letters of rec and shadowing

[ohwhat2do]

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I'm applying to med school this june and wanted to know when I should ask for letters of recc. The thing is that I want to ask two of my professors that i'm currently taking classes with to write me letters. (smaller classes, they know me better, and i'm getting good grades) Can I ask before the class is done? If i do...is 6 weeks enough time???

Also I'm going to shadow a doctor I've known for years... after this April's MCAT. I know he's willing to write a letter but is it cutting it too close to ask him for a LOR in May??

 

[George_Clooney]

I'm applying to med school this june and wanted to know when I should ask for letters of recc. The thing is that I want to ask two of my professors that i'm currently taking classes with to write me letters. (smaller classes, they know me better, and i'm getting good grades) Can I ask before the class is done? If i do...is 6 weeks enough time???

Also I'm going to shadow a doctor I've known for years... after this April's MCAT. I know he's willing to write a letter but is it cutting it too close to ask him for a LOR in May??

You are thinking 4-6 weeks..... that seems like plenty of time to me. I asked my letter writers ~3 weeks before I needed them and it was never a problem. In fact, most people had them sent in (to my pre-med advisor)within 7-10 days.

 

[FDoRoML]

I'm applying to med school this june and wanted to know when I should ask for letters of recc. The thing is that I want to ask two of my professors that i'm currently taking classes with to write me letters. (smaller classes, they know me better, and i'm getting good grades) Can I ask before the class is done? If i do...is 6 weeks enough time???

Well, you probably should already be asking. Keep in mind that you need to give them time around exam times and that they may go out of town. I asked everyone in December, reminded them in January, and then gave them all April 30 deadlines (giving myself another month to pester those who just hadn't gotten to them yet). Yes, this could very well happen.

Keep in mind, you can ask any time... but give them at least a month to write the letters, and build in some time for you to work your magic if they are slow. I had one (that I asked in early December) not get the letter turned in until the beginning of June.<argh!> But, you will need them all gathered by your pre-med committee or letter service in time for secondariews to start rolling in. AMCAS gets submitted in early June and they have to verify all of your transcripts... secondaries can start rolling in as early as the beginning of July depending on how quickly your app is verified. THAT is when you need ot send letters... in support of secondaries. If you plan on having them all turned in by June 1, I think that's reasonable (but that's not the deadline you should give the letter writers!!).

Also I'm going to shadow a doctor I've known for years... after this April's MCAT. I know he's willing to write a letter but is it cutting it too close to ask him for a LOR in May??

The problem is that you are talking about asking in the END of May, right? Otherwise, unless you plan on spending entire days with him, several days per week, he might not have enough ammo to write a good letter. Or enough time to think about it hard enough to write a strong letter. You could ask him in Mid-May and give him a mid-June deadline. Tell him to feel free and ask you any questions he has, etc, while you are shadowing. If he's smart (unless he's got vacation time coming up), he'll wait until the week you want the letter to write it so he knows more about what to say. But it is professional courtesy to still give him a month to write it so he can pick when he'll have the time.

Hope this helps. I juggled 8 letter writers... so I know very well what you're talking about!

 

[GujuMD]

You should talk to your professors now that your are going to apply to medical school and that you are thinking about having them write you a letter of recommendation. This was they have a heads up. But some prefessors want to know your MCAT score before they agree to wirte a letter (as was the case for one of my letter writer). 6 weeks is enough time but it is a nice idea to let them know ahead of time.

Since you have known the doctor for years and you know he is willing to write the letter, you should let him know taht you are planning to apply in June and will need the letter by late June/early July. Also it depends how you know the doctor...will this be the first time you are interacting with him in a professional manner, or have you volunteered or shadowed at his clinic before.
Hope this helps.

 

[peterpansy]

As far as getting LOR's from professors - 6 weeks should be enough time. Also, if you mention the deadline when asking the person to write a letter, s/he can decide whether it's enough time for him/her personally. With the doctor you want to shadow, there are two issues. The timing isn't great - but what you can do is ask him in advance (like now) whether he would be willing to write a letter on short notice. Also, you want to make sure that he can actually write a meaningful letter about you. You said that he's known you your entire life - but I'm guessing that's in a more personal capacity. Unless he can provide some insight on your dedication to medicine, how determined, motivated, hardworking etc. you are, it wouldn't be very valuable (even if he is well-known). Another suggestion - if you have any research experience, getting a letter from your PI would be a good idea. That's just my take on it though. Good luck!