Does a letter from a math instructor count as a non science recommendation letter?

[mrh125]

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I never really connected with any of my non science professors and I could probably have something mediocre materialize, but I have a really strong recommendation letter from a math instructor I had from calc 1-3. Would that be enough to satisfy the non-science recommendation letter some medical schools have?

 

[Oso]

No. Science = BCPM = biology, chemistry, physics, math.

 

[mrh125]

No. Science = BCPM = biology, chemistry, physics, math.

Good to know. How common is it for schools to require a non science recommendation letter? Is it worth getting one even though it won't be as strong as your others?

 

[Oso]

Common. Look at the MSAR/ school websites. And why wouldn't it be as strong? I believe my non-science was very strong.

 

[aspirantmed]

If you look at the school-specific threads, you will see that schools frequently do contact applicants and request a particular type of letter to meet their application requirements, if one is not supplied. A math letter counts as 'science,' so I suggest that you look more broadly at your coursework and see if there's a different professor who can speak to your qualifications. Does your school's pre-health office provide a letter of recommendation? If so, that will usually override the more specific letter requirements at most medical schools.

 

[phunky]

Good to know. How common is it for schools to require a non science recommendation letter? Is it worth getting one even though it won't be as strong as your others?

It's not as common as some claim. I'm anxious about finding a non-science letter of recommendation, but after going through my initial list of 25 schools, I realized that only 5 of them actually had non-science requirements. If you can't get one, it's not the end of the world.