LOR Question for Non-Traditional Student

[CanadianRN]

Hello,

Just a quick quick question for all of you who have experience with medical school admissions. I posted a little bit about myself previously, so I will highlight only the context that relates to my question here. I have been a nurse for 10 years, have a graduate degree (MA in Education), and have a variety of work/research/life experiences (as expected from mature applicants). However, as medical school is not something I realized I wanted to pursue when I was younger, I did not take the pre-requisite science courses in regular my baccalaureate program. I have since completed almost all of the standard pre-requisite science courses through distance education with on-site labs (all will be completed shortly). Distance education was the best option for me as a mature student. However, the problem with distance education is that you do not even meet, let alone form any kind of a relationship with your science professors.

Some of the schools I would like to apply to specifically ask for letters from science professors. These schools include Jefferson, Boston University, etc. There are two options that I am considering. I could ask the distance education university to provide a composite letter to describe my standing in these courses. However, any such letter would not be personal. It would merely be a letter describing what can already be gleaned from my transcripts (i.e., I did well in my science courses). Alternatively, I have a wealth of people to draw from for letters of recommendation relating to my work and research experience. The people who would write these letters are all professors of medicine, just not basic science professors. My intuition tells me that admissions committees would rather hear from people who know me the best, but when their policy clearly states they require letters from science professors I get a little worried.

Has anybody applied with a similar situation? Any advice?

Thank you in advance for your advice!

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[bakedbeans18]

I have not been in your situation, but I don't think that the recommendation letter challenge is your biggest problem here. As I understand it, most medical schools will not consider distance-education as a satisfactory way to fulfill those requirements. You should check with some of the schools you are applying to about any policies they may have on this. @LizzyM @gyngyn @Goro @DermViser

 

[DermViser]

Hello,

Just a quick quick question for all of you who have experience with medical school admissions. I posted a little bit about myself previously, so I will highlight only the context that relates to my question here. I have been a nurse for 10 years, have a graduate degree (MA in Education), and have a variety of work/research/life experiences (as expected from mature applicants). However, as medical school is not something I realized I wanted to pursue when I was younger, I did not take the pre-requisite science courses in regular my baccalaureate program. I have since completed almost all of the standard pre-requisite science courses through distance education with on-site labs (all will be completed shortly). Distance education was the best option for me as a mature student. However, the problem with distance education is that you do not even meet, let alone form any kind of a relationship with your science professors.

Some of the schools I would like to apply to specifically ask for letters from science professors. These schools include Jefferson, Boston University, etc. There are two options that I am considering. I could ask the distance education university to provide a composite letter to describe my standing in these courses. However, any such letter would not be personal. It would merely be a letter describing what can already be gleaned from my transcripts (i.e., I did well in my science courses). Alternatively, I have a wealth of people to draw from for letters of recommendation relating to my work and research experience. The people who would write these letters are all professors of medicine, just not basic science professors. My intuition tells me that admissions committees would rather hear from people who know me the best, but when their policy clearly states they require letters from science professors I get a little worried.

Has anybody applied with a similar situation? Any advice?

Thank you in advance for your advice!

I don't know of many medical schools that accept distance learning courses done online for credit fulfilling science prereqs. I think your case is kind of special bc it's understandable as a fulltime nurse that you wouldn't have time to sit in a classroom and take General Bio I, etc. But yes in general, admissions committees want to hear from people who know you best and a distance course doesn't allow someone to personally assess you.

You may want to call and talk to a Dean of Admissions and ask about your special scenario.

 

[CanadianRN]

Thank you bakedbeans18 and DermViser for your quick responses. With respect to eligibility, you are right, distance education does somewhat limit the options in the schools I can apply to. However, it is surprisingly not as bad as you might think. Thanks to MSAR, I can actually see what schools accept distance education courses (sometimes...). If you look at the tables in the MSAR that lists pre-requisites for each school, there is also column to describe whether distance courses are accepted. If you want to see what I am talking about, look up Johns Hopkins or Jefferson. Johns Hopkins does not accept distance courses while Jefferson does. The overall trend that I have noticed is that more schools accept these courses than not, but frustratingly, for the majority of schools this column is actually left blank in the MSAR (for example, Boston U).

I wanted to post this in case anybody was considering taking pre-requisites through distance education. Overall, I think that if you have the opportunity to take on-site courses, that is definitely the better option. However, if you do not have this option, distance courses are not necessarily a deadly blow to your application. Rather, it will restrict your options. Hope this helps.

Thanks again.

 

[Goro]

A LOR from a distance learning faculty will be close to useless. What can they say? "Joe Smith was my student and did well in my course and was in the top 5%". Not quite a glowing testimonial.

I have not been in your situation, but I don't think that the recommendation letter challenge is your biggest problem here. As I understand it, most medical schools will not consider distance-education as a satisfactory way to fulfill those requirements. You should check with some of the schools you are applying to about any policies they may have on this. @LizzyM @gyngyn @Goro @DermViser

 

[bakedbeans18]

Thank you bakedbeans18 and DermViser for your quick responses. With respect to eligibility, you are right, distance education does somewhat limit the options in the schools I can apply to. However, it is surprisingly not as bad as you might think. Thanks to MSAR, I can actually see what schools accept distance education courses (sometimes...). If you look at the tables in the MSAR that lists pre-requisites for each school, there is also column to describe whether distance courses are accepted. If you want to see what I am talking about, look up Johns Hopkins or Jefferson. Johns Hopkins does not accept distance courses while Jefferson does. The overall trend that I have noticed is that more schools accept these courses than not, but frustratingly, for the majority of schools this column is actually left blank in the MSAR (for example, Boston U).

I wanted to post this in case anybody was considering taking pre-requisites through distance education. Overall, I think that if you have the opportunity to take on-site courses, that is definitely the better option. However, if you do not have this option, distance courses are not necessarily a deadly blow to your application. Rather, it will restrict your options. Hope this helps.

Thanks again.

You should keep in mind that you're dealing with a 'best case scenario' when talking about a medical school that states that they will accept the coursework, or that they have no policy in place regarding it. The truth of the matter is, there will be thousdands upon thousands of applicants to each of these schools, the majority of whom DID complete their pre-requisite coursework at a traditional, 4-year university, in a classroom, with classmates and a professor at the front of the room. Essentially, you will be in a position where you will be asking the committees to overlook that fact. That will be the hurdle for you, not necessarily finding a school that says they accept the coursework....maybe not necessarily a 'no questions asked' kind of situation.

 

[CanadianRN]

I absolutely agree that I would not recommend taking distance courses if it can be avoided. You are 100% correct here. These courses do restrict the schools that you can apply to. However, for some people this is the only realistic option. Especially for mature applicants who have a day job, need to pay a mortgage etc. Although I appreciate the advice, I am not asking what my chances are. I did not post this question in a "what are my chances" thread. My social network consists of many physicians (including my wife) who all have strongly encouraged me to pursue this goal and who believe that I can make it a reality. Most importantly, I believe that I have a good chance. When you post your questions on this site (or any site), it is not possible to completely describe who you are as a person, what your personal journey to medicine has entailed, or what your application looks like. Medical schools are increasingly looking for a diverse student body as they recognize the importance of such diversity in education, research, and patient care. I suggest we all be careful before discouraging applicants. Without the very fortunate network that I have, such comments could have a significant impact on someone's morale or confidence. In all honesty, even with the amazing support network that I have, I still find such comments discouraging.

With respect to my original question, if anybody has any helpful advice about how I should approach my letters of recommendation, I would really appreciate it. I would especially like to hear from anybody who has experience from with similar situations. Although I personally know many physicians, they are all Canadian. No schools in Canada specifically require letters from science professors and we do not have pre-medical advisory committees. Thanks to all who have taken the time to read and respond to this thread.