get involved. i think most applicants do not have research, so i wouldnt even worry about that. as for community service, a little would look nice on an application, but i didnt have many hours and i was fine (2 hrs/wk for 1 summer). then again, it all depends on the schools you apply to. the ones that i applied to didnt focus on much besides the dat and gpa. when looking at the applicants from the school's position, i think they find it very important to find those with good gpa's and dat scores in order to boost their own stats.

do community service from high school count?

 

[aurora507]

do community service from high school count?

yes, you can put high school activites, esp. if you don't have community service experience in college.

 

[_veo_]

i agree with the above post. shadowing and showing interest in dentistry is most important, but none of it is as important as gpa and dat. for example, i had very few shadowing hours (<20), and barely any extracurriculars or awards because i also went to a big school and found it hard to get involved. i think most applicants do not have research, so i wouldnt even worry about that. as for community service, a little would look nice on an application, but i didnt have many hours and i was fine (2 hrs/wk for 1 summer). then again, it all depends on the schools you apply to. the ones that i applied to didnt focus on much besides the dat and gpa. when looking at the applicants from the school's position, i think they find it very important to find those with good gpa's and dat scores in order to boost their own stats.

What schools did you apply to?

 

[SuperC]

Ok so in filling out AADSAS and reading these posts, I'm starting to freak out that i'm lacking in all this stuff and don't stand a chance.

I didn't do any research even though I'm getting a BS in bio because I always had some scheduling conflict and my advisor was just like you don't really need it.

I didn't get any awards b/c BU isn't too charitable with that. I mean I got little certificates of participation when I did the Special Olympics, but that was it.

I have a long list of extracurriculars, but I never held any leadership positions or anything. My school just has so much going on, that I just tried to get involved in whatever I could whenever i could. I wasn't about to go to a meeting when I had a hudge exam the next day. I just hope they don't think I'm making things up by giving them 10 activities.

I feel like i'm lacking in community service. I tend to do things on and off. I did go to give out food a few times..but it wasn't a usual thing for me. And I do tutor some kids, but it's not steady and often those things turn into jobs. I was an assistant for the bio labs, for which I didn't get paid, but I heard I should list that in employment anyways.

Ugh, with a 3.46 gpa and a 3.4 for a Sci. gpa, is my application any good?

List what ever you HONESTLY can... That being said... I hate to be harsh but we all were busy in undergrad. BU is not any worse than any other college out there. Everyone of us was fighting for free time to be involved and time to have fun.

Now... There are a lot of people who did not get "super" involved and they get in too. You will just have to depend on your grades and DAT.

-C

 

[I'mFillingFine]

To the OP: it actually sounds like you're fine. First of all, you may be able to list awards that may not seem obvious at first. For instance, were you ever on the Dean's List? Are you considered cum laude? Some schools have a cutoff of 3.2 for honors and then higher for "Latin" honors (stupid term, since it's all in Latin). Were you ever given a higher position in a class, like offered a TAship? Switched to first chair in a musical ensemble? First place in a talent show??? Think about all aspects of your life; many large universities may not recognize individual students, or at least not until graduation, so they're not expecting "BU Awesome Student of the Year" or anything.

Also, it sounds like you DID a lot of community service. Once you write it down, you'll see that you were out there.

And dental schools love if you're interested in different groups and activities. True, they don't want to hear about 15 clubs that you went to one meeting for and never showed up to again or did any activities with, but if you were with one group for one semester and another for the next, list them all!

A lot of my interviews started by asking about random parts of my life; they seem the most interested in how you're unique, since to get that far most people have good credentials and experience.

I say word it the best you can, get lots of shadowing hours, and invest your time into submitting a kickass AADSAS instead of worrying 😉

 

[Dr. Konfetka]

Wouldn't a TAship go under work experience though? That's where I put it. Is being on the Dean's list really considered an award?

BTW thanks for the encouraging advice.

To the OP: it actually sounds like you're fine. First of all, you may be able to list awards that may not seem obvious at first. For instance, were you ever on the Dean's List? Are you considered cum laude? Some schools have a cutoff of 3.2 for honors and then higher for "Latin" honors (stupid term, since it's all in Latin). Were you ever given a higher position in a class, like offered a TAship? Switched to first chair in a musical ensemble? First place in a talent show??? Think about all aspects of your life; many large universities may not recognize individual students, or at least not until graduation, so they're not expecting "BU Awesome Student of the Year" or anything.

Also, it sounds like you DID a lot of community service. Once you write it down, you'll see that you were out there.

And dental schools love if you're interested in different groups and activities. True, they don't want to hear about 15 clubs that you went to one meeting for and never showed up to again or did any activities with, but if you were with one group for one semester and another for the next, list them all!

A lot of my interviews started by asking about random parts of my life; they seem the most interested in how you're unique, since to get that far most people have good credentials and experience.

I say word it the best you can, get lots of shadowing hours, and invest your time into submitting a kickass AADSAS instead of worrying 😉

 

[I'mFillingFine]

Wouldn't a TAship go under work experience though? That's where I put it. Is being on the Dean's list really considered an award?

BTW thanks for the encouraging advice.

I haven't looked lately, but isn't the section called "honors and awards"? If so, it's definitely an honor. And the TAship itself would probably go under extracurricular (maybe work, depending), but I was saying that some professors will only choose one person out of many to be asked.....I don't know, something like that.

Also, as long as you don't say it's volunteer, you can still put paid community service/extracurriculars. They want to know what you did; they don't care if you earned money meanwhile.