*~*~*~*Official Letters of Recommendation Questions Thread 2013-2014*~*~*~*

[sector9]

@huskydock the entire reason for my post is due to the fact that my school does not state any requirements for the LOR. that is exactly why I was asking for advice. I do not go to Johns Hopkins either.

@sector9 not a committee letter, just in general. I'm not saying I cant get a letter from a science prof, but my strongest would come from non-science. so i was just asking if the general consensus was that it is absolutely necessary to get a science letter, even if it is not stated that it is required. thanks.

It seems like you are really confused about LORs. LOR requirements are established by the medical schools not your undergrad. So if you want to apply to the majority of medical schools, you need science LORs.

It doesn't matter if you attend Johns Hopkins. The requirements on their website are for people applying to their school, no matter your undergrad.

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[Larry_David]

Sorry if I'm not making sense. There's an early acceptance program at the medical school I am applying to that is the same as my undergrad. The website simply states they take up to six letters, with no specifications.

 

[Domino2178]

.

 

[sector9]

Sorry if I'm not making sense. There's an early acceptance program at the medical school I am applying to that is the same as my undergrad. The website simply states they take up to six letters, with no specifications.

I see. That makes more sense. Well then for now work on meeting that one school's requirements with the strongest letters you have available, but if you get deferred or rejected from the early admissions then just keep in mind that a lot of schools are going to want some science LORs.

 

[Larry_David]

definitely, thank you both for the advice! i'll work on gathering letters just in case that happens, but for now im hoping I can get in early and not worry about it

 

[fritolays08]

Sorry if this question has been asked before. I didn't go through this long thread so I apologize in advance. I am a non trad applicant and am taking either 2 or 3 years off. I don't plan on getting any other degree so my only science letters are from undergrad. I know that these letters will be old when I apply, but what other options do I have given that I'm out of school for some time? Thanks.

Any advice on this? Basically I just want to know if my letters will still be ok since they will be older, but will be the only letters from professors that I will have.

 

[The Peach]

I recently contacted my old boss (worked in IB for two years before deciding to pursue a career in medicine) about writing an LOR on my behalf, and he just got back to me saying he'd be happy to write one. He went so far as to ask me to give him an outline of what I'd like him to cover. Are there any "absolute musts" that my old boss needs to address? Hopefully some of the admissions folks on this forum can chime in on what they're looking for in these types of LORs. Thanks in advance guys.

 

[dudeliness]

Sorry if I'm not making sense. There's an early acceptance program at the medical school I am applying to that is the same as my undergrad. The website simply states they take up to six letters, with no specifications.

When in doubt or if instructions on an admissions website don't make sense, it never hurts to call the admissions office and ask a live person the question. They can clarify much better than anyone here can.

 

[MedGrl@2022]

Have any of you been asked to write your own letter of recommendation or write bullet points? How did you go about doing that?

Thank you!

 

[premed2000]

When you fill out the LOR section, it asks for the letter writer's title. Do they want title as in "Ph.D." / "M.D." or like "Professor of _______", "Pre-Health Advisor", etc. ???

 

[AxiomaticTruth]

Hey guys! If your prehealth advisors make a committee packet with a committee letter + all the individual letters sent in one packet to AMCAS, would that mean I only need to have one entry in the LoR section? Especially when AMCAS says "If you have already included an individual letter within either a committee letter or letter packet, you do not need to add a separate entry for the individual letter."

It just feels odd checking off just one LoR for all of my schools. Argh, maybe I'm just being paranoid.

 

[1012526fs]

Hey guys! If your prehealth advisors make a committee packet with a committee letter + all the individual letters sent in one packet to AMCAS, would that mean I only need to have one entry in the LoR section? Especially when AMCAS says "If you have already included an individual letter within either a committee letter or letter packet, you do not need to add a separate entry for the individual letter."

It just feels odd checking off just one LoR for all of my schools. Argh, maybe I'm just being paranoid.

You are only checking one box for each school, but they receive all of those letters, so it will just feel weird; it won't look weird. I am doing the same thing. My pre-med advisor has my committee letter and is collecting all of my other LOR's to send together in a packet to AMCAS. Hope that helps.

 

[uphillBattle]

For the LoR writer's contact info I was thinking of putting the LoR's personal email and the address of the home institution.

Is this appropriate? Are there any medical schools which prefer it otherwise?

 

[DocGodfather]

How old can a LOR be dated up to for it to be acceptable? I have two LOR's in Interfolio, and both will be dated about 14 months old by June 2014.

 

[MedGrl@2022]

I AM SO CONFUSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Does the letter of recommendation from the premedical committee supersede the individual letters that each school requests? If my school is sending a committee letter do I just follow their instructions or do I still follow the instructions from each medical school (but now I send it to AMCAS and AACOMAS via my premedical committee)?

Thank you for all your help!

 

[anguisette]

When you fill out the LOR section, it asks for the letter writer's title. Do they want title as in "Ph.D." / "M.D." or like "Professor of _______", "Pre-Health Advisor", etc. ???

I listed all of that if I could fit it. Every letter they've earned and my letter writer's working title at the school/company/etc.

For the LoR writer's contact info I was thinking of putting the LoR's personal email and the address of the home institution.

Is this appropriate? Are there any medical schools which prefer it otherwise?

That should be fine. I usually put personal contact info if I had it, or the home institution stuff. Very rarely do your letter writers get contacted I think. Not to mention, your letter writer probably put his contact info in the letter itself.

How old can a LOR be dated up to for it to be acceptable? I have two LOR's in Interfolio, and both will be dated about 14 months old by June 2014.

It'll be school dependent. Some schools want a LOR dated within the last year (Creighton comes to mind).

I AM SO CONFUSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Does the letter of recommendation from the premedical committee supersede the individual letters that each school requests? If my school is sending a committee letter do I just follow their instructions or do I still follow the instructions from each medical school (but now I send it to AMCAS and AACOMAS via my premedical committee)?

Thank you for all your help!

Always look at the medical school you're applying to and what they require. Usually they'll say a committee letter replaces whatever individual letter requirements they might have. You'll need to follow YOUR school's instructions to get the committee letter from them, but you'll also have to follow each medical school's instructions for what they require.

 

[eth]

Hi Guys
I am applying for medical school this summer. I am trying to get my application in as soon as I could, just to maximize my chance. Many school require a pre med advisor letter of evaluation, which is kind dumb but whatever. I am currently outside the country and i won't be back into the country until early june. In order for me to get the letter of evaluation form my pre med advisor I have to meet with him. Do you guys think it is worth it to fly back home to just meet with the pre med advisor to get the letter of rec? ps the plane ticket is about $650 or I could wait until early june then get the letter? Will I be too late in the application pool?

 

[DAPI]

Hi Guys
I am applying for medical school this summer. I am trying to get my application in as soon as I could, just to maximize my chance. Many school require a pre med advisor letter of evaluation, which is kind dumb but whatever. I am currently outside the country and i won't be back into the country until early june. In order for me to get the letter of evaluation form my pre med advisor I have to meet with him. Do you guys think it is worth it to fly back home to just meet with the pre med advisor to get the letter of rec? ps the plane ticket is about $650 or I could wait until early june then get the letter? Will I be too late in the application pool?

Is this a committee letter or just a stand alone letter? If it is a stand alone letter, I would not even bother with it. If it is a committee letter I'm not sure. Some committees take FOREVER to get letters in so even if you go it today, it may not show up till September.

 

[eth]

oh god this is really scary... some school says either send a pre health advisor committee letter or 3 personal reference. SO?!?! are they prefer either one? this is my first time applying, I just don't want to runin my own chance because one letter. Thank you!

 

[DAPI]

oh god this is really scary... some school says either send a pre health advisor committee letter or 3 personal reference. SO?!?! are they prefer either one? this is my first time applying, I just don't want to runin my own chance because one letter. Thank you!

If lots of students apply to medical school every year from your undergrad the committee letter is going to be better just cause it's expected and not having it may raise a red flag.

If you go to a small liberal arts college that has like 5 students apply every year, it's probably not going to make a difference.

But again, if this is not a committee letter and just some letter from your premed adviser who has never even taught you a class it's worthless IHMO.

Also, you can always explain why you do not have a committee letter. Some secondaries have a specific place for this and some will have an "is there anything else" section.

 

[Wipeout416]

oh god this is really scary... some school says either send a pre health advisor committee letter or 3 personal reference. SO?!?! are they prefer either one? this is my first time applying, I just don't want to runin my own chance because one letter. Thank you!

I wouldn't stress to much. I had no committee so I just did whatever each school wanted.. most are 5, 2 sci 1 nonsci 2 personal(usually one physician)

 

[sector9]

Hi Guys
I am applying for medical school this summer. I am trying to get my application in as soon as I could, just to maximize my chance. Many school require a pre med advisor letter of evaluation, which is kind dumb but whatever. I am currently outside the country and i won't be back into the country until early june. In order for me to get the letter of evaluation form my pre med advisor I have to meet with him. Do you guys think it is worth it to fly back home to just meet with the pre med advisor to get the letter of rec? ps the plane ticket is about $650 or I could wait until early june then get the letter? Will I be too late in the application pool?

Is this a committee letter or just a stand alone letter? If it is a stand alone letter, I would not even bother with it. If it is a committee letter I'm not sure. Some committees take FOREVER to get letters in so even if you go it today, it may not show up till September.

oh god this is really scary... some school says either send a pre health advisor committee letter or 3 personal reference. SO?!?! are they prefer either one? this is my first time applying, I just don't want to runin my own chance because one letter. Thank you!

If lots of students apply to medical school every year from your undergrad the committee letter is going to be better just cause it's expected and not having it may raise a red flag.

If you go to a small liberal arts college that has like 5 students apply every year, it's probably not going to make a difference.

But again, if this is not a committee letter and just some letter from your premed adviser who has never even taught you a class it's worthless IHMO.

Also, you can always explain why you do not have a committee letter. Some secondaries have a specific place for this and some will have an "is there anything else" section.

I wouldn't stress to much. I had no committee so I just did whatever each school wanted.. most are 5, 2 sci 1 nonsci 2 personal(usually one physician)

Merging

 

[contigo]

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[383]

If my lab has moved since I have volunteered there but one of the researchers is still in the same university at a different lab, should I put the address of the lab that I used to volunteer in, or the current lab that the researcher is now working at? Does AMCAS want the address to reflect where I used to volunteer, or where they can currently reach the letter author?

Thanks!

 

[MedGrl@2022]

Hi Guys
I am applying for medical school this summer. I am trying to get my application in as soon as I could, just to maximize my chance. Many school require a pre med advisor letter of evaluation, which is kind dumb but whatever. I am currently outside the country and i won't be back into the country until early june. In order for me to get the letter of evaluation form my pre med advisor I have to meet with him. Do you guys think it is worth it to fly back home to just meet with the pre med advisor to get the letter of rec? ps the plane ticket is about $650 or I could wait until early june then get the letter? Will I be too late in the application pool?

Can you suggest a skype meeting? My pre-med committee offered a skype meeting to me.

 

[MedGrl@2022]

I graduated 6 years ago. I am getting an LOR from my pre-medical committee. I have one science (biology) professor, who was also my academic advisor and the advisor of a national biological honor society that I founded on my campus.

Does it matter the type of science professor that I get my second letter of recommendation from? I have another co-advisor of my national biological honor society that was my molecular biology professor and I shined in that class.

I could also get my organic chemistry professor, but I dont think we conversed that much outside of the year that I took organic chemistry. I did win an award for organic chemistry that year though.

These are all professors from my undergraduate days. I have a 3.78 GPA in Biochemistry and Psychology... so I did not have a reason to go back to school.

I will also have letters from my PI and supervising post-doc at NIH. I should also have two LORs from DO's (one that I worked with for an entire summer in 2006) and possibly one LOR from an MD that I have shadowed and worked with currently (but not for much time).

Which science professor should I use? Should I do both? Is this too many LORs? I know it is more than required but I graduated 6 years ago.

Please advise!!!

 

[TalinAagam]

Can I use same letter for DO and MD schools?
Can I ask my writers to send it to interfolio and ask interfolio to send it to both the systems?

thanks

 

[MedGrl@2022]

Can I use same letter for DO and MD schools?
Can I ask my writers to send it to interfolio and ask interfolio to send it to both the systems?

thanks

Good question.... I don't think many people respond to the questions here

 

[Wipeout416]

Can I use same letter for DO and MD schools?
Can I ask my writers to send it to interfolio and ask interfolio to send it to both the systems?

thanks

Yes interfolio is the way to do it. You can send the same letters to AMCAS and then for DOs, its a school by school basis. Same thing though. Good luck!

 

[rupyness]

so one of my teachers wrote me a letter and submitted to interfolio but its not on official letterhead. He showed me what he wrote so I know for sure its not on offical letter head.. I would request a resend. But he is mad at the school he works at right now and is quitting. He explicitly told me I am the last letter of recommendation so I dont want to bug him and get it on offical letter head. The letter he showed me is very good and I dont want to by off chance cuz of his pissed mood make the letter bad.

What should I do will schools accept it without official letter head?

Also it is signed by him though and he does give contact information.

 

[armpitsOFmight]

....

 

[Lya]

I don't think that'll work out nicely.

 

[AntonFreeman]

Is it a red flag if I don't have a letter of recommendation from an activity that I designate as most meaningful? I worked with a doctor for 6 months as a scribe and I learned a lot from him but I am not quite sure if his letter will be strong. My other letters will be in a committee letter

 

[sector9]

I have three letters from science professors, one letter from a psych professor, one MD letter, and one letter from my old boss from a lab. I want to be lazy and just send all of these to each school I am applying for and let them sort it out. Will this work or is it a bad idea?

I don't think that'll work out nicely.

Merging

 

[armpitsOFmight]

g

 

[DocMC]

Quick Q: Are LOR's sent along with the primary application? Why does AMCAS ask us to designate which LOR's we want to assign to each school? I thought you only send LOR's if you receive a secondary invite from the school? Sorry if this is addressed elsewhere. Thanks!

 

[Anathema]

I'm applying to some schools that require a LOR from a chemistry related subject and I'm going to choose biochemistry. The problem is that I got an A in the course but only went in twice to ask questions and am afraid the letter will be average but it's required.

Will supplementing this with my other letters which should be strong alleviate it or will the damage be done with one bad letter?

 

[sector9]

I have three letters from science professors, one letter from a psych professor, one MD letter, and one letter from my old boss from a lab. I want to be lazy and just send all of these to each school I am applying for and let them sort it out. Will this work or is it a bad idea?

You need to look at school requirements on school websites or on the secondary applications. Some schools will tell you they only want a max of three letters and they have to be 2 science and 1 nonscience. You need to be following their directions.

 

[MedGrl@2022]

I'm applying to some schools that require a LOR from a chemistry related subject and I'm going to choose biochemistry. The problem is that I got an A in the course but only went in twice to ask questions and am afraid the letter will be average but it's required.

Will supplementing this with my other letters which should be strong alleviate it or will the damage be done with one bad letter?

why not ask another chemistry professor that might know you better? What about your lab instructor?

 

[MedGrl@2022]

so one of my teachers wrote me a letter and submitted to interfolio but its not on official letterhead. He showed me what he wrote so I know for sure its not on offical letter head.. I would request a resend. But he is mad at the school he works at right now and is quitting. He explicitly told me I am the last letter of recommendation so I dont want to bug him and get it on offical letter head. The letter he showed me is very good and I dont want to by off chance cuz of his pissed mood make the letter bad.

What should I do will schools accept it without official letter head?

Also it is signed by him though and he does give contact information.

i would try to contact him again... in person or through a phone call... e-mail as only a last result... be apologetic.. if he is professional he should be understanding...

 

[eyebrowdoc]

Im working on my amcas and aacomas right now. When am I suppose to send LOR to schools?

 

[MedGrl@2022]

Im working on my amcas and aacomas right now. When am I suppose to send LOR to schools?

Are you working with a pre-med committee?

 

[dudeliness]

Hi all, long-time lurker here:

In short: I need a non-science letter, my humanities course was taught by a graduate student, he has two masters (comparative literature and philosophy), he liked my work, would he count as a non-science letter for the schools that require a letter from a non-science professor?

Yes, that would be a non-science LOR. if you are applying to schools that require a non-science LOR, then go ahead and ask him for the letter. You can still turn in your primary application and usually your secondary as well even if you don't have all your LOR. The schools I applied to wanted LOR soon after the secondary, or just before I came for an interview. When in doubt, contact the individual schools and see if not having that letter right away will hold up your application for them.

I graduated 6 years ago. I am getting an LOR from my pre-medical committee. I have one science (biology) professor, who was also my academic advisor and the advisor of a national biological honor society that I founded on my campus.

Does it matter the type of science professor that I get my second letter of recommendation from? I have another co-advisor of my national biological honor society that was my molecular biology professor and I shined in that class.

I could also get my organic chemistry professor, but I dont think we conversed that much outside of the year that I took organic chemistry. I did win an award for organic chemistry that year though.

These are all professors from my undergraduate days. I have a 3.78 GPA in Biochemistry and Psychology... so I did not have a reason to go back to school.

I will also have letters from my PI and supervising post-doc at NIH. I should also have two LORs from DO's (one that I worked with for an entire summer in 2006) and possibly one LOR from an MD that I have shadowed and worked with currently (but not for much time).

Which science professor should I use? Should I do both? Is this too many LORs? I know it is more than required but I graduated 6 years ago.

Please advise!!!

When a science LOR is required, you won't get extra points for having one type of science professor over another. An O chem professors letter is not more valuable than a geology professors letter. What really matters is who knows you best and who will be able to write the stronger letter. If you only need one science LOR (and make sure you check with the schools you are applying to since I think most want two science LOR) then only ask one of them. It's not horrible to have a couple of "extra" LOR, but its also not very respectful to ask people to write them if you aren't going to use them. If you think they will both write great letters, go ahead and ask them both.

Can I use same letter for DO and MD schools?
Can I ask my writers to send it to interfolio and ask interfolio to send it to both the systems?

thanks

Yes you can. Interfolio would be useful in this case.

 

[dudeliness]

why not ask another chemistry professor that might know you better? What about your lab instructor?

LOR from lab instructors is a no no

 

[dudeliness]

Im working on my amcas and aacomas right now. When am I suppose to send LOR to schools?

My pre-health advisor sent in all my LOR before my primary app was verified. I was worried that would be bad, but all of the schools received the LOR just fine. Many of them told me that when they receive a LOR before a primary or secondary app, they create a folder with my name on it and basically start my file with the LOR. Hope that helps.

 

[oksusu]

Question about Letter of Recommendations...

Hey y'all, I'm kind of confused on the timeline of when to send my letter of recommendations to AMCAS. I have everything set up in Interfolio right now, so I could send them now if I wanted to. I thought the letter of recommendations were part of the secondary application process. Do I submit these after my primary application has been verified? Or say I submit them now to AMCAS (prior to verification), will individual schools see the letters along with my primary application as a giant bundle? Or will the letters be held off from submission to individual schools until I submit my secondaries?

What is an appropriate time to send in the letters to get a fast turn-around of secondaries to get an earlier interview invitation?

I could really use some clarification here. Thanks for reading! I appreciate it.

 

[dudeliness]

Question about Letter of Recommendations...

Hey y'all, I'm kind of confused on the timeline of when to send my letter of recommendations to AMCAS. I have everything set up in Interfolio right now, so I could send them now if I wanted to. I thought the letter of recommendations were part of the secondary application process. Do I submit these after my primary application has been verified? Or say I submit them now to AMCAS (prior to verification), will individual schools see the letters along with my primary application as a giant bundle? Or will the letters be held off from submission to individual schools until I submit my secondaries?

What is an appropriate time to send in the letters to get a fast turn-around of secondaries to get an earlier interview invitation?

I could really use some clarification here. Thanks for reading! I appreciate it.

See post above yours.

You can send it in.

 

[golfguy510]

If I'm getting a LOR from the student body president of my University, can I list him as being associated with that University? He was technically an employee of the University. My initial notion is yes..

 

[indianjatt]

so one of my teachers wrote me a letter and submitted to interfolio but its not on official letterhead. He showed me what he wrote so I know for sure its not on offical letter head.. I would request a resend. But he is mad at the school he works at right now and is quitting. He explicitly told me I am the last letter of recommendation so I dont want to bug him and get it on offical letter head. The letter he showed me is very good and I dont want to by off chance cuz of his pissed mood make the letter bad.

What should I do will schools accept it without official letter head?

Also it is signed by him though and he does give contact information.

He may be mad at the school, but I am sure he will also understand your situation. If he wrote you a very good letter, I am sure he will not hesitate to put a letter head. If he says he can't do it, then just keep your current LOR on interfolio and use that.

 

[sbhav]

I know on the AAMC website it says letters should be on an official letterhead and signed. However I have two personal references (one from a doctor that I shadow) and one from my supervisor for my resident assistant position. In regards to my supervisor from the resident assistant position, I don't think she has access to an official letterhead of the university, so would it still look legit if she wasn't able to put it on an official letterhead?