I Need Advice

[heymisslady]

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I Have A Friend Whose Daughter Is Applying To Medical School, However She Has Been Out Of School For A While. The Problem Is That She Has No Volunteer Exp And She Doesn't Feel Comfortable Asking Her Old Professors For Lor's Because She Either Did Not Have A Relationship (meaning There Was No Communication With Them) Or They Have Retired. She Has Been Out Of School For Over 10 Yrs And And Is Now Starting Her Apps. Her Mcat Scores Are 10v, 13ps, And 12bs. Any Suggestions On What She Should Do Would Be Helpful.

 

[RxnMan]

Most professors will remember students, even if they're 10 years out. You can still get letters from them. Also, you need to get that clinical experience. If you're a RN (or similar), that can substitute, but it needs to be a part of your application. Check the FAQ (top of the forum) for help on how to get that experience.

 

[LodiDodi]

I would recommend asking both old profs and any current boss or reading club chair or whatever. It would probably look best if you ask people who not only know academic performance, but also know the applicant's recent activities and qualities. It can never hurt to ask, so don't be afraid, but also don't be surprised if the prof does not feel comfortable writing a strongly positive letter for some one they have not seen in many years,

It is also good to note that many profs do not always remember people 10 years out. Many of my undergrad classes were so big that my profs would not recognize me on campus, so I understand what odds you might be up against.

The MCAT score is good, so I wouldn't recommend waiting too long because you don't want to let it expire, but it is always possible to wait another year if whoever this person is that you are posting for is not fully prepared to apply. Not having clinical is bad. You shouldn't spend thousands of dollars (and many hours /hopes/dreams) on an application cycle that is unlikely to pan out. In a year, you can get clinical exp, volunteer, and take a couple of classes with profs. Then from those experiences, you can get many good letters of rec. In short, if you really aren't ready to apply, its far more beneficial to take your time and improve your app.

I don't want to be discouraging, but spending time on improving an app is more beneficial then applying without all your eggs in a basket or however the saying goes.

 

[gman33]

Is she a reapplicant? If not, this isn't the correct forum to post in.
I'm going to assume she is not.

Start by trying to get LORs from some old professors. She should make an appointment to see some of the teachers she feels she has the best shot with. Prepare by going back over her grades and any special accomplishments she has in those classes. Also bring a copy of her resume and her personal statement for med school. This should be helpful in helping a willing teacher to write a LOR. If she still strikes out, take an upper level science course or two now and get a LOR from that class.

The lack of volunteering is a bigger problem. If she is planning on applying next cycle, she needs to start TODAY. Anything less than a year of weekly volunteer time will be seen as on the low side. Also, until she starts spending some time around patients she really has no idea if she would even like being a doctor, not the idealized picture, but what it's really like dealing with sick people all day long.

Based on her MCATs, I assume she has good grades. Just get working on the volunteering, apply broadly, and she should be fine.

 

[Luxian]

I've been out of school for 10 years too (you might want to post this on the Non-Traditionals forum since that's where all us old-timers are). I ended up including just one prof in my LORs and then two supervisors. It was a bit of a balance. I know some schools didn't look at be because I didn't have two profs. OTOH, I know it was important to highlight what I've done in the intervening years since that really boosts my application. So find a balance. Make sure she gets people who can really speak about her and not just in generic terms. It's more important to get a glowing recommendation than to get a science prof recommendation.