- There is no minimum requirement for dental experience for admission into UFCD, however, check entering class stats to review dental experience hours for competitive applicants.
- Become familiar with the dental profession through shadowing or working in the dental environment and doing your own research.
- Develop time-management skills. Obtain some dental experience during breaks from school and holidays for more efficient use of time.
- In-person and hands-on experiences, such as working as a dental assistant or in a dental laboratory, can be more beneficial for learning about dentistry and for building hand skills. Virtual shadowing and videos can be a good secondary source of information about the dental profession.
- Engage in activities that improve fine motor skills, such as making jewelry, drawing, woodworking, sculpting, sewing, needlework or tying knots. Working on fine motor skills is important to determine whether you would enjoy a profession where working with your hands is the primary activity. ADEA GoDental Manual Dexterity webpage.
- Ask practicing dentists good questions, read about national issues in dentistry and visit the ADEA AADSAS website to learn if dentistry might be a good fit for you.
- Get most of your experience through opportunities in general dentistry. Some experience in the specialties is also valuable, but not necessary. Although you may be interested in a dental specialty, to be a competitive UFCD applicant, you must be able to demonstrate substantial knowledge in general dentistry.
- Clinical experience in an underserved area or clinic is encouraged to provide a broader perspective on the dental needs of the general population.
- It is a good idea to enter the date, location, number of hours, specific activities and insights into all dental experiences into a journal for documentation and inspiration. Referring to the journal while completing the AADSAS application, writing the personal statement and preparing for the interview can be extremely helpful.
- Most importantly, don’t just “check off the box of dental experience” by concentrating on the number of hours. Instead, use the time to be introspective on whether the professional fits your personality and attributes. Always ask yourself the question, “How is this experience going to help me learn to be a better dental student and dentist?”
- In the personal statement, describe the unique journey that started your interest and connection to dentistry. Include a brief description of the factors and life experiences that influenced you and made you who you are. Be concise and use proper grammar and spelling. Don’t get bogged down with flowery language and big words that you don’t usually use in conversation. This is distracting to the reader. Be true to yourself, be genuine and write from the heart. You must be the sole author of your personal statement; however, you may ask others to read it for advice on how to make it more readable. Check the ADEA website for helpful ideas.
- When reporting dental experiences on the application, make sure you are accurate. These experiences can be recorded under several different headings such as dental experience, shadowing, work experience or volunteerism. Do the best that you can when reporting experiences in the proper category, using ADEA AADSAS guidelines, but remember that UFCD will holistically review all information in all areas of the application.
- If you are considering a dental service trip, adhere to the ethical guidelines set forth by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). Familiarize yourself with these standards in maintaining professionalism and integrity during your service experience.
- When recording a date range for each experience on your ADEA AADSAS application, UFCD discourages and will not consider the hours that are projected into the future.