Potentially Bad Letter of Recommendation

[stilezzzz]

My current boss recently informed me (she knows that I'm applying to medical school) that one of my letters of recommendation was not positive and resulted in me initially being passed up for a position. I am certain that the recommendation was from my thesis advisor who I was planning on also using for my medical school application. My boss said that is wasn't overall a bad recommendation but that she did say some negative things about me (lack of attention to detail, etc). I spent a summer working for her in her lab, and continued working for her for a year completing my senior thesis. Other than my current position as a clinical research coordinator, it is my largest exposure to research and my longest standing relationship with a professor.

I want advice on whether to include her as a recommendation to med school. I am worried that not having her as a recommendation is a huge red flag to med schools, but also knowing that it wasn't a glowing recommendation gives me pause. I am getting a committee letter, so hopefully all my other recommendations will cancel it out but I don't actually know what she said in her letter. I want to apply to top some 20 schools (GPA 3.77, Science GPA 3.85, MCAT 521) and I know that research is especially important.

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[dpmd]

My current boss recently informed me (she knows that I'm applying to medical school) that one of my letters of recommendation was not positive and resulted in me initially being passed up for a position. I am certain that the recommendation was from my thesis advisor who I was planning on also using for my medical school application. My boss said that is wasn't overall a bad recommendation but that she did say some negative things about me (lack of attention to detail, etc). I spent a summer working for her in her lab, and continued working for her for a year completing my senior thesis. Other than my current position as a clinical research coordinator, it is my largest exposure to research and my longest standing relationship with a professor.

I want advice on whether to include her as a recommendation to med school. I am worried that not having her as a recommendation is a huge red flag to med schools, but also knowing that it wasn't a glowing recommendation gives me pause. I am getting a committee letter, so hopefully all my other recommendations will cancel it out but I don't actually know what she said in her letter. I want to apply to top some 20 schools (GPA 3.77, Science GPA 3.85, MCAT 521) and I know that research is especially important.

I would recommend finding a different letter to use unless that person has changed their mind about you (like if you worked with them since then and corrected the deficiencies they noted)

 

[Goro]

A bad LOR will be LETHAL to your medical school plans.

It's a pre-med delusion that you need an LOR from your PIs. Your professors are the ones we want LORs from.

My current boss recently informed me (she knows that I'm applying to medical school) that one of my letters of recommendation was not positive and resulted in me initially being passed up for a position. I am certain that the recommendation was from my thesis advisor who I was planning on also using for my medical school application. My boss said that is wasn't overall a bad recommendation but that she did say some negative things about me (lack of attention to detail, etc). I spent a summer working for her in her lab, and continued working for her for a year completing my senior thesis. Other than my current position as a clinical research coordinator, it is my largest exposure to research and my longest standing relationship with a professor.

I want advice on whether to include her as a recommendation to med school. I am worried that not having her as a recommendation is a huge red flag to med schools, but also knowing that it wasn't a glowing recommendation gives me pause. I am getting a committee letter, so hopefully all my other recommendations will cancel it out but I don't actually know what she said in her letter. I want to apply to top some 20 schools (GPA 3.77, Science GPA 3.85, MCAT 521) and I know that research is especially important.

 

[meddesire]

A bad LOR will be LETHAL to your medical school plans.

It's a pre-med delusion that you need an LOR from your PIs. Your professors are the ones we want LORs from.

Just a question about LORs: Are all the LORs confidential? How can you know if it's a bad or good LOR? Will an adcom tell me if I ask about that?

 

[Goro]

They are confidential; you sign away your right to see them and you thus have no way of knowing if they're bad or not. Applicants to med school should always ask their potential writers : Can you write me a good LOR for my app to med school?"

Just a question about LORs: Are all the LORs confidential? How can you know if it's a bad or good LOR? Will an adcom tell me if I ask about that?

 

[coffeeandcodeine]

Did you work with a grad student or post-doc? They could probably write you a compelling letter of recommendation that speaks to your research abilities. But even if they can't, a letter from your research experience is not crucial. Please, please do not submit your PI's letter -- Goro is right about this, it will tank your application. And your application could be great! We have the exact same stats, and I currently have a top 20 acceptance, so I think you have a really good shot -- but only if you avoid shooting yourself in the foot with this letter. Good luck!

 

[dpmd]

Just a question about LORs: Are all the LORs confidential? How can you know if it's a bad or good LOR? Will an adcom tell me if I ask about that?

You really only know if you ask yhe writer what sort of recommendation that are willing to write you. Though my letter writers all gave me copies of my recommendations despite me signing away my rights to see them. They did so without being asked so I can't advise you on how to try to accomplish that.