Recommendation letters

[Macromind101]

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Is there a set guideline for how many/what kinds of recommendation letters must be sent by the MD-PhD applicants? Or do applicants have some leeway on how many letters they can send (as long as the amount is not too few or too excessive) and from who they are written by?

I'm guessing that the majority of recommendation letters must be written by STEM professors and research mentors. But would it show that the applicant is well-rounded if one or two of the letters are written by a non-STEM professor like an English or Gen Ed professor? Also, is it a better idea for recommendation letters to be written by professors whose classes you took in upperclassmen years (like third and fourth year)?

The reason I'm asking is because I think my English professor from this semester (my first semester) really liked me as a student and it is pretty rare for non-STEM teachers to see me as a good student based on my high school experiences. So if it is a good idea to have one of my non-STEM teachers to write me a letter, then I would like for him to write it. But problem is, I won't be applying to any post-undergrad institutions for a few years so I don't really want to ask him two or three years after I took his class since he most likely would have forgotten how I was as a student. So I figured that I could ask him to write me a letter soon after the class is over and I could use it a few years later. So that is why I was wondering if the year I took the class with the professor is a factor if whether the professor remembers me very well or not isn't an issue.

 

[youououa]

Why not take another course with your professor later in college? Perhaps you'll find that you're more interested in English than the areas of science you're currently leaning towards. There's a long road ahead of you before you'll need to consider applying to MD/PhD programs.

 

[Hermione L Knope MD. Ph.D]

In my experience you need at bare minimum 3, maximum has more leeway. I submitted about 9 letters to most institutions.

Good for you for thinking about this early! What I encourage you to do is to really foster a relationship with this professor. Talk with them in their office hours and build a stronger relationship. I used a philosophy professor for one of my letters. The first class I took with him was my first semester of college. I kept my relationship really strong with him by keeping him updated with my endeavors for years and even took more classes with him, involved him when I could about questions that were relevant to philosophy (it is a side interest of mine).

My suggestion is to apply every year (at least) to something. It can be scholarships, internships, whatever. But essentially I had been having the same letter writers for years (because I applied to things regularly) so that by the time I applied to MD-PhD programs, they definitely didn't forget who I was and I had kept a very good relationship with them.

Hope this helps!