Greetings!
With AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS opening within weeks, if you haven’t yet requested letters of recommendation, now is the time! Below you will find letter of recommendation tips which will be useful as you request your letters of recommendation.
1) When considering whom to ask for your letters of recommendation, it important to understand which types of letters carry the most weight for medical school admissions committees. Letters of evaluation are listed in order of importance below:
3) Each medical school will have its own letter of recommendation requirements. Some medical schools allow you to submit up to four letters while others have more generous limits. The more selective medical schools allow you to submit up to five or six letters of recommendation. All letter of recommendation requirements are listed in the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) website.
4) If your undergraduate college sends a letter packet or a committee letter, your letters of recommendation may be included within. However, if your college is sending a letter packet, you can still request individual letters of recommendation from people outside of your institution that can be sent in separately.
5) Once you have an idea of who will write your letters of recommendation, rank them based on how strong you think each will be. For example, let’s say your ranking looks like this:
Wishing you the best,
Jessica Freedman, M.D.
JESSICA FREEDMAN, M.D., is president and founder of MedEdits Medical Admissions which offers individualized guidance to medical applicants. She is author of the MedEdits Guide to Medical Admissions and The Medical School Interview. Dr. Freedman is a former faculty member and admissions committee member at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
With AMCAS, AACOMAS, and TMDSAS opening within weeks, if you haven’t yet requested letters of recommendation, now is the time! Below you will find letter of recommendation tips which will be useful as you request your letters of recommendation.
1) When considering whom to ask for your letters of recommendation, it important to understand which types of letters carry the most weight for medical school admissions committees. Letters of evaluation are listed in order of importance below:
- Science professors (we recommend a minimum of two in your letter portfolio)
- Principal investigators or research supervisors
- Professors in other classes (especially if you are a non-science major)
- Extracurricular or shadowing letters
3) Each medical school will have its own letter of recommendation requirements. Some medical schools allow you to submit up to four letters while others have more generous limits. The more selective medical schools allow you to submit up to five or six letters of recommendation. All letter of recommendation requirements are listed in the Medical School Admissions Requirements (MSAR) website.
4) If your undergraduate college sends a letter packet or a committee letter, your letters of recommendation may be included within. However, if your college is sending a letter packet, you can still request individual letters of recommendation from people outside of your institution that can be sent in separately.
5) Once you have an idea of who will write your letters of recommendation, rank them based on how strong you think each will be. For example, let’s say your ranking looks like this:
- Chemistry professor
- Immunology professor
- Principal investigator
- Art history professor
- Free clinic supervisor
- Biology professor
Wishing you the best,
Jessica Freedman, M.D.
JESSICA FREEDMAN, M.D., is president and founder of MedEdits Medical Admissions which offers individualized guidance to medical applicants. She is author of the MedEdits Guide to Medical Admissions and The Medical School Interview. Dr. Freedman is a former faculty member and admissions committee member at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.