I'm curious how many of your medical schools provide you with your MSPE/Dean's letter earlier than November 1st to send into CAS. Do you think it would have been advantageous to push for it earlier than the November 1st ERAS deadline or would it not make a big difference?
Mspe
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No programs actually care about the Dean's letter unless there is something absolutely unique on it(good or bad). Assuming it is good, it is probably somewhere else in your CAS application anyways. Every dean's letter pretty much sounds exactly the same. Most program directors do not even read them.
That is actually incorrect. Some programs actually wait until the MSPE is out before sending out invites. Also the MSPE tells what % of students get honors etc. Some schools give honors to 50% of the class, whereas others are very stingy.
Also not everybody's MSPE is alike. Remember, the MSPE is not a recommendation letter, but rather an account of how you did in each of your rotations etc, so it can actually have some not so flattering things to say
Also not everybody's MSPE is alike. Remember, the MSPE is not a recommendation letter, but rather an account of how you did in each of your rotations etc, so it can actually have some not so flattering things to say
Many US medical schools will actually let you write a majority of your own Dean's letter and will let you delete any comments you find that are unflattering. On top of this, you hit it on the head with the fact that some medical schools "honor" everyone for just showing up and some are stingy with giving "honors". I can't speak for foreign grads, but I know for a fact that most ophtho program directors could care less about a deans letter.
http://www.medrounds.org/ophthalmology-pearls/2009/09/matching-in-ophthalmology-and-then.html
"I think the Dean's Letter is useless and I don't even read it in most cases (plus, we interview in October and the Letters often aren't even available by that time). At Hopkins, for example, I can't tell from the Dean's comments the difference between the greatest and the worst student in a given class."
Served
http://www.medrounds.org/ophthalmology-pearls/2009/09/matching-in-ophthalmology-and-then.html
"I think the Dean's Letter is useless and I don't even read it in most cases (plus, we interview in October and the Letters often aren't even available by that time). At Hopkins, for example, I can't tell from the Dean's comments the difference between the greatest and the worst student in a given class."
Served
So, from that one quote, you know for a fact that most ophtho PDs could care less about a deans letter?
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I actually spoke with the Program Director at my school about this. He told me that he doesn't use the Dean's Letter to grant interviews, but he does read it for every applicant in which they do interview and eventually rank. He told me that for the most part, it can only hurt you-- he skims it and looks for anything negative. He mentioned that there is almost never any negative comments and when there is a negative comment, the applicant must have done something really bad. So in his opinion, it isn't very useful in distinguishing applicants.
Of course, this is only one PD's opinion, but it makes sense.
Of course, this is only one PD's opinion, but it makes sense.
In way of disclosure, I am a program coordinator.
It wouldn't really matter if the SFMatch receives a Dean's letter early - they are not allowed to release them to the programs (in my understanding of the process) until November 1.
Usually we hold all our interviews after Nov. 1 so that the Dean's letters are in the file by the time of interviews, and if we have to interview prior to receiving those we do still review them before ranking, for sure. Our Chair and PD read them carefully, and often there will be M3 core clerkship and M4 ophthalmology rotation grades and comments included on the Dean's letter which did not get included on your transcripts, especially if you sent your application in fairly early.
Dean's letters also will note if you have been selected for AOA, which also sometimes occurs after you have submitted your initial application, as well as some of the other statistical information someone else mentioned above.
It wouldn't really matter if the SFMatch receives a Dean's letter early - they are not allowed to release them to the programs (in my understanding of the process) until November 1.
Usually we hold all our interviews after Nov. 1 so that the Dean's letters are in the file by the time of interviews, and if we have to interview prior to receiving those we do still review them before ranking, for sure. Our Chair and PD read them carefully, and often there will be M3 core clerkship and M4 ophthalmology rotation grades and comments included on the Dean's letter which did not get included on your transcripts, especially if you sent your application in fairly early.
Dean's letters also will note if you have been selected for AOA, which also sometimes occurs after you have submitted your initial application, as well as some of the other statistical information someone else mentioned above.
