Students applying to dental school often see conflicting information online about dental school letters of recommendation and AADSAS application requirements. Recently, some social media discussions have suggested that the dental school application process has dramatically changed, which has caused confusion among pre-dental students.
In reality, the basic structure of dental school letters of evaluation has not significantly changed. The requirements are clearly outlined by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) through the centralized dental school application system known as ADEA AADSAS.
According to the official ADEA GoDental website, letters of evaluation are a required portion of the dental school application.
Official source:
https://www.adea.org/godental/letters-of-evaluation
How Many Letters of Recommendation Can You Submit?
The ADEA AADSAS application allows applicants to submit up to four letters of evaluation.
Applicants may submit:
• Up to four individual evaluations
• One committee letter or committee packet and up to three individual evaluations
A committee letter may be a single collaborative letter written by a pre-health advising committee or a packet containing multiple faculty recommendation letters submitted through the advising office.
Individual dental schools may occasionally request additional letters outside the centralized AADSAS system, but the basic structure of the application remains consistent.
Source:
https://www.adea.org/godental/letters-of-evaluation
What Is a Committee Letter?
Many universities offer a pre-health committee evaluation for students applying to dental school.
A committee letter can take two forms:
• A single letter written collaboratively by a group of advisors
• A packet containing several faculty recommendation letters compiled by the advising office
In the AADSAS system, the committee chair or designated advisor submits the evaluation and uploads the supporting letter or packet.
Who Should Write Dental School Letters of Recommendation?
Most dental schools prefer letters from individuals who can evaluate an applicant’s academic ability, professionalism, and readiness for dental school.
Typically this includes:
• Two science professors (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.)
• A third letter from a mentor, employer, research advisor, or dentist
Some schools allow a fourth optional letter from a supervisor or research mentor who knows the applicant well.
Students should begin building relationships with potential evaluators early in their undergraduate career so that recommenders can write meaningful and detailed letters.
Why Some Applicants Hear About “Attribute Ratings”
In addition to uploading a written letter, evaluators may also complete a short evaluation section within the AADSAS system.
This section asks recommenders to rate an applicant on several professional attributes such as:
• Interpersonal skills
• Integrity
• Professional demeanor
• Maturity
• Organizational skills
• Critical thinking
• Communication skills
• Motivation to pursue dentistry
Evaluators typically select ratings such as:
• Exceeds expectations
• Meets expectations
• Does not meet expectations
• Not observed
These ratings help admissions committees compare applicants efficiently across large applicant pools. Structured evaluations like this have been part of the AADSAS recommendation process for many years and are not a new change to the dental school application system.
What Matters Most in a Letter of Recommendation
Admissions committees consistently emphasize that the quality of the recommendation matters far more than the form itself.
Strong letters typically come from evaluators who:
• Know the student well
• Have observed their academic work or clinical experiences
• Can describe their work ethic, professionalism, and character
Students should focus on choosing evaluators who can provide specific examples of their abilities and readiness for dental school.
Final Advice for Pre-Dental Students
Letters of recommendation are an important component of dental school admissions, but they are only one part of a complete application.
Students preparing for dental school should focus on building a strong overall profile that includes:
• strong academic performance
• meaningful clinical exposure and shadowing
• leadership and service activities
• strong preparation for the Dental Admission Test (DAT)
Reliable information about dental school admissions should always come from official sources such as ADEA AADSAS and individual dental schools, rather than interpretations circulating on social media.
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The Complete DAT Destroyer Book Series — What Each Book Is For
https://orgoman.com/pages/the-complete-dat-destroyer-book-series-what-each-book-is-for
Core Foundation
Students often ask which DAT study materials are used in Dr. Romano’s DAT preparation courses. Two books sit at the core of Dr. Romano’s course curriculum, both online and in person: the DAT Destroyer and the Math Destroyer.
The DAT Destroyer already includes quantitative reasoning practice as part of the full DAT science review. However, the Math Destroyer was created as a companion book for students who need additional quantitative reasoning practice or feel weaker in math and want more targeted problem sets.
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Learn more about the core foundation books:
DAT Destroyer
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Math Destroyer
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