letters of rec for mstp

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How many are generally required?

Also, I'm planning to apply both MD-only and mstp. Do I need to get separate letters for each type of program? Did you simply tell your letter writers to write two versions?

 

[bd4727]

How many are generally required?

Also, I'm planning to apply both MD-only and mstp. Do I need to get separate letters for each type of program? Did you simply tell your letter writers to write two versions?

Generally 3 for MD-PhD.

I would say at least 2/3 should specifically talk about your merits as a researcher and desire/potential to pursue a primarily research-based career.

I suppose you could have the same people write two different versions, but make it clear to them that the subject matter actually needs to be tailored specific toward MD/PhD admissions (ie just changing who it is adressed to will not cut it)

 

[URHere]

When I applied, I found that I needed 5 letters total for my MD/PhD applications:

-2 from current or former PIs
-2 from science faculty (for MD admissions)
-1 from non-science faculty (for MD admissions)

If your PI has also been your professor, I suppose you could kill two birds with one stone.

 

[angst019]

If your PI has also been your professor, I suppose you could kill two birds with one stone.

I would recommend not doing this. It doesn't seem to be working out for me - everywhere that I've tried 'killing two birds with one stone' has swiftly rejected me.

I agree, try to get the five listed.

 

[CielloStelatto]

When I applied, I found that I needed 5 letters total for my MD/PhD applications:

-2 from current or former PIs
-2 from science faculty (for MD admissions)
-1 from non-science faculty (for MD admissions)

If your PI has also been your professor, I suppose you could kill two birds with one stone.

I would recommend not doing this. It doesn't seem to be working out for me - everywhere that I've tried 'killing two birds with one stone' has swiftly rejected me.

I agree, try to get the five listed.

yes, though I will add that I had a combined science&PI letter from my thesis advisor, and haven't had it be an issue yet. Perhaps it would be more of an issue if they didn't mention both aspects, or if the med school folks were adamant about having faculty-specific letters. Really, both of my science letters were from combined PI's and professors.

 

[LadyLightning20]

When I applied, I found that I needed 5 letters total for my MD/PhD applications:

-2 from current or former PIs
-2 from science faculty (for MD admissions)
-1 from non-science faculty (for MD admissions)

If your PI has also been your professor, I suppose you could kill two birds with one stone.

Mine basically followed that format - I had 2 from former PI's (and plan to update with one from my current PI), 2 from science faculty, 1 from a clinic director and one from the director of another volunteer org.

I think that the two volunteer/non-science letters really helped give some individuality to my application but do be aware that VirtualEvals only lets a committee upload 5 letters, so you will have to send the 6th alone via interfolio or something and that gets really awkward when secondaries ask you "do you have a committee eval or are you sending your letters separately."

 

[Coclean]

I was under the impression that MSTP applicants should plan to send in letters of rec from all of their significant research supervisors, one science professor, one non-science professor, and one clinical experience supervisor....Is this incorrect.

My dilema is that I have been working in research since 2001. I have 4 years with one professor (no pubs), 1 year with another professor (1 pub), 5 years with another professor (6 pubs or in press), and 2 years with another professor (1 pub). I assume I should include letters from all because the first where I got no pubs was my advisor for all my undergraduate career, and I have pubs with all the others so a letter from them would be important.

Then including the other three letters that seem to be required I am to at least 7 letters for this round. My letters are all really strong and I know that they will be one of the better sections on my app., but will a program let me send in 7? or 10? or whatever.

My undergrad institute had no pre-health/med commitee so there will be no letter from them/through them (thank the lordee deee).

(and before the notes come in because a lot of people make them.....I still need a PhD in Immunology because my pubs are mostly in epidemiology and translational research, immunoepi with hardcore novel culture systems designed but still translational and field based, and I need the hardcore top-notch science god research experience that I have yet to have and do not yet feel confident with.)

Thanks for advice. I'm finally applying and am so looking forward to being done with the app season...its been a long time in the making!

 

[Build]

One thing to keep in mind is that with the online services used to manage letters, schools will have access to all of your letters. Since schools can request different combinations of letters, it is somewhat expected that an MD/PhD applicant will have a few extra, so that is why they often have you specify which letters to look at in some secondaries. If you end up with an excessive number of letters and they don't ask you to specify which ones to read, they may skim and miss your strongest letter. This is more of a problem if you are concerned some letters won't be as impressive as others. However, if all of the letters area strong, there's no reason IMO to not include all of your solid writers because they can read (or skim) extra letters to get an even better understanding of you.

Coclean, one idea if you decide to streamline letter numbers is that if you know your current PI pretty well, you can ask him or her to try and mention/summarize the other labs you've been in to trim down.

 

[BasilFawlty]

Then including the other three letters that seem to be required I am to at least 7 letters for this round. My letters are all really strong and I know that they will be one of the better sections on my app., but will a program let me send in 7? or 10? or whatever.

You can send upto 10 letters through AMCAS if you're not sending in a committee letter. Make sure you get letters from ALL your research mentors, since you have worked with each of them for at least a year, and all your experiences were during undergrad and grad.

Also, there are no *strict* rules - if you were in a 300 person biochem and you got an A but you didn't know the professor, you don't *have to* get a rec from him/her just because you need a "science faculty" rec. Whatever letters you get, make sure the person writing it actually knows you. These "rules" are prescribed as guidelines to ensure that your letters talk about different aspects to your application. As long as that is the case (i.e. there 1-2 letters that talk about things other than research), you will be fine.

Good luck!