Rec letter writer wants pers. statement, but applying in 2013

[riseNshine]

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Hi guys,

I asked for a rec letter and my professor wants my personal statement but I'm applying next cycle so should I draft one anyways so he can write a stronger letter or just say I don't have one since I'm applying next cycle?

Thanks

 

[BABSstudent]

Tell him you don't have one but you can submit a CV, a cover letter and any other thing he feels would benefit your letter.

 

[Irish Football]

Tell him you don't have one but you can submit a CV, a cover letter and any other thing he feels would benefit your letter.

This.

 

[music2doc]

Hi guys,

I asked for a rec letter and my professor wants my personal statement but I'm applying next cycle so should I draft one anyways so he can write a stronger letter or just say I don't have one since I'm applying next cycle?

Thanks

Tell him you don't have one but you can submit a CV, a cover letter and any other thing he feels would benefit your letter.

Meh... okay solution but I'd encourage OP to write a first draft of his PS. Just start working on your PS early. This was honestly how my first PS got done was an LOR writer asking for it. Sure, I did a full rewrite later, but it got the creative juices flowing because I suddenly had a deadline. Just start writing the d*mn thing!

 

[Irish Football]

Meh... okay solution but I'd encourage OP to write a first draft of his PS. Just start working on your PS early. This was honestly how my first PS got done was an LOR writer asking for it. Sure, I did a full rewrite later, but it got the creative juices flowing because I suddenly had a deadline. Just start writing the d*mn thing!

Yeah, this would for sure be your best option, no question. You will be much less stressed out next spring when you already have a good rough draft of your PS.

 

[jesse120]

If I were you, I would NOT tell him that you don't have one. That just seems like a very bad idea. You are asking him to recommend you as a candidate for medical school admission. He needs to know why you want him to do this, why you want to attend medical school. He could ask you face to face, but it's much easier for the both of you to put it in writing instead. Obviously, don't worry about character limits since this isn't AMCAS style, so just write as much as you feel is necessary to explain your motivations. DO make sure your grammar is solid, or else that will leave a bad impression. Whether you want to structure it into a story ("There I knelt in a pool of blood...") is up to you, but it probably isn't at all necessary. Don't be too fancy about it, just explain what motivated you to want to attend medical school and why he should recommend you for admission. Feel free to tell him that this is only a first draft, and that you would appreciate any feedback. Good luck.

 

[music2doc]

If I were you, I would NOT tell him that you don't have one. That just seems like a very bad idea. You are asking him to recommend you as a candidate for medical school admission. He needs to know why you want him to do this, why you want to attend medical school. He could ask you face to face, but it's much easier for the both of you to put it in writing instead. Obviously, don't worry about character limits since this isn't AMCAS style, so just write as much as you feel is necessary to explain your motivations. DO make sure your grammar is solid, or else that will leave a bad impression. Whether you want to structure it into a story ("There I knelt in a pool of blood...") is up to you, but it probably isn't at all necessary. Don't be too fancy about it, just explain what motivated you to want to attend medical school and why he should recommend you for admission. Feel free to tell him that this is only a first draft, and that you would appreciate any feedback. Good luck.

This. Is basically what I did.... I actually took a PS I'd written for something else and then made edits to it to better match my reasons for attending medical school. I ultimately did a complete rewrite, but the fact that I'd worked through it previously gave me a head start and an edge on writing the real thing. It also helped my LOR writers to write me awesome LORs.

 

[rodlops]

Agree that it is better to write a draft to give now so that the letter can be done. If you wait until another year, who's to say that he will remember you as well as he does now?

 

[augeremt]

Write up a quick draft of your PS. I had to do that last year and it worked out well in that I already had a draft when I started seriously working on it for this cycle.

Clearly you know you want to be a doctor so you have the material to write thing. Buckle down and get it done. It'll be worth it.

 

[jjesque]

Some of my letter writers asked for the same and I just wrote a quick first draft -- with a massive disclaimer that this was a very preliminary draft. My final PS ended up looking completely different.

 

[2tim17]

i was in the same position and ended up writing a first draft so I could get an LOR. I was able to revise it like 10x throughout the year when i had some free time. it made the application cycle a little easier since all i had to do was check for grammar before submission

 

[riseNshine]

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone. I ended up writing a first draft and sending it off and I'm relieved I got started on it this early.