School refuses to write MSPE (IMG) - Next steps?

[Ohellothere]

Hey everyone

So my school admin refuses to write an MSPE, and have declined my request to draft it for them.

I go to a top medical school at a foreign English speaking country. Our entire preclinical and clinical curriculum is P/F and therefore they said they can't provide any percentile or quartile data to me either. They will provide an academic transcript though.

However, they are willing to write an old school Dean's letter. This letter will include:

• Graduation start / end date
• A brief description of medical school course structure
• A general statement of recommendation and attestation to academic/clinical abilities signed by the Dean with University seal

Otherwise, my application is:

• Step 1: 240 (+/- 2)
• Step 2: 255 (+/-2)
• 1 semester leave of absence for US rotations and research (7 pubs) - yellow/neutral flag?

My questions are:

1. Will this alternative to MSPE significantly penalize me as a Non-US IMG?
2. Would I be better off getting a blank 'placeholder' from ECFMG instead of this?
3. I haven't contacted the Dean directly about this yet. However, I was an average medical student at best in my pre-clin and clin years - would it even be worth pushing for an MSPE?

SIDE QUESTION: I have a strong in-person LOR done in home country written by a US physician licensed in both countries. Should I consider using this over a US LOR from an observership in US?

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[NotAProgDirector]

You should submit an "old style Dean's Letter" which is basically the same thing as an MSPE. That's better than a blank placeholder.

YOu should submit both letters.

 

[Ohellothere]

You should submit an "old style Dean's Letter" which is basically the same thing as an MSPE. That's better than a blank placeholder.

YOu should submit both letters.

I thought an ‘old style Dean’s Letter’ was more of a brief summary whereas MSPE is heavy on comparative data/performance with charts/tables and quartile rankings.

Or do you mean they are weighted/perceived by PDs similarly for an IMG?

side question: What if I have:

• 2 US observerships
• 2 hands on US letter
• 1 foreign sub-intern letter written by an academic US physician that describes my performance and how my med school clerkships are comparable to US institutions
• 1 foreign internship letter by foreign physician describing my performance as a doctor

And none of the US experiences or foreign internship is visible on transcript or Dean’s letter (I needed to take a leave of absence in med school for the US experiences, but school won’t acknowledge this in writing - they’ll only say I had an LOA).

Thanks for your reply!

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Submitting a "dean's letter" or some other summary of your performance in medical school is better than nothing, IMHO. Might as well have it.

For your letters, I'd submit the 2 US hands on, and the foreign sub I. You then have 1 more, and I'm mixed on which it should be. I'd probably pick the foreign internship letter, although it would depend upon their command of English. Replace it with one of the oberserships if you think it would be better quality.

 

[Ohellothere]

Submitting a "dean's letter" or some other summary of your performance in medical school is better than nothing, IMHO. Might as well have it.

For your letters, I'd submit the 2 US hands on, and the foreign sub I. You then have 1 more, and I'm mixed on which it should be. I'd probably pick the foreign internship letter, although it would depend upon their command of English. Replace it with one of the oberserships if you think it would be better quality.

My medical school/internship is in an English speaking country, so I suppose that is sorted out.

By the way, are the following considered 'red flags"? Or are they neutral or something else?

1. Submitting a conventional "Dean's Letter" instead of an MSPE
2. An 8-month leave of absence (7 pubs and 4 months USCE from this). But it only shows up as a gap on my transcript because the USCE was not technically part of my education I justified in personal statement and ERAS.

 

[NotAProgDirector]

Neutral for both in my opinion

 

[mvenus929]

My medical school/internship is in an English speaking country, so I suppose that is sorted out.

By the way, are the following considered 'red flags"? Or are they neutral or something else?

1. An 8-month leave of absence (7 pubs and 4 months USCE from this). But it only shows up as a gap on my transcript because the USCE was not technically part of my education I justified in personal statement and ERAS.

I can't speak to the Dean's Letter, but clearly 7 publications (which is more than I have as a now practicing physician) and USCE means that your time during that leave of absence was productive and not just you bumming around on a beach somewhere.