Applying MSTP, only 2 labs, won't get a letter from one. Screwed?

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ayyildiz

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I spent my undergrad doing work in two labs, one lab during freshman year, then the other during sophomore-> 1/2 senior year. I went back to my first lab senior year , and will be doing work during my masters there.

Due to some reasons, I likely won't be able to get a letter from the lab I was in for 2.5 years. I talked about this experience in my Significant Research Essay. This means I'll only be applying with one PI letter.

Does this automatically mean schools will look down on my application? Am I screwed?

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What are your stats like? It's kinda suspicious and is likely to come up in your interview but there are also a huge number of factors at play in any given application.


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Except for schools that specifically require 2+

IIRC: Hopkins, WashU, and a lot of the very top Mstp's


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GPA: 3.78, MCAT: 520. I have a paper from the work I did my freshman year. I was applying to a lot of top 20 programs before I found out they weren't writing a letter for me.
 
Spread yourself out over some "lower" schools and some funded MDPhD programs that aren't Mstp. Worth the effort and money to not have to take a gap year in case this is an issue


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No, I don't - the issue with the letter is that I didn't work closely with the PI and the graduate student I worked closely with is slandering my contributions and the PI is refusing to let me defend my ideas and work. It's a difficult situation that I didn't see coming, and I'm not sure how to address in my application.
 
I hope Fencer is able to help you salvage this. The answer from my perspective is: yes, it will be a huge red flag not to have a letter from this PI. As an MD/PhD applicant you should have letters from all of your labs, especially where you spent significant time (with exceptions like if you've had 4+ lab experiences).

How to handle this diplomatically with the desired outcome is what needs to be discussed by PM. Typically, these situations are still salvageable and you can still get a strong letter despite whatever conflict is currently ongoing.

For others reading, Keep in mind that as an undergraduate (as in life), relationships are incredibly important. Note that publications are not expected. Very positive letters are expected. Pick your battles and keep the right priorities here.
 
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