MansionMD Posted November 3, 2014 Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Do you agree with my ranking? Minimum 3: 1. Home school, clinical, big name, strong 2. Home school, clinical, small name, strong 3. Away school, clinical, big name, strong Optionals: 4. Home school, research, small name, above average 5. Home school, clinical, small name, above average 6. Home school, clinical, big name PD, above average 7. Away school, clinical, small name, average 8. Away school, clinical, small name, average Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MansionMD Posted November 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2014 Also, if they say "3 references are required" with no mention of minimum or maximum, does that mean 3+ = auto-reject? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MD Consultants CA Posted November 4, 2014 Report Share Posted November 4, 2014 Hi, If it says "3 are required" that would be the minimum. Although there is no maximum, probably better to submit no more than 5 letters (sounds like a reasonable number to best support your application without increasing the workload too substantially for the admission committee). This is by no means a hard and fast rule, but it is a reasonable suggestion. To answer your questions in terms of which letters to send, it really depends on which specialty you are applying for and which schools. If it is a small specialty, everyone probably knows each other somewhat within the field. The strength of the letter is probably more important than whether it is from a big vs small name. If it is a large specialty, then the reputation and credibility of your referee matters a lot more. Reference letters serve the purpose of helping the committee better understand and evaluate your application. In another word, the reference letters are "referrals" or "word of mouth". Therefore, committee members are more likely to trust colleagues whom they have heard of before or personally know. You should use as letters from the same school that you are applying for. Again, the committee tends to trust people they know. Submit research letters for academic programs. Some programs train community physicians primarily and you should use clinical letters whenever possible. In addition, the amount of time you spent working with the preceptor also matters. Working on a 4 week elective, or even a 1 year longitudinal shadowing + 2 week elective, of course generates a letter that is stronger than a 2 week elective. In essence, you should not be make an overall ranking list of reference letters, but rather pick and choose the appropriate ones to tailor to the needs of each specific program. The two things you need to consider are: 1. does the letter say something good about me (or even better, the program needs me), and 2. does the committee trust the referee. Don't stress too much about reference letters because that's out of your hands. Prepare your best for the application and interviews (interviews are probably the most important component and you have to do whatever you can to make the committee want you). If you are hardworking, genuine, collaborative, and pleasant to work with, the match result can't be that bad. Also, if they say "3 references are required" with no mention of minimum or maximum, does that mean 3+ = auto-reject? Do you agree with my ranking? Minimum 3: 1. Home school, clinical, big name, strong 2. Home school, clinical, small name, strong 3. Away school, clinical, big name, strong Optionals: 4. Home school, research, small name, above average 5. Home school, clinical, small name, above average 6. Home school, clinical, big name PD, above average 7. Away school, clinical, small name, average 8. Away school, clinical, small name, average Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HBP Posted November 5, 2014 Report Share Posted November 5, 2014 It's frustrating to have 7-8 refs for a specialty and not know which one to choose. I'm in that boat right now. I don't want to accidentally choose a generally positive letter and leave an absolutely glowing one behind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MansionMD Posted November 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thsc Posted November 6, 2014 Report Share Posted November 6, 2014 Hi All, As a pre-med, I'm just curious why it matters whether the letter is from home or away school? Only the quality and perhaps reputation of the referee should matter right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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