Bad Rec letters?

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aabb111

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Hi, guys.
I am a current applicant on two waitlists.
I need some advice and I would really appreciate the help.

I have decent stats, 3.66GPA/38MCAT and decent activities.
I don't take things for granted and I am not arrogant by any means, but I honestly thought I would have more success this cycle.
I received two interviews and waitlisted on both of them.
I am preparing for reapplication next year right away and wanted some advice.

I know this may sound stupid, but I was wondering if my recommendation letters are holding me back.
Obviously, none of my recommenders have reason to hate me or anything, as I wouldn't have asked them if so.
But it is possible, I guess, that one of them may have wrote something bad about me. I know, I know, most likely it was my GPA or activities that were less impressive than other applicants, but I was just wondering if there was a tactful way of knowing if my rec letters were all positive for me, not to confront the person or anything, just so that I could exclude that letter while reapplying.
I waived the right to see the letters and I really am not interested in reading it or anything, I would just like to maximize my chances if I reapply and thus remove a bad letter if there is one.
I thought about emailing my premed advisor or committee member who, I believe, have access to those letters.
Is there a tactful and professional way to ask them if there was a letter that said something negative about me?
Thank you so much for the help.
 
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I don't understand how a letter writer could include anything negative in a letter of RECOMENDATION. I know it probably happens, but if I was asked to write a LOR for someone and I thought about including anything negative, I would simply decline their request. When I think of a poor LOR, I imagine simply one that is average or blah, not negative.
 
I know this may sound stupid, but I was wondering if my recommendation letters are holding me back.

I thought about emailing my premed advisor or committee member who, I believe, have access to those letters.

Is there a tactful and professional way to ask them if there was a letter that said something negative about me?
You could ask the advisor to review the letters and let you know if you should replace them. If he/she heitates for even a moment, then you know there's a red flag in there somewhere.

Another potential way to get more specific information is to call schools that rejected you, make an phone appointment to talk with a dean, and ask what you can do to improve your chances. Sometimes you'll get enough information to pinpoint the problem.
 
It could be anything outside of your GPA/MCAT. It could be your PS, it could be something in your secondary, and yes, it could be your letters. Post-interview, it could be your interviewing skills, a maturity level that the interviewers did not see...there are many factors. I second Catalystik's suggestion of contacting a school that is open to exit interviews (or whatever they call them) and find out what concerns they have regarding your application.
 
Go ask your recommenders if they wrote a "bad" letter.
 
You haven't said how many schools you applied to, which, where, etc. I'll assume the schools you chose were a good fit with your profile. If you applied to only a handful and you got 2 interviews, the problem is likely NOT with your app or LORs. Something happened during your interviews that did not enhance your chances. If you don't get in this year, apply to more schools next time and take some affirmative steps to improve your interview performance.

If you applied to > 10 schools and got two interviews, it's more likely something is wrong with your app + materials. More likely, but not certain.

As mentioned by others, don't be so quick to assume that the problem lies with others, it may be you. A post-mortem follow up with either or both waitlisting schools is a good idea.
 
I agree that you should ask the schools why they didn't accept you. They'll often have a date after which you can contact them and see what the problem was.

In addition, you should schedule a meeting with your premed advisor. If you discuss ways to improve your file, it should provide a really easy opening to "should I get more letters or replace any of the letters in my file?"
 
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