Applying with No letter from DDS

[JayMiranti]

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except from my grandfather, who kind of doesnt count, is this bad??

 

[sdnmember]

a letter from a dentist isn't required. many schools just watn recmomendations from science professors.

 

[blankguy]

But how helpful would such a letter be if one had one?

 

[3rdMolarRoller]

When you buy $20 worth of food at the store, the cashier doesn't care if you use two $10 or four $5...as long as you pay and its USA bills.

Just follow the rules. If the school says three letters from science prof, then you give them those. If they say two letters from science prof and one from dentist, then give them that. If they say two science prof and one of choice, then it doesn't matter who the third is, but a dentist may be helpful to show you really have interest in the field but not necessary. I didn't have a letter from a dentist and got into the schools I interviewed.

 

[NCSMILES]

When you buy $20 worth of food at the store, the cashier doesn't care if you use two $10 or four $5...as long as you pay and its USA bills.

Just follow the rules. If the school says three letters from science prof, then you give them those. If they say two letters from science prof and one from dentist, then give them that. If they say two science prof and one of choice, then it doesn't matter who the third is, but a dentist may be helpful to show you really have interest in the field but not necessary. I didn't have a letter from a dentist and got into the schools I interviewed.

Great analogy here!

 

[JayMiranti]

do any schools REQUIRE letters from a dentist?

 

[The Musketeer]

do any schools REQUIRE letters from a dentist?

I know UDM does....

 

[SillyRabbit]

I didnt' have any LORs from dentists and it was just fine.

 

[Woodsy]

me too, no letters. Dont' worry.

 

[Bickle]

do any schools REQUIRE letters from a dentist?

Tufts wants a letter from a dentist stating that you have completed 30 hrs of shadowing.

 

[Slain]

Baylor also requires one from a dentist

 

[tatadds]

So does UNLV

 

[JayMiranti]

so how weak is it to have my grandfather as the dentist, even if he said i completed like 100 hours or whatever, which i have, just cuz its my grandfather is that not kosher?

 

[jes1ca]

I know Tufts requires a letter from a dentist that you have at least 30 hours of shadowing experience with. I didn't know that until I actually interviewed there. Otherwise, I didn't have a LOR from a dentist.

Jessica

 

[Calculus1]

The only time a letter from a dentist can HELP your cause, is if it is from someone on the board, or a former dean. Short of that, a random(to the school you're applying to) GP will only fill the requirement and won't sway the decision either way. Like Slain said, Baylor requires it and there are a lot of people that go to school there that aren't from Dallas. These other people have to get their letters from dentists in their town/city that the adcoms at Baylor aren't necessarily going to have a clue about. As a result they can't weigh my letter more than theirs just because my dentist went to Baylor etc. (wouldn't be fair).

 

[larryphrank]

Some schools like to see that the profession is being continued within the generations of a family. I dont think it would hurt to have something like this. But, realistically, their main concern is to accept someone who can succesfully complete 4 years. Each student they accept is an investment for them. They over-accept to accomodate those who will drop out.... If they lose more than they expected, thats $$$ income they wont recieve. So getting back to the point, as mentioned above, ifthe school requires it , send it to them. If they dont, still send it. Most importantly are your grades and ability to make it through 4 uears of torture.

larry

 

[NCSMILES]

except from my grandfather, who kind of doesnt count, is this bad??

To the OP:

Aside from meeting a specific requirement of a particular school, it is absolutely not necessary to have a letter from a DDS to get into D-school.

As I have mentioned in other posts, IMHO the letters and essays mean very little to whether you actually get accepted. Yes, they are important in that you must do them to complete the application process.

However, the key to acceptance in D-school is numbers and nothing more. You need to have a good GPA and competitive DAT scores. Once those are in line, when you get an interview you need to go in and knock it out and you will get accepted somewhere.

Bottom line: Not having a letter from a DDS will likely not keep you out of D-school if you have all the other necessary requirements

 

[Mithridates]

NCSmiles is right: you don't need a letter from a dentist unless that school specifically requires it. I got four profs and one former employer and it was just fine. Some schools vaguely state that they want proof you've done so many hours of observing, but my dad's a dentist and I didn't think I had to prove anything to them - kinda like your situation. Detroit Mercy specifically asked for a letter, and as dumb as it sounds, I got my dad to type me a letter (sent only to detroit). How stupid is that?!! But whatever, as long as it gets that requirement checked off you're golden - I got in there. I dunno about Tufts though: I declined their interview. Best of luck.