Mother to write letter of Rec?

[Rook]

Hey All,

First off, my mom is dentist. I volunteered at her office for years now, and was wondering if it would be too weird to get a letter of rec from her? What do you guys think? Appreciate any advice/input!
THaks!!

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[Ronald Jeremy]

You've got to be kidding me. Yeah, have your mother write you a LOR. Maybe she could sit with you at your interview (if you get one) and answer all the questions for you!
It would be OK to mention your experience through your fam in a personal statement or talk about it at an interview. But having your mom write a letter! I'm sure everyone who will be applying in the same app cycle is like, "yeah, dude, go for it! Have your mommy write you a letter saying what a nice kid you are!" Best of luck!!

 

[Ronald Jeremy]

And-
I thought I would repeat myself. I meant to do that.

 

[Dr.Pain]

Hey All,

First off, my mom is dentist. I volunteered at her office for years now, and was wondering if it would be too weird to get a letter of rec from her? What do you guys think? Appreciate any advice/input!
THaks!!

I would have your mom write the letter. The adcomms have long days and nights, and are forced to make hundreds of stressful and painful decisions. Your mom's letter would be welcomed comic relief, as I'm sure it would be the funniest thing they would read that whole year.
For an added touch, when you interview, make sure you wear one of the sweaters she sewed for you. It will only enhance the letter.

 

[colt]

Your mom, she can write me a letter, not you. Thanks

 

[armorshell]

Don't listen to what everyone else is saying, a letter written by your mom would be completely professional and acceptable (I mean she's a full-fledged, board certified dentist just like any other that would write you a letter, right?)

Everyone in this thread but me is trying to steer you in the wrong direction because they want less competition for the application cycle, go ahead and have her write the letter.

 

[golfmontpoker]

Don't listen to what everyone else is saying, a letter written by your mom would be completely professional and acceptable (I mean she's a full-fledged, board certified dentist just like any other that would write you a letter, right?)

Everyone in this thread but me is trying to steer you in the wrong direction because they want less competition for the application cycle, go ahead and have her write the letter.

Have her write the letter!!

 

[whiskeysour]

Hey All,

First off, my mom is dentist. I volunteered at her office for years now, and was wondering if it would be too weird to get a letter of rec from her? What do you guys think? Appreciate any advice/input!
THaks!!

go ahead, dare you 🙂

 

[americanpierg]

hahahahhahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahaha

 

[HermeytheElf]

Hey All,

First off, my mom is dentist. I volunteered at her office for years now, and was wondering if it would be too weird to get a letter of rec from her? What do you guys think? Appreciate any advice/input!
THaks!!

To quote one of my professors: "Do I need to get out my "Stupid" stamp?"

 

[golfmontpoker]

To quote one of my professors: "Do I need to get out my "Stupid" stamp?"

 

[Arsenalista]

I wouldn't do it. My dad's an ortho, I wouldn't let him write me a letter of rec. It doesn't seem legit to have a family member write such an important LOR. It may not be worth your while as the adcoms might see label you as another "child-of-a-dentist" type. Just my two cents.

 

[Rook]

Whoa...
Well, first of all, This is not somehting out of the ordinary. Many Parents, Siblings (who are dentists), write letters of recommendation. They are professional, and not written in the manner that one would think...(My SON is the sweetest person ever...). I've emailed UCLA and SC and they say insight from a dentist (even a parent) is helpful. Having a parent that's a dentist shows that I know what I am getting myself, and a special insight into the field of dentistry as well as demonstrates the family's passion towards dentistry....With all that being said...I'm probably going to avoid sending one in...unless the school requires one from a dentist....I need all the edge I can get and don't want to potentially offend some admissions quack.
Thanks for the advice/criticism

 

[toothealer12]

Don't listen to anyone's negative comments. They probably would have wondered the same thing if they were in your position and were applying for the first time. There are some ppl that really aren't here to help anyone out. Anways.........about your question...I don't think it is even a possibility to have family members write LOR's. I thought I remembered seeing that somewhere, but I may be wrong. Do you have an academic advisor at school that you could ask?

edit: if it is possible for your parent to write one, it's an excellent idea

 

[Lilstar0024]

Dont listen to these guys. The are being plain rude. I had a friend who's dad was a dentist and he had spent years volunteering at his dad's office. His dad wrote him a letter of recommendation and my friend got accepted to his number 1 school. So go for it.

 

[HermeytheElf]

Dont listen to these guys. The are being plain rude. I had a friend who's dad was a dentist and he had spent years volunteering at his dad's office. His dad wrote him a letter of recommendation and my friend got accepted to his number 1 school. So go for it.

I don't think it will kill your chances to have a parent write your letter, but it definitely won't help you. I've spoken to the deans of admissions for two different dental schools and both emphasized that it was highly frowned upon to have a parent or relative write a letter of recommendation for you. But by all means go ahead and have your dad write your letter for you...your friend probably knows more about the admissions process than a dean of admissions.

My advice for the OP: Your dad probably has some dentist buddies who would love to help his kid get into school...go shadow one of them for a day and ask them to write you a letter. That's the way most of us dentist kids get our letters.

 

[hellOKiTTyrox]

To quote one of my professors: "Do I need to get out my "Stupid" stamp?"



I don't think it will kill your chances to have a parent write your letter, but it definitely won't help you. I've spoken to the deans of admissions for two different dental schools and both emphasized that it was highly frowned upon to have a parent or relative write a letter of recommendation for you. But by all means go ahead and have your dad write your letter for you...your friend probably knows more about the admissions process than a dean of admissions.

My advice for the OP: Your dad probably has some dentist buddies who would love to help his kid get into school...go shadow one of them for a day and ask them to write you a letter. That's the way most of us dentist kids get our letters.

ok ok wait wait just a second. So, does this mean that you've called deans to ask their opinion on your relatives writing you a LoR ? 😕

forgive me, I do not understand. 😳

 

[HermeytheElf]

ok ok wait wait just a second. So, does this mean that you've called deans to ask their opinion on your relatives writing you a LoR ? 😕

forgive me, I do not understand. 😳

No, I scheduled meetings with them during which the topic of my parents occupations came up(my father is a dentist). They both told me that it's not a good idea to have relatives write a letter for you and asked if any of my LORs were written by my dad (they weren't...I obtained my letter as described in my previous post).

 

[utahdent123]

ROOK, you always get crap for your posts. I think the posters have pretty much shot down the idea of having a parent right an LOR. I would agree, and in fact have heard many times that a letter from a parent is not looked upon favorably. But I think you could still use the fact that you have received more exposure to dentistry then most. Get your LOR's from your Professors, another dentist, and whatever else...and you should be okay. They want honest evaluations from people who know you, who they percieve have no bias. Your mom would have a biased opinion and so it doesn't work, oh well. 1000's of applicants get acceptances without a LOR from a parent and so will you. A huge advantage for you is the fact that when they ask you why you want to be a dentist you have enough exposure and probably have a better idea of a the life of a dentist then most other applicants. That's when your experiences will play to your favor. Good luck.

 

[McGill Graduate]

ROOK, you always get crap for your posts. I think the posters have pretty much shot down the idea of having a parent right an LOR. I would agree, and in fact have heard many times that a letter from a parent is not looked upon favorably. But I think you could still use the fact that you have received more exposure to dentistry then most. Get your LOR's from your Professors, another dentist, and whatever else...and you should be okay. They want honest evaluations from people who know you, who they percieve have no bias. Your mom would have a biased opinion and so it doesn't work, oh well. 1000's of applicants get acceptances without a LOR from a parent and so will you. A huge advantage for you is the fact that when they ask you why you want to be a dentist you have enough exposure and probably have a better idea of a the life of a dentist then most other applicants. That's when your experiences will play to your favor. Good luck.

DEFINATELY DO NOT HAVE YOUR MOM WRITE YOU A LOR. THAT IS ABOUT THE MOST UNPROFESSIONAL THING YOU CAN DO.

Isnt this obvious?

 

[Galen1]

If your mom has an associate working at the office, just get him or her to write it!

 

[fancymylotus]

Whoa...
Well, first of all, This is not somehting out of the ordinary. Many Parents, Siblings (who are dentists), write letters of recommendation. They are professional, and not written in the manner that one would think...(My SON is the sweetest person ever...). I've emailed UCLA and SC and they say insight from a dentist (even a parent) is helpful. Having a parent that's a dentist shows that I know what I am getting myself, and a special insight into the field of dentistry as well as demonstrates the family's passion towards dentistry....With all that being said...I'm probably going to avoid sending one in...unless the school requires one from a dentist....I need all the edge I can get and don't want to potentially offend some admissions quack.
Thanks for the advice/criticism

Don't listen to these people. If your dad is in private practice, he may have other dentists that work for him, or maybe even dentists that give him referrals, or he refers out to. You probably know one of these people better than the rest. Get THEM to write you an LOR.

 

[phraud]

Rook, pay no attention to the smart-a$$ comments. Everyone here should know that we're all here to help each other out. If people come to this forum to mooch advice, while ridiculing others with legit questions, then maybe their not-so-helpful character will show during interviews.

Hmm, I wonder if the people in admissions check out these forums to see what kind of applicants are applying to their schools. I read in the paper that a few colleges denied admissions to some applicants because they had creepy/distasteful/insulting MySpace or LiveJournal accounts.

Anyway, I wouldn't use a LOR from your mom. No matter how professional your work was with her, it's still going to come off as bias.

Man, I wish I could use a LOR from my mom. I'd come off as the nicest and sweetest boy, who always ate all of his food at dinner. Hmm, then again, I'd just come off as being chubby, now that I think about it. Darn!

 

[Drill2Fill]

Your mom doesn't have a colleague that knows you well enough to write one?

 

[drhobie7]

huge error in judgement

 

[aggie-master]

Your mom doesn't have a colleague that knows you well enough to write one?

I think you should try this route.

The Office of Professional Student Advising at my school strongly discourages getting letters from relatives. Obviously, they are not on admissions committees but their advice is intended to give us the best shot at being accepted into dental school.