What are decent ECs?

[SmileItsLife]

Hey,

So like the title says, what are considered decent extra curricula's? Whenever someone posts their stats (<<not sure if I used that right?) after gaining an interview invite, they usually give their GPA, DAT, state, and say that they have decent ECs...... so what exactly does the SDN community deem as decent?

Thanks in advance to any replies!

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[FireandIce128]

A type of leadership role in a club at school would definitely count as EC!
Like a secretary, treasurer, public relations, student government representative, or better yet, president. And more than one of these titles in different clubs can certainly look good. The more passionate you are about it, the more you'd like to talk about it, and d-schools will see that.

 

[DC206R]

-Some type of employment during undergrad
-Research
-100+ hrs of volunteering
-Leadership in clubs
-Clinical dental experience

Doesn't have to be a combination of all of those but they by themselves are decent EC activities IMO.

 

[SmileItsLife]

Ok, thanks! I was a bit curious, and both your replies helped a lot. I've been trying to do research on past threads to figure out my journey since all the pre-health advising sessions at my school are during my classes. After looking through many previous posts, many people have been bragging about their ECs, and I just wondered what was considered average or a bit above average, so I could see if what I was doing beforehand is enough since I just recently wanted to become a dentist.

FOLLOW UP QUESTION::: Am I on track to having slightly above average ECs?

Here is what I have so far.....
-150+ hours as Nonprofit Liaison for this club that interacts with nonprofit (this was only freshmen year though since I did this through my school's honors college... and they only let you do one year).
-150+ hours as a free tutor for a disadvantaged child (this has also stopped to since he no longer needs me either)
-I work 25 hours a week for my mom as a daycare provider (this has been going on since I was 16, so I'm not going to attempt to calculate that time)
-And, I will have around 160 hours of shadowing/volunteering by end of May (all one gen dentist though... red flag?)
-I like arts and craft, but I don't do it for a specific organization, so does this count? I think it might just be a hobby....

I'm currently looking for a new volueenteering gig, but I'll probably something to do with kids since I prefer working with them rather than adults. Anyways, do you all think I'm on the right track?

Also, how important is research to schools. I rather spend this summer volunteering full time instead of doing research, but if research is another hoop to jump through to become a dentist then obviously I'll try to find something...

 

[FireandIce128]

All of it sounds great!
The tutoring is also a great example of a leadership EC.
Your amount of shadowing sounds good too, but let's see what others comment on one dentist. (I'm not shadowing that much more than one either.) But I don't see why that would be a big problem IMO.
Another tip is definitely continue with arts and crafts, especially since applications and possibly interviews will ask you about something relating to manual dexterity.

Good job!

 

[x0jessmariex3]

Ok, thanks! I was a bit curious, and both your replies helped a lot. I've been trying to do research on past threads to figure out my journey since all the pre-health advising sessions at my school are during my classes. After looking through many previous posts, many people have been bragging about their ECs, and I just wondered what was considered average or a bit above average, so I could see if what I was doing beforehand is enough since I just recently wanted to become a dentist.

FOLLOW UP QUESTION::: Am I on track to having slightly above average ECs?

Here is what I have so far.....
-150+ hours as Nonprofit Liaison for this club that interacts with nonprofit (this was only freshmen year though since I did this through my school's honors college... and they only let you do one year).
-150+ hours as a free tutor for a disadvantaged child (this has also stopped to since he no longer needs me either)
-I work 25 hours a week for my mom as a daycare provider (this has been going on since I was 16, so I'm not going to attempt to calculate that time)
-And, I will have around 160 hours of shadowing/volunteering by end of May (all one gen dentist though... red flag?)
-I like arts and craft, but I don't do it for a specific organization, so does this count? I think it might just be a hobby....

I'm currently looking for a new volueenteering gig, but I'll probably something to do with kids since I prefer working with them rather than adults. Anyways, do you all think I'm on the right track?

Also, how important is research to schools. I rather spend this summer volunteering full time instead of doing research, but if research is another hoop to jump through to become a dentist then obviously I'll try to find something...

So IMO, you are on a good track. I'm guessing you are in your second year of UG? Shadowing and volunteering and club hours you have are really good start, but continue to add more hours. The arts and crafts thing you can list under the manual dexterity part of the application rather than the ECs. Also, I'm not sure if they count hours done working for family members? I would ask about that. Research is important to some schools more than others. I had 0 listed research and volunteering hours and still received 8/10 interview invites. So research isn't required to enter DS. IMO it would have been really boring to do research, so I preferred gaining work experiences.

 

[x0jessmariex3]

Also I recommend to shadow more than one dentist not because it will look better on your application, but because dentists practice very differently (style wise, technology in their particular office, etc.) Its nice to see the field in different environments before you jump into it.

 

[SmileItsLife]

So IMO, you are on a good track. I'm guessing you are in your second year of UG? Shadowing and volunteering and club hours you have are really good start, but continue to add more hours. The arts and crafts thing you can list under the manual dexterity part of the application rather than the ECs. Also, I'm not sure if they count hours done working for family members? I would ask about that. Research is important to some schools more than others. I had 0 listed research and volunteering hours and still received 8/10 interview invites. So research isn't required to enter DS. IMO it would have been really boring to do research, so I preferred gaining work experiences.

Thank you for the advice! I am a sophomore BTW.... was it that obvious? I agree about the research thing. I'd rather do something where I get to talk to people, and although I know the gains we have made through research I can't seem to put myself to do it.

Also quick question- how did you get so many invites with 0 research and volunteering? I thought that schools liked to see one or the other at least. Anyways, thanks again for the advice.

 

[roy williams II]

Honestly, I would do research if you are interested in a school that focuses on it. Even if you aren't interested in partaking in research in dental school.
If you can, try to join an organization that shows you care about improving the university such as volunteering to tutor for a department. I was part of the Library Advisory Council where we met to discuss and take action in improving our library. It's great to show that you aren't just concerned about yourself when you're attending a university but also the university itself.

I had quite a bit of extracurriculars. If you'd like to hear more about what exactly I was involved in and where I received interview invites I'd be happy to give you some details.

 

[SmileItsLife]

Honestly, I would do research if you are interested in a school that focuses on it. Even if you aren't interested in partaking in research in dental school.
If you can, try to join an organization that shows you care about improving the university such as volunteering to tutor for a department. I was part of the Library Advisory Council where we met to discuss and take action in improving our library. It's great to show that you aren't just concerned about yourself when you're attending a university but also the university itself.

I had quite a bit of extracurriculars. If you'd like to hear more about what exactly I was involved in and where I received interview invites I'd be happy to give you some details.

Yes, I'm interested! Please let me know as much as you are willing.

 

[roy williams II]

I did research for a year and a half in a biophysical research lab. I started off as a volunteer but was then nominated for the University Assistantship program which paid me to do research. I also worked at a ballet school during their peak season.

I was apart of Circle K International, the world's largest service organization. I served as secretary, vice-president, and president.

I also had over 400+ hours of shadowing at 3 dental offices. In addition, I also volunteered at a low income dental clinic. I was able to do some assisting in each of these offices.

I then served as secretary and vice-president of my school's predental club.

In addition I was part of the student library advisory council, a psychology statistics tutor, and apart of the National Residence Hall Honorary.

Also - earning a University wide award is a big plus!

Let me know if you have any other questions!

 

[WheatLom]

The best EC is the one you are passionate about. One that you stuck with and enjoy.

 

[x0jessmariex3]

Thank you for the advice! I am a sophomore BTW.... was it that obvious? I agree about the research thing. I'd rather do something where I get to talk to people, and although I know the gains we have made through research I can't seem to put myself to do it.

Also quick question- how did you get so many invites with 0 research and volunteering? I thought that schools liked to see one or the other at least. Anyways, thanks again for the advice.

I also assumed schools wanted to see one or the other. Many people told me I had to do community service and research. I have a really strong GPA and over a year of experience working as a DA, which I think is what really sets me apart from other applicants. I'm also on the eboard of Pencils of Promise and pre-dental society at my UG and tutored GC. I was really surprised at the amount of invites I received mainly cause of my DAT score and lack of volunteering/research. Several schools in my interview said it was okay that I didn't have any because my work experiences made up for it. Some of the schools I got invites from are research heavy schools like Columbia and Penn. I think the DA position gives me a huge advantage though.

 

[x0jessmariex3]

I'm definitely not discouraging research. If there is some research that interests you, definitely get involved. Many schools brought it up in the interview. Its another awesome accomplishment to add to your application.

 

[deleted678432]

Is a leadership position (kind of like a camp counselor) at a leadership camp for high schoolers looked at the same as a leadership position of a club??


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[x0jessmariex3]

Is a leadership position (kind of like a camp counselor) at a leadership camp for high schoolers looked at the same as a leadership position of a club??


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

Any leadership position can be listed on the application. Sounds good to me!