Dean's letter or MSPE won't be provided by medical school

[Wounded Healer]

Hi,

I have graduated in 2015 and I am an IMG. This will be my first application. Since there are very severe political conflicts in my home country, my school refuses to provide me MSPE or Dean's letter.( I know this is stupid but this is what happens). I have contacted ECFMG and they told me to select that I am not able to provide a MSPE, an In Lieu Of placeholder statement will be attached to your MSPE slot. I have few questions.

1. If I apply without MSPE/Dean's letter, will it affect my application in a bad way? Do you think it reduces my chance to get IV's?
2.Will using Dean's Letter instead of MSPE affect the application?
3.What would happen if I use Dean's letter this year and try to obtain MSPE next year? Would it cause a problem since I am already a graduate?

Thank you so much for your answers!

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[Animalcules]

1. Possibly, depending on the person who screens your application. Have you tried to offer to write the MSPE yourself and have your school validate and sign it?
2. I think a Dean's letter is less important for IMGs.
3. No idea what you are talking about here.

 

[Wounded Healer]

1. Possibly, depending on the person who screens your application. Have you tried to offer to write the MSPE yourself and have your school validate and sign it?
2. I think a Dean's letter is less important for IMGs.
3. No idea what you are talking about here.

Yes, I have a friend graduated from the same med school obtained MSPE last year, I used her MSPE as a template and wrote it. He refused to use it. Then, I sent him other med schools MSPE's as an example, our graduate's MSPE and ECFMG's MSPE writing guide. I personally visited him twice, told how important this is for me. He said he could write Dean's letter, he didn't although, I called him countless times. I did my best...

About the third question: What if someone uses Dean's letter this match period and try to replace with MSPE the next match period. Would it be suspicious for ECFMG since MSPE supposed to reflect medical school performance based on the feedback of each clerkships and I am already graduated?

 

[gutonc]

About the third question: What if someone uses Dean's letter this match period and try to replace with MSPE the next match period. Would it be suspicious for ECFMG since MSPE supposed to reflect medical school performance based on the feedback of each clerkships and I am already graduated?

This is actually the easiest question to answer. Nobody will know or care.

 

[Mad Jack]

I never got why IMGs call Interview Invites IVs, when every AMG calls then IIs, because it's two words that start with I...

Gutonc covered it though.

 

[rokshana]

I never got why IMGs call Interview Invites IVs, when every AMG calls then IIs, because it's two words that start with I...

Gutonc covered it though.

where has anyone written IIs? that's just weird...

 

[rokshana]

isn't the Dean's letter just the old way of saying MSPE?

 

[gutonc]

isn't the Dean's letter just the old way of saying MSPE?

That is correct.

I think the OP is conflating the Dean's Letter with a Chair letter.

But whatever...if you don't have one, you don't have one.

And as has been pointed out here many times by aPD himself, both the MSPE and Chair letter for most IMGs is worthless. So missing it isn't that big of a deal.

 

[gutonc]

where has anyone written IIs? that's just weird...

They do it in the pre-med forums. It's weird.

 

[rokshana]

They do it in the pre-med forums. It's weird.

yeeah...i've not visited that forum...

 

[Wounded Healer]

Although they were used interchangeably, Dean's letter and MSPE are not the same things, as far as I know. The MSPE has replaced the term "Dean's letter" to better describe the purpose of this document, which is to evaluate the performance of the medical student. Dean's letter can be very short, without giving any detailed information of the clerkships, just the matriculation dates, and confirming that student has graduated etc. ECFMG accepts both but strongly encourage the MSPE.

 

[Wounded Healer]

That is correct.

I think the OP is conflating the Dean's Letter with a Chair letter.

But whatever...if you don't have one, you don't have one.

And as has been pointed out here many times by aPD himself, both the MSPE and Chair letter for most IMGs is worthless. So missing it isn't that big of a deal.

This is a huge relief, thanks!

 

[gutonc]

yeeah...i've not visited that forum...

Wise choice.