LOR Situation......

[star22]

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So I have been shadowing a doc for the past year, but I have actually known him since my Freshman year of college (I'm a non-trad, so that is ~10years, he started med school my sophmore year, so he is more of a peer.... but don't tell the adcoms that). He is currently writing me a letter of recommendation and insists that a letter focusing on "character reference" will carry more weight with an adcom than focusing on what I've done with him as a shadow. I just think this sounds like it will turn out to be one of those "I have know Star22 for many years and she is really nice, so you should let her into medical school...." types of letters that an adcom would just dismiss. I also worried because I am a re-applicant and I want everything to be as perfect as possible this time around... Any thoughts???

 

[thegymbum]

Are any of your other LOR's from people who have observed you in a medical setting? If not, what if you very respectfully mentioned that you would really appreciate it if he also included more about your medically related experiences with him, since the other letters would be placing more emphasis on you as a person, and you would also like to ensure that the schools get a clear picture of your experiences related to health care..? Maybe that would encourage him to have a more even balance between talking about your character traits and about the medical experiences.. I'm sure he would understand as long as you asked nicely and made sure he knew how much you appreciate his writing the letter, etc. Best of luck!