The relevance of dental health has become a more frequently discussed topic today. There is an increased level of consciousness among the public about oral hygiene and dental health. Surely, certified dental health professionals are and will be in high demand. If you are convinced to pursue a dentistry course from a reputed institute and prepare for admission, wait a minute. Have you prepared your dental school letters of recommendation? Because your hosting institute will be able to verify that you are the right candidate only based on how strongly your LOR endorses you. In this guide, we will help you understand and learn:
- What are letters of recommendation dental school?
- How to write and who should endorse it?
- Sample dental school letters of recommendation for review.
What Is a Letter of Recommendation for Dental School?
A recommendation letter or reference letter for dental school is an official letter sent to the admission officer of a dental school where you are applying for the dentistry program. The letter is typically written by a former professor, HOD or employer on behalf of you in a positive tone. It reassures the admission officer that you are a suitable candidate for the dentistry program.
Why Is a Letter of Recommendation for Dentistry So Significant?
Not having a genuine dental school letters of recommendation can even affect your admission prospects. Here are some reasons why this document is so important to have in your application bundle.
- It serves as an official endorsement of your application.
- It verifies the information in other documents. E.g.: SOP.
- It gives an outside perspective of you to the admission panel.
- It tells in what ways you fared better in comparison to your peers.
- It officially introduces you to the dental school.
Five Basic Questions to Help Write Profound Letters of Recommendation Dental School
Before starting to compose a dental school letter of recommendation for a student, get clarity on the following questions. This will help you write a clearer, more focused and more profound letter.
What is the nature of your relationship with the student and for how long have you associated with him or her?
Explain in what capacity you associated with the candidate and specify the duration.
Why do you think the candidate is cut out for a career in dentistry?
Write about the candidate’s suitability for dentistry. Mention examples in which you noticed the candidate’s strong motivation for this domain.
What are the skills and strengths that make the candidate fare well in dental care?
List down a few relevant skills and strengths with examples and contextual details to prove that the candidate is truly prepared for the program. Skills like attention to detail, scientific aptitude, problem-solving skills etc are ideal for dentists and thus good to add to the LOR.
What are the personal attributes that distinguish the candidate from others?
Mention a few personal attributes of the candidate such as his strong communication skills or kindness, and social commitment that both distinguish him from others and also give him a competitive edge.
Is there any area that you think the candidate may require improvement?
In addition to talking about the positives, mention one or two areas where the candidates can still improve as you have observed their potential in those areas.
What Do Dental Schools Look for In Letters of Recommendation?
- Accuracy: Every piece of information, as well as the way this info is presented, is accurate.
- Perfection: There is perfection in grammar, spelling, punctuation, structuring and formatting.
- Positivity: The LOR starts on a positive tone, maintains it throughout and ends positively.
- Contextual info: Candidate’s skills, achievements etc. are proven with contextual information.
- Compliances: The LOR has been written in compliance with institute guidelines.
What Is the Accepted LOR Length? What Format to Use? Some Useful Tips
Number of words | 400 - 500 words |
Number of characters | 2000 to 2500 |
Number of pages | 1 to 2 |
Number of paragraphs | 3 to 6 |
Font size | 12 Points |
Font style | Times New Roman/Arial/Helvetica |
Font colour | Black |
Margin | 1” at the top, bottom and both sides |
Get in touch with the dental school or refer to the admission guidelines to find out how many letters of recommendation for dental school you are supposed to include. You should also be able to learn how to submit letters of recommendation for dental school from the instructions given on the website.
Dental School Letters of Recommendation Examples
Time to review a sample. Go through the below-given sample dental school letters of recommendation.
Guidelines for Using Dental School Letters of Recommendation Examples
- Read at least two different samples and see how each of them differs in perspective, writing style and uniqueness.
- Learn how the introduction is framed, the main body is composed and the conclusion is drafted from the master in dentistry letter of recommendation example.
- Learn how the referee maintains a pleasant and enthusiastic tone from start to end and how that helps the reader develop a good impression of the candidate.
- Closely evaluate how different aspects of the candidate such as personal attributes, key skills and achievements are covered and shown with examples.
How to Write a Dental School Letter of Recommendation in Six Steps?
By following this six-step strategy, you can finish writing your LOR much easier.
Step 01
Read about the specific dentistry program that the student is applying to. This will help you figure out whether this candidate is cut out for the same.
Step 02
Collect relevant details from the candidate and see how that compares with the details you know about him/her.
Step 03
Start the letter with a proper salutation of the recipient. Introduce yourself in the first paragraph and show how strongly you recommend him/her to the dentistry program.
Step 04
Speak about specific aspects of the candidate in each body paragraph. E.g.: Para 1 – academic excellence, para 2 – personal attributes, para 3 – competitive edge etc.
Step 05
Conclude the letter by strongly reiterating the candidate’s suitability for the dentistry course, showing that you are ready to be contacted and with your contact details.
Step 06
Proofread the letter carefully and eliminate all mistakes in it. Also, ensure that it is correctly formatted. Follow the submission guidelines and submit it accordingly.
Who Has the Standing to Author My Dental School Recommendation Letter?
Given that dentistry LOR is a high value document, it is important to choose the right individual to author it. The reputation and the standing of the writer will have a strong impact on your admission. Here are some common choices.
Academic instructor: A teacher or professor or HOD (Head of the department) of your previous academic program can write an LOR for you.
Mentor: If you have worked or volunteered somewhere in a healthcare setting, your mentor there can talk about your suitability for the master of dental care program.
Community leaders: Any community leaders with whom you have a strong connection or who know you personally can write on behalf of you to recommend you to the dental school course.
When you are required to produce multiple LORs, for instance, up to three, it is recommended to choose diverse individuals to author your LOR. You can consider your co-workers, colleagues, supervisors, advisors, employers etc for it.
Pre-Completion Checklist to Validate Your Letter of Recommendation Dental School
Go ahead and submit your dental school letters of recommendation if it ticks the below checkboxes.
- My LOR has been written by an authorized individual.
- My LOR is straight-to-the-point, easy to read and understand.
- My LOR has been supplied with sufficient contextual data and evidence
- My LOR has a powerful introduction and a reiterating conclusion
- My LOR is free from grammatical mistakes, spelling errors and incorrect punctuation.
- My LOR contains the willingness of the referee to be contacted for verification and the full contact details for the same
Dos and Don’ts to Follow While Writing Letters of Recommendation for Dental School
Dos
- Agree to write the LOR only if you genuinely support the candidate.
- Mention the relevant academic skills that would help the candidate fare well in dental school.
- Write a customized LOR for the particular candidate.
- Keep the letter both professional and formal.
- Highlight examples that show the candidate’s potential to succeed in the dental health domain.
Don’ts
- Modify or copy an existing sample dental school letters of recommendation
- Write the LOR in a hurry. If you are busy, politely decline the request to write the LOR.
- Focus only on academic excellence; cover character, potential to succeed etc.
- Mention anything that would make the selectors doubt the candidate’s eligibility.
- Let your prejudices or biases impact the writing of the LOR.
Conclusion
Did you find our guide on how to write dental school letters of recommendation helpful?
We are excited to know how much it helped you and how we can still improve it so as to help you better.
Remember that with a powerful LOR in your application, you can approach your admission formalities more confidently.
Let us know your feedback and suggestions in the comments below.
