Dentist does not want to write me a LOR and I'm applying this cycle.

[alexamasan]

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I've been volunteering at a dental clinic for quite some time now. I worked with a dentist there for the first 4 and a half months I worked there. I sunctioned blood and saliva, writing down treatment procedures on the patient's chart, and sometimes I just shadowed her. Sadly though, for the past semester, I have only been able to volunteer on the days where she or any other dentist did not work.

Even though it has been a while since the last time I've seen her, I asked her if she would write me a letter of recommendation. She said no because she felt it had been too long since I've worked with her. So recently, (now that my exams are over), I have been volunteering on the days she is working and I am helping her out like I did before. I asked her again today and she again just said she didn't feel comfortable writing me a letter.

At this clinic I work at, after volunteering for a certain about of hours, the supervisor of the clinic (who is not a DDS) writes you a letter of recommendation. The dentists usually do not. So the reason she doesn't want to write may simply be because it's not really one of her duties at the free clinic (she volunteers there, so she doesn't get paid for her work). Or perhaps she simply doesn't like to write letters.

So there's my situation and I have to shadow another dentist when I get back and get him/her to write me a letter of recommendation before I can applications are sent this summer. Sigh, my exams were already stressing me out, and now that they're done, I need to start all over again with a new dentist.

 

[kkmaths90]

That's sad to hear but I say apply to the school that don't require dentist letters. I am sure there are few like that. If you are lucky then you can get in without LOR from a dentist. With that also look for a new dentist and keep up with that also for next cycle.

check this website out:

http://predents.com

I am sure you know about it but from their go to each dental schools and check out their Letter of evaluation requirements. See who needs letter from dentist and who doesn't.

 

[erk005]

"also look for a new dentist and keep up with that also for next cycle."

I think you should shadow a different dentist and ask for a LOR before June. You could easily get to know a dentist in 50-100 hours and those hours are doable before June 3. If a dentist does not want to write a LOR for you, you probably do not want a LOR from that dentist.

 

[DrDDSman]

I think you should shadow a different dentist and ask for a LOR before June. You could easily get to know a dentist in 50-100 hours and those hours are doable before June 3. If a dentist does not want to write a LOR for you, you probably do not want a LOR from that dentist.

50-100 by June 3? Thats a lot more than you think. Its even at full time shadowing thats 1.5-2.5 weeks of shadowing. I think 20 hours would be sufficient at a new dentist. LORs arent needed by June 3rd to processes your app, but the earlier the better

 

[erk005]

yes 50-100 hrs is a lot, and you could probably get to know a dentist well enough in 20. As long as you have over 100 total shadowing hours I think that covers the minimum requirement for all dental schools.

I shadowed 30+ hours a week for an entire summer, and it is a LOT of shadowing.

DrDDSman: So you can submit your app with no LORs, you just get them in ASAP? Do you know if schools review your app w/o LORs?

 

[doc toothache]

Oh wait. You ask the practitioner to shadow and then you expect him/her to write you a letter of recommendation?

 

[anschutz1913]

Oh wait. You ask the practitioner to shadow and then you expect him/her to write you a letter of recommendation?

yeah, what doc said....take the hint and find a different spot to shadow....shadow for like 3 days in row, maybe 15hrs total. The other dentist is hinting that from what she's seen, a strong, positive letter wouldn't be easy to write. Did you get in the way, offend, do some unprofessional stuff, or is the dentist just too busy?

 

[anonymousername]

That's sad to hear but I say apply to the school that don't require dentist letters. I am sure there are few like that. If you are lucky then you can get in without LOR from a dentist. With that also look for a new dentist and keep up with that also for next cycle.

check this website out:

http://predents.com

I am sure you know about it but from their go to each dental schools and check out their Letter of evaluation requirements. See who needs letter from dentist and who doesn't.

This is terrible advice. The goal should be to get accepted during this cycle, I agree w/ the other guy...pack in as many hrs as you can @ a GP's and make sure that they know you'll be asking for a LOR.

 

[DrDDSman]

yes 50-100 hrs is a lot, and you could probably get to know a dentist well enough in 20. As long as you have over 100 total shadowing hours I think that covers the minimum requirement for all dental schools.

I shadowed 30+ hours a week for an entire summer, and it is a LOT of shadowing.

DrDDSman: So you can submit your app with no LORs, you just get them in ASAP? Do you know if schools review your app w/o LORs?

Yes since there is a lag period in the time it takes AADSAS to verify your application. And some schools will review your app (and even offer interviews) without LORs, depending on your GPA/DAT. Others wont touch it unless its all there.

 

[Palmetto914]

Yes since there is a lag period in the time it takes AADSAS to verify your application. And some schools will review your app (and even offer interviews) without LORs, depending on your GPA/DAT. Others wont touch it unless its all there.

Um, why not just see if she's cool with you writing it and her proof-reading and signing it? That way she has minimal work to do while still having the opportunity to change some things, and you get it to say what you want.

 

[cmonster11]

If she's doesn't want to write a letter but you ended up with one from her anyway, I doubt you'd want the dental schools to read it. Chalk your time up to shadowing hours and move on to a different dentist. Be grateful she told you no instead of agreeing and writing a horrible letter.

 

[judottt]

Does the doctor have to write it himself/herself? The office manager wrote mine, the doctor just signed it. Are you sure the doctor won't just end up signing the paper? Or does it matter if it is signed by the doctor, as long as it is coming from the dental office?

 

[StirrinIt]

Does the doctor have to write it himself/herself? The office manager wrote mine, the doctor just signed it. Are you sure the doctor won't just end up signing the paper? Or does it matter if it is signed by the doctor, as long as it is coming from the dental office?

Agreed, ask her if she's comfortably just signing along with the supervisor of the clinic...

And again, doc toothache, thanks for your cynical chime in. we are humbled to your superiority.

 

[alexamasan]

Thanks for the very nice input guys, let me tell you more on the situation.

When the dentist said no to writing a letter, I just got a vibe that it was simply because she genuinely either did not feel like she knew me well enough (even though I've spent much time working with her, though it was a while ago, I did work with her for the past few days), or she didn't feel confident enough that she would be able to write a good enough letter.

I never did anything rude or unprofessional at the clinic that would dissuade her from writing the letter. If I did, the director or dental assistant/receptionist would have told me about it (since they are very good at noticing things and telling the person about it).

I don't think it would be a good idea for me to suggest to write a letter and have her sign it. Writing a letter yourself and having the dentist sign it is dishonesty in itself. However, if it was the dentist's idea, then it wouldn't be so bad because then both you and dentist are being dishonest and the dentist won't think any less of you since it was their idea. But if I suggest that plan though, I am showing my dishonesty to the dentist that I hope will recommend me to dental schools, and so he/she may think less of me after wards. So, in my opinion, suggesting that I write the letter and she sign wouldn't be a good idea. Though I do wonder if anyone else actually suggested that and got their dentist to sign it.

Lastly, the director of the clinic (the one who is writing me a letter, though she's not a dentist) told me herself that I shouldn't push the issue about writing the LOR with the dentist anymore. So I doubt the director would have the dentist sign the letter she wrote.

It is really depressing though, I worked at that clinic for a long while and I really did learn a lot there. I did get over 100 hours of volunteering there, so I'm good on the experience. You must understand that I can't help but feel a little down when I don't have any dentists writing me a LOR when the starting date of applications coming so soon.

Though it is depressing, I try to cope by thinking of what I should do at this point to get me into dental school. And by knowing what my next step is, that comforts me that I have a plan that will bring me closer to my goal of becoming a dentist. My plan B is to shadow a dentist when I get back home from college (this sunday). This dentist I shadowed for one day a few years ago (summer of my freshman year) and it was the first dental experience I ever had. Though it has been a while, she is a family friend, and hopefully she'll understand my situation and let me shadow her. I am taking 2 summer classes in the first session this summer though, so I won't be able to accumulate time with her as rapidly as I would like, but it's really the only choice I have at this point.

As for my school choice. I live in Virginia, so VCU is obviously my top choice as it is the only school in Virginia. Sadly, they require a LOR from a dentist, so I can only hope that the dentist back at home will let me shadow her and she doesn't send the LOR too late (if she writes a LOR at all). My second choice is UMD, which luckily does not require a LOR from a dentist, only problem is that it's out of state, and my parents can't afford to pay for that (which this problem is compounded by the fact they are also paying for my older brother's law school tuition). I would have to take out some kind of loan if I go to any out of state school (which I'm sure is doable as I think most people have to take out loans to pay for their schooling and at least mine will be partially paid for).

So there's my situation, hope is pretty much the only thing keeping me going at this point.

By the way, I'm just wondering if there is a faster way to find out if a school requires a LOR recommendation from a dentist. I've called all the other schools I'm applying to and sadly they require one from a dentist. Or if you guys can name a few that don't require a LOR from a dentist, that would be appreciated. But overall, I just still hope I'll be able to shadow, and then hope that she will be willing to write a letter, and then hope it won't be too late in the cycle when it gets processed.

 

[aries12r40]

Just a suggestion. Why don't you ask the dentist whether he/she would be willing to write you a LOR and submit it before the end of June when you ask to shadow. This way you don't waste your time ending up shadowing a dentist who is unwilling to write a LOR to start with. Also, try to ask dentist who are around your campus instead of relying on your family dentist. I am sure there are many nice dentists out there and you just need to spend some time visiting their offices to find out about the shadowing and LOR opportunities. Best of luck.

 

[mashinka]

can you write the letter yourself and just find a dentist to sign it? i think i'm gonna do that for one of my liberal arts LORs

 

[coin25]

Never ask a hesitant person to write you a LOR.

If they say that they cannot write for you - for whatever reason- you should appreciate that because otherwise they write something less than great. Anything weak, WILL hurt you.


So, look for someone else. You have time !

All the best

 

[Palmetto914]

I don't think it would be a good idea for me to suggest to write a letter and have her sign it. Writing a letter yourself and having the dentist sign it is dishonesty in itself. However, if it was the dentist's idea, then it wouldn't be so bad because then both you and dentist are being dishonest and the dentist won't think any less of you since it was their idea. But if I suggest that plan though, I am showing my dishonesty to the dentist that I hope will recommend me to dental schools, and so he/she may think less of me after wards. So, in my opinion, suggesting that I write the letter and she sign wouldn't be a good idea. Though I do wonder if anyone else actually suggested that and got their dentist to sign it.

...Every dentist I've talked to hinted at it. It's not dishonest. They have the opportunity to read it and suggest changes before signing it. By them signing it, they're saying this is what they want to say. A lot of people are simply not good with writing letters; it has nothing to do with whether or not they know you well enough...