LOR Problem

[Jon Davis]

Hey guys, I got a small problem with one of the LORs. I volunteered at a hosp for 250+ hrs and I knew the director personally. However, shes since retired and now has alzheimer's disease. That LOR is gone. Then I volunteered in a clinic under a pharmacist, and he left to another city and I have no method to contact him. Should I just give up on these? I put these down as experiences on the amcas and stuff, and all this is documented, but I think I may have lost legitimacy with the adcoms. What do you all think I should do?

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[morgan]

Hey guys, I got a small problem with one of the LORs. I volunteered at a hosp for 250+ hrs and I knew the director personally. However, shes since retired and now has alzheimer's disease. That LOR is gone. Then I volunteered in a clinic under a pharmacist, and he left to another city and I have no method to contact him. Should I just give up on these? I put these down as experiences on the amcas and stuff, and all this is documented, but I think I may have lost legitimacy with the adcoms. What do you all think I should do?

There is no one else at the hospital that would write you a LOR?

And secondly, no method to contact the pharmacist? Do you know the city he moved to? Can't you find out? Use whitepages.com? Talk to someone he worked with? You can do it! You're a pre-med after all.

 

[Jon Davis]

There is no one else at the hospital that would write you a LOR?

And secondly, no method to contact the pharmacist? Do you know the city he moved to? Can't you find out? Use whitepages.com? Talk to someone he worked with? You can do it! You're a pre-med after all.

I only knew the volunteer coord and didnt know that nurses on a personal basis. The new lady has never met me before.
No one knows where this dude moved to. Tried whitepages endlessly. You make it sound like I've got down's syndrome. I've tried, trust me.

Can I get by without these and stick with:
1) Math Tutoring Coordinator at my school (I was a math tutor, duh...)
2) My research advisor
3) assistant chair of my chem dept.

What you all think?

 

[Turkeyman]

Woah, that's rough :O. Looking at your current list of LORs, they seem to be from people in relatively high positions. Also, you meet the three letter requirement for many schools(two science people and an extra from wherever you choose). I'd just go with what you have...LORs never make up your entire application anyways -- just a small part. Luck sure sucks sometimes =[.

 

[chandelantern]

I only knew the volunteer coord and didnt know that nurses on a personal basis. The new lady has never met me before.
No one knows where this dude moved to. Tried whitepages endlessly. You make it sound like I've got down's syndrome. I've tried, trust me.

Can I get by without these and stick with:
1) Math Tutoring Coordinator at my school (I was a math tutor, duh...)
2) My research advisor
3) assistant chair of my chem dept.

What you all think?

I would actually get another from a science prof you had in class (many school require at least one, if not 2). You have enough from extracurriculars though...research and math tutoring are great. i hope you had the chair of the chem dept in a class, and i would also get one more from a science prof. do you have a committee letter at your school?

 

[Jon Davis]

I would actually get another from a science prof you had in class (many school require at least one, if not 2). You have enough from extracurriculars though...research and math tutoring are great. i hope you had the chair of the chem dept in a class, and i would also get one more from a science prof. do you have a committee letter at your school?

Yeah, I can get alot of other science profs (that taught me), especially chem ones. I had the chem dept assistant chair teach a senior class. He's awesome and is willing to write a great letter for his students. He knows me very well. We dont have comittee letters, atleast to my knowledge. What purpose do they serve?

 

[chandelantern]

Yeah, I can get alot of other science profs (that taught me), especially chem ones. I had the chem dept assistant chair teach a senior class. He's awesome and is willing to write a great letter for his students. He knows me very well. We dont have comittee letters, atleast to my knowledge. What purpose do they serve?

Many larger schools have pre-med (or other profession) committee letters that several med schools require you to use if it is available to you. With the committee letter, you have all your letter writers submit their letters to your advising office, and once your file is "complete" (at my school that means at least 3 LOR, 2 from science profs) you schedule an interview with a committee member who reviews your file, interviews you, and writes you a committee letter. Some institutes rank you in comparison to other applicants (mine doesn't), others send only the committee letter to the med schools you apply to, others send the committee letter plus all your other letters as "support" of the committee letter (that's what my school does.) For almost all med schools the committee letter is recommended and sufficient for their recommendation requirements.

 

[Jon Davis]

Thanks Chandelantern, you rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!