pleasehelpme12
Full Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2024
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Hi all,
I am fortunately sitting on two interviews at my two top choices (state school and one other), but no acceptances. The state school does not accept post interview updates while the other school does. The other school has been radio silence since my interview in early Oct and I am expecting to get waitlisted since it's got a small class size and is fairly competitive.
I am hoping someone, ideally an ADCOM, could provide some insight into how helpful letters of rec actually are in the final decision-making process for student's post-interview, and if it would be beneficial to reach out to the school and see if they would be interested in an additional letter of rec from a semi-new position.
I started a new job a few months before applying and listed it on my application, with most of my hours projected over the next year. As my first few months were mostly training, I did not feel comfortable asking my PI for a LOR. I know them much better now and believe I could get quite a strong letter. I won't have other updates this cycle as I am busy enough with full time employment and volunteering which I already described in AAMCAS.
At first, I thought this could be a good way to signal continued interest without having a specific update, but after reading through this forum and others, I am starting to get the sense that letters of rec are not really needle movers since almost everyone has good ones.
To put all of the above more succinctly, would asking this school if they would be interested in an additional LOR from my PI to further evaluate my candidacy come across in a positive or negative way? On the one hand it shows continued interest, on the other I could see it coming across as a nothing burger and just being pestering/needy.
I already have a basic science PI LOR, but this would come from an M.D PI who is the head of clinical research in my current department at an academic hospital.
Thanks to whoever can offer their thoughts 🙂
I am fortunately sitting on two interviews at my two top choices (state school and one other), but no acceptances. The state school does not accept post interview updates while the other school does. The other school has been radio silence since my interview in early Oct and I am expecting to get waitlisted since it's got a small class size and is fairly competitive.
I am hoping someone, ideally an ADCOM, could provide some insight into how helpful letters of rec actually are in the final decision-making process for student's post-interview, and if it would be beneficial to reach out to the school and see if they would be interested in an additional letter of rec from a semi-new position.
I started a new job a few months before applying and listed it on my application, with most of my hours projected over the next year. As my first few months were mostly training, I did not feel comfortable asking my PI for a LOR. I know them much better now and believe I could get quite a strong letter. I won't have other updates this cycle as I am busy enough with full time employment and volunteering which I already described in AAMCAS.
At first, I thought this could be a good way to signal continued interest without having a specific update, but after reading through this forum and others, I am starting to get the sense that letters of rec are not really needle movers since almost everyone has good ones.
To put all of the above more succinctly, would asking this school if they would be interested in an additional LOR from my PI to further evaluate my candidacy come across in a positive or negative way? On the one hand it shows continued interest, on the other I could see it coming across as a nothing burger and just being pestering/needy.
I already have a basic science PI LOR, but this would come from an M.D PI who is the head of clinical research in my current department at an academic hospital.
Thanks to whoever can offer their thoughts 🙂
