Volunteering advice needed!

[archonsbk]

I will be a grad student in this fall and I 'think' I have more free time than I had during undergrad (I think I will have 7-10 hrs a week for the courseload). And I want to use my time as productive as possible before applying for dental schools next year.

I will be working at least 13 hours a week to teach underserved high school students and working as a research assistant about 5-10 hrs a week and studying for DAT. But more importantly, I am very interested in volunteering.

I have applied a few volunteering places like habitat for humanity, big brothers and big sisters, homeless shelters, helping the seniors and becoming a company for them, and etc.

To be honest, I would like to those 4 at least, but that means I can't spend too much for each. Do you think that it is better to do just one or two volunteering and focus or spread out like that?

Too many good options I have there!!!

Let me know what you think!

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[jeffity]

I will be a grad student in this fall and I 'think' I have more free time than I had during undergrad (I think I will have 7-10 hrs a week for the courseload). And I want to use my time as productive as possible before applying for dental schools next year.

I will be working at least 13 hours a week to teach underserved high school students and working as a research assistant about 5-10 hrs a week and studying for DAT. But more importantly, I am very interested in volunteering.

I have applied a few volunteering places like habitat for humanity, big brothers and big sisters, homeless shelters, helping the seniors and becoming a company for them, and etc.

To be honest, I would like to those 4 at least, but that means I can't spend too much for each. Do you think that it is better to do just one or two volunteering and focus or spread out like that?

Too many good options I have there!!!

Let me know what you think!

It probably looks better to have less with substantial time spent at each than a bunch with little hours. But no one does it for the sake of the app looking good, right?

That 'studying for DAT' part stands out to me. Take care of that above all else, no matter how interested you are in volunteering. Take care of the cake before the icing. I know you're genuinely interested in spending your new free time volunteering, but a bad DAT will keep you out of school; less than fantastic volunteering will likely not.

 

[archonsbk]

It probably looks better to have less with substantial time spent at each than a bunch with little hours. But no one does it for the sake of the app looking good, right?

That 'studying for DAT' part stands out to me. Take care of that above all else, no matter how interested you are in volunteering. Take care of the cake before the icing. I know you're genuinely interested in spending your new free time volunteering, but a bad DAT will keep you out of school; less than fantastic volunteering will likely not.

Thank you so much! It is just those volunteering options aren't that difficult while I can make other people happy, so I wish I was more mature in my early college life and helped out people more.

 

[ktran17]

You only spend 5-10 hours on research as a grad student?

 

[archonsbk]

You only spend 5-10 hours on research as a grad student?

My degree is not research focused, so I don't have to do the lab work like many other Master of Science students do. Instead I have to hundreds of hours of public health experience and make a presentation in front of the students/faculty before my Master's is over.

The research is the one that I've been helping in the past 6 months, so I want to keep contributing to them (I get credits though!).

 

[ktran17]

That's nice =). I was just curious. Most of the master students I interact with are usually M.S., hence my initial comment

 

[archonsbk]

That's nice =). I was just curious. Most of the master students I interact with are usually M.S., hence my initial comment

Haha I see. But hundreds of hours of experience (either 400 or 500 hrs) has to be supervised under a faculty or an organization that is approved by my program. And then I have to give a half an hr to an hr presentation, so I need the serious planning before time is up!