Letter writer requested a "narrative"...meaning??

[Byrd]

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So, in lieu of a resume, one of my letter writers asked that I send her a "narrative" (I'm assuming about my experiences, etc.) to base her letter off of.

Any ideas about what she is looking for? Would this just be like my resume, but in sentence form, i.e., "In Spring of 2008, I volunteered at ____ clinic, where I did ________", etc.? Include GPA, and just all the standard resume-type things?

OR, do you think that they're essentially asking me to write my own letter, via them lifting parts of what I write and just adding a bit here and there? In this case, I would do things much differently.

 

[LizzyM]

A narrative is a usually a first person essay that tells a story. Your PS should be a narrative. Whichever draft you are working on now will do the job.

 

[Byrd]

A narrative is a usually a first person essay that tells a story. Your PS should be a narrative. Whichever draft you are working on now will do the job.

Thank you for the response, Lizzy. Do you think that she specifically wanted my PS (of which I have written none of, mind you), or are you just suggesting this as something would would qualify? In other words, a narrative resume is probably not what she is looking for?

 

[riverjib]

So, in lieu of a resume, one of my letter writers asked that I send her a "narrative" (I'm assuming about my experiences, etc.) to base her letter off of.

Any ideas about what she is looking for? Would this just be like my resume, but in sentence form, i.e., "In Spring of 2008, I volunteered at ____ clinic, where I did ________", etc.? Include GPA, and just all the standard resume-type things?

OR, do you think that they're essentially asking me to write my own letter, via them lifting parts of what I write and just adding a bit here and there? In this case, I would do things much differently.

If this person is requesting a narrative from you, it's probably a good sign. She knows you well enough in some context to be advocating for you, but she knows that including details about your accomplishments beyond her classroom or lab will make it much stronger, since it shows that you've established a relationship with her.

I was in a similar situation, and I basically mixed my CV with my PS. I wrote about what I consider my most important achievements, and why they mattered to me.

 

[jslo85]

Give him/her both your CV and your PS and any research publications that you have that would allow him/her to write a more personal and strong LOR.

 

[Hamiltonian]

Ask them what they mean.

 

[Byrd]

Ask them what they mean.

Pah! What a ridiculous idea. 🙂

I don't really want to send her a PS, because I know it will take me awhile to write, and don't want to just scrape something together overnight. Since the PS usually has some sort of "theme" and babbles on about reasons for wanting to be an md, etc., isn't a simple resume or a written description of everything I've done a bit more useful for synthesizing a LOR, anyway?

Thanks for the replies so far...some good ideas.

 

[girlofgrace7]

Pah! What a ridiculous idea. 🙂

I don't really want to send her a PS, because I know it will take me awhile to write, and don't want to just scrape something together overnight. Since the PS usually has some sort of "theme" and babbles on about reasons for wanting to be an md, etc., isn't a simple resume or a written description of everything I've done a bit more useful for synthesizing a LOR, anyway?

Thanks for the replies so far...some good ideas.

It's normal practice to give a letter writer a copy of your transcript, a resume or CV, and some sort of draft of your personal statement (or if you've written something similar in the past addressing why you want to be a doctor, etc.).
A resume or CV is great, but if you want a personal letter, the letter writer needs to see your motivation and the qualities that make you a good doctor. Also, I really suggest you get working on the personal statement since it takes quite a while to write and get people to edit.

 

[rsmithjr42089]

I was asked to submit something similar, but he gave a list of questions he wanted specifically answered....short story it ended up over 8 pages long! When I sent it to him he was ecstatic that someone took him serious in his request, of course since it had some personal things in it having class with him gets awkward at times if he brings up a past experience of mine, but nonetheless, his LoR is probably going to be awesome, plus he is on the committee for the "committee" letter.

 

[flip26]

Thank you for the response, Lizzy. Do you think that she specifically wanted my PS (of which I have written none of, mind you), or are you just suggesting this as something would would qualify? In other words, a narrative resume is probably not what she is looking for?

Umm, you might want to get started on that, and soon.

 

[sonofva]

i thought you were supposed to give all your letter writers a CV, transcript, and brief personal statement...that way if they forget something about you they're not just sitting there scratching their heads...also give them pre-addressed and postage paid envelopes if there is any mailing to be done. this way they dont have to think about anything. they just ram your letter into the envelope and go. common courtesy.

may sound like extra work, which sucks, but really what isn't in this process?