Recommendation letters are one of the most critical aspects of the application process to any International Standing program as a Dentist vying to apply and practice in the United States. Three letters need to be uploaded on the Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists (ADEA CAAPID application) process. Therefore, who you choose to write the recommendation letter for you is a decision you need to take exceptionally seriously after thoroughly contemplating who would be the best person to recommend you to the admission committee. In this article, we will answer the question, “who should write my letter of recommendation?”
Who Should Write My Letter Of Recommendation?
Letters of recommendations are a very personal element of your application that puts you in good light. However, a wrongly worded or ineffective letter can harshly impact your chances of obtaining an interview invite. The Admission Committee should be able to gain an insight into how you would be as a future candidate at their program and if they choose to work closely with you. The letter can come from many people, such as a mentor, guide, faculty, associate, etc., who can put an encouraging word in your favor. However, suppose you have an issue such as lack of people you have worked with or observership in only a few dental offices, fewer dental volunteering opportunities. In that case, you might not have a vast pool of recommendations to choose from. Or another scenario might be that not many people agree to write you a letter. You do not have much choice and have to settle for the best possible person you think would say decent reasonable things about you as a person and professional.
Nevertheless, if you are one of those fortunate candidates who have an extended list of dentists wanting to write a letter of recommendation for you, then you are in a good place where you can select a nominee that suits you best. Invariably remember before you zero in on who you would approach to give you those three valuable letters to consider all aspects like whether the person is an American dentist or an international dentist, your relationship with them dates back to how long, how well do they know you, are they ready to write glowing reviews for you, etc. so make a list of all possible people and their pros and cons and then select the people who can give you an excellent recommendation with a recent date, on their official letterhead, etc.
Related Articles:
- Step By Step Guide To Becoming A Dentist In The US
- Dentist Interview Questions And Answers
- My Journey To Acceptance Into An Advanced Placement Program
Your letters should indicate who you are as a person, your capabilities, your strengths, your skills should be sufficiently illustrated in the letter and your unique, distinguishing characteristics. Your recommender can share favorable experiences, anecdotes, patient experiences, which they can describe in the letter suitably. You do not want a letter from someone who you barely know for a short period and who would write only ambiguous, vague, general letters with no unique stories and background about you. Academically, you want a faculty who can write about experiences from your dental school days, your temperament, personal and professional ethics, etc.
Generally, a letter from the Dean of your dental school is a must for most programs on CAAPID. It is understood that the Dean would not write a very personal letter if he did not share an ample amount of time with you in dental school. Sometimes the Dean might ask you to write the letter and only sign and stamp it himself. In such a scenario, do not write only good, unbelievable things. Keep the letter believable in all aspects. You could also ask your mentor, your guide from your master’s program, your supervisor from a volunteering experience, etc., to write it. It is also a great idea to get one letter from a dentist in the USA who could recommend you to the admissions committee and talk about your proficiency, knowledge, and understanding of the dental field. Obviously, the longer we have known the dentist, the stronger and more powerful the recommendation letter would be. For instance, a shadowing experience with a dentist for a couple of months might not lead to a powerful recommendation letter instead of someone in the USA whom we have assisted for, say, a couple of years. Many factors like length of working with the dentist, hours worked, etc., do matter too and put us on a firmer footing for sure.
Though we can not know for sure what our recommender would write for us in the final letter, we can do our part by imploring the people who we think would strongly vouch and testify and substantiate our capabilities to the Admission Committee. We can let them know via email that we would want to pursue an international program and if they would be willing to write us a recommendation letter. Be confident in selecting a recommender that does not put in anything negative or ambiguous about you with no positive highlights. Occasionally a robust and personal letter from your home country might be better as opposed to a letter from a dentist in the USA who might write you a relatively weak and unfavorable letter full of reservations and doubts about your capabilities that might negatively affect your application.
Related Articles:
In the end, whoever you select to be your recommender, be sure that you have given good thought to the person appointed by you as this letter can impact your application and consequently your future. Your skills, personal character, your professional capabilities, your positive dispositions, your future goals should all be highlighted to a considerable degree as it speaks volumes about you to the admission committee. The school wants candidates who are ethical, worthy, eager to learn and work in their school, and your letter of recommendation can give them a glimpse of your experiences and character to a great extent.
Leave A Comment