Blog Archives

An Offer You Can’t Refuse

I speak to a few lucky medical school and residency applicants who are asked to write their own letters of recommendation. If you have this opportunity, first, realize that it is not unethical to write your own letter if you’re asked. If you’d like to explore the scruples of this issue, take a look at this New York Times ethicist column about this exact topic.

The mistake I see candidates make in these situations is that they feel awkward about showcasing their accomplishments fully in their letters. If you have this opportunity, write a glowing letter. Be effusive and full-throated in your compliments to yourself. After all, the letter writer can always tone it down if s/he doesn’t agree. But if s/he does, you have bolstered your candidacy tremendously.

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Letters of Recommendation

It’s time to start securing your residency letters of recommendation (LOR) if you haven’t already. Remember that your letters have a big impact on your application, and even a mediocre letter can bomb your candidacy.

Don’t be afraid to ask a potential letter-writer if she will write you “a very strong” LOR. It may seem awkward at the time you ask but getting a wimpy letter will be much thornier. If the faculty member says no, hesitates, or tells you in May that she has to plan her Thanksgiving get-together, politely thank her and move on. Although disappointing, acknowledge that she has done you a huge favor. You now have the advantage of substituting a stronger LOR written by someone who likes your clinical work.

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How to Get Strong Medical School Letters of Recommendation

I’ve received questions recently about the ins and outs of medical school letters of recommendation (LORs). For those needing guidance, here’s a piece I posted last year on the Varsity Tutors blog regarding the LOR:

medical school application and residency application

Today’s topic will be letters of recommendation (LORs), a part of your application you should get moving on immediately if you haven’t already. Having read many LORs as a Harvard Assistant Residency Director, I can tell you that these letters matter much more than I originally thought when I was applying to medical school and residency myself.

I have a distinct memory from years ago of a colleague’s pointing out the word “shy” in an applicant’s LOR and asking me what I thought it meant. I didn’t make much of it, but my admissions colleague was worried about what the writer was trying to convey about the candidate. If one ambiguous word can make an admissions reader balk, you can imagine what a weak letter can do.

This brings me to one of the most important points about medical LORs: Mediocre letters (not to mention frankly bad ones) are a lost opportunity at best and a fast way to bomb your application at worst. It is critical that you get strong letters of recommendation…so let’s review how to do that.

Getting the best letters of recommendation for medical school, residency and fellowship is dependent on multiple factors:

1. Following Directions
2. Asking the right people
3. Influencing the content of your letter by making the job of letter-writing easy

Because there is so much advice to offer on these topics, today’s blog entry will cover #1 and #2, and I’ll focus on #3 in a follow up piece.

Following Directions
Different medical schools are seeking different sources of your letters. It’s worth checking online to ensure you meet the varied requirements of each institution.
Many medical schools require at least two science professors and one non-science professor to submit LORs on your behalf. Some also require a letter from your principal investigator (PI) if you’ve done research. Other medical schools may prefer a composite letter from a premedical advisor or committee. (For students attending schools that do not provide this service, individual letters from faculty members can be substituted.)

If you are currently attending graduate school, you may have a different set of letter writer requirements altogether, so it’s worth looking into this issue at each medical school before you apply. Furthermore, if you are employed in the workforce or on active duty in the military, some schools will require that you have a letter from an immediate supervisor. Also, some medical schools mandate “expiration dates” on their letters; they may require that no LORs be older than a year.

The reality is that medical schools are (generally) not malevolent institutions bent on creating confusion for their prospective applicants; being able to read and follow their directions is a basic and reasonable prerequisite for consideration as a candidate. If you can’t be bothered to follow instructions as an applicant, how can they expect you to learn the nuances and complexities of caring for patients :)?

Asking the right people
Now, beyond fulfilling a school’s requirements, you want to get the strongest letter you possibly can from the most influential writer. Choosing the right professors can be a challenge, and advisees often ask me what to look for in a letter writer. Here is my suggested wish list for potential letter-writers:

1. Senior faculty
2. Weighty academic titles
3. Well known in their field
4. Spent significant time with you
5. Experienced letter-writers
6. Explicitly state they will write you a strong LOR

Of course all of these qualifications are not possible for all letter-writers. But the more of these you can garner the better. With regard to #1-3, admissions officers are human just like the rest of us: Receiving a LOR from an accomplished, known colleague will be weighed much more heavily than one from someone deemed less successful and unfamiliar. If you are better connected to someone without a title, consider asking the professor (a more senior person who has a weightier title) if she would consider writing the LOR with significant input from your closer contact (i.e., the TA who taught your section, or the postdoctoral fellow who directly supervised your research project). That way you get a LOR that includes insight from someone who knows you, signed by a name that packs a punch.

With regard to #6, don’t be afraid to ask a potential letter-writer if she will write you “a very strong” LOR. It may seem awkward at the time you ask but, believe me, getting a wimpy letter will be much thornier. If the faculty member says no, hesitates, or tells you in May that she has to plan her Thanksgiving get-together, politely thank her and move on. Although disappointing, acknowledge that she has done you a huge favor. You are far better off avoiding her letter. You now have the advantage of substituting a stronger LOR written by someone who loves you.

Remember that your letters have a big impact on your application, and a mediocre letter can bomb your candidacy. In a follow up blog entry I’ll review how to influence the content of your letter by making the job of letter-writing easy.

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Medical School Letters of Recommendation: You Get More Bees with Honey

medical school admissionsMaking the process of letter of recommendation (LOR) writing and submission smooth for your faculty recommenders will likely improve the content and turnaround time of your LORs. Your medical school LOR writers have several options for submitting to AMCAS. Because you want to make the process as convenient as possible, and because different faculty members may have varying preferences, you should offer each writer all feasible alternatives.

Below are the options. Note that your AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID (found on your Letter Request Form) are required, regardless of the means of submission:

1. AMCAS Letter Writer Application: This site enables letter writers to upload documents to AMCAS securely.

2. Interfolio: AMCAS can receive letters sent to Interfolio if the applicant is an Interfolio user or if the faculty member’s institution/organization uses the program.

3. Snail mail:
AMCAS, attn: AMCAS Letters
AAMC Medical School Application Services
P.O. Box 18958
Washington, DC 20036

(If your recommender plans to send the letter by snail mail, be courteous and provide him/her with a self-addressed, stamped envelope.)

4. VirtualEvals (VE): VE is available to members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP).

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Writing Your Own Residency or Medical School Letter of Recommendation: Is it Ethical?

medical school application and residency applicationIt’s not infrequent that an applicant tells me that a letter of recommendation (LOR) writer has asked the candidate to draft his/her own letter because the writer is “too busy.” I notice that medical school and residency applicants are a bit sheepish as they tell me about this arrangement. Have no fear: You are not doing anything unethical. (Here is a piece by the New York Times ethicist Ariel Kaminer regarding this exact topic.)

If a faculty member asks you to write your own letter, not only should you do it, but you should do it with zeal. Make sure you showcase the accomplishments that distinguish you from other candidates and highlight traits that are important for your future career path. Use honest – but bold – adjectives to describe your best qualities.

Remember that the letter writer has final say, so even a busy faculty member might modify the letter. Keeping this fact in mind might alleviate your (unnecessary) guilt and should encourage you to write the strongest letter you can. (It’s harder to go from outstanding to mediocre than from outstanding to excellent.)

 

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About Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Michelle Finkel

Dr. Finkel is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Medical School. On completing her residency at Harvard, she was asked to
stay on as faculty at Harvard Medical School and spent five years teaching at the world-renowned Massachusetts General Hospital.
She was appointed to the Assistant Residency Director position for the Harvard Affiliated
Emergency Medicine Residency where she reviewed countless applications, personal statements and resumes. Read more

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