MD Rec Letter Priority

[amoxicillin_resistant]

Hello, I have a handful of letters from MDs and professors, and was wondering which is better:

an MD (internist) letter that is really short (basically 2 paragraphs), but positive overall
or an in depth letter from a professor that is way more specific and detailed

Ideally, I would be able to send both, but was wondering for schools with a limited amount of letters I can send, which do I pick? Generally speaking ofc, I know some schools state in the MSAR which types of letters they prefer

Thank You!

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[xakrinf]

Professor who knows you! The advice I've always received (and tossed around on this site) says to always get letters from those who know you best rather than from someone who might have prestige

 

[amoxicillin_resistant]

okay! so for example, if a school requires 3 letters should i then do:

1. really good MD letter
2. professor who knows me
3. professor who knows me

The other MD and DO letters are kinda subpar tbh, would that be best ^?

 

[gyngyn]

DO schools love a DO letter.
MD schools rarely request a clinical letter, but if they do, anyone who supervised you in a clinical setting is fine.
Shadowing letters are especially useless (in an already useless category).

 

[amoxicillin_resistant]

oh huh i didnt know shadowing letters are useless lol good to know

sadly a lot of my letters idk the contents as they are in interfolio but i think i will prioritize closeness with the people who wrote them over MD prestige

 

[amoxicillin_resistant]

are letters from a professor I took from an online course recommended to use? probably best to use from a professor in person right? I ask because the online one was very recent and it was for an immunology course which I did real well on

 

[gyngyn]

i will prioritize closeness with the people who wrote them over MD prestige

A majority of those on the committee are physicians and PhD's.
They will not find an MD letter prestigious.

 

[gyngyn]

I ask because the online one was very recent and it was for an immunology course which I did real well on

We can see how well you did by the grade.
A strong letter comes from someone who has first hand experience with you in the following ways:

https://www.aamc.org/system/files?file=2019-09/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf

 

[amoxicillin_resistant]

i see, thank you very much. Even though some of the letters are curt, would it be best to use them then since I worked under them as an MA? I do have close ties with them despite the brevity of the letter would suggest

 

[gyngyn]

i see, thank you very much. Even though some of the letters are curt, would it be best to use them then since I worked under them as an MA? I do have close ties with them despite the brevity of the letter would suggest

It would be better to send any new letter writers the link above so that they have an idea what we are looking for.
A mere endorsement is not very helpful.

 

[cj_cregg]

An MD/shadowing letter is not required as others have said. In fact I often find MDs not involved with medical schools don't know how to write a good letter lol.

What is important is the content. Letters can be positive but not strong. "Luis was an MA in my clinic for 2 years. He was responsible for XYZ.. He was prompt and professional. He will make a great doctor." or "Alicia was in X class with me. Here are one million details about the very niche research I do because I need to fill space. She got these scores on her tests and was in the 95th percentile of students. She asked questions in class. She is an excellent student." - those are weak letters.

A strong letter would be "Miriam was an MA in my clinic for 3 years. During this time I had an opportunity to observe her XYZ. She was warm and welcoming with patients and made them feel at ease. There was one patient in particular who blah blah blah She collaborated well with staff, and independently suggested and implemented several projects to improve efficiency in our rooming process."

 

[amoxicillin_resistant]

thank you very much for the replies they are very helpful. Sadly I do not know the full contents of the letters except for some of the MD ones

 

[cj_cregg]

thank you very much for the replies they are very helpful. Sadly I do not know the full contents of the letters except for some of the MD ones

Of course, but you probably have a sense of who knows you well enough to write something like the last example and who doesn't.