7 Tips for Nailing Medical School Letters of Recommendation – U.S. News & World Report (blog)

​The power that letters of recommendation have on a medical school student’s application cannot be overstated. Here are seven tips to help you nail this important component of your application.

1. Choose wisely: First, your letters should come from someone who can objectively comment on your potential as a medical student. Don’t ask your physician parent or a friend of your physician parent to write a recommendation letter.

Second, recommendation letters should always be written by people who know you well. Don’t ask someone you observed or volunteered with for a short time or a well-known professor or administrator with whom you do not have a relationship.

Likewise, don’t ask your neighbors or clergy to write your recommendation letter. Although they may know you well, they likely are unable to comment fully on your critical reasoning or how you get along with others in the laboratory.

[Follow four steps to assembling a top-notch medical school resume.]

2. Request your letters of recommendation earlier rather than later: Give your professors and other professional or academic contacts adequate lead time to reflect on their relationship with you and the observations they have made so they can craft a thoughtful letter.

Requesting letters in early spring, before graduation, is good timing. Early spring is less busy, and your faculty will have plenty of time to write the letters before you submit your completed application in June. Never give them less than four weeks to write a letter, and be prepared to provide them with a current resume and brief personal statement.

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3. Visit your professors, particularly past professors: A brief appointment in a professor’s office will visually and audibly remind that professor of who you are and perhaps even of an intriguing question you asked during class or an exceptional project you turned in.

Your visit also gives them the opportunity to ask questions about your recent activities and future goals. The more you share with your recommender, the more personal the letter will be. You have hopefully invested in these relationships in the past but now a visit with your professors will show you want to “reinvest” and ask how they are doing also.

If you appreciated what they taught you and had offered remarks of gratitude, these positive feelings will come back to you as a gift in the form of a recommendation. Remember, you are asking for a favor. In the years ahead, you will reach back many times so it is good to learn how to do this with respect, humility and sincerity.

[Read five questions medical school students are afraid to ask.]

4. Call or write if you live too far away for a visit: If you can’t pay a personal visit, you have the option of calling or writing. It’s not appropriate to send an email that reads, “Hi. I’m Joe Smith, who took your class three years ago and got an A. Will you write a recommendation letter for me?”

Your professors might be gracious enough to agree, but the recommendation letter won’t be as rich as it would be if you had reintroduced yourself and spent time reconnecting. Your professors might also be put off by your assumption and that can impact how they respond to future requests.

5. Follow instructions: If the school to which you are applying asks for a certain type of letter, be sure to comply. If the instructions aren’t clear to you, contact the school for clarification.

Most schools accept a composite letter from a premed adviser, but they might also request additional letters. When there is no composite letter, a medical school may ask for letters from a science professor, a research mentor and another faculty member. If that is the case, please don’t try to get one individual to fulfill all three criteria.

Make the effort to acquire multiple letter-writers. Some premed advisers will include quotations in their letter​, while others will attach the letters. Personally, I appreciate the extra detail these letters contain.

[Learn more about applying to medical school.]

6. Nurture your relationships: I have written five or more letters for multiple past students since I first met them and have only done so because I felt completely confident, as a result of my relationships with the students, to make the recommendations.

You may need letters in the future to accompany applications for higher education, awards, grants, fellowships in organizations, new jobs and bids for elective positions. If you invest in your academic and professional relationships, the writer can truly say, “I have known this individual for many years in an academic capacity,” and their words, which will speak to your hard work, caring attitude and integrity, offer credibility and insight into who you really are.

7. Express your gratitude: After your professors agree to write you a letter of recommendation, send a thank-you note, a small gift you have made or some other token. Not only is it appropriate to express your gratitude, but making contact with them again helps build another level of memory.

Expressing gratitude to their assistant will also help expedite your letter. Occasionally your request may get lost in the multitude of others they receive and requires that you follow up to make sure the letter has been received and electronically attached to your application. If it has not, simply contact the professor and ask if there is some way you can help expedite the recommendation.

As in many aspects of life, relationships matter. Paying attention to them can bring rewards.