Blog Archives

Is It Kosher?

My advisees often have questions about the ethics of letters of recommendation (LOR).

First, some applicants tell me they feel guilty because – although they waived their right to see their LORs – their writers gave them their letters to read. If your letter writer crafts your LOR understanding that s/he has no obligation to let you read it yet chooses to offer you a copy, you have done nothing unethical. That decision is the letter writer’s.

Furthermore, I’ve had applicants tell me they feel uncomfortable because faculty have told them to write their own recommendation letters after which the letter “writers” will edit and sign. Again, totally kosher. This topic was recently addressed here by the ethicist in the New York Times.

Remember to start early in asking faculty to write your recommendations. LORs almost always take longer than you think.

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Getting to Know Faculty

When I conduct Strategy Sessions with medical and dental school applicants, I notice a recurring problem: It’s hard to get very strong academic letters of recommendation, especially at colleges with large classes.

So I’m here to offer a piece of advice to those just starting their university studies: Get to know your profs. In addition to keeping your grades up from the beginning of your college career, acquainting yourself well with your teachers is one of the most important pieces of advice I can give to the new pre-med. Go to office hours, send an email invite for a lunch meeting or approach the faculty member about working in his or her laboratory.

In addition to being strategic, these relationships can fill a mentorship role that is invaluable.

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Optimizing your Medical Residency Application: ERAS®

The Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS®) is a program that transmits applications, letters of recommendation, Medical Student Performance Evaluations, medical school transcripts, board scores and other supporting credentials from a residency applicant and his or her designated dean’s office to program directors using the Internet. The ERAS application has multiple sections, including demographics, academic record, experience and personal statement. The experience, or activities, section is where applicants describe their accomplishments – research, clinical, volunteer, teaching, paid work. The ERAS experience section allows the applicant to demonstrate his or her distinctiveness as a candidate. Read more ›

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Getting into Medical School: Tips for Obtaining Optimal Letters of Recommendation

In part because of the failing economy, getting into medical school is becoming increasingly competitive. Top-notch candidates who used to target law or business school are turning their interest toward medicine, a more secure field. Consequently, more competitive candidates are now pursuing a medical career, making the submission of an excellent medical school application more important.

The American Medical College Application Service (AMCAS®) is a centralized application processing service for medical school applicants. AMCAS® accepts letters of recommendation (LOR) for participating medical schools, enabling institutions to receive letters electronically. It also allows the letter of recommendation writers to send their written materials to AMCAS® instead of to individual medical schools, saving time. Read more ›

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The Residency Match: What Should I Have Done By Now?

Matching to a residency program through the NRMP® (National Resident Matching Program) is a competitive endeavor. Even strong candidates – especially IMGs (international medical graduates) – can have difficulty getting PGY-1 (post graduate year one) positions in many specialties. Those that do match may not get their first or second choices, leaving them in suboptimal locations or programs. It’s important to get started on your application early so you are ahead of the game.

When I was in residency administration, I was impressed with candidates who submitted their applications early. I also had more time to spend on their materials, as I had not yet been inundated with applications, as I would be later in the season.

ERAS® (Electronic Residency Application System) opens July 1 and candidates can assign their materials to specific programs on September 1. Thus, before July I recommend the following:

  1. Finalize a draft of your personal statement and ERAS activities section.
  2. If applying in multiple specialties, tailor a separate personal statement for each specialty.
  3. Contact your Dean’s office (for US students) or ECFMG (Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates) (for IMGs) to ask how to submit your letters of recommendation and photo to them and to get your ERAS token (code to register with ERAS).
  4. Request all letters of recommendation (excluding your summer rotations). If you are applying in multiple specialties, take advantage of the ability to assign different letters to each program.
  5. Investigate programs and contact them for special requirements or deadlines.

Getting your application in early can make a difference in how you are perceived by residency directors. To improve your residency candidacy fully, consider working with a professional when it’s time to apply. Because applicants can unknowingly undermine their chances of success with poorly compiled application materials and underdeveloped residency personal statements, a qualified, personalized residency admissions consultant provides a great advantage.

Residency consulting companies come in a variety of forms. Some are bigger businesses that focus on admissions to several types of graduate programs – not just medicine. Others are smaller and provide a medical focus, but have a pool of consultants of varying quality. Finally, elite companies offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients. These professionals are ex-admissions officers from highly respected medical institutions. They have the inside knowledge of how residency admissions work, providing individualized guidance to optimize applicants’ personal essays, ERAS® and interview skills.

When choosing a residency admissions consulting company, a candidate should verify the company’s references and research its consultants. It is best if the company does not assign written materials to outside editors who cannot be evaluated. Elite companies that offer both the medical focus and a highly experienced consultant who works one-on-one with clients offer a large advantage for applicants, especially during these competitive times.

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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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Listen to Dr. Finkel’s interview on the White Coat Investor podcast:

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