your profs/advisors as former med school applicants

[nochaser]

I heard something really scary recently, about science professors and advisors that wanted to go into medicine but did not get accepted and are either very discouraging to premeds or (horrors!) act supportive and agree to write LOR's only to write some that are not so good due to their being disgruntled, kind of like a "Teaching Mrs.Tingle" situtation. Anyone hear of anything like this?

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[Slingblade the Surgeon]

Normally I don't jump on trashing bandwagons but I witnessed this phenomenon personally. An organic chem professor I had. The prof. didn't screw me but did my best friend. This prof. kindly offers to counsel and write letters of rec. for her students. Two people that I know got ****ty letters from her. They found out by the person who writes the committee letter at another school they transferred to. Since I saw this happen to them, I chose not to have her write a rec. for me and I got in to 4 schools. She was a pre med years ago and couldn't get in so she thinks it is her duty to ensure that it stays hard to get in (her words to me).

 

[sandflea]

Originally posted by nochaser:
•I heard something really scary recently, about science professors and advisors that wanted to go into medicine but did not get accepted and are either very discouraging to premeds or (horrors!) act supportive and agree to write LOR's only to write some that are not so good due to their being disgruntled, kind of like a "Teaching Mrs.Tingle" situtation. Anyone hear of anything like this?•••

ha! that was the rumor about the pre-med advisor at my undergrad school, that he was a rejected med school applicant who now made it his life's work to destroy the dreams of other pre-meds. how true it is, i have no idea.

 

[vixen]

actually, what do you need to be a premed advisor? I was curious because I was considering that also...do you need your PhD? Anyone know?

 

[none]

You need nothing to be a "pre-med advisor." Some have bachelor's, some are just good research secretaries.

 

[Medical123]

I had a friend who had this problem. She applied to her state's medical school, which also happened to be where she did her undergraduate training. She was interviewed and had thought that everything went well until she happened to run into one of her interviewers on campus. He was kind enough to tell her that her recommender wrote a horrible letter about her, calling her incompetent and not cut out to be a physician. The recommender also wrote that she had poor interpersonal skills. She was devastated, but grateful that he told her about this. Needless to say, she was rejected because of this jerk. This year, she has applied to several schools and been interviewed or accepted by all of them. She even got a full scholarship from one school! It really stinks that one person's recommendation could mess up someone's future like that. I really wish that advisors and other recommenders would just refuse to write the letter and be honest with people about why they are not going to do so. It is a heck of a lot more respectable than going behind someone's back like that. Yes, the person who wrote the letter was a rejected pre-med from years ago!

 

[MUN2005]

I think you should just ask the prof. if he/she can write you a strong LOR, and if there seems to be any hesitation, just don't get them to do it.
There's my two cents.

 

[nochaser]

I think you should just ask the prof. if he/she can write you a strong LOR, and if there seems to be any hesitation, just don't get them to do it. ••


But we're talking about those that act supportive and willing to help when you ask them for the LOR, only to stab you in the back later with a negative letter.

 

[Slingblade the Surgeon]

The lady that wrote my committee letter said that I could get as many recs as I wanted then she would choose the best three to send. Pretty cool of her I thought.