griffin04 said:
Have you ever tried writing your own letter of recommendation? Try it yourself - write what you think would be the ideal letter of rec. and come up with something that doesn't sound cheesy or redundant and at the same time is genuine and unique. It's hard! I can see why the dentist would be confused b/c unless you've sat on an adcom, it's hard to judge what the committee is looking for in the successful applicant's letter of rec.
As a matter of fact I have written letters of recommendation for myself, at the request of various professors, and understand not only the goal in writing one but also the intent behind the request for one. The goal is not to be 'unique', and above all else write to an adcom with what you think/hope they want to hear, but rather to provide a succinct and balanced assesment of the applicant's skills and abilities evaluated from the standpoint of a practitioner. Don't belive me? Go over to DentalTown and do some searches - there are plenty of current adcom members posting their loathness of the heart-warming blather that saturates personal essays and applications crossing their desks. I am perplexed that he is a professional that has undergone years of training, has had to endure the same application process that the OP is currently undertaking, more than likely was awake during dental school and talked about the admissions process with students and faculty, is currently working in the field of dentistry, and hopefully has formulated an opinion about the direction the profession will take during the next thirty or so years. His is not the role to divine what lurks in the hearts and minds of adcoms but rather craft a letter, which addresses a broad audience, assessing the calibur of the applicant and how well he sees the OP contributing to the future of the field. Does the OP work well with others and would make for a good boss? Can the OP easily establish a rapport with patients? After all, he more than likely needed LOR along his journey, and should recognize that he can provide a unique view of applicant. Chances are the other LOR testify to academics, therefore it would be ideal for his to comment on the OP within the space of a dental office and not a classroom. On the one hand it's natural for a recommendor to ask "What would you like me to include in your assesment?" and "Precisely what or whom is this for?", though on the other hand a recommender, such as a professor of doctor, should have a rough idea of what constitutes a good letter and the aim of such a document. Herein lies my confusion.
To the OP: If you read this, then I would like to add that his willingness to write for you is wonderful, don't get me wrong. Imagine that you are in a box and each LOR provides for a little window through which an adcom can glimpse you: a good portfolio of LOR will give a spectrum of your personality, personal ethics, academic and professional abilities and so on. With that in mind I would advise you to go talk to your other LOR and ask them what were some of the points that they raised in their letters. You don't have to know specifics, and they should be willing to mention the many positive points they raised in their letters. Together with the knowledge of what others have said about you, you can sit down with your dentist and cover other aspects that will provide a more complete picture for those reviewing your file. After all is said and done, don't forget to thank each and every one of them for helping your realize your goal of becoming a dentist.
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