Out of school for 2 years, LOR problems?

[mdr8]

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So I have been out of school now for 2 years and am recently contemplating dental school. How should I go about getting LOR's if my professors probably won't even remember who I am?

 

[Impulse155]

So I have been out of school now for 2 years and am recently contemplating dental school. How should I go about getting LOR's if my professors probably won't even remember who I am?

Were there any classes that you TA'ed back when you were in school. Otherwise you might have to take 2 classes so that you canget to know the professor. Obviously make sure you do well in them lol

 

[mdr8]

Were there any classes that you TA'ed back when you were in school. Otherwise you might have to take 2 classes so that you canget to know the professor. Obviously make sure you do well in them lol

No I didn't TA any classes when I was back in school. Spend over a grand per course for two courses just to get two letters of rec? Is that really what most people in my scenario do?

 

[UBDent19]

One of my LORs was from 10 yrs ago.

 

[quillow]

I was out of college for 5+ years. Luckily, one prof knew me pretty well back then so when I contacted him, he was happy to write me a recommendation letter. I was also taking a class at a CC (to fulfill requirements for my state school) so I got a LOR from that instructor.

Some schools require 3 prof LORs, so I had to pretty much email profs that I had in university and see if they'd write me a LOR. I tried to narrow it down to profs that I had at least two classes in as part of my major (to increase the chances that they'd remember me). Two were going to do it and asked me for background info (resume, transcripts, a brief summary of myself). One backed out at the last minute but the other prof followed through. I was so freaking thankful and tried to express that to him, but words really aren't enough. 😳

Trying to email old profs may be your only option if you aren't going to take additional classes. I would recommend at least taking one additional class though, just to get a recommendation from a recent professor who you can actually try to get to know. That way, they can write a decent/good LOR. Depending on your situation, you may get away with taking it at CC (which is cheaper) -- though I wouldn't necessarily recommend this based on how people may react to CC. But if you really want to get into dental school, you need to get at least two LORs somehow...

 

[Erhatstil]

you dont necessarily need up to date LORs, so if you have some on file from a couple years back, use them.

 

[dantemac]

you dont necessarily need up to date LORs, so if you have some on file from a couple years back, use them.

how true is this? anyone know?

 

[wantveneers]

I've been out of school for 4 years, and none of my science professors knew me. I did take a physics class last year as part of my prereqs, and knew that my biggest goal of that class was to get a good LOR. Then I emailed an anatomy teacher that I did ok in, and he said that he does LOR's all the time and would be happy to do one for me even though he didn't really know me. He was honest and said that he couldn't give any info that he didn't know about me, so I gave him an in-depth cover letter and sat down with him for 15 minutes to talk about myself.

 

[Erhatstil]

how true is this? anyone know?

true enough for me to get accepted this cycle with a collection of LORs from 07

 

[jonishere5]

So I have been out of school now for 2 years and am recently contemplating dental school. How should I go about getting LOR's if my professors probably won't even remember who I am?

Have any professors wrote you LOR's in the past for a different program, if so shoot them an e-mail, maybe they have something on file and they will probably remember you. Are there any professors that you have visited office hours religiously?

 

[mdr8]

Have any professors wrote you LOR's in the past for a different program, if so shoot them an e-mail, maybe they have something on file and they will probably remember you. Are there any professors that you have visited office hours religiously?

I applied to pharmacy school for this cycle but am questioning if it's what I really want to do. The more I read up on dentistry the more I feel it would be a better fit. So I have two LOR's from science professors but I don't know if they saved them to their computer or anything, I'm assuming they would have to edit them to say "dentistry" instead of "pharmacy" in the letters? I would feel bad asking them to rewrite me another letter after JUST writing one back in august.....

 

[gigawatt]

If you already have letters, the obvious first step is to contact the professors that just wrote them a year ago. They'll still remember you.

Your bigger problem is going to be convincing adcoms that you really want to do dentistry. If you applied to pharmacy schools and are changing horses because you didn't get in, that's going to look really bad. On AADSAS and secondaries, they're going to ask whether you've ever applied to another health professions school and whether or not you were accepted.

I applied to pharmacy school for this cycle but am questioning if it's what I really want to do. The more I read up on dentistry the more I feel it would be a better fit. So I have two LOR's from science professors but I don't know if they saved them to their computer or anything, I'm assuming they would have to edit them to say "dentistry" instead of "pharmacy" in the letters? I would feel bad asking them to rewrite me another letter after JUST writing one back in august.....

 

[gigawatt]

P.S. I hate to be harsh to a fellow Jesus Shuttlesworth (and soon-to-be NBA 3 pt King) fan...good luck with you apps! 👍

 

[mdr8]

P.S. I hate to be harsh to a fellow Jesus Shuttlesworth (and soon-to-be NBA 3 pt King) fan...good luck with you apps! 👍

I actually am not thinking of dentistry because of not getting into pharmacy school. I have 3 interviews at pharmacy schools set up and I'm confident I will be accepted to a few places. The reason I'm debating switching to dentistry is because I'm having a change of heart. I feel that pharmacy may not be fulfilling enough for me and would like a more "hands on" type of job. Either way, I plan on starting to do some dentistry shadowing and maybe even a little more pharmacy just to make the best decision. Being accepted to pharmacy schools and deciding not to go wouldn't hurt my chances of getting into dental school I wouldn't think???

P.S. - Shuttlesworth is the man. I'm really hoping he is able to compete against pierce in it this year...

 

[gigawatt]

I don't know if they'll put two Celtics in the three point contest (we're already going to put 4 in the all-star game), but I meant Ray is 8 away from Reggie Miller's all-time career record... so a couple more games.

You're going to really have go to above and beyond with the dental shadowing to prove your heart is truly in it, because no health professions school wants to think they're your plan B. (Even if you get into plan A, this is still the cliche and still the impression you'll have to overcome.) It's definitely doable though, and with a strong application you'll be fine. I had a friend that did something similar...switched from medicine to dentistry after getting into two medical schools. He shadowed more than anyone I know though, and got an amazing letter from one of the dentists he worked with. You'll be okay as long as you realize this career change could be a potential sticking point and compensate for it. It'll come up in interviews so have a solid response.

I actually am not thinking of dentistry because of not getting into pharmacy school. I have 3 interviews at pharmacy schools set up and I'm confident I will be accepted to a few places. The reason I'm debating switching to dentistry is because I'm having a change of heart. I feel that pharmacy may not be fulfilling enough for me and would like a more "hands on" type of job. Either way, I plan on starting to do some dentistry shadowing and maybe even a little more pharmacy just to make the best decision. Being accepted to pharmacy schools and deciding not to go wouldn't hurt my chances of getting into dental school I wouldn't think???

P.S. - Shuttlesworth is the man. I'm really hoping he is able to compete against pierce in it this year...

 

[mdr8]

I don't know if they'll put two Celtics in the three point contest (we're already going to put 4 in the all-star game), but I meant Ray is 8 away from Reggie Miller's all-time career record... so a couple more games.

You're going to really have go to above and beyond with the dental shadowing to prove your heart is truly in it, because no health professions school wants to think they're your plan B. (Even if you get into plan A, this is still the cliche and still the impression you'll have to overcome.) It's definitely doable though, and with a strong application you'll be fine. I had a friend that did something similar...switched from medicine to dentistry after getting into two medical schools. He shadowed more than anyone I know though, and got an amazing letter from one of the dentists he worked with. You'll be okay as long as you realize this career change could be a potential sticking point and compensate for it. It'll come up in interviews so have a solid response.

Haha oh I thought you meant 3 pt. shootout, but ya I can't wait to watch him break the record in a couple games!

Would they really think that I'm treating dental school as my plan B though? I mean, if pharm school was my plan A and dentistry was B, why would I bail on pharmacy if I was accepted? I was hoping that being accepted to a different health professional program and denying acceptance would help support the fact that I am serious about dental school. If I wasn't I would have just gone to pharmacy school.... but regardless..... how much shadowing do you think I'll need?

P.S. - my stats are 3.62 overall GPA (bio major/business admin minor) with a slightly higher science GPA. I did bad (by health professional standards, had a 3.0) my first year of college when I was a business major then switched to bio. and got serious about things so I have mostly A's in my science courses.

 

[gigawatt]

Haha oh I thought you meant 3 pt. shootout, but ya I can't wait to watch him break the record in a couple games!

Would they really think that I'm treating dental school as my plan B though? I mean, if pharm school was my plan A and dentistry was B, why would I bail on pharmacy if I was accepted? I was hoping that being accepted to a different health professional program and denying acceptance would help support the fact that I am serious about dental school. If I wasn't I would have just gone to pharmacy school.... but regardless..... how much shadowing do you think I'll need?

P.S. - my stats are 3.62 overall GPA (bio major/business admin minor) with a slightly higher science GPA. I did bad (by health professional standards, had a 3.0) my first year of college when I was a business major then switched to bio. and got serious about things so I have mostly A's in my science courses.

Well the thing is that, in all likelihood, they aren't going to call up the pharmacy schools that you might list as having been accepted to in order to verify. (Much in the way your ECs probably aren't going to get verified. They just don't have that kind of time.) It takes a lot of preparation and hard work to get ready to apply to one of these health professions schools. To have a sudden change of heart in 6 months after all that is peculiar, so it will raise some eyebrows. Like I said before, it's going to come up in interviews, and your answer at that point in time will make or break you. Have good, well-thought-out reasons. This is where having substantial shadowing (around 100 hours at a GP, about 20 each at a few specialists) and maybe a good letter from a dentist is going to be your best possible ammo. 👍

Your stats look good. Don't sweat first semester if you're up to a 3.6 now; upward trends are definitely good and show that you've matured. I don't know how similar the PCAT (right?) and the DAT are, but make sure you study hard and get a solid score. I don't see this career change as holding you back in anyway as long as you don't do a half-assed job covering your bases. Don't take anything for granted. Competition gets tougher every year and you have to be prepared to cover your weaknesses.

 

[mdr8]

Well the thing is that, in all likelihood, they aren't going to call up the pharmacy schools that you might list as having been accepted to in order to verify. (Much in the way your ECs probably aren't going to get verified. They just don't have that kind of time.) It takes a lot of preparation and hard work to get ready to apply to one of these health professions schools. To have a sudden change of heart in 6 months after all that is peculiar, so it will raise some eyebrows. Like I said before, it's going to come up in interviews, and your answer at that point in time will make or break you. Have good, well-thought-out reasons. This is where having substantial shadowing (around 100 hours at a GP, about 20 each at a few specialists) and maybe a good letter from a dentist is going to be your best possible ammo. 👍

Your stats look good. Don't sweat first semester if you're up to a 3.6 now; upward trends are definitely good and show that you've matured. I don't know how similar the PCAT (right?) and the DAT are, but make sure you study hard and get a solid score. I don't see this career change as holding you back in anyway as long as you don't do a half-assed job covering your bases. Don't take anything for granted. Competition gets tougher every year and you have to be prepared to cover your weaknesses.

Well I'll be sure to stack up he shadowing hours. My best friends dad is a dentist so I'm sure I could get a good letter from him. What type of answer do you think would be good to have during interviews when they bring that up. What if I said I wanted to be a dentists but didn't think I had a good shot at getting in so I applied to pharmacy school (its def. easier to get into pharm.) But once I was accepted to pharmacy school, I realized it wasn't what I was passionate about so I went back to my original plan. What do you think?

 

[gigawatt]

Eh, that's pretty weak to be honest, and it doesn't match the timeline of your shadowing, DAT, etc. If dentistry was your original aim, why did you only shadow after? only take the DAT after? etc. And why "settle" on pharmacy without even trying to apply to dentistry first?

Really the only thing the two have in common is having similar prereqs. They're totally different schools and professions in terms of just about everything...direct patient contact vs. very little, hands on vs. hands off, extensive chemical background for pharmacy, etc. Think about these things and come up with an honest answer. The fact that they're so easy to juxtapose makes your change that much odder, but you could use it to your advantage if you can paint yourself as being a much better fit for dentistry than pharmacy.

Also, all this more or less by default has to be the topic of your personal statement as well. You can't discuss the classic why dentistry and why its a good fit, etc. topics without addressing this. For both interviews and your personal statement, make sure you have your **** together.

Give it some good thought over the next couple months as you decide what you're eventually going to do. Feel free to PM me later on then if you want someone to bounce ideas off of. Sometimes I'm on this thing all day (bored at work today) and sometimes I don't look at it for months, so give me some time.

 

[mdr8]

Eh, that's pretty weak to be honest, and it doesn't match the timeline of your shadowing, DAT, etc. If dentistry was your original aim, why did you only shadow after? only take the DAT after? etc. And why "settle" on pharmacy without even trying to apply to dentistry first?

Really the only thing the two have in common is having similar prereqs. They're totally different schools and professions in terms of just about everything...direct patient contact vs. very little, hands on vs. hands off, extensive chemical background for pharmacy, etc. Think about these things and come up with an honest answer. The fact that they're so easy to juxtapose makes your change that much odder, but you could use it to your advantage if you can paint yourself as being a much better fit for dentistry than pharmacy.

Also, all this more or less by default has to be the topic of your personal statement as well. You can't discuss the classic why dentistry and why its a good fit, etc. topics without addressing this. For both interviews and your personal statement, make sure you have your **** together.

Give it some good thought over the next couple months as you decide what you're eventually going to do. Feel free to PM me later on then if you want someone to bounce ideas off of. Sometimes I'm on this thing all day (bored at work today) and sometimes I don't look at it for months, so give me some time.

I really appreciate all your input giggawatt. I'm really wishing I just thought more about my decision to go to pharmacy school in the first place. In all honesty, I applied to pharmacy school because I was a bio major and couldn't find any jobs after gradauating. I knew with my grades I could easily get into pharmacy school and it required less effort (PCAT is way easier than DAT or MCAT, plus they aren't too picky about shadowing) than getting in to medical or dental school. It was a poor choice on my part because I didn't do any shadowing of pharmacists so I just read up on what a pharmacist does online and thought, "whatever, sounds OK.. I'll be able to make good money when I'm out." But now as I'm receiving interviews, I'm really second guessing my choice and realizing I may find myself bored with a job as a pharmacist, as they really don't do much hands on work like you stated earlier. I believe something more hands on like dentistry would make me more happy. Of course I will do shadowing to make a better decision. Plus I would be able to work for myself and still have similar work hours a pharmacist would have. In hindsight, I should have put more thought about my choice of graduate school more seriously. Live and learn.

 

[dantemac]

If schools take old letters then I am definetely keeping them on file!

 

[mdr8]

If schools take old letters then I am definetely keeping them on file!

I know I wish I had my teachers keep them on file instead of sending them to the application service! Perhaps they did keep them on file and I just don't know... I guess I could always call and find out.