Hi all! Any tips of how to get LOR???
Letters of Recommendation
- Thread starter syeh3
- Start date
Hey, it seems like you have a ton of basic questions about this whole pre-dental process. The people on this site are very helpful but I think you should first talk to an adviser at your school so you can get a grasp of what it all entails.
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I would think its pretty hard to find letters of recommendation at this point in the summer unless you went to a small school and knew the professors very well. At my university I usually had to meet with the professors and discuss it and some required me to fill out a whole application to get one. Then it usually took a couple of weeks for them to get them done.
Well I am a post bac student n sometimes went to my professors office hours. Do you think lab professors can write a good reccomendation letter?? I was thinking my physics lab professor n my orgo professor and a few dental chair people my family knows
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If your lab instructor was just a TA or graduate student you aren't supposed to use them but if they are actually a professor it should probably be okay.
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I don't know your exact situation but it sounds similar to me last year. I took the DAT last year and didn't score well at all but still applied and I wasn't very informed about the whole application process but applied to one school anyways kind of knowing I wouldn't get in. But this year I knew everything I had to do for the application and had it all done when the application opened. I still have to take the DAT in two weeks but I feel 100% more confident about my chances this year. If I were you I would think about waiting until next year to apply. Then you don't have to rush taking the DAT in 90 days and can relax for a little bit and work on your application for next year. Bulk up your shadowing hours and develop a relationship with a professor next year so they can write you a letter of recommendation and tell them about it well in advance. Then take the DAT whenever you are ready and I think you will be set.
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here is how I did it:
-updated my resume
-had a personal statement ready (wasn't the final draft at that time)
-had my disadvantaged applicant essay ready
-put all these in plastic folders along with information regarding how to submit your letters and the deadline
-shaved
-went to the professors' office hours and asked them nicely if they would be willing to write a letter for me
-some professionals weren't in my city so I emailed them and attached all the required documents
-I reminded them twice: 1 month before the deadline and 2 weeks before the deadline
-once the letter was received, I sent a thank you email
-updated my resume
-had a personal statement ready (wasn't the final draft at that time)
-had my disadvantaged applicant essay ready
-put all these in plastic folders along with information regarding how to submit your letters and the deadline
-shaved
-went to the professors' office hours and asked them nicely if they would be willing to write a letter for me
-some professionals weren't in my city so I emailed them and attached all the required documents
-I reminded them twice: 1 month before the deadline and 2 weeks before the deadline
-once the letter was received, I sent a thank you email
Thing is I don't want to reapply 
I already asked schools to send transcripts... Maybe if I just ask two professors for LOr and ask the surgeon I know to write me one lol. But yeah I'm calling manhasset dental clinic for volunteering. I'm always nervous about these things anyways bc I never had a good relationship with any science professors bc I found them to be more intimidating than my art ones
I already asked schools to send transcripts... Maybe if I just ask two professors for LOr and ask the surgeon I know to write me one lol. But yeah I'm calling manhasset dental clinic for volunteering. I'm always nervous about these things anyways bc I never had a good relationship with any science professors bc I found them to be more intimidating than my art ones@justin7w2011 hit the nail on the head. You certainly don't want to rush putting together the application! Even if you can piece together an application in the next few weeks, you want to make sure that it's strong. This means having good LORs from professors that know you well, having a solid personal statement that you've revised a handful of times, 75+ hours of shadowing, etc. Only YOU can gauge if you have a strong application. If you think a part of it is lacking, there's really no harm in applying next year instead after you've strengthened it. Otherwise, it's a lot of money down the drain.
