Recommendation Letter

[NP545]

How important really is a letter of reccomendation?

On a scale of 1 to 10 rating the quality of the letter, is it possible to get into med schools with good extracurricular, 3.8+ GPA, and a 6-7 quality LOR?

Some of my professors just ask for a resume and dont really get to know their students, but offer to write LORs, should I take one from him or wait for another prof that actually knows me.

Also, how are some good ways to get good LORs? Attend office hours and talk about what else other than the class? Any help please

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[Boolean]

Show that you're more than a grade. You got an A? Awesome. But how else do you show how awesome of a doc you'll be? Help other students? That's a huge plus. You want the professor to be able to write more than "good student, hard class"


In terms of letters of rec, they can sometimes be your saving grace or your downfall. I've heard horror stories of very bad letters of rec which presented the candidate in a negative light (despite that not being their intention). Likewise, I've heard of students who had their volunteer coordinator wrote something in their letter of rec about them spending holidays with patients and that was their saving grace from wait list to acceptance (this coming from an Adcom who has spoken to many undergrads at my institution)

 

[Goro]

A good LOR always helps, while a bad LOR can sink your medical career.



How important really is a letter of recomendation?

Maybe a 3.

On a scale of 1 to 10 rating the quality of the letter, is it possible to get into med schools with good extracurricular, 3.8+ GPA, and a 6-7 quality LOR?

Go to your favorite porfs and ask something like this: "Professor Smith, do you know me well enough to write me a good LOR?"

Also, how are some good ways to get good LORs? Attend office hours and talk about what else other than the class? Any help please[/quote]

 

[Euxox]

IMO, a scale of 1 - 10 is not a good way to measure the quality of a letter because there are really only three types of letters: good, mediocre, and bad.

First, the bad letters. These are pretty rare and you'll typically only get them if you work really, really hard to make your letter writer hate you. See slide 127 of this presentation for an example: https://csh.depaul.edu/student-reso.../LoyolaStritchSchoolOfMedicinePresentatio.pdf. A letter like this can singlehandedly sink your application.

Second, the mediocre letters. These usually have some vaguely worded and rather generic praise for the student. (Bright kid, in the top 10% of my class.) The vast majority of LoRs fall in this category. These don't hurt your application, but they don't help either.

Third, the good letters. These are written by people who know your pretty well and can attest to more than just your academic abilities. For example, a professor that you've TA'd for might be able vouch for your ability to work as part of a larger team, your ability to set and meet deadlines, your abilities as leaderser, and so on. A professor that you've worked with in a small senior seminar can attest to your problem solving skills, your enthusiasm about a particular subject, your ability to read and understand journal articles, etc. These letters are about more than your grade in the class.