"Non-Traditional" Letter Requirements?

[Ookluh]

Hey all- I guess I would be considered a non-traditional applicant. I graduated in 2005, and have been working as an EMT ever since. I'm wondering if schools generally have less stringent requirements on letters from professors for people who have been out of school a couple years or longer.

So far, I have two recs from science professors - one from my major, one from a different department. I have a letter of rec from one of the assistant managers at the ER I work at, and one is in the works from a lab I did research in for a year. However, I still have not obtained a letter from a non-science (humanities/social sciences) professor. I did ask someone, and he said he would do it.. but that was about 7 weeks ago and I still have not received anything. I've contacted him by e-mail several times (spread out by a couple weeks each time), and he told me he would do it.. one time he even said he would be working on it that very week.. several weeks later, I heard nothing and tried e-mailing him again and haven't heard anything.. should I start hunting other professors down, or is it possible that I may not even need that type of letter of rec?

edit: since I suppose a list of schools may help: http://mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=08349

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[2008orbust]

I am a dozen years out of school. Letters from profs would be a joke. I have called schools and asked if employer letters could replace prof letters and they have no problem with it.

Do not assume you can just replace a certain letter though, call each school first.

 

[Ookluh]

In that situation it's certainly more clear that a letter from a professor is not necessary - but since I am only two years out, I'm not sure how most will consider it. I guess I should be calling each school individually, as that would be the safest and best bet.. but is anyone out there able to tell me that, for sure, I will need one from a non-science after only 2 years out of school? If so, I may as well start looking now.

The reason I even ask is because I've exhausted my options as getting a decent LOR from a non-science.. the one I really wanted to get it from is moving out of the country and says she doesn't have the time.. and then this guy is falling through. Any other letters don't seem like they would turn out so great, as I took most of my humanities and social sciences 4 or 5 years ago.

 

[Noeljan]

In that situation it's certainly more clear that a letter from a professor is not necessary - but since I am only two years out, I'm not sure how most will consider it. I guess I should be calling each school individually, as that would be the safest and best bet.. but is anyone out there able to tell me that, for sure, I will need one from a non-science after only 2 years out of school? If so, I may as well start looking now.

The reason I even ask is because I've exhausted my options as getting a decent LOR from a non-science.. the one I really wanted to get it from is moving out of the country and says she doesn't have the time.. and then this guy is falling through. Any other letters don't seem like they would turn out so great, as I took most of my humanities and social sciences 4 or 5 years ago.

not to be a downer, but a lot of schools wont bend on letters. Also, 2 years out is nothing. It is just like a senior who has to ask a soph. prof. for a letter. Good luck, but I don't think they will make any exceptions on only 2 years out.

 

[Noeljan]

Hey all- I guess I would be considered a non-traditional applicant. I graduated in 2005, and have been working as an EMT ever since. I'm wondering if schools generally have less stringent requirements on letters from professors for people who have been out of school a couple years or longer.

So far, I have two recs from science professors - one from my major, one from a different department. I have a letter of rec from one of the assistant managers at the ER I work at, and one is in the works from a lab I did research in for a year. However, I still have not obtained a letter from a non-science (humanities/social sciences) professor. I did ask someone, and he said he would do it.. but that was about 7 weeks ago and I still have not received anything. I've contacted him by e-mail several times (spread out by a couple weeks each time), and he told me he would do it.. one time he even said he would be working on it that very week.. several weeks later, I heard nothing and tried e-mailing him again and haven't heard anything.. should I start hunting other professors down, or is it possible that I may not even need that type of letter of rec?

edit: since I suppose a list of schools may help: http://mdapplicants.com/viewprofile.php?myid=08349

Most often I think they are more strict with the science letters though, so perhaps a non science can be anyone

 

[Jolie South]

Being only 2 years out, I think you should be able to go back and get some letters.

I was 2 years out of my graduate program and got 2 science letters easily. Even though I wasn't that close personally to these 2 guys, they both remembered me and wrote good letters.

I think you will be at an advantage as far as nonscience letters go. For nontrads these often become letters from employers or volunteer supervisors. These people generally know you better than a humanities professor would, so they can really give adcoms an idea of who you are and why you'd be great.

 

[Ookluh]

Thanks guys- just to clarify, I do have the 2 science Letters. I also have a work letter, and a research letter (in the works, but I know she will do it soon). I just know some schools ask for a non-science to be from a Humanities or Social Sciences professor, so I'm hoping they may be lenient on that one for me. Anyhow, I decided to go ahead and try to contact my Intro to Psych professor.. hopefully she will write me one, just in case some schools are not willing to budge!

 

[146233]

For future reference, there is a Non-Traditional Students thread for these types of questions. The posters there [many of whom often read and post in Pre-Allo] may be able to provide counsel as well.

 

[Law2Doc]

For future reference, there is a Non-Traditional Students thread for these types of questions. The posters there [many of whom often read and post in Pre-Allo] may be able to provide counsel as well.

Agreed. Moving.

FWIW, I found that the LOR requirements were generally expected to be a bit different and sometimes allowed to be exceeded by nontrad applicants -- when I applied it was suggested (by a postbac program) that I provide letters from profs at other programs I attended, letters from former employers and the like in addition to the standard undergrad/postbac prof letters.

 

[MSmentor018]

I was out of school 8 years so I used 1 professor letter (only one that still teaches), 2 employer letters. also don't forget to add a separate letter stating why you're doing this, not all secretaries know about processing your app this way. it wouldn't hurt to call them 1 week or so later after your app is sent out

 

[Ookluh]

Sounds good, thank you. I will be sure to contact the schools that may be concerned with a lack of a Humanities letter (though I will try to get one, if I can).

 

[Tol]

I am a dozen years out of school. Letters from profs would be a joke. I have called schools and asked if employer letters could replace prof letters and they have no problem with it.

Good work!
I called a few schools and got shot down on each one. They were very nice, very understanding, and shockingly inflexible. They said flat out that they would rather have a form letter from a gen chem prof I had 10+ years ago (when I was one of 350 people in a lecture hall) then a letter from the manager of the ICU where I work. Too bad really. It would give them a much better picture of who I am and my ability to function in the real world.

I stopped calling after three or four schools. Perhaps I should have been more persistent. Even one school saying yes would be a sizable advantage.

This process certainly isn't gear towards folks who have been out of school a bit. Again, I'm struck by how silly it is. As a young guy doing my undergrad it would have been very difficult to get a clear picture of what kind of physician I might be. Now I think that wouldn't be too hard at all. But the application process is so locked in to sorting young, inexperienced people that it has lost the capacity to use the potential information you can get from an older person with more experience.

But hey, that's the breaks
Good luck to everyone here!

 

[Law2Doc]

They said flat out that they would rather have a form letter from a gen chem prof I had 10+ years ago (when I was one of 350 people in a lecture hall) then a letter from the manager of the ICU where I work. Too bad really. It would give them a much better picture of who I am and my ability to function in the real world.

At most schools it would probably be okay if you provided both. Then they still get that picture.

 

[missicyhot]

I'm in the same boat! the one in state school I really wanted to go to refused to bend on their 3 LOR's from professors requirement despite the fact that I've been out of school for over 2 years.

I have my 2 science letters. Can I get my 3rd from my dance teacher?

 

[montessori2md]

I think if you're working full-time, or have been working for more than a year, you should make one of the letters from work, or from a "clinical experience", but checking with each school is important.

I also think some schools would be put off by having the majority of letters from people who haven't seen you in years -they want to know about who you are now, not necessarily who you were X years ago. But I could see how that would be difficult if you haven't taken any classes in the interim.

If your alma mater has a premed commitee, that's a nice way of avoiding the whole issue, because most schools will accept a committee letter in lieu of individual letters, helping to avoid the various dickering over who writes them.

 

[Omashu]

Okay....Let me get this straight

We need:

science LOR
non-scence LOR
employer/clinical letter LOR
MD/DO LOR

Research LOR - Only if your interested in research?
Comm. letter only if your school has a commitee?

Am I missing anything?