Involvement
Getting into the community and being active. Let’s make a difference!
Written By: Caylen Davis, DDS
As a pre-dental student, you will always hear how important your stats are for a dental school acceptance. While this is true, let this serve as a reminder that there is so much more to your dental school application than test scores and GPAs. Yes, strive to do well in your coursework; remember that A’s (and even some B’s) are always the goal when getting into dental school. However, balancing your coursework while staying involved in your community can help set you apart!
Leadership
Having leadership experience is a very important aspect of your application to dental school. Not only does make you stand out from other applicants, it shows that you are actively preparing for your future as a dentist and a leader in your community.
Leadership As a dentist
So, what does it mean to be a leader? If you were to look it up, leadership can be defined in a multitude of ways. However, the common themes are centered on vision, empowerment, and responsibility.
When it comes to dentistry, important things to consider are your core values and your purpose. What will be your vision? Will that be to provide the best care to your patients? To treat a certain demographic of people (low income, underserved, etc.)? What will be your treatment scope? What services will you offer? What technology and materials will you have at hand? What will be your community involvement? Do you want to focus on your local community or take oral care internationally? Do you want to help organize service events? These will be important questions you must ask yourself as a dentist. Once these answers are in mind, they can play an integral part in defining your leadership style and setting your goals.
Leadership As a Pre-dental
As a pre-dental student, you have the amazing opportunity to explore leader development and all it has to offer. I want to emphasize again that leadership comes in many shapes and forms and you are encouraged to get creative with your leadership experiences. Whether that’s attending workshops or managing a project, feel free to jump in anywhere you see fit. College campus have plenty of resources to help you gain leadership experience through various organizations and student programming.
Author’s note: Remember that you don’t need to be the president of eight clubs to show you have leadership experience. That’s too much to ask of anyone. Even if you are just a member of a club or organization, you can offer to lead an initiative of that club such as a community service event or a study group. There are so many ways you can get involved!
Community Service
Again pre-dents, we want to emphasize that stats aren’t the only part of your application. Sure, having straight A’s and a high DAT score is great, but these are not enough to get you into dental school. You want to show that you are a well-rounded applicant who immerses themselves in meaningful activities within and outside of your college campus community. It’s important to remember that dentistry is a service-focused profession and dental school admissions are looking for students who demonstrate their promise to serve the community all throughout their lives. With this being said, don’t just find random service opportunities just to do them. Instead, find a few activities that you’re really passionate about and serve long term. As you begin to look into what schools you want to apply to, you’ll see that many dental schools include community service in their mission statements and often have programs to provide care to underserved populations in school clinics.
Here are some community service opportunities to consider:
- College campus service organizations
- Habitat for Humanity
- Community centers
- Church involvement
- Soup kitchens/food pantries
- After-school programs/tutoring
- Volunteer Dental Clinics
There are really endless options for community service work! Do some soul-searching and find a project that fulfills you and motivates you to serve the community. Your passion for community service will be clear to admissions officers if you genuinely enjoy what you are doing, and this will ultimately strengthen your dental school application.
Author’s Note: I highly recommend balancing between dental and non-dental community service. Many students will decide to only spend time volunteering at dental clinics and don’t make the effort to serve other areas of their community. Make sure to plan time for both; this will make your application stronger.
Research
Research isn’t necessarily a requirement for admission to dental school, but it can add an extra layer to your application if the institutions you are applying to have a research focus. If you are particularly interested in research and want to explore student positions, definitely look into upcoming research opportunities on your college campus!
While research is a great experience to have, don’t feel overly pressured to find positions. Most schools recognize that it is not possible for all students to have research experience prior to dental school, as not all undergraduate institutions have research opportunities available to students. However, Just Flossy does recommend doing research if you are interested in it, not solely to enhance your application. If you choose to explore this, remember that social science research is very valuable to worthwhile as well, not just lab research. Either are great options.
Enrichment Programs
Another great way to help you stand out is by participating in enrichment opportunities! Enrichment programs offer an excellent way to gain experience and exposure to dentistry while learning about the academic expectations that go along with it. There are two different types of enrichment programs: academic enrichment programs and summer enrichment programs.
Academic enrichment programs usually focus on enhancing and developing your academic preparation and background. Summer enrichment programs include academic preparation as well as hands-on exposure to the clinical aspects of dentistry. Both program types offer valuable experiences and opportunities, but as a pre-dental student, you have to decide which one would best fit your needs as a future dental school applicant.
If you choose to participate in one of these programs, here are some things to consider:
- Learn about the enrichment program application process including deadlines, location, costs, and time commitment (if applicable).
- Make sure the program aligns with your interests, goals, and needs.
- Talk with advisors, students, and others about their experiences and insights.
There are a lot of great experiences out there for pre-dents. One summer program that is highly recommended by many students and advisors is SHPEP. There are also a lot of other great programs nationwide for minority students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds; you can visit this website to find programs near you!
The Big Picture
Involvement as a student is a very important part of your dental school application. It is a great way to show that you are dedicated to your community, are passionate about serving others, and are committed to the field of dentistry. Use the resources on your campus or even within your community to find out more ways you can get involved!