shadowing vs research

[dksnap]

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What do you think weighs more heavily when apps are reviewed? Tons of shadowing but not too much research or not too much shadowing but tons of research and publications?

Just want to know peoples opinions.

 

[syn_apse]

research and publications >> shadowing

everybody shadows, who cares? it's required, not impressive. you sit and watch and ask stupid questions. shadowing is pretty much the same as bring your kid to work day.

on the other hand, publishing your research in a peer-reviewed journal is impressive!

 

[dksnap]

research and publications >> shadowing

everybody shadows, who cares? it's required, not impressive. you sit and watch and ask stupid questions. shadowing is pretty much the same as bring your kid to work day.

on the other hand, publishing your research in a peer-reviewed journal is impressive!

What about volunteer experience, how heavily does this weigh?

 

[ms.dmd]

🙄

research and publications >> shadowing

everybody shadows, who cares? it's required, not impressive. you sit and watch and ask stupid questions. shadowing is pretty much the same as bring your kid to work day.

on the other hand, publishing your research in a peer-reviewed journal is impressive!

really? my interviewer didn't even ask me a thing about my research experience but had tons of questions about my shadowing job. i guess it depends on the school...

 

[syn_apse]

volunteering is also very important depending on your level of dedication. adcoms want to see a long-term dedication to a volunteer organization, not just a semester. if you want to be a slam dunk applicant, become a leader in your organization. the trick is to find something you love to do (and it doesn't have to be dental-related).

 

[drhobie7]

I think shadowing is more important because this is where you learn what being a dentist is really about. Research teaches you nothing about the practice of dentistry. When I interview people I want to know if they understand what dentistry is like. Sure, everybody shadows...because you HAVE TO. It seems most people do research as well. I couldn't care less if an applicant has done research because I know in nearly all instances their research role was not substantial. Cleaning glassware, pipetting, or running gels doesn't tell me about a person's prospects or interest in contributing future research findings to the profession. On the other hand, if they were the primary investigator, designed the research proposal, determined the methods, and wrote the publication, I would be impressed. Not many undergrads are capable of doing this. So, to reiterate: shadowing is more important than research.