Do medical schools call your professors to ask about you?

[keepcalm2]

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This girl told me that certain medical schools call up an applicant's professors who wrote you LOR's to check up on the applicant like how punctual they are, their everyday personality, etc. Is this true? Do medical schools really take the time to do this?

 

[yehhhboiii]

they barely have time to read your application
i'm assuming that they have better things to do than to check up on the references for the thousands of applications they receive

 

[Andross]

They don't probably do it with every applicant, but I wouldn't be surprised if they did it if they were interested in you (aka want to offer interview/acceptance). I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[SunsFun]

As far as I know they only do it to people who come across sketchy (the story doesn't add up) to see if the applicant is being honest.

 

[SpartanWolverine]

This girl told me that certain medical schools call up an applicant's professors who wrote you LOR's to check up on the applicant like how punctual they are, their everyday personality, etc. Is this true? Do medical schools really take the time to do this?

. It's difficult enough for me to hunt them down, set up a time, and have a few minutes to talk to my recommenders who are on sabbatical, at conferences, traveling, teaching a heavy load, etc... Good luck to any admissions staff who want to try and get them on their office phones!

 

[occams_razor]

If the person wrote you a letter of recommendation, I have heard of it happening. It seems they usually only call a LOR writer when they are strongly considering an applicant.

If it's just a contact person for the AMCAS activities then they rarely call those individuals unless something seems off (ie they suspect the applicant of lying about hours or something)

 

[occams_razor]

. It's difficult enough for me to hunt them down, set up a time, and have a few minutes to talk to my recommenders who are on sabbatical, at conferences, traveling, teaching a heavy load, etc... Good luck to any admissions staff who want to try and get them on their office phones!

haha so true!

 

[keepcalm2]

If the person wrote you a letter of recommendation, I have heard of it happening. It seems they usually only call a LOR writer when they are strongly considering an applicant.

If it's just a contact person for the AMCAS activities then they rarely call those individuals unless something seems off (ie they suspect the applicant of lying about hours or something)

Yeah i meant just the professors writing you a LOR. I was gonna ask my biochem professor for a letter because I've been doing well in the class. I go to office hours and stuff and I know he likes me but I never really go to class because it's at 8 am. This is Biochem 3 and I've had him for Biochem 1 and 2 and I did well there too. Do you think he would tell med schools that I'm not punctual or something?

 

[SpartanWolverine]

Yeah i meant just the professors writing you a LOR. I was gonna ask my biochem professor for a letter because I've been doing well in the class. I go to office hours and stuff and I know he likes me but I never really go to class because it's at 8 am. This is Biochem 3 and I've had him for Biochem 1 and 2 and I did well there too. Do you think he would tell med schools that I'm not punctual or something?

I don't think that would be a problem. If you've taken a number of classes with the professor, have done well in them, made an effort to get to know him outside of class, etc... that probably gives you just about the best letter you can get (short of doing research/extracurriculars with him as well).

I don't know what his attendance policy is like, but, at my school, most professors did not expect you to be at every lecture (unless it was a small seminar).

 

[keepcalm2]

I don't think that would be a problem. If you've taken a number of classes with the professor, have done well in them, made an effort to get to know him outside of class, etc... that probably gives you just about the best letter you can get (short of doing research/extracurriculars with him as well).

I don't know what his attendance policy is like, but, at my school, most professors did not expect you to be at every lecture (unless it was a small seminar).

I apologized to him for not going to lecture because I have to commute for over an hour to get to class and it just doesn't feel worth it at 8 am. He said he didn't mind at all but I'm just scared that deep down he does mind and what that girl said just scared me. Thanks for your input!

 

[Microglia]

As far as I know they only do it to people who come across sketchy (the story doesn't add up) to see if the applicant is being honest.

This is the answer for most schools. Med schools only call when things don't add up.

 

[mcloaf]

This is the answer for most schools. Med schools only call when things don't add up.

qft.

You guys really think adcoms have time to make calls for all the people they decide to interview/accept?

 

[Samir Desai]

It's not at all common practice for medical schools to call up letter writers but it does occur. You have obviously made a strong impression on your biochemistry professor by performing well in his courses and cultivating a relationship outside of class.

I realize that you have a long commute and the class is an early one, and that makes attending the class difficult. You're obviously concerned about the impression you are making on the professor even though he has indicated that he understands your situation. Why not make a strong effort to attend as much as you can for the rest of the semester?

By doing so, you will show him that his class is important to you, and that you are willing to go to the lengths needed to make it on time. Then you don't have to worry that he is bothered by your absence.

In the unlikely situation that a med school calls him, he won't have a reason to say anything about your attendance and punctuality.

Best of luck,

Samir Desai

 

[hunterjumper14]

Before accepting applicants, my school randomly picks 1 of the applicants ECs and calls to make sure the applicant was honest! So it does happen, but I doubt they would do that early in the cycle for many applicants.

 

[FedExDoctor]

If you got the MCAT and GPA, but your letters sound off/need clarification its a possibility if their looking to accept you, but highly unlikely. They get thousands of applications to read in a small amour of time.