Letter of Recommendation Tips By Jody Chiang

Written by: Jody Chiang

We all have experience receiving letters of recommendation during undergrad. Now that we are in dental school, you may want to consider asking for letters of recommendation for other further ventures. The process of getting a LOR in dental school is very similar to undergrad. The key difference between undergrad and dental school is you are starting with a clean slate of extracurricular activities. Obtaining strong letters of recommendation is extremely important when thinking about applying to residency programs or even scholarship award opportunities. During dental school, I was able to successfully obtain letters of recommendation from the Roseman faculty for the NHSC scholarship program and received the award as a result of it. Strong letters of recommendation require early planning and “ content” for your faculty to write about. In this article, I will share an example of a Roseman dental student graduate and what her experience was like obtaining letters of recommendation. In the end, I will throw in some of the tips I have learned when obtaining letters of recommendation in dental school.

Vicky Park is a recent graduate from Roseman University, is currently a Periodontics and Implant Specialty resident at Ohio State University. I asked Vicky what the process was like for her requesting a LOR during dental school. Vicky stated that when she asked a faculty for letters of recommendation, she noted the importance of providing her CV and personal statement. She asked her faculty a month in advance because she wanted to give them plenty of time to draft their letters. She also stated that some faculty preferred sharing letter of recommendation documents through Google Drive. Another tip she mentioned was that she wrote a page-long letter to the faculty regarding her program preferences and why. She also highlighted a few activities with stories for them to include in her letters in addition to the personal statement.

A common theme I have seen with asking students about letters of recommendation is that extracurricular activities and work experience can take you very far. Though Vicky did not go into depth on the importance of extracurricular activities, she was an active member of the National Student Research Group at Roseman University where she won multiple awards for her efforts. From her personal experience, she started participating in student organizations at the beginning of her D1 year just to gain leadership experience. Leadership and working with others are always helpful in the field of dentistry. Vicky was able to meet many faculty members through student organizations as well, and it felt more natural to work with them and later ask for letters of recommendation.

Here are several pointers I’d like to share when I asked for letters of recommendation during dental school.

Join student organizations and research but do not just do it for the title. You want to actively participate in student organizations as it creates more content for your letter writers to write about. Receiving recognition and awards is always great to list on your CV as well. If you do not have student organizations and research experience, you could also present your faculty with a personal statement if it is relevant.

Create content for your faculty to write about

3. Plan early and ask your faculty for LOR early on It is polite to do and won ’t add pressure onto the letter writers. I recommend giving your letter writers a couple of months in advance. Our faculty are very busy people! You want to make sure they have enough time to write a strong letter for you. 2. Get to know your faculty & colleagues Try to get to know your letter writers at a more personal level. This may help them understand your intentionality and character more which may help them write a strong letter for you. Everyone has their interests and values, so try to talk to your faculty and understand their intentionality and character as well.