LOR-waive right-2 years later?

[eur]

Hi,
I am an IMG right now about to do some electives this summer. I plan to get some LOR's, but I am not going for the 2010 match. I plan to go for the 2012-13 match after some research, but my question is, Is there a way to waive my right to see these LOR's that I will use for my application in 2 years time? Or is that impossible?
Thanks

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[Doctor Bob]

Err... while I am no expert on this matter, in my experience LORs are more like fish and less like wine... they don't get better with age.

A 3 year old LOR may raise some questions (specifically, "why are these so old?"), and as an IMG the last thing you want on your application is anything that raises questions.

 

[dragonfly99]

I agree that 3 year old letters would be less than optimal. You can probably get away with a year old, but I'm not sure I'd use a 2-3 year old letter unless I had no other choice. I'm not sure how you'd go about waiving LOR's right now...unless your school has a dean's office that can keep the letters for you...that is how it is done in the US. For example, a student might get a LOR during 3rd year of med school to use in 1 year (or 6 months) for the next match, and asks for the letter to be sent by the faculty member to his school's career office or dean's office. They keep all the LOR's so the student never sees them, and they have the letters scanned into ERAS system at the appropriate time.

 

[Winged Scapula]

Agree with the above. As an FMG you do not want any red flags on your application.

Therefore, letters more than 1 year old AND without the waiver are basically just saying to the readers that these letters are useless and not to be taken seriously.

 

[allymunro]

Unfortunately the huge disadvantage faced by FMGs is that we have to do clinical electives while a still a student in order to gain experience to get LORs but then its often necessary to do a year or two after graduation in our home countries.

I'm British and our system means that more or less to ever return to the UK its required to work here for a year post-graduation, and then as the first jobs are given as two-year contracts it would be breaking a contract to go to the US after only one year.

Like the OP I'll also be hopefully finding letter writers in Summer 2009 but applying in Fall 2011 for the match (or possibly even 2012). Does anyone think it would be worth asking letter writers this summer if I could contact them in 2011 and ask them to write letters then (or at least date them then even if written this summer)??

Thanks!

 

[Doctor Bob]

Unfortunately the huge disadvantage faced by FMGs is that we have to do clinical electives while a still a student in order to gain experience to get LORs but then its often necessary to do a year or two after graduation in our home countries.

I'm British and our system means that more or less to ever return to the UK its required to work here for a year post-graduation, and then as the first jobs are given as two-year contracts it would be breaking a contract to go to the US after only one year.

Like the OP I'll also be hopefully finding letter writers in Summer 2009 but applying in Fall 2011 for the match (or possibly even 2012). Does anyone think it would be worth asking letter writers this summer if I could contact them in 2011 and ask them to write letters then (or at least date them then even if written this summer)??

Thanks!

Well, is there any reason that you can't get letters of rec from people you work with during that year after graduation?

A letter talking about how you work as a doctor/intern/whatever is a lot better than an old letter talking about how you work as a student. Even if the person isn't in the field you want to go into, the relative newness of the letter coupled with the insight into your post-graduation ability would far outweigh the in-specialty benefit of an old letter.

 

[dragonfly99]

I would get both types of letters...from the US during student rotations, and from your intern year (or whatever they call it in the UK). In the situation you describe,having a LOR that is a couple of years old would be acceptable, I think. You can also ask the faculty member to date the letter a few months in the future, if you like. I think asking them to write it later might be risky, in case they forget about you. I don't think matching into the US for less competitive specialties out of the UK (especially after 1-2 clinical years) will be too hard...

 

[allymunro]

Thanks! Its really good to hear you think a combination of slightly old (but US) with current (but British) would be an ok way to go.

Now I just need to try and make as good an impression this summer as I can! (I think I may have made an error by heading to a Harvard hospital for the elective placement. Maybe if I'd gone somewhere less competitive I'd have had a better chance of getting the best LOR I can. Should be a great learning experience at least!).