Getting a letter of recommendation from dentist.

[Svart Aske]

So I'm only going to apply to dental schools next year and I'm shadowing a dentist this Summer. Should I ask her for an LOR now before the Summer ends or would it be a better idea to call her closer to the opening of AADSAS? What is the process involved in sending LOR? I hear that there is a matching form that needs to be attached (by the person who wrote the recommendation) to the LOR before it can be sent to AADSAS, so if I do obtain the LOR now does that mean I have to go back next year and ask the dentist to attach the form? Thanks a lot for the help.

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[doc toothache]

So I'm only going to apply to dental schools next year and I'm shadowing a dentist this Summer. Should I ask her for an LOR now before the Summer ends or would it be a better idea to call her closer to the opening of AADSAS? What is the process involved in sending LOR? I hear that there is a matching form that needs to be attached (by the person who wrote the recommendation) to the LOR before it can be sent to AADSAS, so if I do obtain the LOR now does that mean I have to go back next year and ask the dentist to attach the form? Thanks a lot for the help.

Assuming you get a letter now, will you be placing it in a safe deposit box until next year?

 

[Svart Aske]

Yeah, that's mostly a non-issue. I just want to confirm that even if I do get the LOR now I'll eventually have to go back to the dentist to have her attach the form.

 

[MattEvers]

Yeah, that's mostly a non-issue. I just want to confirm that even if I do get the LOR now I'll eventually have to go back to the dentist to have her attach the form.

Do you want the date on the letter to be that far off from the time you apply? I would just let her know when you would need it done. That way, she can have ample time to finish it before it's due.

And yes, you would have to get a form to go with it or have it submitted online.

 

[rose786]

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[Svart Aske]

Do you want the date on the letter to be that far off from the time you apply? I would just let her know when you would need it done. That way, she can have ample time to finish it before it's due.

And yes, you would have to get a form to go with it or have it submitted online.

Thanks for the reply. So we're given the choice between mailing and submitting online? And does one submit the LOR online by scanning and uploading it?

A letter holding service like Interfolio could hold it for them for however long they need it. And the AADSAS matching form doesn't require the LOR writer's signature, only contact info. So technically one could get the lor, hold it using interfolio, then add the matching form later down the road. That's what I did and it worked out fine.

Yeah, the health committee at my school recommends Interfolio for pre-meds. I'm not sure how it works though, and in what way is it advantageous compared to just keeping a hard copy (and having photocopies)?

 

[rose786]

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[amalgamgrillz]

You can't keep a hard copy of the LOR. Schools prefer them to be confidential.

Why interfolio?
Long answer: You can resend lors without having to ask the person to make up a new one, you can hold them in case you reapply or need the letters for something else, and they have different options for mailing docs. I get emails whenever a document is received or sent out, which is nice.
Short answer: convenience.

if you reapply, are you allowed to re-use the same referee/same letter?

 

[rose786]

..

 

[Svart Aske]

You can't keep a hard copy of the LOR. Schools prefer them to be confidential.

Why interfolio?
Long answer: You can resend lors without having to ask the person to make up a new one, you can hold them in case you reapply or need the letters for something else, and they have different options for mailing docs. I get emails whenever a document is received or sent out, which is nice.
Short answer: convenience.

Thanks again. So unless I sign up with Interfolio, the best option seems to just get my evaluator to send the LOR after AADSAS opens next year.

 

[hookem224]

So I shadowed a dentist for over a year total before I asked her to write me a letter. I made sure it was not going to be generic. If I were you, I'd wait until the Dentist REALLY understands who you are. I actually didn't even ask my dentist for an application. She knew me so well by this past spring she asked me one day "when's the rec letter due and where do I send it?" Maybe I took a huge chance by not asking her, but at least by the time it came around, I had a VERY nice personalized letter (from what she tells me at least, of course I waived my right to see it).

In your case, I wouldn't ask right now. I think it would be awkward.

 

[MattEvers]

Thanks for the reply. So we're given the choice between mailing and submitting online? And does one submit the LOR online by scanning and uploading it?

That is taken care of on the submitter's end. But I think one of mine said it can be uploaded as a .doc or .pdf.

 

[klpennin]

Have you thought about doing a committee letter? If you are doing a committee letter at your school, you can have the dentist write it, and send it to your school, and they will keep it in your file, and use it for the committee letter, and send it to the application service too. If you want a committee letter, you should contact your school's HPAC asap to find out the procedures.