Dental School Letter of Recommendation Process OHS Students

All students applying to dental school who plan to use the GMS office to send out their letters must follow these guidelines to complete the process.

Please  provide a  signed GMS waiver form to every recommender if the GMS office will be collecting and sending out your letters.

Letters of Recommendation Options Available:

AADSAS states that each student is allowed 4 individual letters OR 1 Committee Letter/Report and 1 individual letter.   Each student should discuss the following 3 options with their advisor to determine what is best.

(i) GMS Letter Report (Packet) and 1 Undergraduate Letter

  • Director’s letter (OHS – Dr. Davies)
    • Contains Dr. Davies’ letter AND 1-4 additional letters ( i.e. academic professor(s), dentist,  extracurricular activity supervisor or  research mentor)
  • 1 letter from your undergraduate school  (sent electronically from your undergraduate professor).

(ii)  Undergraduate Committee Letter and 1  GMS Letter

  • Undergraduate committee letter / letter packet
    • This committee letter or letter packet is sent from your undergraduate pre-professional advising office and includes a combination of recommender comments and/or letters.
  • 1 other letter from GMS
    • The 1 letter  may be your Director letter (Dr. Davies), or an GMS professor (who should upload letter directly to  AADSAS).

(iii) 4 Individual Letter Writers (this option does not use the GMS office)

  • Each individual letter writer  uploads his/her recommendations directly to AADSAS.  These letters may include both GMS and undergraduate letters.
  • Students can use their Director’s  letter  from Dr. Davies but should indicate it is an individual letter (and not a packet) .

Completion of the LOR Section of AADSAS and Finalization of your GMS Letter Packet/Report for OHS students

ALL  letters will be uploaded electronically by Dr. Davies to AADSAS

1. In May /June/early July provide Dr. Davies with the completed OHS Letter Request Form.

2. Complete the AADSAS application in the following manner:

Check the box  that indicates  you will be submitting a Committee Letter/Report  (if multiple letters) or Individual letter (if Advisor letter only)  and indicate electronic when prompted.  Indicated the following:

  • Evaluator’s name: Theresa A. Davies, Ph.D.
  • Contact email and phone: tdavies@bu.edu, 617-638-5242
  • Contact address

Boston University School of Medicine
Division of Graduate Medical Sciences, L315
72 East Concord Street,
Boston MA 02118

3. Sending your Letter Packet  to AADSAS

It is your responsibility to confirm your letters (and waiver forms)  have been received  by GMS.  After confirming that all  recommendations that you have requested have been received in the office, you should complete the OHS Letter Request Form and send to Dr. Davies. Following receipt of the request form, and an electronic request from AADSAS,  she will upload your letter package to AADSAS.

Clearly indicate the authors of all letters you want included in your packet on the OHS letter transmission form..  If there are any schools that do not participate in AADSAS please provide name and address for hard copy mailing.