Medical School Letters Of Recommendation

Not a science major? Below are some common letter suggestions for humanities, social science, and other non-medically related disciplines.

Medical School Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation for med school are typically submitted along with your AMCAS application. A good letter of recommendation highlights your academic or professional achievements.

A great letter gives the admissions committee at your dream medical school deeper insight into the person you are and the doctor you may become.

How Many Letters Will You Need?

In most cases, schools request a minimum of three recommendations: two from science professors and one from a non-science professor or an extracurricular supervisor. Unless specifically instructed not to send additional letters , competitive applicants commonly send as many as six recommendations, including those from additional academic sources, clinical mentors, supervisors in extracurricular activities, and research sources.

Pre-Medical Committee Letter

Some schools request that you send your recommendations in the form of a pre-medical committee letter, which is either a letter written by the undergraduate pre- med committee specifically recommending you, or a letter that summarizes comments made by various committee members about you. If your school does not have a pre-medical committee (or you are a non-traditional applicant not officially affiliated with a university), you will typically need to submit a minimum of three letters of recommendation from individual sources instead.

Getting a Great Letter of Recommendation

Here’s a quick overview of how to choose the right people to write your medical school recommendations and ensure you get the right message across.

1. Start Early

Professors are busy! You will want to ask for letters well in advance of deadlines. If you are applying as an undergraduate in college, start asking for letters in the winter of your junior year.

2. Identify your recommenders

Current professors and doctors with whom you work or volunteer are your best choices. But former professors and doctors with whom you’ve worked in the past are fine, too. (If you’re applying to osteopathic schools, you must have a letter from a DO.) The best recommendations come from people who know and honestly like you as a person.

3. Be professional

It’s natural to feel anxious about approaching prospective recommenders, especially if some time has passed since you’ve worked with them. But professors and doctors are used to receiving this kind of request, and most will be happy (even flattered) to write a recommendation on your behalf. Courtesy goes a long way in these interactions. A sincere thank-you note at the end of the process, not matter what the outcome, is essential.

4. Help them help you

Fantastic letters come from recommenders who can write about your specific traits and talents. Provide them with a copy of your CV or résumé, a personal statement, and any other materials that will remind them about what you’ve achieved. Also let them know which medical programs you’re applying to and why.

5. Understand the process

If you apply directly from undergrad, you likely have access to pre-health or pre-med advising, and your letters will be handled by that office. They will copy and send your recommendations to your list of schools. If you are a returning adult student, you may have to take care of all the requests and letters yourself.

6. Follow the instructions

Read directions carefully. If an admissions committee asks for a recommendation from a premedical sciences professor, sending a recommendation from a psychology or sociology professor instead will count against you, even if you suspect that the recommendation will be stronger .

Med School Recommendation Letter Advice for Non-Science Majors

Not a science major? Below are some common letter suggestions for humanities, social science, and other non-medically related disciplines.

Humanities or Social Science Majors

• 1 recommendation from a biology professor
• 1 recommendation from a chemistry or physics professor
• 1 recommendation from a humanities professor
• 1 recommendation from a humanities professor of an advanced-level course in your major
• 2 recommendations from other sources, such as supervisors from lab/clinical work or extracurricular activities

• 1 recommendation from a professor of a medically-related science class, ideally biology
• 1 recommendation from a professor of an advanced-level class in your major area
• 1 recommendation from a humanities professor (may be an intro-level humanities course)
• 3 recommendations from other sources, such as supervisors from lab/clinical work or extracurricular activities

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Medical School Letters of Recommendation: The Definitive Guide

Whom, when, and how to ask for great medical school recommendation letters, including word-for-word scripts

(Note: A version of this article can also be found in our free, 102-page comprehensive guide to medical school applications, Get Into Medical School: 6 Practical Lessons to Stand Out and Earn Your White Coat.)

Introduction

Similar to writing the AMCAS personal statement, the thought of asking for medical school letters of recommendation (or in AMCAS terms, letters of evaluation) makes most students cringe.

Therefore, it’s not surprising that we receive a ton of questions and concerns about recommendation letters, such as:

• “How am I supposed to find three letter writers?!”
• “Would it be a good idea to get a letter from Dr. Johnson? I don’t really know her, but she works at Duke Med, loves my mom, and offered to write a letter on my behalf.”

We decided to write a comprehensive guide to medical school recommendation letters to answer all of your questions. If your question isn’t covered, please leave it in the comments section below so we can answer it and add it to the guide, since other students surely share it.

Click on any question below to jump directly to it:

Questions about how many letters of recommendations you need

• How many letters of recommendation do I need for medical school?
• How many letters of recommendation should I send to schools?
• How many recommendation letters can I upload to AMCAS?
• How many recommendation letters can I upload to AACOMAS?
• How many recommendation letters can I upload to TMDSAS?
• Can I send different recommendation letters to different schools?
• Can I choose where to send each recommendation letter?
• Do my recommendation letters have to be addressed to specific medical schools?

Questions about whom you should request letters of recommendation from

• Whom should I request letters of recommendation from?
• From whom should I ask for recommendation letters as a non-traditional applicant?
• Who qualifies as a science professor?
• Who qualifies as a non-science professor?
• Do I have to send a letter from a professor in my major?
• Do I need to get a letter from a DO physician when applying to DO programs?
• What recommendation letters should I avoid?
• Will I be able to see my recommendation letters?

Timing-related questions about letters of recommendation

• When should I request letters of recommendation?
• When are letters of recommendation due?
• When do medical schools look at letters of recommendation?
• Can my letter writers submit letters of recommendation before AMCAS opens?
• Does AMCAS require that my recommendation letters be uploaded to verify my application?
• Can I add new letters of recommendation after I submit my AMCAS application?
• Can I edit or delete letters of recommendation after I submit my AMCAS application?

Questions about how to ask for letters of recommendation

• Should I ask for a letter of recommendation in person or via email?
• How should I ask for a letter of recommendation in person?
• How should I ask for a letter of recommendation by email?
• When and how should I remind my letter writers to submit?
• What should I include in my thank you notes to letter writers?
• Do you have tips on how to get to know my professors?
• What should I do if I’m asked to write my own recommendation letter?

Questions about storing and reusing letters of recommendation

Questions about whom you should request letters of recommendation from

Whom should I request letters of recommendation from?

We recommend you compile the following set of six recommendation letters:

1. Science professor 1 whose class you took for a letter grade
2. Science professor 2 whose class you took for a letter grade
3. Non-science professor whose class you took for a letter grade
4. A professional—preferably a physician—who has observed you providing patient care
5. Extracurricular observer 1
6. Extracurricular observer 2

Your two “extracurricular observer” letters could come from anyone who can speak well to your distinguishing activities.

For instance, if you’re a standout researcher, get one of those letters from a principal investigator (PI). If you don’t know your PI well, request a letter from a postdoc with whom you’ve worked closely, and request that the PI co-sign it.

If, on the other hand, you’re an excellent fundraiser, request a letter from your superior within the organization you were part of or from a high-ranking member of the organization you supported who knows you well.

A good rule of thumb is to ask for a letter from a supervisor from an extracurricular activity that you designated as a ‘Most Meaningful Experience’ in your AMCAS Work and Activities section.

Some letters can do “double duty”—that is, they can check two boxes at once. For instance, if you took a neuroscience course with a professor whose lab you also worked in, a letter from that professor can satisfy one science professor letter and one extracurricular observer letter. Therefore, you don’t necessarily need six distinct letters.

The most important consideration is that you submit outstanding letters. Outstanding letters come from individuals who can speak highly of your skills and qualities and, more importantly, how your merits make you an excellent medical school candidate. Unenthusiastic letters, even if written by a well-known person, are not desirable.

From whom should I ask for recommendation letters as a non-traditional applicant?

Medical schools want to see recent (i.e., within the last three years) data about your academic achievements. Therefore, if you’ve been out of school for a while, you should aim to enroll in a few science courses—locally or online—to build relationships with professors.

Who qualifies as a science professor?

Strictly speaking, medical schools would like to see your science letters come from biology, chemistry, or physics (BCP) professors. While many schools will also accept a science letter from a math, computer science, engineering, or other science professor, other schools won’t. Therefore, you should check directly with your top-choice schools if you intend to submit a science letter from a non-BCP professor.

Who qualifies as a non-science professor?

Any professor whose field falls outside of biology, chemistry, or physics.

Do I have to send a letter from a professor in my major?

A very small number of schools require a letter from a professor in your major. Since this isn’t necessary for the majority of schools, you probably shouldn’t worry about this.

Do I need to get a letter from a DO physician when applying to DO programs?

Yes, if you’re looking to apply to osteopathic medical schools, make sure to request a letter from a DO physician you’ve shadowed.

DO programs are conscious of the reality that most applicants would prefer to attend an MD program if given the chance. Therefore, they like to see that applicants have demonstrated a specific interest in osteopathic medicine and have made an effort to put this interest into practice.

What recommendation letters should I avoid?

Generally speaking, you should avoid any letters that are negative, neutral, or slightly positive. In other words, you should avoid a letter from anyone who won’t gush about you.

In addition, you’ll want to avoid sending letters from family members, clergy, or family friends who can’t speak intimately about your professional qualities.

Students routinely ask whether they should get a letter from a family friend who happens to be a well-known physician or faculty member at a school on their list, thinking that their clout will carry significant weight in admissions decisions despite not knowing the applicant professionally. Avoid these letters as well. At best, they’ll be disregarded. At worst, they’ll hurt your application because they’ll be seen as an attempt to gain an unfair advantage.

Will I be able to see my recommendation letters?

You can, but you shouldn’t. In other words, you should always waive your right to read your letters. Otherwise, medical schools won’t take your letters seriously.