Duke requires 4 letters of rec? What the hell!

[aazaz]

I went to submit my Duke secondary today after working my ass off on their essays. The bastard wouldn't let me submit it cuz I only have 3 LORs, and I need 4.

Dammit. Duke is my top choice school, and I don't want to give up my dreams of going there just because I dont have a fourth LOR. Is there any way around this? Or am I just screwed as far as applying to Duke goes?

I wish they had posted this requirement somewhere on their website, considering how almost every other med school require a minimum of only 3. 😡

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[Fermata]

Can you find someone to write you another one?

 

[Radio Edit]

I went to submit my Duke secondary today after working my ass off on their essays. The bastard wouldn't let me submit it cuz I only have 3 LORs, and I need 4.

Dammit. Duke is my top choice school, and I don't want to give up my dreams of going there just because I dont have a fourth LOR. Is there any way around this? Or am I just screwed as far as applying to Duke goes?

I wish they had posted this requirement somewhere on their website, considering how almost every other med school require a minimum of only 3. 😡

just write one for yourself

 

[aazaz]

Ok, what do you guys think of this idea.

I tutored a girl for physics on the MCAT this summer. She really liked me as a tutor, and I think I did a good job at explaining the concepts to her. Do you think a letter from her as the 4th letter would be sufficient?

oh man i suck

My other 3 letters are from legitimate professors. My stats are good too (37, 3.96). Do you think a fourth letter from so crappy a source will really hurt my chances?

I really should have gotten to know one more professor...

 

[bewitched1081]

you seem like you have enough brains to handle the duke curriculum but it is intense. are you sure it is your number one? i wouldnt get a letter from someone who doesnt even have a bachelors. try someone else who's been like a mentor to you. it doesnt have to be a professor.

 

[bewitched1081]

the last bet is your advisor. he/she should be able to help you out.

 

[frantic983]

.

 

[lane]

you seem like you have enough brains to handle the duke curriculum but it is intense. are you sure it is your number one? i wouldnt get a letter from someone who doesnt even have a bachelors. try someone else who's been like a mentor to you. it doesnt have to be a professor.

someone bitching about needing one more letter of rec somehow has the brains to handle duke's "intense curriculum"?

try to get a letter from a doctor or admin for whom you worked (assuming you have clinical or research experience) - under no circumstances should you send a letter from a friend, relative, or someone of equal or lesser standing. it's just a waste of an adcom's time. if you want to get in somewhere like duke you should consider the lengths to which you're willing to go - getting one more letter is nothing compared to what they'll expect if you do somehow get in there.

 

[WatchingWaiting]

You must have had some extracurricular activities? Go find some random volunteer director/program manager or the like to write about what you did and what a wonderful person you are. You should be able to get someone to write a little activity letter in a week and send it in.

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Just get one filler LOR, its not like all LOR's have to be from people who know you super super well, a generic is just fine if you've got 3 strong ones already.

 

[patzan]

I went to submit my Duke secondary today after working my ass off on their essays. The bastard wouldn't let me submit it cuz I only have 3 LORs, and I need 4.

Dammit. Duke is my top choice school, and I don't want to give up my dreams of going there just because I dont have a fourth LOR. Is there any way around this? Or am I just screwed as far as applying to Duke goes?

I wish they had posted this requirement somewhere on their website, considering how almost every other med school require a minimum of only 3. 😡

Don't cry, the University of Utah requires 6.

 

[Fed Meat]

Am I the only one who thinks that a letter of recommendation from a totoree would be more valuable than another letter from a prof after this poster already has three from professors?

Yeah, I agree that Duke will probably want someone more experienced, but I think another *****ic letter from a higher-up would be far less enlightening than one from underneath. Doctors have to relate in both directions, and conveying knowledge to patients and being encouraging are HUGE in the medical field.

bleh. I think letters of rec are a waste in general.

 

[GiantGiantsFan]

isnt it true that the committee letter counts as one of the four letters?

 

[TommyGunn04]

you seem like you have enough brains to handle the duke curriculum but it is intense. are you sure it is your number one? i wouldnt get a letter from someone who doesnt even have a bachelors. try someone else who's been like a mentor to you. it doesnt have to be a professor.

I realize I'm venturing a bit off topic here, but I felt the need to respond to the above comment about Duke's curriculum. This notion of Duke being really "intense" is a pet peeve of mine, particularly because it generally comes from people who first of all haven't been through the program, and second of all typically don't know much of anything about the curriculum besides the fact that it's 1 year of basic science instead of two. They then assume that means two years are squished into one, which of course is also completely untrue.

Having been through the first 2 years of Duke's curriculum, I wouldn't call it any more intense than what my friends at other med schools went through, and actually would argue that it's LESS strenuous than a number of other programs. And by doing things the Duke way, there are certain advantages to be gained. Of course, I'm biased. I'm a HUGE fan of the Duke curriculum, and here's why. First of all, I didn't have to spend a whole extra year learning things I'd forget anyway, sitting there trying to soak things up passively. Instead, I got to be on the wards doing ACTIVE learning, which works much better for me. Even better though, because we do our clinical work in the 2nd year, I'm actually working on a master's degree this year, and will still graduate in 4 years. I certainly can't complain about it being "too intense!" So while I agree Duke isn't for everyone, it's hardly helpful to go posting willy nilly about our program's "intensity." No offense meant, I'm just extremely sensitive to what I see as a gross mischaracterization based on false assumptions and generalizations. Perhaps you have specific reasons to think as you do, but you'd surely be in the minority of people who make such comments about Duke.

 

[delchrys]

i must really be cynical or something, because i'd bet my ass (and that's a big bet...er...big butt...) that the admissions committee won't give two shi*ts who the fourth letter is from.

 

[Haybrant]

What are their requirements on the letters? Does it say two sci and two non-sci? can research mentor count for one of the sci letters?