Perspective on Non-Science/Science M.D. Letters of Rec?

[toddgurley]

So my situation is that I know I will get amazing LOE from two individuals but I am having trouble about what I can qualify them as versus what I want to qualify them as.

The first is an M.D. who I took a psychiatry course with and got an A in. Does that mean that his LOE will count as a health science LOE? He is a clinical professor but does him being an MD put the LOE at a disadvantage compared to a science LOE from a PhD?

My second LOE is also an MD. My concern with this is that I want to use him as my non-science LOE because I plan on taking his honors humanities course in the spring. I am concerned if an MD teaching a humanities course is legitimate? He has been my mentor for over a year through another activity and invited me to take his class. Can this count as a non-science LOE? I am planning to submit primary app w/o the spring grade from this class so my professor would be writing a LOE for a class that hasn't technically been completed yet as well - is that not okay? Thanks!

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[toddgurley]

Bumpity bump

 

[libertyyne]

Bumpity bump

I don't think anyone will care about an md teaching humanities. Shouldnt you be going through committee anyway?
When I think of sciences I think of basic sciences. What psychiatry course was this what School does it fall under?

 

[ChrisMack390]

The content of the course is more important than the writer's specific credentials (other than professorship).

 

[toddgurley]

I don't think anyone will care about an md teaching humanities. Shouldnt you be going through committee anyway?
When I think of sciences I think of basic sciences. What psychiatry course was this what School does it fall under?

UC school without any committee so all of us do LOE from individuals sadly. Psychiatry was under the School of Medicine so I think this counts as a health science and thus it would be a science LOE?

The content of the course is more important than the writer's specific credentials (other than professorship).

Yes! That's good news then.

 

[libertyyne]

UC school without any committee so all of us do LOE from individuals sadly. Psychiatry was under the School of Medicine so I think this counts as a health science and thus it would be a science LOE?


Yes! That's good news then.

I don't think that letter will count, at least in my mind the science letters are bio, phy, Chem. Did you take this class at the school of medicine ? Was it graded? What is the course description?

 

[toddgurley]

An Clinical Faculty MD who is teaching a clinical psychiatry course, is more likely not to fulfill the science requirement at many schools.

There are three issues here:

1) What are the requirements for an LOR/LOE?

Each medical school has specific requirements which typically fall into ONE of the following categories:

A) Individual Letters from 2 professors/instructors you have taken science classes with and 1 non-science professors/instructors you have taken a class with.
OR
B) Individual Letters from 2 science and 1 non-science faculty
OR
C) Prehealth Committee letter

This would mean, for example, that a professor you had a research job with wouldn't fill LOR requirement at schools which want A (class) but would fill B (faculty). Please note that these are typical requirements generally found at most schools; some schools have very specific and extensive letters required and it is up to you to know them.

2) For purposes of LOR/LOE, what is science?

Many applicants equate "science" with AMCAS "BCPM". This is not always accurate. Science for purposes LOR/LOE is what "normal" science would be at a college or university. This would include Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, certainty. But it would also include Oceanography, Geology, or even Computer Science and Materials Sciences. Under this general theme most health and medical science fields could be considered science. What about engineering and math generally? They can actually be framed either way, which usually depends more on the background of the candidate than anything else (ie what professors has the applicant worked with.). But more on this later. You should note that there are some schools that have very specific faculty/courses that they will consider science, even if BCPM as CWRU shows

3)How can I judge if a letter writer fits a science or non-science criteria?

Applicants who need to look at this issue must do something that few seem to do: use their judgement. You can look at the degree the letter writer holds, the department to which they are faculty, and the title/position they hold within that department. Perhaps even more telling is the course that you may have taken So Dr. John Smith, PhD, Professor of Behavioral Neurosciences, Department of Psychology teaching a course -- PSYCH 402: Molecular Neurochemistry of Abnormal Psychology, would clearly be a sciences letter even though the professor and the course are from the psychology department. Another example would be Dr. Bob Jones, PhD, Associate Professor of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, Department of Exercise Science and Sport Studies teaching a course -- EXPHYS 340: physiological responses in sports training. Again, certainly science work even though it is an Exercise Science course and department. So use your judgement on these.

In sum, getting a letter from a professor who knows you well and can write a critical evaluation of you is much more important than the strict interpretation science but it is up to the applicant to check that he/she is fulfilling specific requirements at each individual school they apply to

Thanks - I saw this info on another thread but was still unsure. This is as thorough of an answer as I can get most likely and so I really appreciate it. Based on this, it seems like an MD teaching a humanities course shouldn't be a problem. I'll just look for another science LOE!

 

[ChrisMack390]

One of my science letters came from a psychologist with which I took "The Brain and Psychology". I was straightforward with him and told him I wanted to use his letter as one of my required science letters and asked if he could briefly mention what we did in class (learned neuroanatomy, dissected human brains, picked up primary neuropsych literature, etc). He did and it seems to have worked out OK for me.