Strong dental school letters of recommendation can really help you stand out among the crowd, as dental school acceptance rates are highly competitive. In this blog, we include three killer dental school letter of recommendation samples and outline what you can do to help your writers prepare your reference for the dental school application process .
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A dental school recommendation letter, also known as a letter of evaluation, provides an objective assessment of your suitability for dental school, typically written by authority figures who know you professionally; whether they are a dentist you’ve shadowed or worked with, a research supervisor, or anybody else in a professional setting. It's crucial to cultivate positive relationships with these individuals early on.
For applications to dental schools in Canada and the US, typically three recommendation letters are required, but ADEA AADSAS allows up to four. The ideal length for a dental school letter of recommendation is one page . One page should be sufficient enough to provide concise details about your suitability for dental school.
A word of advice: When applying through AADSAS, consider waiving your right to view recommendations to ensure the objectivity and integrity of your recommendation letters. It might be tempting to review the letters before submitting, but we don’t encourage this.
You can also check in with a dental school advisor to learn the optimal number of letters of recommendation for your application. They may be able to suggest the best possible writers as well:
…And, even if you feel confident with this step, a consultant can help you with other portions of your application! The process of applying to dental school, including dental school interviews , MMI and CASPer prep , is a gruelling one. Working with a professional can make all the difference:
If you are at the stage of collecting information about a letter of recommendation for dental school, chances are that you have gone from wondering how to become a dentist to how to prepare your dental school application correctly. To understand how you can get strong dental school letters of recommendation, you must know why they are required:
A dental school letter of recommendation should include the following information:
Typically, three letters of recommendation are required for dental school unless otherwise specified in the requirements by individual dental schools.
2. How long should a dental school letter of recommendation be?
A dental school letter of recommendation should be one page long, or approximately 500-700 words.
3. What should a dental school letter of recommendation include?
A dental school letter of recommendation should include the recommending person’s opinion about your skills, character, and suitability for dental school. The narrative should be based on their personal experiences with you.
4. How to submit dental school letters of recommendation?
You can directly submit your letter of recommendation through the AADSAS portal when your application opens up. If you are applying to schools that do not use AADSAS, you will need to submit your letters to each school separately.
5. Can I submit an AADSAS application without a letter of recommendation?
You can submit your AADSAS application without letters of recommendation. These can come in later. But your application will not be considered by dental schools unless all components are submitted.
6. Who should write me a dental school letter of recommendation?
Choose writers with whom you have worked for extended periods of time and who have expressed support and enthusiasm regarding your skills and abilities.
7. When to ask for a letter of recommendation?
Make sure that you are providing at least 6-8 weeks to the people who are writing you letters of recommendation. They can only submit the letter of recommendation once your application opens up, so talk to them in advance regarding this.
8. Should I submit new letters of recommendation if I re-apply?
Yes, you are required to submit updated letters of recommendation if you are re-applying for a dental school.
9. Can I read my letters of recommendation before the writers submit them?
You have the option to take a look at your dental school when your dental school letters of recommendation are submitted via the AADSAS portal. However, not viewing your letters of evaluation is a better option because the this will be considered honest by the dental schools you are applying to.
