Suggestions for Recommendation Letter Writers

[OBGYN2010]

For those of you who have already taken care of your rec letters, did you try and provide suggestions to your letter writers or give them a list of things they can write about? I am thinking about doing this...but I don't want to sound pushy. I guess I'd rather, they just write what they think about me rather than me asking them to write certain things about me. Any Insights? How did you guys go about doing this?

Thanks

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[AggieJohn]

I also am kind of wondering about this. I am going be a junior this fall, so I know I need to start schmoozing with profs... but I am a horrible beggar, and thats what asking for a rec letter seems like to me. I realize the importance of LOR's, so I know I need to make sure they can write a strong letter... hopefully somebody can give some good tips!

 

[EnergyShotz]

For those of you who have already taken care of your rec letters, did you try and provide suggestions to your letter writers or give them a list of things they can write about? I am thinking about doing this...but I don't want to sound pushy. I guess I'd rather, they just write what they think about me rather than me asking them to write certain things about me. Any Insights? How did you guys go about doing this?

Thanks

Assuming that your letter writer does know you to an extent, I'd give them a short list of your biggest accomplishments/activities, with an explanation for each. That way, they can supplement the positive things they'll say about you with some other personal information about yourself that they probably don't know. A couple of the letter writers asked me for my personal statement too; that could be really helpful for you, because it explains your whole motivation in about a page. Also, if it benefits you, give them your transcript too. Good luck!

 

[TicAL]

What I did with a few of my LOR writers is explain to them why I found their class helpful, and how it provided me with the qualities (stuff you'd want them to write in the letter) that I would need to be a successful med student. This way, you plant the seed as to what you want them to write, but without actually telling them to write it

 

[coral]

For those of you who have already taken care of your rec letters, did you try and provide suggestions to your letter writers or give them a list of things they can write about? I am thinking about doing this...but I don't want to sound pushy. I guess I'd rather, they just write what they think about me rather than me asking them to write certain things about me. Any Insights? How did you guys go about doing this?

Thanks

I just finished doing all of my LOR mini-interviews, and the last thing I wanted out of the whole process was one of those fill-in-the-blank LOR's that profs just have saved on their computer. So, what I did was prepare a packet full of information about me that they could have to look over before writing, including my ps, transcript, and a list of all my ec's/accomplishments with a little comment regarding what kind of impact it made on me, how I think it has strengthened my drive to apply to medical school, etc. Also, if it's for a non-science class ( I am doubling in bio and anthro) I included why I thought the class was relevant and why I found it so engaging ( so, anthro teaches you to be analytic as well as sensitive and understanding to cultural diffs encountered in medicine, etc.).
I also included a little letter that once again thanked them for taking the time and consideration to 'endorse' me, so to speak, and added that although I didn't manage to incorporate x or y into my ps, I would really love if you could mention it in your letter (for ex. I had a prof who's situation had been very similar to mine in that both parents were immigrants and cultural traditions/familial obligations impeded his education, which showed dedication and drive, and I felt he could speak well towards that). So, you are just giving non-class related background, which a lot of my prof's liked, especially the non-science ones that aren't used to writing LOR's for med school. In the end, I wanted my LOR writers to be able to say something about me in addition to what the adcoms are going to get out of your numbers and ps. Hope that helps!

 

[Minion677]

how many letters are you guys getting? i have a premed committee which incorporates 4 letters from teachers (2 science and 2 non). is that a normal amount? or should i also get an additional letter from a doctor i shadowed or a summer job that i had?

 

[Zephyrus]

most medical schools won't take more than 6 or 7. some state schools are even stricter. i'd rather read 4-6 AWESOME recommendations and not risk dilution or fatigue from reading more than that.

Z

 

[Shredder]

For those of you who have already taken care of your rec letters, did you try and provide suggestions to your letter writers or give them a list of things they can write about? I am thinking about doing this...but I don't want to sound pushy. I guess I'd rather, they just write what they think about me rather than me asking them to write certain things about me. Any Insights? How did you guys go about doing this?

Thanks

be pushy. i wrote some of my letters for them, and then they revised. you know yourself better than they do, and you know what you want out of them, or you should know. make sure they dont miss anything you want them to say. not telling them enough is a risk for a generic letter.

 

[oldman]

i had 6 letters
2 science
2 nonscience
1 boss
1 volunteer

i gave them a biography, transcript, and a personalized letter directed towards the letter writer. i also met each LOR writer in person.

i am getting letters now for residency apps. i'm providing CV and personal statement. will also meet with them, but luckily in med school the profs get to know me a lot better than in ugrad.

 

[RAD11]

be pushy. i wrote some of my letters for them, and then they revised. you know yourself better than they do, and you know what you want out of them, or you should know. make sure they dont miss anything you want them to say. not telling them enough is a risk for a generic letter.

I'm a non-traditional student. My undergrad school writes a committee letter so I had to submit a form to all my science professors and they then submit that form to my pre-med advisor. Since I graduated a while back, I made sure that I saw all of my professors during their office hours and chatted with them for a while. I made sure I also brought a copy of my CV. I also got recommendations from non-science professors....my advisor told me that only the really strong LORs (from non-science prof) will be attached to the school's committee letter.