Helping pre-medical students get into medical school across the nation
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One thing which is often underrated when it comes to getting accepted to medical school is the recommendation letter. Many pre-meds are too focused on maintaining that good GPA and getting a high MCAT score that they can sometimes forget the other aspects of application. A good recommendation letter can be the difference between you or someone else getting called up for an interview. Between applicants of similar GPA and MCAT, things like recommendation letters can be what make the difference. Just imagine if you are one of the people on the admission’s board for a medical school. You get two applicants who have almost identical GPA and MCAT, but one of them has a powerful recommendation letter that paints you in a great light. You will probably choose the one who has the powerful recommendation letter! In this article, we are going to go into: Who to get a recommendation letter from, how to ensure you get a good one, and how to ask.
Each medical school has its own requirements for letter of recommendation. So make sure you learn the specifics when it comes to who your recommendation letters should be from and how many you will need. Typically most medical schools want around 3-5 recommendation letters. These should normally come from a science professor, non-science professor, pre-med committee, and a physician. Make sure you check the requirements of the school you are applying to ahead of time for its recommendation letter requirements!
When it comes to recommendation letters, quality and diversity is everything. You have to check for the specifics for your school, but usually they want something like: two recommendation letters from science teachers, one from a non-science teacher, one from your pre-med advisor, and one from a physician. Each school has their own requirements. But in general these are the people you should be asking for a recommendation letter. Each can add something different they can say about you and help paint a better picture overall for the people reviewing your application. You want to make sure those who are going to ask for a letter of recommendation are knowledgeable about: The demands of medical school and the medical profession, and your unique characteristics and credentials that would make you a good fit for being a physician.
The most important part to getting a good recommendation letter is having a relationship with the person who is writing it. You want them to get to know you well and be able to have a lot to say about you. Let them know your dreams, aspirations, and how much getting into medical school means to you. You should have spent building a relationship with them for atleast a few months before asking for a recommendation letter. It is important that they have had enough time to get to know you and can say many great things about you. Before asking someone for a recommendation letter, ask yourself this. “If I ask them for a recommendation letter, would they be able to speak well about me personally? Do they have any personal examples that showcase well my characteristics and abilities?”
Specific tips:
Professor/Teacher: Spend extra time going to their office hours. Talk to them after class. Ask more questions in class. And obviously make good grades.
Physician: Get there early. Be prepared before shadowing. Ask many questions. Show your enthusiasm for learning. Try and get to know them more personally.
Job/Volunteer Manager: Make sure you overperform at your job. Others have good things to say about you. Good feedback from co-workers or customers.
The specific characteristics that most medical schools want to see in an applicant:
Make sure to consider these characteristics when interacting with your potential letter writers!
The key to a great recommendation letter is finding someone who can speak on behalf of you personally and can emphasize your individual characteristics that make you shine. Start building relationships with those you might want a recommendation letter from now!
I hope this helps! Please share this article with a fellow pre-med!
I hope you found this advice helpful! Tell us what you think by leaving a comment down below! For more pre-med tips and advice, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, twitter, and pinterest!
So you want to be a doctor, thats great! But do you really know what you are getting yourself into and what the life of a doctor is actually like outside of Grey’s Anatomy? This is why you absolutely must get shadowing experience as a pre-med and why it is so important to many medical schools. Shadowing a doctor is one of the most important things any pre-med can do. In fact I could argue its more important than your MCAT or GPA! Let’s go into all the reasons why you should shadow a doctor:
It will let you know if this is the right career for you:
This is probably the most important reason to shadow a doctor. You want to know for sure that this is what you want to spend your life doing and this is the best way to find out. Shadowing a doctor is like test driving the career you might end up doing. The road to that MD is not an easy one. While shadowing you may end up seeing many things that disturb you and change your mind about going into medicine. There are many things you will never expect about being a doctor and some that you may not like, but you will never know that unless you actually go out there and see. You don’t want to find out that this is not the right career for you after getting into medical school. The time to find out is now! While you are a pre-med!
You can ask an actual doctor all the questions you have and gain valuable wisdom:
One of the greatest perks to shadowing a doctor is that you will have access to a physician who has the time to answer your questions and concerns about becoming a doctor. These are the people who are doing what you want to do and they have plenty of experience and wisdom they can pass down to you. Make the most out of that!
Test level of commitment:
Shadowing is one of the greatest ways to weed out pre-meds. Many people go into premed thinking about how cool it will be to become a doctor, how much money they will make, etc. Most of the people like that arent prepared to handle the hardships that come with the life of a physician. The hospital is very humbling place and shows no mercy to the pre-med. You will see things that are quite disturbing and will really test your level of commitment to this career path. Often the hospital can make or break a pre-med. You either come out of it more inspired to become a doctor or just out right never want to be one ever again.
Discover likes and dislikes:
The hospital is another great place to discover exactly what it is you like and dislike about a career in medicine. There might be unexpected things which you enjoy , such as the interaction with the patients and nurses. And there might be things which you might dislike, perhaps the smell or something you didn’t expect. Shadowing a doctor is an opportunity to learn more about the career you are interested in.
Enhance motivation:
Often the experience of shadowing a doctor can improve motivation for the pre-med. This will help result in a stronger work ethic and ultimately better grades and commitment to the pre-med path.
Recommendation letter:
Lastly there is one more perk to shadowing a doctor. That is the recommendation letter. I left this as the last thing to mention because I believe the reasons mentioned before are more important. However it is no lie that a recommendation letter from a doctor is highly sought after and very valuable to getting into medical school. So if you shadow a physician you have a strong chance of receiving a powerful recommendation letter that could help boost your chances of acceptance into the medical school of your choice.
There are many great things about becoming a doctor, but there are also many difficulties that most pre-meds have not considered yet. Shadowing a doctor allows you the opportunity to see first hand if this is the right career for you. After all becoming a doctor is a serious commitment. It is time consuming, stressful, and at times financially difficult. Being able to shadow a doctor will provide you the chance to see for yourself if this is what you want to spend your life doing.
Being pre-med is tough! It is expected if you want to become a doctor you will have a hard road ahead of you. And with that, things will not always go your way. But what happens if you have a bad semester? Does that mean your dream of getting into medical school stops here? Let’s talk about that in this article.
Medical school is tough to get into. There are tons of competitive applicants fighting for the same spot you are. This means that having a bad semester could make the difference between getting accepted or not. This is why it is best to avoid the situation and stay on top of your studies, however life happens and that things don’t always go your way. So what if your semester doesn’t go the way you want and you made some bad grades? Is there still any hope for getting accepted?
The short answer is.. Yes!
While it does make it more difficult if you had a bad semester, it does not have to be the end of your medical career. Think about how many other pre-med students have had a bad semester or two and still can get accepted. It goes without saying that many pre-meds have had a few hard semesters and not every student makes straight A’s. It’s worth noting that you are not the only one in this situation, there are many in the same boat as you. So take a deep breath! There is definitely still is hope!
So now you are probably wanting to know how you can boost your chances of getting accepted despite having a bad semester or two. There are two main ways to compensate for doing poorly academically. The first is by making sure all the other aspects of your application shine. Such as having extra shadowing experience, more clinical experience, more volunteering, research experience, strong letters of recommendation, high MCAT score, etc. Medical schools want someone who is well rounded and has what it takes to be a doctor, this is more than just having good grades. The second method, which can be combined with the first, is finding a post-bac program to help you and/or considering going to a Caribbean medical school. For help finding a post-bac program, click here.
If you have a bad semester as a pre-med it doesn’t mean that it is game over. It means that you will have to work a bit harder and make other aspects of your application shine. Really focus on getting a lot of clinical experience and you will find many medical schools are still interested in you. There have been plenty of people who have had a bad semester or two and still got accepted. Don’t give up hope. Instead, focus on trying extra hard to make up for it. Also, consider looking into post-bac programs and going to a Caribbean school. If you give it your all, you will be surprised with how well you can do!
For more information check out our other article:
5 Ways to stay competitive with a low GPA
Finding a doctor to shadow can seem like an impossible task at times. Many pre-meds don’t know how to find a doctor who would be willing to be shadowed. Shadowing is super important for having a strong and competitive application. Medical schools want to see that you understand what it is like to be a doctor, how the medical environment is, and you are still willing to proceed into medicine despite seeing and hearing first hand the hardships a physician will face. The difference between getting accepted into medical school or not could depend on whether you have shadowing experience. So how do you find a doctor who will let you shadow them? What are the best methods for finding a doctor to shadow? We will go over all the best methods to help ensure you find that physician to shadow!
Ask your personal physician. Or get a referral from them:
This one seems like a no brainer. You already have access to a doctor that knows you pretty well, your general practitioner. Why not start there? Tell them that you are a premed and you want to learn what it is like to work as a physician. Since you are one of their patients and they already know you, they might be more likely to agree. If they don’t then ask them if they know any other doctors that wouldn’t mind you shadowing them.
Network with family and friends to see if they can contact a physician they may know:
You might be surprised to learn that your family or friends know several physicians that may let you shadow them. Ask your friends and parents if they know any doctors that might let you shadow them. Doctors are still regular people who make friends with non-doctors, so it shouldn’t come as no surprise that your family or friends might know one or two! If you ever go to a formal party with your family, you could casually mention that you are a premed and looking for a doctor to shadow. If the other person happens to know a physician they will try and help you out.
Volunteer at a hospital or clinic and build connections with physicians there:
If you want a place where you know there will be doctors then there is no better place than a hospital or clinic. This is a pretty tried and true method for finding a doctor to shadow. Volunteer at a hospital or clinic and try and network with the physicians and nurses there to see if they know anyone who will let you shadow them. Remember, its important to let people know your intention of finding a doctor to shadow so they can help you! Try and build a relationship with the people who work there so they are more likely to help you.
Work as a scribe:
This is another great method for finding a physician to shadow. Working as a scribe has merits of its own. But this is another highly effective method as it allows you to work closely with a doctor and build a relationship with them. To become a scribe you must go through training first. But on the plus side you get paid! Getting paid, getting medical experience, and potentially finding a doctor to shadow isn’t too bad!
Click here to learn more about being a scribe.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to finding a doctor to shadow is the word, “networking”. Building connections is the best method for finding someone who will let you shadow them. Ask anyone who might know a doctor that will you shadow them and ask for contact information. I was able to find a doctor to shadow because my dad met a doctor while playing soccer and told him that his son was a premed! It can all happen in the most unexpected circumstances! You will have an even easier time if you are networking in a hospital or a clinical environment. Immerse yourself into the medical environment and start asking around and building connections and I assure you that you will find a physician to shadow in no time!
I hope you found this advice helpful! Tell us what you think by leaving a comment down below! For more pre-med tips and advice, make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Facebook, twitter, and pinterest!
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