letter of rec

[dustin04ag]

OKAY... so I ask a prof to write a letter of rec for me. He tells me that he would like for me to write the letter myself and then just bring it to him to review and sign. So, does that sound messed up to anyone else that is applying? I have no clue how to write a letter of rec for myself. So if anyone has any ideas on what I should do, or a letter of rec that you have so I can see how to do this thing..... it would be much appreciated. HELP...............

Dustin

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[wolferman]

Sounds like a great opportunity. The fact that he'll review it means that you can't build yourself up too much, but don't be too humble either. This could be one of your better LOR's if you work hard. Just make sure you include things about your personality and apparent desire for medicine. Don't forget about interpersonal relations also.

 

[tBw]

it sounds fairly normal. Just do it, and don't be modest. You can use

http://www.accepted.com/medical/LettersRec.aspx

for tips and some examples of rec letters, but remember to make it personal.

 

[conure]

This is a great opportunity and you should embrace it whole heartedly.

I wrote one of LORs and used the website accepted.com for help. They will give you an outline and some common things to put in and reference. You should leave space for him/her to include a blurb on how long they have been teaching and assessing students. You should also allow the opportunity to include your rank in the class and definitely your grade. Make sure to support claims with examples from you realtionship with the prof.

Don't be afraid to actually write the sentences and design the stucture of the letter, an outline won't do. He has asked you to do the heavy lifting (so to speak) so do it and make it as simple on him/her as possible.

 

[DarkChild]

dont forget to include at least one negative thing about you... or some form of shortcoming...
overly gushy LORs are a little suspect.

 

[Adcadet]

Originally posted by DarkChild
dont forget to include at least one negative thing about you... or some form of shortcoming...
overly gushy LORs are a little suspect.

The only shortcoming of Dustin04ag is that his relentless pursuit of perfection can occasionally deprive him of sleep.

 

[still waiting]

I don't agree that you should write one negative thing about yourself. Or, at the very least, make it one of those positive shortcomings, aka "works too hard", or "can be too much of an idealist" ... something of that variety. I say this because I had an interviewer tell me flat-out that there are rarely, rarely negative things said in a LOR, so if something negative comes up, the committee will view it as a red flag. Just my thought.
Ghostwriting your own letter of rec is an opportunity that shouldn't be passed up. Go ahead and toot your own horn, chances are you've worked your a$$ off to get into medical school, now's your chance to tell the committee about it. Trust me the prof will probably sign it no matter what you say (short of a few things, of course .... )
Adcadet probably knows where I'm coming from here!

 

[dustin04ag]

WOW!!! I was so nervous when I first posted this.... but you guys really put me at ease. Thanks so much for the advice!!


Dustin