Letters of Rec. and Personal Statement

[Heston]

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I'm reapplying and I was wondering if I should get new letters of recommendations. Also, although I think my personal statement rocks, should I redo it? Would they even notice?? I applied in 06 and plan to apply in 08.

 

[Tired Pigeon]

Really depends on why you didn't get in the first time. Were your numbers really low & you've since pulled them up? If numbers were holding you back, then using the same PS might not be a problem. However, is it possible your LORs and/or PS were part of the problem? Did you get any feedback from the places that rejected you last time?

 

[Heston]

27 MCAT (10 P, 7 V, 10 B)

I'm guessing it's a low number thing.

 

[RxnMan]

I'm reapplying and I was wondering if I should get new letters of recommendations. Also, although I think my personal statement rocks, should I redo it? Would they even notice?? I applied in 06 and plan to apply in 08.

You should consider how far your application got you. If you got on 6 waitlists, you could probably do a few edits, update for the last year, and resubmit. If you didn't get the time of day, then you need to consider an overhaul of your application in general.

With respect to LORs, a bad one can hurt you, but if you trust your writers and you believe they didn't sink you, you can get away with rewrites + update for the last year. Whenever I reapplied, I fulfilled the schools required letters (e.g. 2 science + one non-science) and then I sent a letter from someone from the last year (e.g., If I had been employed during the reapplication year, I got a letter from my employer).

 

[Heston]

I got waitlisted at Rosalind Franklin, got accepted to a Special Masters Program at the same school, got accepted to a St. George's University in the Caribbean, and then rejected at the other 17 schools I applied to.

Last time I applied, I submitted my AMCAS application around October 15th because i took the August MCAT. Pretty late compared to most people.

For the LOR, I can't imagine getting a BAD review. I know most of them pretty well and couldn't imagine them defacing me. I guess, at the same time, a couple of them could have written a bland LOR.

I'm going to call Rosalind Franklin and ask them what they think needs work on my application. Since I got waitlisted there, I figure they would give me a good representation of what needs to be changed.

Any suggestions?

 

[premd85]

27 MCAT (10 P, 7 V, 10 B)

I'm guessing it's a low number thing.

I was in a similar boat last cycle as I got on 3 W/L's. I had a 7 in verbal like you that I felt kept me from getting over the hump. I thought my PS was great and my LOR's were from profs I knew well.

So the summer after, I studied to retake the MCAT in August - with greater emphasis on MCAT verbal (took practice tests over and over the span of two months). I didn't re-write my PS, but I modified it. I got ONE new letter of reference from a professor of the last science course I took as an undergraduate. I updated my EC's on AMCAS with any new activities I had engaged in, and I left the others as they were.

If you do have to reapply (which I hope you don't), don't feel down...A year can really make a big difference. Stay involved with school or do something medically related on your year off to build up your application. Remember: what can't kill you can only make you stronger. Good luck.

 

[hypnix]

How would you get new LORs if you no longer are a student? I know one prof wrote me a whatever rec just for getting an A in his class.

 

[premd85]

How would you get new LORs if you no longer are a student? I know one prof wrote me a whatever rec just for getting an A in his class.

Depending on how long you've been away from school and if a former prof knew you well enough, he/she may still remember you and be willing to write a letter for you...

You can also check on the specific LOR requirements of the school you are reapplying to - some may require a new LOR from a science professor from reapplicants and some may allow LORs from employers, etc. for those who have been out of school.