What to Do if Your Letter of Recommendation Writer Still Hasnt Uploaded for Residency

By: Rob Humbracht

The topic on which I go the most questions every application cycle is messages of recommendation.  The following FAQ represents every question I've received over the past few years.

Have a question that we oasis't answered here?  Delight submit a annotate, Facebook post , or Twitter bulletin and we volition:

1. answer to yous personally, and
2. add the question to this article so that it becomes the nearly comprehensive FAQ it tin can be.

Relish!

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FAQ

• Introduction
• How many letters are required by med schools?
• What's a committee letter of the alphabet?
• Should I get a commission letter?
• How many med schools crave 2 letters? Three? Iv? 5?
• Which 2 schools require five letters?
• What's the maximum number of letters I tin send?
• What's the ideal set of letters?
• Why professors who gave you a course?
• What qualifies equally a science professor?
• What qualifies as non-science?
• Other than professors, who else tin can write me a alphabetic character of rec?
• What letters are bad to go?
• Do I have to take a letter from my major?
• What makes ane letter better than another?

• Do I become to see my letters of recommendation?
• When are letters of recommendation due?
• When should I enquire for letters?
• Can I submit additional letters once I accept applied?
• How do I overcome my anxiety nearly asking for a letter of rec?
• How should I ask for a letter?
• What are some tips for requesting messages of recommendation?
• What if my letter writer asks me advice for what to say and how to say it?
• Where do I find sample letters of recommendation?
• How should I get to know my professors?
• Practice my letters have to be signed and put on official letterhead?
• What if one of my letter writers disappears?

INTRODUCTION

The rule of thumb for letters of recommendation: Get the All-time Set of Letters Yous Tin can.

It volition exist tempting to get lost in the nuances and details of how many letters to get, which people to choose, and what each med school's requirements are.  When in doubt, refer back to our dominion of pollex, and recall that your chances will be helped the most by getting letters from people who support y'all wholeheartedly, who know you lot personally, and who can write the best letters on your behalf.

HOW MANY Letters ARE REQUIRED Past MED SCHOOLS?

It depends on the schoolhouse.  Usa medical schools typically require two or three letters of recommendation, but some require as many as v.

Typically, you'll demand the post-obit messages of recommendation:

1. Choice 1 - A committee letter, or
2. Option ii - Three individual letters, 2 letters from science faculty and one additional letter

WHAT'S A COMMITTEE LETTER?

A committee letter, or composite letter of the alphabet, is written by the pre-med advising function of your higher or university.  Not every higher offers such a letter, and a quick glance at your career services website should answer whether your schoolhouse does.

SHOULD I Get A Committee LETTER?

If you accept the option, and so yes, you probably should.  Retrieve of the commission letter as Yelp.  Sure, y'all might effort a eating place that has no reviews, but you'd probably be more than interested in eating at a restaurant with 4.5 stars.

So that illustration isn't perfect, but I call up you lot become the point: it's better to get a committee letter if you can.  If you don't, med schools might wonder whether there's something y'all're trying to hide or whether yous were told past the commission that they didn't think you were a strong candidate.

In that location are dozens of exceptions to this rule:

• Some colleges don't offer committee letters to non-science majors
• Some colleges don't offer committee letters to alums
• Some colleges have several additional hoops y'all have to leap through that may make you ineligible to get a commission letter of the alphabet

The takeaway: Get a committee letter if you tin can, but it won't ruin your chances if you can't.

HOW MANY MED SCHOOLS REQUIRE 2 Messages?  THREE? Iv?  FIVE?

We researched how many letters were required at each medical school and and then put the results into a histogram.  The chart beneath shows how many schools require at least 0, 1, 2... letters of recommendation.

WHICH 2 SCHOOLS Crave FIVE LETTERS?

Academy of Central Florida and Academy of S Florida.

Here's what those five look like for UCF:

https://med.ucf.edu/administrative-offices/student-affairs/admissions/admissions-procedure/letters-of-recommendation/

For traditional applicants (applicants who accept no more one year off before starting medical school), UCF requests:

• "three individual faculty letters - two letters from basic scientific discipline faculty, and one from a not-scientific discipline kinesthesia member, or one Pre-Med/Pre-Professional Composite Committee Letter
• two grapheme messages - these letters should exist from those who can tell us nearly "who" you are. Authors may be those who have been your supervisor, friend, neighbor, someone you take volunteered with or adumbral, someone from an organization or club that you belong to, clergy, etc. One of these two letters may be from an academic peer."

To cover your bases, plan to ask for at to the lowest degree three and probably at least four letters of recommendation.

WHAT'S THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF Messages I CAN Transport?

Generally, it'due south not advisable to ship more than five.  The goal is to take the overall quality of your messages be as loftier as possible.

Imagine that you were giving a letter grade for the quality of each letter of the alphabet of recommendation you are sending to medical schools.  The grade is based on how well the letter of the alphabet writer knows yous, with an A being "close personal friend," and F being "doesn't know my proper noun."

You might accept letter of the alphabet grades that await like the post-obit:

Science Letter i   A-

Science Alphabetic character 2   B+

Not-Science professor   A-

Other 1   A

Other 2   B

Other 3   B-

Other 4   C

You should pick the set of letters with the highest overall grade indicate average.  In this case, your best bet is to option the beginning four letters of the set.  Those four letters give an average of an A-.  By including each boosted alphabetic character, y'all bring down the average of the set and essentially waste the fourth dimension of your application reader, who at present has to wade through a much larger pile of crappy letters.

Just of course, if y'all're curious what's the maximum that all medical schools volition take, we researched that likewise and came up with the following histogram:

Even though some medical schools will take up to 13 letters, nearly cutting you off after six or vii letters, and some will take only 3!

WHAT'S THE Ideal SET OF Messages?

Let's outline the "utopian" prepare of letters for medical school.  I call it utopian, because while information technology is platonic, most applicants don't really achieve the following set of letters:

1. Science Professor who gave y'all a grade
2. Science Professor who gave yous a form
3. Non-science Professor who gave yous a grade
4. Other 1
5. Other ii

WHY PROFESSORS WHO GAVE Yous A GRADE?

Messages of recommendation should comment on your academic abilities, and so professors who accept given you a form are better able to exercise that.

WHAT QUALIFIES AS A Scientific discipline PROFESSOR?

Most med schools prefer biological science, chemistry, or physics, but they probably won't disqualify yous if you submit a letter from a subject field such as engineering, environmental science, or kinesiology.  While it is ideal to accept letters from the bones sciences, run across the Rule of Thumb above: go the best set of letters you can.

WHAT QUALIFIES AS NON-SCIENCE?

Any discipline exterior of biology, chemistry, or physics.

OTHER THAN PROFESSORS, WHO ELSE CAN WRITE ME A Letter of the alphabet OF REC?

The most common are:

• Doctors you shadowed
• Principal investigators (or whomever y'all did research with)
• Kinesthesia advisors of clubs
• Another health intendance professional person (a dentist, a nurse, etc.) who can comment on your abilities to work with patients

WHAT Messages ARE BAD TO GET?

Obviously, anyone who isn't positively glowing about your application will hurt y'all.  Always hear the expression, "Damned by faint praise?"  That applies to letters of recommendation for med school.

Some letters won't be given a lot of weight:

• Letters from family members
• Letters from clergy
• Messages from "family friends" - if they don't know you specifically in a professional setting
• Messages from teaching assistants - it's non that they hurt your application, simply they will not suffice for the science letters required by most medical schools.

Practice I HAVE TO Have A Letter of the alphabet FROM MY MAJOR?

No.  Some med schools (a minority of all schools) asking one.  In other words, get one if you can, but don't sweat it if you don't.

WHAT MAKES One LETTER Improve THAN ANOTHER?

Check out "How to Write Your Own Letter of Recommendation"

Practise I GET TO SEE MY LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION?

No.  You lot should waive your right to read your letters.  If med schools see that yous oasis't waived your right, they won't believe a word written in the alphabetic character.

If your letter writer knows you're going to read the letter, he or she merely will not put annihilation substantial in that letter.  It'due south similar request your young man whether that clothes makes you lot wait fatty; pretty much the but response y'all'll get volition exist "of course not." (whether or not that's true, the risk of saying otherwise is worse than the reward of existence truthful).

WHEN ARE LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION DUE?

Letters of recommendation are typically not due until you submit your secondary awarding, which at the earliest would be July of the year you lot utilize.

The vast majority of med schools exercise not read letters of recommendation until every other part of your awarding has been submitted.  That ways they will not read your letters until they receive:

• Your primary awarding
• Your secondary awarding
• Your payment for both main and secondary
• Whatever pending MCAT scores that you may have

Even for schools that screen before sending secondaries, they rarely read letters of rec to decide who gets a secondary.  Whether you get a secondary is typically based on your GPA and MCAT as well every bit a read of the primary application, excluding messages of recommendation.

WHEN SHOULD I ASK FOR LETTERS?

Yous want to give the letter writer at least ii weeks and preferably more.  It's not uncommon for a letter writer to take two to three months to write your letter.  If y'all're applying in June, we recommend request for letters no later than May one.

If y'all have a pre-med committee, and then you may need to request letters much sooner.

Tin I SUBMIT ADDITIONAL Messages ONCE I Have APPLIED?

Yes!  Letters of recommendation is one of three sections of the AMCAS that can exist modified after you striking submit (the others: your school listing and your contact information).  Y'all but log back into your awarding and request boosted letters.

HOW DO I OVERCOME MY ANXIETY ABOUT Request FOR A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION?

I've written an entire postal service on why it feels so awkward to ask for a letter of rec:

http://world wide web.savvypremed.com/savvy-pre-med/2014/7/27/why-does-it-feel-so-bad-mannered-to-enquire-for-a-letter-of-recommendation

It doesn't seem like it should be and so intimidating to enquire a professor for a letter of recommendation, but it is.  Worries race through our minds:

"What if he doesn't think me?"

"She has more than of import things to practice."

"What will I practice if he says no?"

While it can experience uncomfortable to enquire for a letter of rec, retrieve that you're non the first person to ask this professor.  Professors are used to this process, and they've seen all manner of requests - rude, annoying, meek, inconversable - they're expecting y'all (and many of your classmates) to request a letter.

2d, you're not asking for much.  Most letters of recommendation - even the skillful ones - follow a template, and letters take maybe 45 minutes to crank out.  Yous're asking for a solid favor, but it's non that much of a fourth dimension delivery.

HOW SHOULD I ASK FOR A Alphabetic character?

First off, be certain to enquire for the letter in person if possible.  If that'southward not possible, endeavour to arrange a telephone call.  Because you don't get to read the letter of the alphabet, you want to evaluate the enthusiasm of the letter writer to help determine how proficient this letter will exist.  The best clues are the non-verbal ones you can get just by asking for a alphabetic character in person.

Steps:

1. Send an email asking to meet to discuss your awarding to medical schoolhouse.  Null too complicated, just ask to drop by role hours or invite the professor to coffee.  Don't ask for the letter in the email, because you'd like to ask in person (merely if the professor responds by wondering whether you desire a letter, and then by all means brand your intentions clear).
2. At the meeting, enquire for a strong letter of recommendation.  Request for a strong letter does several things that are benign for y'all:

• Information technology allows the professor to say no (and trust me, you'd rather her say no than get a bad letter)
• It allows the professor to reply to the word "potent," by either affirming that the letter volition indeed be stiff or that she cannot write you a strong letter.  Either fashion, this provides more data as you lot effort to evaluate the strength of your letters.

1. After the professor agrees, ask "What can I requite y'all to help you lot write that letter?"  Listen carefully to what the professor says.  Follow upward with whatever the professor requests as soon as you can.  It's like shooting fish in a barrel for the professor to lose runway that he agreed to write you a letter, then yous want to follow up with the requested materials soon to keep the momentum going on your letter of recommendation.

WHAT ARE SOME TIPS FOR REQUESTING Messages OF RECOMMENDATION?

These are excellent: http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/medical-schoolhouse-admissions-doctor/2015/04/14/7-tips-for-nailing-medical-school-messages-of-recommendation

WHAT IF MY Letter WRITER ASKS ME ADVICE FOR WHAT TO SAY AND HOW TO SAY IT?

Send them this: http://www.aamc.org/download/349990/data/lettersguidelinesbrochure.pdf

WHERE DO I FIND SAMPLE Letters OF RECOMMENDATION?

http://depts.washington.edu/gowwami/AWARE/documents2012/CarolTeitzLORsamples.pdf

HOW SHOULD I GET TO KNOW MY PROFESSORS?

A lot of the students we work with get to huge research universities, where their smallest science class has fifty people in it.  In this surroundings information technology's on y'all, the student, to get to know your professors.

Here are some tips from onetime students nosotros've worked with about how to exist proactive in getting to know their professors:

• Go to office hours when no one else will be in that location - calendar week 1, right later mid-term examination
• Become to function hours with something outside of the class to talk nigh professor's inquiry, ask about prof's family and groundwork, how form material applies to 1 of your other interests
• Have the same professor for more than one class
• Do research with a professor - either in the professor's lab or on contained project
• Become a didactics banana for that professor

Do MY Messages HAVE TO Exist SIGNED AND PUT ON OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD?

Some med schools require information technology.  This past cycle, Boston University notified one of our students that i of her letters was not on official letterhead, and then she had to contact the letter writer to re-submit the letter.  Information technology wasn't a huge deal, and no other schools she applied to notified her of the issue.  You should tell your letter writers to put the letters on letterhead, but it probably won't matter much if they don't.

WHAT IF I OF MY Alphabetic character WRITERS DISAPPEARS?

Information technology happens every twelvemonth to several of our students: they enquire for a letter of recommendation, the professor says "yeah," and he stops returning phone calls and emails.  The students are stuck without a critical letter (usually, it'southward a science professor who disappears).

You can't help whether this happens to you lot, simply you can practise the following to assist mitigate the harm:

1. Ask for a fill-in letter in case one of your letters of recommendation does not come through.  You tin can receive up to 10 letters of recommendation in AMCAS and pick and choose which ones you forward to medical schools later.  It'southward much better to have too many letters than too few.
2. Inquire for messages of recommendation early.March is ideal.  If a professor disappears afterward asking for a letter early, yous still accept plenty of time to find some other professor to enquire.

SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS!

Volition IT Exist LOOKED DOWN UPON TO Not INCLUDE Letters WRITTEN BY SCIENCE FACULTY?

Question:

I'm a non-trad applicant who is applying 5 years out of college. Will it be looked down upon to not include letters written by science faculty? They would be replaced past MDs that I piece of work with in the ER.

If you've been out of school for 5 years, your professors are unlikely to remember y'all.  It seems pointless to ask for those messages, since not simply would those letters be average at best, but y'all're a completely unlike person.Surely medical schools will cut you lot some slack, yep?

- Robert G.

Respond:

Non really.  If you've been out of the classroom for five years, medical schools want you to go back to schoolhouse and accept classes (this is expert advice for anyone who hasn't taken a science form in three years or more).  Information technology doesn't thing where yous take these classes as long as they are in-person, and these courses are the perfect opportunity to ask for an boosted science letter.

And remember, if y'all tin can't go dorsum and get two letters of rec, encounter the words of wisdom at the top of this post: become the best prepare of letters you can.

- Rob Humbracht  - Medical School Admissions Advisor

ISN'T It Common TO SEND THE Same LETTER OF REC TO MULTIPLE SCHOOLS USING INTERFOLIO?

Question:

Hello, under your link "How to Write Your Own Alphabetic character of Recommendation", you say to be specific regarding who it is. Isn't it common to have the aforementioned letter send to ten+ schools using Interfolio? Even if information technology wasn't, wouldn't it exist hard to ask your recommender to write a unlike letter of the alphabet for each school?

- plantat3q via Reddit

Reply:

Skillful catch!  That particular applies to most graduate school application processes, only not to medical school.  Although it's technically possible to upload letters aimed at specific schools, a) it's rare, and b) schools definitely don't expect it.  Equally a result, it'due south not recommended.  We've updated the original blog post to right it.

- Rob Humbracht  - Medical School Admissions Advisor

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEER Piece of work FROM HIGH SCHOOL?

Question:

Are yous interested in volunteer piece of work from high school? I ask because I've been volunteering since I was 13 and was curious whether or non that would fit in an application

- mathnerdm via Reddit

Answer:

The way I have always looked at experiences from high school is that they set the trend for the activities yous've pursued more recently.  In other words, if yous've been volunteering since y'all're 13, information technology shows that you have consistently embodied the spirit of giving back that med schools are looking for.

- Rob Humbracht  - Medical School Admissions Advisor

WHAT Type OF CLINICAL VOLUNTEERING STANDS OUT THE Most TO YOU?

Question:

What type of clinical volunteering stands out the most to you? (ie. volunteering in an ER, shadowing GP, etc...)

- mathnerdm via Reddit

Answer:

As for the best clinical volunteering, I would argue that no i type is the best.  Y'all demand to constitute two things about your awarding: a) you know what doctors actually do (either past shadowing different doctors or by working with them in a medical context), and b) you are able to connect with people from a dissimilar groundwork.  Many types of clinical volunteering can prove these traits, so you're looking for experiences that give y'all hands-on experience and memorable stories to tell!

- Rob Humbracht  - Medical School Admissions Advisor

HOW DO You lot SEE UNCONVENTIONAL LETTERS OF REC?

Question:

I am a RN applying for med school this app bicycle. How do you lot see unconventional messages of rec? I have a patient that is a PA/NP that I have had the pleasure of caring for for the last 2 years and feel that she can really attest to my dedication to medicine and my character. However, I'yard not too sure if I should make the take a chance. Thanks!

- ayeeff via Reddit

Answer:

I'm not sure I see how it'due south a take chances. If you provide the letter, the schools tin only disregard it. I call up it sounds like the alphabetic character writer knows y'all well and tin provide context about the kind of intendance provider you lot would be. The only caveat would be in the balance of your application to make a critical stardom behind why you want to undergo all of the stress and debt to become a physician instead of pursuing the path already available to y'all.

- Rob Humbracht  - Medical School Admissions Advisor

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Source: https://www.savvypremed.com/blog/every-question-you-have-about-letters-of-recommendation-for-medical-school-1