WHY DO I NEED TO SHADOW IF I WANT TO BECOME A DENTIST?
Think back to when you were little and you went to the ice cream shop. You didn't know what the heck Cherry Garcia tasted like, but you thought it was pretty, so you asked for a sample. You wanted to get a taste (literally!) of the thing before you committed to it.
Well, that's the point of shadowing!
Why Shadowing is Important for a
Pre-Dental Student
Pre-Dental Student
Shadowing experiences are absolutely crucial for any pre-dental student because:
1. They are required by most (if not all) dental schools.
2. They allow you to determine if dentistry is really a field you want to enter for the rest of your life.
(If you refer back to my Medicine to Dentistry article, you'll see why I really stress trying on a profession before you commit yourself to it!)
3. It gives you awesome networking opportunities!
4. Eventually, you'll need to ask someone you shadowed for a letter of recommendation.
5. You will most definitely be asked what you learned during your shadowing experiences during your dental interview.
6. If for nothing else, talking to someone else who has been through your journey already can help propel you through your own!
1. They are required by most (if not all) dental schools.
2. They allow you to determine if dentistry is really a field you want to enter for the rest of your life.
(If you refer back to my Medicine to Dentistry article, you'll see why I really stress trying on a profession before you commit yourself to it!)
3. It gives you awesome networking opportunities!
4. Eventually, you'll need to ask someone you shadowed for a letter of recommendation.
5. You will most definitely be asked what you learned during your shadowing experiences during your dental interview.
6. If for nothing else, talking to someone else who has been through your journey already can help propel you through your own!
Why IS Shadowing Important for a
Dental Student?
Dental Student?
In short, shadowing a dentist allows you to observe the procedures as well as the lifestyle of the dentist. It gives you the opportunity to make sure that you know fully what this profession that you're interested in is really all about. Remember, the goal of shadowing in general is to determine which profession suits you for the rest of your professional life!
Shadowing is about putting yourself in the professional's shoes (or booties) in their natural environment to see if you like what they're doing everyday. Sure, you won't know everything that they're doing, and you can't really appreciate the skill and trade until you've done it firsthand. But it's a good way to determine if healthcare at large is for you, and which healthcare profession you like the most.
It makes sense, right? Better to gain a ton of exposure to the field of interest before committing time and lots of debt towards pursuing it.
Shadowing is about putting yourself in the professional's shoes (or booties) in their natural environment to see if you like what they're doing everyday. Sure, you won't know everything that they're doing, and you can't really appreciate the skill and trade until you've done it firsthand. But it's a good way to determine if healthcare at large is for you, and which healthcare profession you like the most.
It makes sense, right? Better to gain a ton of exposure to the field of interest before committing time and lots of debt towards pursuing it.
The Importance of Shadowing:
Completing the Primary and
Secondary applications
The applications for dental school (fondly referred to as the “primaries” and “secondaries”) will ask if you’ve had any shadowing experiences, who you shadowed, how many hours you spent shadowing at each office, and to briefly describe what you learned from the experience.
The real underlying reasons that you need to shadow:
1. To relay to dental schools HOW BADLY you want to be a dentist.
2. To convey to the schools HOW WELL you understand what it means to be a dentist.
1. To relay to dental schools HOW BADLY you want to be a dentist.
2. To convey to the schools HOW WELL you understand what it means to be a dentist.
Shadowing's Importance in the Primary Applications
Being the competitive applicant you are, you’re going to want to fill up the space they give you for this section. Shadowing is supposed to be the stress-free, enjoyable part of the journey (it’s less fun than watching Netflix, but hey, better than studying perceptual ability testing). So, why not get as much exposure as possible?
You should shadow more than one dentist and more than one speciality. There’s no magic formula (at least not one that I know yet) that predicts the number of hours you spend shadowing to how likely you’ll get accepted. That said, I would suggest spending as much time as you can shadowing fields you think you might be interested in.
*Side note: Each school has different requirements for the number of shadowing hours required. Be sure to call the admissions offices of the schools you want to apply to for the most accurate information.
Shadowing's Importance in the Secondary Applications
These are the applications that are specific to each school. The secondary applications allow schools to ask their own essay questions. The schools I applied to asked about my shadowing experience in a subtle way:
Being the competitive applicant you are, you’re going to want to fill up the space they give you for this section. Shadowing is supposed to be the stress-free, enjoyable part of the journey (it’s less fun than watching Netflix, but hey, better than studying perceptual ability testing). So, why not get as much exposure as possible?
You should shadow more than one dentist and more than one speciality. There’s no magic formula (at least not one that I know yet) that predicts the number of hours you spend shadowing to how likely you’ll get accepted. That said, I would suggest spending as much time as you can shadowing fields you think you might be interested in.
*Side note: Each school has different requirements for the number of shadowing hours required. Be sure to call the admissions offices of the schools you want to apply to for the most accurate information.
Shadowing's Importance in the Secondary Applications
These are the applications that are specific to each school. The secondary applications allow schools to ask their own essay questions. The schools I applied to asked about my shadowing experience in a subtle way:
What have you done to explore dentistry as a career?
This question is BEGGING you to talk about shadowing experiences (amongst other things). This is the perfect time to tell the Academic Committee about your shadowing.
Be sure to reflect on these, work them into your applications, and review them before Interview Day; I promise they’ll make you come across as a more genuine and better applicant.
My suggestion for keeping track of your shadowing opportunities: Keep a journal of who you shadowed, how many hours, and what you learned at each experience. This way, you can easily fill out the applications AND you will be able to share with your interviewer what you learned way back when!
Be sure to reflect on these, work them into your applications, and review them before Interview Day; I promise they’ll make you come across as a more genuine and better applicant.
My suggestion for keeping track of your shadowing opportunities: Keep a journal of who you shadowed, how many hours, and what you learned at each experience. This way, you can easily fill out the applications AND you will be able to share with your interviewer what you learned way back when!
The Importance of Shadowing:
Preparing for the Interview
It’s interview day: time to impress the Admissions Committee and convince to them that you want this more than anyone else in the room.
Remember all those hours you spent shadowing? Good, because now it’s time to tell your interviewers what you learned.
Since shadowing is considered an “experience,” it fits appropriately when the interviewer asks what experiences led you towards dentistry. Please talk about what it meant to you when the dentist you shadowed cared for an elderly patient who was scared of a procedure, or that really awesome thing you saw while you were shadowing.
They WANT to hear about this.
Helpful hints when talking about your shadowing experience:
2. Know the specifics about your time shadowing with each dentist.
(What speciality did they practice? Where is their practice? How many hours did you spend there?)
3. Make it personable. What did the experiences mean to you?
The important part is explaining how the experience IMPACTED you.
For example: You were impressed how the dentist stayed late to help the anxious patient through the procedure? I was too! Talk about how you also possess those same compassionate characteristics. Admired how the dentist took control of the surgery and thought on his/ her feet? Talk about how you do the same.
Bottom line: If you were impressed by a particular thing on your shadow day, think critically! Why did you admired that specific thing? When the time comes for the interview, tell the Committee what the experience meant to you.
Remember all those hours you spent shadowing? Good, because now it’s time to tell your interviewers what you learned.
Since shadowing is considered an “experience,” it fits appropriately when the interviewer asks what experiences led you towards dentistry. Please talk about what it meant to you when the dentist you shadowed cared for an elderly patient who was scared of a procedure, or that really awesome thing you saw while you were shadowing.
They WANT to hear about this.
Helpful hints when talking about your shadowing experience:
- Always be positive about the dentist you shadowed
2. Know the specifics about your time shadowing with each dentist.
(What speciality did they practice? Where is their practice? How many hours did you spend there?)
3. Make it personable. What did the experiences mean to you?
The important part is explaining how the experience IMPACTED you.
For example: You were impressed how the dentist stayed late to help the anxious patient through the procedure? I was too! Talk about how you also possess those same compassionate characteristics. Admired how the dentist took control of the surgery and thought on his/ her feet? Talk about how you do the same.
Bottom line: If you were impressed by a particular thing on your shadow day, think critically! Why did you admired that specific thing? When the time comes for the interview, tell the Committee what the experience meant to you.
looking for more helpful resources about shadowing?
Check out the following articles to get advice on:
What to Wear on Shadow Day, How to Ask the Dentist If You Can Shadow Them, and how to eventually
How To Ask for the Letter of Recommendation.
What to Wear on Shadow Day, How to Ask the Dentist If You Can Shadow Them, and how to eventually
How To Ask for the Letter of Recommendation.
Alright guys! Hope that was helpful! Check out the other links and I'll talk to you soon!