One of the things people struggle with the most is getting letters of evaluation. A strong letter can completely shift how admissions officers look at you, especially if they are of importance to the medical school of your choice. Thus, I am here to tell you how to get these letters. Additionally, remember that when asking, make sure that you are respectful (ask for a letter instead of demand, there is a clear difference) and allocate enough time, I would highly recommend 3 to 4 weeks, to these people to write you a letter. Not everyone is readily available and by giving them this time window, you are showing respect, preparedness, and understanding. There are three different types of people you should target for these letters: doctors, professors, and connections.
While shadowing doctors, you should always keep in mind that they are a great source for letters of evaluation. Since you get the ability to interact with them one on one for a significant amount of time, shadowing is a great way to get close enough to doctors to ask them to write you a letter. Make sure you talk about why you want to do medicine, explain your passion, and ask questions along the way. Most commonly, they will also ask for your CV or resume to aid in their letter so make sure you have one ready if they do. Don’t forget, most doctors love when you interact with them.
In class, it is extremely hard to become close enough to professors for them to write you a recommendation letter. Thus, it is very important to decide what professors you want to target. Personally, I chose a wide array of professors instead of only biology related ones but it is completely your choice. However, you should definitely have at least one letter from a biology professor. Furthermore, one of your letters should definitely come from the professor you have been researching with because, having spent so much time, they will definitely know you extremely well. For the other two, I would recommend professors that are not always extremely busy and that you personally like (you should also be doing or have done well in the class). Going to office hours for a professor you like is much easier than going to office hours for a professor that you do not like. Talking about what they are doing in their labs, how to improve your grades, and about their recommendations for life in general are all great talking points that will help you form that connection. It will take a month or two of knowing each other for them to write you a proper and well-structured evaluation letter. Ideally, you’d want 3 or more professors to write you a recommendation letter.
To get into your medical school of choice, it is powerful if you make connections that are influential. Whether its shadowing a doctor at an affiliate hospital or researching with a faculty member, making a connection with the medical school of your choice is very important because it will allow you to state that you know this person and they can vouch for you later on if the admissions committee asks them for a second opinion. Since these people have a powerful say, they will make a huge impact on your outcome. Personally, I didn’t know I could do this until an acquaintance, after the cycle, asked me if I had made a connection with someone at the medical school. After replying no, he said that he shadowed the dean of the medical school and that a recommendation from him really catapulted his application to get accepted into his school of choice. Although this might seem like a lot of effort, I would highly recommend trying this.
Remember, you do not see these letters of evaluation so be extremely careful with the people you do choose for the task. All of your efforts will be worth it at the end and who knows, maybe you’ll make some friends along the way!
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