This article includes a section for dental applicants.
Overview
School admissions will usually ask applicants to provide Letters of Recommendation (LORs) to help verify and elaborate on an applicant’s skills and potential. You might see LORs also referred to as Recommendation Letters or Reference Letters.
Admissions typically ask for three letters from each student. The reference letters are also frequently needed when applying for long-term jobs.
Choosing an Evaluator (Reference)
Before doing anything else, you should decide on specific people to write your LORs. You should know these individuals personally. You should also have worked with them in an academic or professional setting. It is best to choose a reference who knows you well and admires your abilities. That way, they will have enough to say about your productive qualities and potential.
Questions to ask yourself when making your selection
- Have you worked directly with the evaluator?
- Does the evaluator know your skills and achievements?
- Can the evaluator provide specific examples of your strengths and work ethic?
- Is the evaluator likely to offer positive feedback about you?
Answering “yes” to these questions about a possible reference means they are a good selection.
Your next step would be to reach out to this person requesting an LOR from them. Once you have done this, repeat the process according to the number of LORs your institution requires for your application.
Timing
You should try to obtain these documents for your school during the application process and well in advance of the application deadline.
It is best to request your LORs from desired references in a timely manner. Evaluators need ample time to gather their thoughts and to submit the letters electronically to your school before the deadline. Additionally, giving your evaluators sufficient time to write your LORs will result in more comprehensive feedback, as they will not feel rushed.
Guidelines
LOR requirements will vary across different institutions. Some will require more letters than others. However, for the most part, what should be contained within LORs remains consistent.
Specifics
One of the most important components of writing an LOR is printing it on the official letterhead of the school with which the reference is affiliated. References should indicate their name, title, contact information, the date, and other relevant information. They should also include a valediction, or letter closing, followed by their signature on the bottom left of the page.
Throughout the LOR, evaluators should opt to use strong verbs and vocabulary to emphasize your qualities. Finally, LORs should not be any longer than a single page, so it is important to keep the writing concise while also making sure to elaborate where necessary.
What to Include in recommendation letters
Evaluators should begin LORs with an introduction and statement of recommendation. They should also mention how they know you, for how long, and to what capacity before evaluating your performance. They must list specific reasons and evidence for why you are a good fit for the school. Noting a personal story or experience they have had with you would be helpful. Lastly, they should include your skills and attributes throughout the document.
Upon completing the body of the paper, references should end with a closing statement, reiterating why you deserve acceptance into the school. Following this, they should include a signature. We recommend the letter be submitted electronically in PDF format by the reference themselves.
LOR for Dental Applicants
You have to provide three reference letters with your CAAPID application. The requirement for the ADEA CAAPID application is to provide one letter from the dean of the dental school where you earned your degree. There are a few dental schools that ask to submit recommendation letters directly to them outside of CAAPID. They may have different requirements and may accept letters from other dental school professors or administrators.
Some dental schools may give you the option of providing additional recommendation letters as well. While this is optional, we encourage applicants to attach extra letters from shadowing dentists or community service leaders, as these are important to establishing yourself as a well-rounded candidate.
Evaluators
While every case is different, we recommend providing one reference letter from the faculty member you had research or clinical experience with and one recommendation letter from a dentist in the US/Canada that you shadowed or assisted.
Submission
You can submit your CAAPID while the evaluators are still working on your letters of recommendation. However, the CAAPID application remains incomplete. While schools have access to your CAAPID, they may refuse reviewing the incomplete applications. Therefore, we recommend applicants submit the CAAPID application after evaluators complete their part. This is another reason why you should request your LORs well in advance of the application deadline.
Get Assistance
While obtaining and submitting these documents can be difficult, ApplyGround specializes in assisting students with just these tasks. You may contact us with any questions and for help completing the steps necessary to get your LORs done and on time.
