Letter Packet Advice

[DBC03]

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I'm a non-trad getting a letter packet (NOT committee letter). The committee will be working with me to choose letters, and my preference is to get an ideal combination that will suffice for all schools without overwhelming the admissions committees. There's no official policy, so I would like some advice on the optional letters.

I know I need at least 2 science, 1 non-science, all PIs. That means work/volunteering/shadowing/etc. is optional, so I have to make decisions. Specifics below:

I have THREE science professor letters. I know two will be very strong and the third will be very positive/strong, but I'm not sure if it will be AS strong as the other two. I'm leaning toward the third professor's letter being "too many letters to go through."

Non-science: I will have a letter from an instructor who taught me 15 years ago - he's now a professor at a prestigious school but wasn't a professor then. He knows me quite well and will give a very strong letter. I have a letter from my thesis PI who was also a non-science professor. I will include this and it should be strong. I feel like I should include both as one will be talking about my research and thesis and the other will be talking about my creativity in a non-science class at school. Thoughts?

Letter from work (11 years, engineering firm) - I'm assuming I should include this, but let me know if it is unnecessary.

Letter from volunteering at the hospital - should be a very strong letter. I did patient rounding for all the nurses so it will likely discuss my ability to work with patients, etc.

Letter from a doctor I shadowed for 3 months - this is strong, but I know that most committees just gloss over these. I also worked with him years ago in a professional setting, so there' a little more than me just following him around. He is on the medical board at one school I'm applying to, so I don't know if I just try to make a separate packet for that school or include it with all?

I guess it comes down to this (in order of importance):
2 Science (or 3)
2 PI
1 Non-science (optional as one PI could cover in a pinch)
Work?
Volunteer?
Shadowing?

My advisor and I don't want to submit too many and we feel like six is probably the max. So I will likely need to choose between work and volunteering. Thoughts? Thanks!

I'd definitely love advice from @gyngyn @gonnif @Goro @LizzyM

 

[efle]

I'd do work > volunteering

 

[Goro]

I'd do work > volunteering

I concur

 

[DBC03]

I think some schools want work letters so that is where I'm leaning (assuming it comes in this week). Some people have mentioned that the a recent volunteering letter may be better for some schools than a letter from a non-science professor from years ago. But many schools require the non-science. I guess a work letter could be just as good?


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile

 

[LizzyM]

I know I need at least 2 science, 1 non-science, all PIs. That means work/volunteering/shadowing/etc. is optional, so I have to make decisions. Specifics below:

I have THREE science professor letters. I know two will be very strong and the third will be very positive/strong, but I'm not sure if it will be AS strong as the other two. I'm leaning toward the third professor's letter being "too many letters to go through."

Go with the first two, only.

Non-science: I will have a letter from an instructor who taught me 15 years ago - he's now a professor at a prestigious school but wasn't a professor then. He knows me quite well and will give a very strong letter. I have a letter from my thesis PI who was also a non-science professor. I will include this and it should be strong. I feel like I should include both as one will be talking about my research and thesis and the other will be talking about my creativity in a non-science class at school. Thoughts?

Non-science professor who is also thesis PI.

Letter from work (11 years, engineering firm) - I'm assuming I should include this, but let me know if it is unnecessary.

Yes.

Letter from volunteering at the hospital - should be a very strong letter. I did patient rounding for all the nurses so it will likely discuss my ability to work with patients, etc.

Letter from a doctor I shadowed for 3 months - this is strong, but I know that most committees just gloss over these. I also worked with him years ago in a professional setting, so there' a little more than me just following him around. He is on the medical board at one school I'm applying to, so I don't know if I just try to make a separate packet for that school or include it with all?

A thousand times no.

 

[DBC03]

Go with the first two, only.


Non-science professor who is also thesis PI.


Yes.

A thousand times no.

Thanks so much! I was feeling this way, as well, so I'll start the paperwork to get the committee packet set as soon as the work letter comes in this weekend.

 

[DBC03]

Most schools that accept letter packets use committee guidelines. That is, you do not need to fill the science/non-science of individual letters, especially since your premed program is picking them. As nontrad you absolutely need the supervisor letter as adcom will expect it. Forget the freaking shadowing letter.

Thanks! It appears that our committee has no official "guidelines," so that was confusing me. But it sounds like the assumption from schools is that whatever my committee thinks is sufficient will work?

Any thoughts on volunteering letter? It sounds like that won't add anything at this point, am I correct?

 

[DBC03]

Committee or Packet: UG decides what is required
Individual letter: Med Schools decides what is required


Mostly no, but if you have been there a long time (2 years or more) and/or had some position (ie volunteer coordinator) then its unlikely to be of use, though it is worth more than shadowing

Thanks! So I'll use what we think would make the best application.

 

[DBC03]

Since I just noticed you are in the Sunshine State, my only caveat to this is that some of the Florida schools have detailed and atypical expectations of letters and I would double check their specific requirements, notes, expectations

Thanks - I will look into those. They also have some really "interesting" (ie overwhelming) secondaries. I will make sure I have all of my bases covered before I finalize the selection!

 

[DBC03]

A very special thank you to everyone who has helped me thus far! I have everything except one letter that is not actually necessary to fulfill school requirements (and writer hasn't responded to emails), so I'm moving forward.

Now that I'm nixing one letter, I'd like some input. Here is what I plan to include for sure:
2 very strong letters from science professors
1 strong letter from thesis advisor - also taught me in one or two engineering courses, but I'm not sure if he discusses that
1 strong letter from current PI
1 letter from work

Here are the extras:
1 strong letter from volunteering
1 strong letter from additional science class

The one issue I'm looking at is that I worked for 11 years at a firm owned by my dad and his business partner. I got the letter from the business partner, not my dad (obviously). Everyone at work has known me since before high school, so there weren't any options for writers who have only known me from work outside of the bookkeeper. I'm not sure if some schools will toss this b/c of personal ties.

Should I include my volunteering letter in addition as a kind of work letter as well? Or do I need an additional letter from a professor since I am not getting the letter I originally thought I'd be getting? It sounded like the thesis advisor letter could in some way cover my additional "non-science" class (but, again, I'm not sure he discussed that). The current lineup covers the minimum requirements from my school, but I can include one additional letter.

FWIW, I did Patient Rounding as a volunteer and had some responsibilities that exceeded those of the average hospital volunteer.