Are you looking for dental school application experiences examples? We’ve got you. We know that sometimes you need to look at great examples to get inspiration for your own, so we’ve put together a few for you to review. We’ve also included some additional information about the ADEA AADSAS experience section that you’ll definitely find helpful. Dental school acceptance rates are very competitive, so you will need to submit the most compelling application possible to get into your chosen dentistry program and learn how to become a dentist. If that’s what you’d like to do, then keep on reading.
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What is the dental school application experiences section?
The Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS) has a professional experience section where applicants get to enter all of their professional experiences, categorize them, and use descriptions to convey their key responsibilities at each position. This section acts the same way an MBA resume or a CV for grad school would, by giving the admissions board an overview of your professional background. There is no specific number of entries required, but there are limited numbers of entries allowed for each category. You are expected to enter any experiences that you find relevant to your application. It is also best to focus on experiences you gained during or after college/university.
Before we go any further, want to see what info you will need to include in your dental school application experiences section? Check out this infographic:
Dental school application experiences categories
Each experience must be categorized according to the six different categories within the ADEA AADSAS. These categories are standardized and rather general, so you can allow the nature of your experience to determine the category you choose for that experience. You should always review the information on the AADSAS experiences page, as it will have the latest detailed instructions on how to fill out each entry, and instructions for experiences that could potentially fit into multiple categories. In the meantime, let’s go over what you need to know about each category:
The content and format of the dental school application experience section
You can enter any experiences you find relevant to your application, though AADSAS recommends that you focus on experiences that took place at the collegiate level or after. You can only include experiences that are completed, current, or in progress. You may not add any experiences you have planned for the future but haven’t begun yet. That said, it’s worth noting that although you cannot edit an experience entry once the application has been submitted, you can add new experiences. This means that if you have opportunities that begin after the date you send in your application, you can come back and add them to your application. Furthermore, for experiences that will continue after you submit your application, you will need to note your expected time commitment in the role description.
Once you’ve entered all the information required for your experience entries, you will need to select six experiences as “Most Important Experiences”. You can select up to three professional experiences from one category. You do so by clicking on the star icon next to your chosen entries. These important entries will be displayed on your ADEA AADSAS application cover sheet, and then again in the body of the application, along with all the other experiences that you entered. This means that the experiences you select are the first ones seen by the admissions committees.
You should be very careful in selecting these experiences. You want to pay attention to formative experiences that reflect the key qualities expected of future healthcare professionals. The ADEA has stated that the best applicants have the potential to be caring, ethical, healthcare practitioners, so you want to select experiences that showcase your capabilities for compassion, understanding of ethics, and dedication.
For all of your entries, you will have to provide the following information:
You will have 600 characters (including spaces) for the role description of each entry. This should be a concise summary of your key responsibilities within that role. 600 characters is not a lot, so if there are specific experiences that were very formative for you, you can focus on describing your responsibilities in the description and then elaborate on how the experience helped you grow in your dental school personal statement. The aim is to give the admissions committee a better idea of the position you held. They want to know what exactly you did during this experience and how it may have contributed to your growth and development as an aspiring dental professional.
Interested in hearing 2 dental school personal statement examples to help you get started? Take a look at this video:
If you did not have a specific title for your given role, you can enter the type of activity you performed, such as dentist shadow or shelter volunteer. If you had an experience with no supervisor or that was student-led, you may list a member of the organization or another student who participated in the experience so that they can verify your participation.
TIP: We recommend keeping track of the information listed above in a list or spreadsheet throughout undergraduate studies or as you acquire these experiences. You can even write out your role descriptions early on and edit them closer to your application date. This way, when you are ready to apply, you will simply need to copy and paste. Furthermore, these experiences sometimes come up in dental school interview questions, so having this information to look through and review can be very helpful.
Worried about the interview? These are 5 of the hardest dental school interview questions you will likely face along with expert answers:
Dental school application experiences examples
To put this in context for you and give you an idea of what your role descriptions should look like, here are a few examples of dental school application experience entries:
Dental school application experience example #1 (academic enrichment programs):
Organization: University of X
Supervisor: Jonathan Smith, MD
Dates of the experience: June 20xx to august 20xx
Title: University of X Summer Health Professions Enrichment Initiative
Average weekly hours: 30
Role description: The University of X Summer Health Professions Enrichment Initiative is a six-week program that is dedicated to helping promising students prepare for their future careers as health professionals. During my time in the program, I took the following courses: Ethics and Disparities/Health Policy, Cultural Competency, and Introduction to Interprofessional Practice. I also attended several Health & Wellness Seminars and a seminar on healthcare responsibility.
Dental school application experience example #2 (dentistry experience):
Organization: Fresh Dental Clinic XYZ
Supervisor: John Doe, DMD
Dates of the experience: Sept 15 to Sept 30, 20xx
Title: Shadowing
Average weekly hours: 20
Role description: For two weeks, I observed a few dental procedures and learned about the different aspects of running a dental office. I observed routine preventive procedures such as cleanings. I also observed fillings, root canals, and the placement of a crown. Additionally, I assisted with the sterilization of dental instruments, taking X-rays, and I was the only student in the shadowing program selected to explain a procedure to a patient.
Dental school application experience example #3 (extracurricular activities):
Organization: University of ABC Student Union
Supervisor: N/A, student-led program
Dates of the experience: Sept 20xx to present
Title: ABC student union treasurer
Average weekly hours: 15
Role description: As an elected member of the ABC university student union, I do not have a specific supervisor; however, you may contact the student union president Martha Kent ([email protected]), to inquire about my participation. As the treasurer, my responsibilities are to develop a budget for the different plans that the student union has for the school year and keep track of the finances. I have also been very instrumental in coming up with fundraising ideas and creative solutions that allow us to better the lives of all students on campus while staying within or under the budget.
Dental school application experience example #4 (work experience):
Organization: ABC University, faculty of biochemistry
Supervisor: Meredith Doe, PhD
Dates of the experience: Jan 20xx to March 20xx
Title: Research Assistant
Average weekly hours: 25
Role description: For a semester, I was lucky enough to work as a research assistant for Dr. Doe as she conducted a study for a drug that is currently still under development. My duties were very operational and administrative in nature, but they allowed me to learn a great deal about the scientific method and research ethics. I was responsible for updating records and handling samples. I was also in charge of presenting consent forms to participants and answering any questions they had about what to expect during their time in the lab.
Dental school application experience example #5 (volunteer experience):
Organization: Essentials on Wheels
Supervisor: Hannah Grey
Dates of the experience: Jan 20xx to Nov 20xx
Title: Fundraising Volunteer
Average weekly hours: 10
Role description: Essentials on wheels is a local organization that distributes personal care items such as toothpaste and toothbrushes, sanitizers, socks, tampons and pads, and other items of this nature to the homeless across the city of Xx. The public's generous donations provide most of the organization's funds, and as a fundraiser, my role was to secure those donations. That meant going door to door or cold calling people who had donated in the past to see if they were willing to help again. I was responsible for convincing them to contribute and taking their donation payments.
Dental school application experience example #6 (research experience):
Organization: University of ABC
Supervisor: Prof. Jane Doe
Dates of the experience: Sept 20xx to March 20xx
Title: Student
Average weekly hours: 15
Role description: During my senior year of university, I conducted a small study that aimed to find out if there was a correlation between depression in young students and a family history of mental illness. I conducted the study under the guidance of one of my professors. Still, I was responsible for constructing the surveys that the participants had to answer, interpreting and analyzing the quantitative and qualitative results, as well as presenting the results and findings in the form of a five-page research paper and power-point presentation.
Conclusion
Applying to dental school is a long and complicated process, but with the right tools - such as the help of a dental school admissions consultant, for example - it can be a lot easier to navigate. When it comes to entering your experiences on AADSAS, the key is to keep track of all the experiences you are gathering during your college or university years. Make sure you pay attention to the different experience categories and the skills & values that your chosen schools care about. If you follow the guidelines we've outlined above, you are already improving your chances of gaining admission to a dentistry program.
Looking for details on how the rest of the dental school application process will work? This video is for you:
FAQs
1. What is the dental school application experience section?
It is a section of the AADSAS that gives the admissions committee an overview of your professional background, kind of like a resume would.
2. What is AADSAS?
American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS) is a centralized application service for predental applicants created by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).
3. How many categories are there for dental school application experience?
There are six categories: academic enrichment, dental shadowing, employment, extracurricular activities, research, and volunteer positions.
4. What should I include in the dental school application experience section?
For each entry, you will need to include the name and address of the organization where the experience took place, the name and contact information of your supervisor, the dates of the experience, the title you held, average weekly hours, and a brief description your key responsibilities within the role.
5. How many entries do I need for dental school application experience?
There is no specific number of entries, but you should focus on relevant, recent experiences. Preferably those from your college/university years and after.
6. How should I select my ‘most important experiences’?
It would be best to select experiences that showcase the qualities that dental schools value. Try to pick out the experiences that show that you have compassion and that you are dedicated.
7. What if I didn't have a supervisor for one of my experiences?
If you did not have a supervisor or advisor, you could provide the name of another member of the organization who can confirm your participation.
8. Can anyone help me look over my dental school application experience entries?
A dental school advisor can help you write your descriptions in the most compelling way possible. They can also help you with the other components of your dental school application.
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