Strong Academics, Minimum EC Activities, Need Resume Help!

[neutron1]

Hey guys. Admittedly, I am an idiot. I did not get too involved in my undergraduate. I am currently a junior applying this upcoming cycle. My cGPA and sGPA is about a 3.7 so no issues with grades or academics. I have a full ride to my school and am in a dual admission dental program as well. I am registered for a DAT prep course which I know will prepare me very well, but of course I will be studying for 2 months come summertime. In terms of academics I feel like I am solid, but the issue is extra curricular.

I am at the point where I need to create a resume for recommendation letters. Quite frankly, I have very little work experience, and never received my first official paycheck from a job yet. I have experience doing work on cars on the side that I like to do as a hobby, but nothing that would pertain to dentistry (unless installation/repairs correlate to dexterity). I am part of the pre dental club and one honor society at my school. I play the saxophone occasionally and have taken an interest in photography and painting this past semester. However, I have never attended any volunteer or local community events held by either clubs. The last time I did any community service was in my senior year in high school. I also have very little shadowing experience. I am just now realizing that all of these things are important to my application, but it is too late to fix anything.

I need to start asking for letters of recommendation, but when I see everyone else talking about their resume, they have a few 100 hours of shadowing experience, mission trips, volunteering, etc all under their belt. Yes it is excessive at times to be that involved, but I cannot help but feel lower than them, even though I am sure my academics are better. What are some things I can talk about in my resume to not make myself look like a school robot and a real person? If any school would interview me they would see how awesome I am, the issue is that I haven't put much effort to attending events and doing EC activities. Please do not mistake my lack of involvement or shadowing as a disinterest in dentistry, as that is not at all the case. I can say with full confidence that this is the right path for me. Thanks for all the help and suggestions guys

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[super frank]

If any school would interview me they would see how awesome I am, the issue is that I haven't put much effort to attending events and doing EC activities....

At this point, as you have realized, it is too late to get volunteering hours/experience onto your resume. You know yourself best, and you'll have to make the most out of what you have done to this point and make a decent resume out of it. It would probably be best to sit with your letter writers and explain your situation to them, and explain some of your hobbies/activities to them so they can write a decent letter. If you know your writers well, then that's even better. However, you still have plenty of time before the application cycle begins (I'm assuming you're applying this cycle) so make SURE you get involved in these next 2/3 months. Not having a good number of shadowing hours (>100) is a red flag for probably all the schools you'll be applying to, and some may even require a certain number hours (having 100 fulfills requirements for all schools that have them). Not having a lot of volunteer hours won't necessarily break you (some schools stress community involvement though), so if you can't get over 100 volunteer/experience hours by then you'll be okay.

 

[JLT223]

What exactly have you done with your free time in college? I'd start shadowing ASAP.

 

[Incis0r]

It's not too late. You can still build up a cool 100-150 hours if you join the right volunteer organization. You can also build up a strong 100 hrs of shadowing if you start now.

Don't go in with a defeatist mind- you've got a great GPA and, with the right DAT score, you can have a good cycle if you get started now.

 

[neutron1]

What exactly have you done with your free time in college? I'd start shadowing ASAP.

Well I usually go to the gym, study, kill some time with video games, hang out with some friends usually on thursdays and saturdays. I definitely have not utilized all of my free time but I do not live a sedentary life. The only thing I would be able to do shadowing wise would be to shadow during the summertime when I am studying for my DAT. It is scheduled for July 15th but I have no idea how much free time I will be having for that time frame. My prep class is from may 10th to july 10th

 

[Tman26]

Well I usually go to the gym, study, kill some time with video games, hang out with some friends usually on thursdays and saturdays. I definitely have not utilized all of my free time but I do not live a sedentary life. The only thing I would be able to do shadowing wise would be to shadow during the summertime when I am studying for my DAT. It is scheduled for July 15th but I have no idea how much free time I will be having for that time frame. My prep class is from may 10th to july 10th

I agree with other posters--you have time to really strengthen your application if you begin now. You really, really need that 100 hours of shadowing. As for volunteering, just make sure you're involved every week, even if for just a few hours--dental schools look for consistency. If it's getting closer to the time, and you can't get the shadowing/volunteering hours, you may want to consider skipping this cycle if it pains you to lose the money it takes for applying. If losing the money isn't a big deal, just take the shot and apply. Submit your application as quickly as possible--have your application complete by the time you take the DAT. You'll probably be in the second batch with a July 15th submission.

After you submit your application, continue to shadow and volunteer. In other words, don't wait around for school decisions because you may have to reapply again, which isn't a big deal.

Start hitting it hard. Best wishes.



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[JLT223]

I agree with Tman26. You NEED the shadowing hours by the time you apply. Not having them is an easy way to land yourself quite a few instant rejections.

 

[neutron1]

I agree with Tman26. You NEED the shadowing hours by the time you apply. Not having them is an easy way to land yourself quite a few instant rejections.

well to be fair, I have shadowed in the past and I already have made plans to shadow a periodontist since posting my message earlier today. Is there a way, for at least in the meanwhile while drafting my resume to get my rec letters, to say that although I shadowed for a small amount of time in the past, I have already made arrangements once school ends to begin more shadowing? Thanks

 

[hellofuturedentists]

Hey guys. Admittedly, I am an idiot. I did not get too involved in my undergraduate. I am currently a junior applying this upcoming cycle. My cGPA and sGPA is about a 3.7 so no issues with grades or academics. I have a full ride to my school and am in a dual admission dental program as well. I am registered for a DAT prep course which I know will prepare me very well, but of course I will be studying for 2 months come summertime. In terms of academics I feel like I am solid, but the issue is extra curricular.

I am at the point where I need to create a resume for recommendation letters. Quite frankly, I have very little work experience, and never received my first official paycheck from a job yet. I have experience doing work on cars on the side that I like to do as a hobby, but nothing that would pertain to dentistry (unless installation/repairs correlate to dexterity). I am part of the pre dental club and one honor society at my school. I play the saxophone occasionally and have taken an interest in photography and painting this past semester. However, I have never attended any volunteer or local community events held by either clubs. The last time I did any community service was in my senior year in high school. I also have very little shadowing experience. I am just now realizing that all of these things are important to my application, but it is too late to fix anything.

I need to start asking for letters of recommendation, but when I see everyone else talking about their resume, they have a few 100 hours of shadowing experience, mission trips, volunteering, etc all under their belt. Yes it is excessive at times to be that involved, but I cannot help but feel lower than them, even though I am sure my academics are better. What are some things I can talk about in my resume to not make myself look like a school robot and a real person? If any school would interview me they would see how awesome I am, the issue is that I haven't put much effort to attending events and doing EC activities. Please do not mistake my lack of involvement or shadowing as a disinterest in dentistry, as that is not at all the case. I can say with full confidence that this is the right path for me. Thanks for all the help and suggestions guys

If you're in a dual admission program, why don't you just go there and save yourself all this effort?...
But if not, I'd hope you have come to realize by now dentistry isn't solely about academics. Your GPA is great, but it also could be better. There are many people with about the same GPA who have also found the time to shadow, volunteer, take part in ECs, and other stuff. It's not excessive. It's a combo of good time management and caring about stuff besides classes. I'm not entirely sure why you assume you are smarter than everyone who has also been involved in other activities....
The fact that you claim you haven't put much effort into doing anything of substance might show you don't really care all that much and/or don't have any other things you're passionate about besides spending time with friends (which most people do anyway). If you were a dental school, who seems more intriguing to you: someone with a 3.7 GPA who doesn't do much else besides school or someone with a 3.5 GPA with some pretty cool side activities? And to be honest, it will probably hurt you if you literally haven't done any community service since high school....
In your personal statement, if you do feel that you are ready to apply this cycle, you'll want to mention some of your hobbies. It doesn't seem like you have much to put on AADSAS at all, so you're going to have to show school something about youself.
And, from what I remember, there's not really anywhere on AADSAS for "future shadowing".

 

[neutron1]

I agree with Tman26. You NEED the shadowing hours by the time you apply. Not having them is an easy way to land yourself quite a few instant rejections.

Thanks for your response. Also , So in terms of extra curriculars, listing my hobbies and the clubs I am a part of at school won't look bad, right? Or is hobbies a different category than extra curricular. I can get the shadowing hours in before application time comes June 1st, trust me!

 

[iAwesomE]

Oh boy! You screwed yourself up big time. Start hitting those hours up immediately! There is still time. You must make haste and effectively and efficiently utilize the remaining time to research and find a place to volunteer and shadow IMMEDIATELY!! Explain your circumstances and tell your plan in a sincerely manner to those who are writing your letters if you want the contents of your letters to hold any value at all, and not just some letters with
"student X made an A, and he is extremely motivated to learn....
The end."
You could mention your volunteer experiences in highschool in the personal statement. I know I did, but you must connect them to dentistry somehow.

One could say that this is a test of your determination to see whether you can pull yourself together and show to the committee "...that confident this is the right path..." with your actions and not just mere words.

Keep going buddy.

 

[neutron1]

Oh boy! You screwed yourself up big time. Start hitting those hours up immediately! There is still time. You must make haste and effectively and efficiently utilize the remaining time to research and find a place to volunteer and shadow IMMEDIATELY!! Explain your circumstances and tell your plan in a sincerely manner to those who are writing your letters if you want the contents of your letters to hold any value at all, and not just some letters with
"student X made an A, and he is extremely motivated to learn....
The end."
You could mention your volunteer experiences in highschool in the personal statement. I know I did, but you must connect them to dentistry somehow.

One could say that this is a test of your determination to see whether you can pull yourself together and show to the committee "...that confident this is the right path..." with your actions and not just mere words.

Keep going buddy.

Thanks man. For what it is worth I have already sent out emails to local communities who help distribute food for the poor and homeless. I also will be volunteering at a cystic fibrosis 5k doing event setup and management for about 5 hours. I will be shadowing a periodontist like I said after i take my DAT, and I actually do have about 20 hours of general dentist shadowing under my belt.

To everyone else, I realize my application is not very competitive, but something I failed to mention is that I plan on continuing with the dual admission program at my school and going there for dentistry. In other words, I think i got too comfortable knowing I was already accepted as long as I maintain a GPA and DAT score. I am all for being the best person as possible, but in this case, I am just trying to submit a "good" (not necessarily an exemplary) application to the school whose dual program I am in. It is too late to do anything significant, but I feel like I can for sure volunteer at at least 3-5 different events over the next month before the June 1'st applications open!

 

[Lane138]

Agree with other comments so far.

Remember, it's not so much about the hours you put in, but the IMPACT you have when you are doing those extracurricular activities and how the activities were meaningful to you. Anyone who does hospital volunteering for 300 hours but cannot tell a single compelling story of their experience is wasting their time.

In the next 2-3 months, select several organizations or events and volunteer there. Do your best to meet people and have encounters that are meaningful. Then write about a few. (Don't write up all of the activities you did because then it's obvious you were cramming for CV)

 

[neutron1]

Agree with other comments so far.

Remember, it's not so much about the hours you put in, but the IMPACT you have when you are doing those extracurricular activities and how the activities were meaningful to you. Anyone who does hospital volunteering for 300 hours but cannot tell a single compelling story of their experience is wasting their time.

In the next 2-3 months, select several organizations or events and volunteer there. Do your best to meet people and have encounters that are meaningful. Then write about a few. (Don't write up all of the activities you did because then it's obvious you were cramming for CV)

Thank you. So if I volunteer at a location CONSISTENTLY for the month of may or until I submit the AADSAS, having the start and end date for the activity be only one month long ocurring just before I submitted won't look too bad, it just is the best I can do for my situation?

 

[JLT223]

Thank you. So if I volunteer at a location CONSISTENTLY for the month of may or until I submit the AADSAS, having the start and end date for the activity be only one month long ocurring just before I submitted won't look too bad, it just is the best I can do for my situation?

Exactly

 

[neutron1]

Exactly

Sounds good. Thanks for the help. Although at first I found everyone's comments harsh, it definitely lit a fire under my ass to fix my mistakes. I'll keep you guys posted

 

[Lane138]

Yup, if you can find a place to do one month of wholehearted volunteering, accumulate 80-100 hours, then that's solid. Good luck!

 

[neutron1]

Update to anyone lurking my past dilemma: I got a 23TS on my DAT, volunteered 120 hours, shadowed 100 hours, and got accepted to 4 schools without issue this cycle. Anyone reading this just know it isn't too late to improve your application