While I agree that it is too early for LORs. it is good to identify those professors and keep in touch with them. Though it was not a problem for DS, some of his friends stumbled finding a non-science letter writer.
It is also good to identify those “other” letter writers. Our state school requires a non-faculty letter. DS was given a copy of those letter from his fraternity advisor and it made him sound like a hero. Those letters may not make a difference, but at least at the state school they read them.
If grades, scores etc are not an issue, the next step for would be doctors is character. It matters a lot.
Good point to keep in touch with professors.
I didn’t realize you had to have non-science professor letter(s) as well.
I’m not sure if her school does a committee letter, but if they do, isn’t there a limit to how many letters are allowed and if there is a limit, do you still need a non-science letter?
Thank you
I think my son was a frosh when I started reading this forum. It was a big help and helped to avoid common missteps.
Usually if there’s a committee, you dont need specific teacher letters. I think son’s committee required 3 to 5 letters. He submitted 4. 1 from professor that taught him in sophomore and junior year, one from his advisor and head of his research lab, one from the doctor he shadowed, and 1 from a doctor he worked 3 summers for.
“isn’t there a limit to how many letters are allowed and if there is a limit, do you still need a non-science letter?”
Number of LORs both minimum required and max allowed is school dependent. You have to check school’s website to find out reqs. I don’t remember if MSAR lists school’s LOR requirements. If no committee letter, typical req is 3 with 2 being from science profs, one non science prof.
MSAR does list the LOR requirements for each med school…
Also each school’s pre-health committee has its unique own requirements for submitting LORs. Some colleges compile the LORs and include excerpts from them in the larger committee letter (probably more accurately labeled as a committee packet); some colleges send a committee letter that includes separate LORs from professors/recommenders. Still others write a committee without requiring the student to submit LORs, but instead require the student to give the names/contact info for recommenders so the committee can have them fill out their own questionnaire/recommendation form. It’s all very much school-specific how they handle it.
Additionally, you need to check med school specific requirements. While most med schools require 2 science and 1 non-science LORs, some school have other requirements. For example, one of our state schools requires those three PLUS a LOR from a clinical volunteer site supervisor/work supervisor/commanding officer which specifically addresses things like work ethic, reliability and personal ethical behavior.
Our state school still requires a personal letter, unless there is one in the letter packet. Almost all of the schools that DS applied to required non-science letter.
D received her first acceptance today! She has interviewed other places, also, so she will wait a bit to hear back from them before she decides how to handle this acceptance. She is just relieved that she will be a doctor.
Big Congrats to your DD Bajamm!!
@bajamm Congratulations!
Curious if anyone is waiting on the first interview or first admission. Texas results are out and D got into a few schools. She is antsy to withdraw from some of her admissions although she has until January 21st to specify the number 1 choice. There are several interviews still to complete OOS and so there is no hurry (some of them dont say a word until March).
With a couple acceptances in hand there is a huge sense of relief that she really will be in Med School next year.
She is still interviewing (at one today in fact) and I keep reminding myself that there is still a long way to go! Several of the current Med Students at my daughters last interview told her that they didnt even have an interview at their current school until Dec or Jan of last year so there is still a lot of time for changes and opportunities.
Son has several acceptances. 3 pre-interview rejections. 1 post interview hold. He’s been done with interviews mid October. Couple of more post interview results will come out in the next 2 months. He hasn’t heard anything from couple of his top choice schools. Been complete mid July and complete silence. Not complaining here at all but he really wanted to stay close to home.
Congrats to your DD @texaspg . While DS did not apply to Texas schools, I know when he received his first acceptance in October, he withdrew from three schools. He felt very strongly about the school he was accepted and knew with that, he would not have chosen the other three over the one he had. This acceptance was an OOS. Son did not apply to any instate school except for a private, which was one of the three he withdrew. I worried silently with that approach of not applying to instate… but that’s how my kids roll.
In your DD’s case I would suggest waiting until the deadline for her to withdraw. Continued good luck to her.
DS is thinking about giving up his seat at an interview. I have mixed feelings about it. It is a good school and it is an affordable option. Still it is not a significantly better school than his state school. What do you think? Should I encourage him to try it out? The med school is okay, but it is attached to a world-class children’s hospital and DS is interest in all things pediatric.
If the cost of traveling to the interview is not a factor AND there’s 2 weeks left before the interview is scheduled–
ask him this: If were accepted to both schools and the price was more or less the same, which would he choose?
If his answer is the state school (and there are lots of benefits in being reasonably close to home), then he should cancel the interview and allow someone else the chance to interview there. JMO.
D2 withdrew early (in late November/early December) from 2 acceptances, a waitlist and an II because she liked her other choices/acceptances in hand better.
Pediatrics is specialty that’s available at every med school.
Sometimes the problem with being a MS3 at a place associated with a world class hospital is that the med students are far, far down on the list of people who get hands-on with patients. (There will be residents and fellows in line ahead of him.) Also you and he need to know there’s no guarantee he’d be doing his peds rotations there in the world class children’s hospital. (This is question that he need to direct to current med students at II school since rotation locations are often opaque to outsiders.) I know our state school MS3s do at most 1 week with inpatients at the children’s hospital and spend the other 5 week rotating thru outpatient clinics and local peds offices.
He can always apply for away rotations at other sites as a MS4 if he wants broader exposure to the field.
Just curious, if a school offers a scholarship, does it happen during acceptance or sometime at a later date?
It depends.
Some scholarships are offered when an acceptance is tendered; others may not arrive until after AMCAS releases the list of students holding multiple acceptances in March as an inducement to enroll. Still others don’t arrive until until after the student has committed to a particular med school and withdrawn from all others on April 30. Still others may arrive only after the student (and parents) have sent in FAFSA and Needs Access (required at privates and some OOS publics).
Also some schools offer scholarships to continuing students. Both of my kidlets received scholarships as MS2s.
As a quick update, DS will go to the interview after all. He has found more things he likes about the school and with the less-than-desirable structure of our state school, he realized that he is open to all alternatives for medical school. Of course, the point may be moot if he doesn’t get in. I am glad he is considering all the options, however.