Volunteering

[EVN3331]

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In the fall I am going to be a sophmore and am very intrested in becoming a dentist. I have looked through the forum and have gotten a lot of advice from everyone, it has been greatly appreciated. Next term I am considering volunteering or shadowing a dentist. I was wondering what specific volunteering people did and if they liked it or not because I am not sure what I want to do yet. Thanks.

 

[al]

Definitely shadow a dentist, volunteer your services to him/her if you can. The dentist may allow you to assist him/her with the procedures, which is pretty cool. A letter of rec from the dentist would look good as well.

But in addition to this, I think any volunteering activity where you are serving your community in some way would be excellent, make sure its something that you will enjoy and are curious about yourself, something that you can gain growing experiences from. It doesn't have to be dental related, just an activity that illustrates that you have the heart to give back to others. Adcoms like to know that the students they're taking in, have the dedication for a patient based/public health service such as dentistry. In addition, it adds a lot of interview material you can discuss, that further aids the adcoms in getting to know you. I did high school mentoring and hypertension screenings in underprivileged areas. I also was a counselor for a summercamp that brings underprivileged children free of charge, up to the mountains to camp. I very much enjoyed my experiences and grew as a person because of them. I enjoyed meeting people from different backgrounds, and improved upon my public speaking and leadership skills. -good luck

 

[markymark]

i agree with what al said but i would suggest volunteering for a dentist. this way, you can get your volunteer hours AND make sure that the dental field is right for you.

when i was in college, i volunteered and worked in a field that i thought i was interested in (pharmacy). after i did, however, i realized that the field was not right for me. had i not done this, i would be so miserable now in pharmacy school. this is the advantage you have by shadowing a dentist: you get a feel for the dental field and you will come to realize if it is, or is not, what you want to pursue.

 

[Regina330]

I did some volunteering as a dental assistant as well as some outside of the dental field: as a tutor, at the soup kitchen, and with American Red Cross Assoc blood drives.

 

[chipmunk]

In addition to volunteering for a dental office, I think that participating in any type of volunteer service that shows or enhances your ability to interact with people is important.