Question about LOR

[Dr Mario]

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I will be applying to allopathic med schools this summer and I have a few (3) letters of recommendation already lined up. One of my letters will be from a doctor I have been shadowing. My concern is that the other two letters will be from professors that will most likely focus on my undergrad research I have been doing for the past year (one of the letters from my PI and another letter from a professor of a research oriented course). This concerns me because I am not applying MD/PHD, rather just MD. I feel as if this will raise some concern with the Adcom members. Maybe I am just overthinking this whole thing. I know both professors will write strong LOR about my work ethic in the lab and my dedication, but I don't want Adcoms to wonder why I am applying MD if I have so much dedication to my lab work.

I guess my question is, should I be concerned with my LORs? Thanks.

 

[vc7777]

Those are good letters to have. I assume you are applying through AMCAS?

Typically, you want two LORs from science professors who have had you in class that can attest to your academic skills. Usually, you will need one from a non-science professor as well.

It can not hurt you to have those letters. More importantly, they want letters from classroom settings, though.

 

[flip26]

Have you done any research on the kinds of letters that most med schools want?

You should be concerned...

 

[Dr Mario]

I haven't done research into LORs, just stem cell research lol. I like the first repliers opinion. I could get a LOR from an English Professor I had last semester, which I think would balance my letters. That would make it, 2 science, 1 nonscience and 1 from a doctor I have been shadowing.

 

[student113]

I haven't done research into LORs, just stem cell research lol. I like the first repliers opinion. I could get a LOR from an English Professor I had last semester, which I think would balance my letters. That would make it, 2 science, 1 nonscience and 1 from a doctor I have been shadowing.

The 2 sciences should come from professors who taught you in an actual class, so PI won't count unless you also took a class with him/her.

 

[Dr Mario]

Are they really that strict? I mean my PI teaches me everyday in lab. I would think that this would be better than getting another letter from a professor who teaches 500 students and barely has any time to get to know any of them. I really haven't had time nor a reason to visit my other science professors during their office hours through out the past couple semesters.

 

[student113]

Since a good number of schools ARE specific about a science professor who taught you in a classroom, why put yourself in a bad place by not following that?
It's hard for everyone to get to know professors in huge science classes, so it's kind of the point to see who can do it. I know it's a weird hurdle but since it exists, I wouldn't fight it.

 

[obgyny]

Are they really that strict? I mean my PI teaches me everyday in lab. I would think that this would be better than getting another letter from a professor who teaches 500 students and barely has any time to get to know any of them. I really haven't had time nor a reason to visit my other science professors during their office hours through out the past couple semesters.

I'm in the same situation.. I was thinking that my two "science faculty" LORs would be from the 2 professors I did research with. One did teach one of my classes, but the other didn't. However, I did enroll in research units with that professor, which I received both units and a grade. Does that count as a class?

I agree that my research profs would write much better LORs than if I just asked a sci prof that I didn't really know. My research PIs know me very well, I've worked with each one for at least a year or more.

When I was in college, I did make a few attempts to go to office hours to try and get to know my profs. But in office hours, they are always swarmed by 20 other students asking ridiculous questions for which the prof had little to no patience for.

 

[vc7777]

Since a good number of schools ARE specific about a science professor who taught you in a classroom, why put yourself in a bad place by not following that?
It's hard for everyone to get to know professors in huge science classes, so it's kind of the point to see who can do it. I know it's a weird hurdle but since it exists, I wouldn't fight it.

No, that isn't completely the point. This isn't a treasure hunt with random tasks for you to complete.

The vast majority of medical schools use both lectures and small class rooms styles for teaching most of MS1 and MS2. You will be spending literally hundreds of hours in this setting from Day One.

They want to understand how you have performed in the classroom BEYOND your grades in those environments. Where you attentive? Punctual? Did you participate? Were you combative and argumentative? Disruptive? Leave early? Surfing the web? Prepared? Skipped Class?

They are trying to visualize you, the applicant, in their medical school classes. While having other professors' LORs are important and very helpful, they do not evaluate you in the classroom setting.

 

[flip26]

I think the OP (and evidently others) is starting to understand that he has much to learn about LORs, making me wonder what else he doesn't know about the app?

It is May - a bit late to be just now figuring out critical steps. This information is widely available - asking uninformed questions on SDN isn't really the best way to go about doing this "research."

 

[Dr Mario]

Flip26, thanks for your "concern" towards my knowledge of the medical school application, but I'd rather have people post things helpful rather than negative comments. So if you don't have anything positive to say just stop posting on this thread.

 

[flip26]

Flip26, thanks for your "concern" towards my knowledge of the medical school application, but I'd rather have people post things helpful rather than negative comments. So if you don't have anything positive to say just stop posting on this thread.

I have zero concern about your lack of knowledge. These threads are full of people like you who start threads like "what went wrong?" when they don't get in anywhere, so in that respect, you are in good company. If anything, I find it amusing, because "something" informed you about the process - but whatever it was misled you into thinking you had the right mix of letters.

You are the one who, as I said in my first post, should be very concerned, especially at this late date...

It is lame to come on SDN and have people spoon feed you basic information about the app process. This information is widely available through your college professional program office - you are asking for information that most people find out about well before this - I bet your college advisory office has a recommended "timeline" that would have spelled out most of this.