Tutoring... In a jail

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OoPredentoO

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Hey SDN,

I was at a community event and one of the booths stood out to me. There's an opportunity to visit a jail and tutor. At first I was skeptical, but it seems like a great thing to do for people who are trying to turn their life around. Basically, I'd tutor the basics for science and math to inmates pursuing a GED.

The drawback.. It's pretty far away. I'd have to drive to my campus (30 minutes) then take a free bus (1 hour) to tutor for an hour. It's something I'm willing to do, but is it worth the time?

The deciding factor is.. Should I be spending my time in a school club and doing community service.. Or do you think something like this will stand out?

P.s.: I just transferred to university a few weeks ago from a CC with no EC besides shadowing. I'm trying to get involved as I can this year.

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Sounds like a cool experience, I'd do it. Will it be pretty unique EC and give you some talking points? Yeah. Is it going to be the deciding factor that gets you into DS? Probably not.
 
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That's an extra 3 hours in commute. Unless it's something you really really want to do, I would find a different place to volunteer. You can probably be a GED tutor somewhere else, and you could also join another club
 
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If you have the time, I'd jump on it.

The thing is- I've realized something while doing my ECs....sure they look great on DS apps, but I personally am proud of my involvement with them, and I've learned so much from them and had so many great experiences.

OP, listen to H. Jackson Brown:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

P.S.- This is Incis0r's 1001st post! :D I love you SDN.
 
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If it's something that really peaks your interest, then I don't see why not! It sounds really interesting and so rewarding. I think our school had an opportunity like that as well, and I almost signed up for it at the time, but opted for teaching ESL instead.
 
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Awesome input guys, thanks so much.
I'll be heading to "training" tomorrow at 10am to get more information. If I can access the free ride there on Saturdays, I will most likely become involved for the fall & spring semesters.

If I'm unable to gain access to the shuttle this semester, is it worth getting involved just for a few weeks during winter break when I have a more flexible schedule? Or will this be too little commitment to be considered a positive EC?
 
Sounds like a really cool opportunity. Definitely a unique experience!
Btw, you should read "Mentor" by Tom Pace. A true and eye-opening story.
 
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Sounds like a good life experience. Probably a good way to expose yourself to the type of non affluent people you will be seeing commonly as patients and even in practice. I think some dental students have a hard time relating to this patient population because they grew up in privileged families and went to x expensive college whereas a lot of your patients won't be able to relate to that. It should be a good learning experience for you and them that I'm sure you'll feel is rewarding.
 
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If you're truly passionate about it, do it, otherwise you'll hate it especially if you're just doing it for another line on your resume.

For example, I didn't join my pre-dental club or any BS honor society because I knew the stuff they were doing was just to try to look good for adcoms and everybody hated it. I was involved in activities that I was happy doing like fishing club, ultimate frisbee club, cycling club, and such. Just do stuff you like to do, you'll be happy you did.
 
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Thanks everyone!
I'm pretty sure I'll be committing. It's definitley somethin that sparks my interests. Again, thanks
 
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