Dental schools are seeking applicants who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to serving others. If you plan to apply to dental school, you should gain experience serving your local community through volunteer activities. There is no list of preferred activities, but activities through which you develop your interpersonal and communication skills and work with people from a wide variety of backgrounds are especially relevant.
When you are preparing to apply for admission, dental schools will be interested to know the following: What did you gain through volunteering? How did volunteering change you? Why was the experience important or meaningful to you?
Volunteering in Bloomington #
A central location for volunteering activities in the Bloomington Community can be found on the Bloomington Volunteer Network (https://bloomington.in.gov/volunteer). There are also a number of student organizations actively focused on community service in Bloomington, and you can locate these through beINvolved (https://beinvolved.indiana.edu/). There are two student organizations dedicated to helping students who are preparing for dental school, Dental Club and The Pre-Dental Society.
Volunteering and academics #
You are encouraged to participate actively, but not to become so involved that your academic performance suffers. An extensive list of community service activities cannot overcome a weak academic performance when you are applying.