MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSION: INCREASING YOUR CHANCES IN THE WINTER MONTHS.

I encourage applicants to think of the medical school admissions process as fluid. Assuming you are not accepted to your top choice school right off the bat, it is important to provide medical schools with more evidence that you are an excellent candidate. What can you do to convince a top choice medical school that it should interview or accept you?

1) Send an update letter. Include academic updates, such as first semester grades and information about any recent accomplishments. You should also express your specific interest in the school to which you are applying.
2) Send a letter of intent. If you are waitlisted or have already interviewed but have not heard from your top-choice school, send a letter of intent. Include the information outlined above, and also explicitly state that the school is your #1 choice and, if accepted, you will attend.
3) Send additional letters of reference. It is always wise to send new letters of reference from individuals who support your candidacy.
4) Recruit an advocate. Your premed advisor, professor, or mentor can call the admissions office of a school in which you are interested to offer support for your candidacy.

Remember, submission of your application often is just the beginning of the medical school admissions process.You must embrace a proactive role throughout the application cycle until you have been accepted to the medical school that you will attend.

Letters of Recommendation: How Do You Ask?

If you are applying to medical school, you should be thinking now about who will write your letters of reference. Many clients ask me about the best way to ask for a letter of reference. Like most things, there is no "one size fits all" answer to this question.

For example, last week a former resident asked me to write a letter of reference on his behalf. Since I know this resident well, I did not feel the need to meet with him and simply asked him to send me an up to date curriculum vitae (CV) so I could review his more recent accomplishments and remind myself of when he graduated!

So, the manner in which you ask for letters of reference should be individualized. If you don't know your letter writer well, call them or their assistant to schedule a meeting. At this meeting, which could be in person or over the phone, ask if they would be willing to write you a strong letter of reference. The key word here is strong; hopefully, if someone feels they cannot write you an excellent letter of reference, they will be honest and tell you this.

At this meeting, ask your letter writer what materials they would like from you to make this task easier for them. Consider sending your letter writer an up to date CV via email before your meeting. Many things you read advise bringing a "portfolio" to your letter writer that includes your CV, personal statement and any additional materials that might be helpful. Since most people in academics are now accustomed to web based applications, they prefer electronic versions of all documents rather than hard copies but, again, ask your letter writer about their preference.

If your letter writer asks for a personal or a brief autobiographical statement, do not feel that you must provide what will be the final draft of your statement; the letter writer is asking for your statement to obtain a more complete sense of who you are which will allow them to write a more substantial letter.

Visit: MedEdits

Medical School Letters of Reference (LORs)

If you are applying to medical school in 2010, now is the time to start thinking about who will be writing your letters of reference. If you already have some definite ideas about whom you will ask, you should approach those individuals now and ask if they would write a strong letter in support of your candidacy to medical school. Letter submissions often delay the completion of applications so the earlier you get started (before your letter writer is bombarded with requests from other students), the more likely that your letter will be completed in a timely fashion and written with care. If your college has a prehealth or preprofessions office, they can hold your letters for you. Alternatively, you can use a letter service to keep your letters safe until it is time to apply.

Visit: MedEdits

Medical Residency Application: Letters of Reference

Read an article about letters of reference in the new edition of Unique Opportunities. I am quoted several times on pages 26, 27 and 29.

MedEdits medical school applicants are aleady receiving multiple acceptances. Congratulations!