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Hello!
I recently decided on the pre-dental route after having been on the pre-med route for some time. I am an incoming junior getting a Bachelor's in Biology at my school. I am not too sure what dental schools look for in terms of volunteering and extracurriculars and I would like some advice/critiques on my plans over the next year. Apologies in advance for long post!
Shadowing:
Late summer - General Dentistry at public clinic (28-32 hours)
Winter break - Private Practice (general or peds) (32 hours)
Spring break - Specialty (40 hours)
Summer - Specialties (& possibly VA?) (64 hours)
Volunteering:
ER volunteering - 144 hours (committed)
Crisis hotline - 220 hours (committed)
Extracurriculars:
Join a pre-dental club and/or undergrad biology student club
Work as an admin assistant for a residency program at a hospital (currently)
My GPA as of now is 3.60 which I will try to raise in the coming year. I have not taken the DAT yet but plan to take it late next spring/early summer. I am planning to accomplish most of the things on the list by the time I apply. I am a bit of a stranger to dental school applications so I have no idea how feasible my plan actually is or how much it will help my chances.
Please let me know what I can change or add to my list! Should I try to do more extracurriculars?
How much of an emphasis do dental schools place on undergrad research? I work in a place that allows me to help out with some medical research from time to time. Should I seek out other opportunities?
In terms of shadowing, what are the best specialties to shadow? Am I fairly safe with that amount of hours?
I realize this is a very lengthy post filled with questions but if anyone can answer just one of them it would be much appreciated! Thank you for your time!
I recently decided on the pre-dental route after having been on the pre-med route for some time. I am an incoming junior getting a Bachelor's in Biology at my school. I am not too sure what dental schools look for in terms of volunteering and extracurriculars and I would like some advice/critiques on my plans over the next year. Apologies in advance for long post!
Shadowing:
Late summer - General Dentistry at public clinic (28-32 hours)
Winter break - Private Practice (general or peds) (32 hours)
Spring break - Specialty (40 hours)
Summer - Specialties (& possibly VA?) (64 hours)
Volunteering:
ER volunteering - 144 hours (committed)
Crisis hotline - 220 hours (committed)
Extracurriculars:
Join a pre-dental club and/or undergrad biology student club
Work as an admin assistant for a residency program at a hospital (currently)
My GPA as of now is 3.60 which I will try to raise in the coming year. I have not taken the DAT yet but plan to take it late next spring/early summer. I am planning to accomplish most of the things on the list by the time I apply. I am a bit of a stranger to dental school applications so I have no idea how feasible my plan actually is or how much it will help my chances.
Please let me know what I can change or add to my list! Should I try to do more extracurriculars?
How much of an emphasis do dental schools place on undergrad research? I work in a place that allows me to help out with some medical research from time to time. Should I seek out other opportunities?
In terms of shadowing, what are the best specialties to shadow? Am I fairly safe with that amount of hours?
I realize this is a very lengthy post filled with questions but if anyone can answer just one of them it would be much appreciated! Thank you for your time!
