Reference Letters: Can I use the same ones for med and grad apps? Are 3 profs ok?

[Yoda]

Hi all, I have a question regarding reference letters. I'm planning to apply to both grad school and med school and I'm not exactly sure how to approach the reference letters. My references are coming from 3 profs for whom I did research. So my question is can I use the same reference letters for both med and grad school? From my understanding, they should be confidential so I won't get to see how they're written. If anybody knows their format, do they tailor it to particular programs you apply to or is it a general recommendation that I can use for all schools? Also, if anybody has done similar applications to mine, did you just ask the profs to write 2 letters? Another option for me if I don't get in to med school is to finish a master's at U of T (psychology) and apply again then. Where would the reference letters come from after or during grad school (since you're only really working with one prof and you don't have much of an opportunity to get to know other profs)? Can you use the same ones you got in undergrad? I know it's a lot of questions, but I couldn't find an answer to these anywhere. Any input is appreciated. Thanks

[uofthopeful07]

well first off, if you are applying to the ontario med schools ...it prob would be better to have one non-academic reference. using three professors may not tell the adcoms a whole lot about you.

 

i know for the american med schools, professors are essential, with some schools accepting additional letters (e.g., volunteer supervisor).

[Smurfette]

You can use the same profs for reference letters to both grad school and med school, but they should be specific for what you are applying to. For example, it should contain information on how you would make a good researcher or physician, depending on the school. Also, some med schools (note: Ontario) has a form in addition to the letter that they have to fill out that ranks you in terms of communication skills, etc.

 

Further, I would make sure that the profs you are asking are okay with you applying to both schools. Some profs (esp. ones that you did research for) might want you to pursue research and not like you applying for medical school. Just a heads up on that - it's at your discretion of course.

 

I'd agree with uofthopeful07 - you should have at most 2 profs for your reference letters to medical school. You want people that can remark on your abilities outside of school (eg. communication skills, desire to help others, leadership skills, etc.).

[Lady]

Hey Yoda,

 

That IS a lot of questions! I am a grad applicant to med school (just finished my Masters this summer) so I have some suggestions, but please note that I didn't apply to BOTH grad school and med school at the same time.

 

1) Ask your profs for two separate letters of reference, one for grad school and one for med school. While the two letters will likely be almost exactly the same (I would guess 90% similar), your prof may choose to emphasize your research skills more for the grad school reference and your personal qualities more for the med school one.

 

The "meat" of the letter of reference will be the same, however, most profs will make the effort (or have their secretaries make the effort) of typing the specific school and program to which you were applying for each letter. That all depends on the prof, though. In the past, I have passed pre-addressed and stamped envelopes to my referees and, to the best of my knowledge, they have typed these addresses at the top of each letter to make it specific to the school and program to which I was applying.

 

2) If you decide to do a Masters, you can ask for letters of reference from not only your supervisor, but also members of your supervisory committee. Also, you will be required to take at least one graduate couse (even if you're in a research-based program) and that professor could be one of your graduate references. You may already know this, but U of T asks that graduate applicants submit a supplementary application package in January that may contain up to three EXTRA letters of reference pertaining to your graduate studies. This year, my 3 OMSAS letters were from a high school teacher, my undergrad research supervisor, and a lab supervisor/research associate from my graduate studies. In January, I will be submitting two additional letters to U of T, one from my graduate supervisor and one from a member of my supervisory committee.

 

Anyway, I hope this helps...and good luck!

 

-Lady

[peachy]

you should have at most 2 profs for your reference letters to medical school.

I disagree. I think that three profs is generally stronger than, for example, two profs and a high school teacher. (Although both are usually fine!). Yes, you need to have references who can comment on your 'soft skills', but lots of times, professors are the ideal people to do this. Even if they are research supervisors, presumably they've seen you interact with lab members, talked to you about your extracurriculars, maybe seen you organize lab events, etc.

 

I used three professors for my references.

 

Also: please don't double-post. Your threads have been merged.

[Yoda]

Thank you all for your replies. Lady, you have given me pretty much all the information that I needed so thank you for that. Sorry for the double post, I only meant to do one, but I forgot that I was in the U of T forum and that this is more of a general question, so I reposted it.

[aman_07]

I disagree. I think that three profs is generally stronger than, for example, two profs and a high school teacher. (Although both are usually fine!). Yes, you need to have references who can comment on your 'soft skills', but lots of times, professors are the ideal people to do this. Even if they are research supervisors, presumably they've seen you interact with lab members, talked to you about your extracurriculars, maybe seen you organize lab events, etc.

 

I used three professors for my references.

 

Also: please don't double-post. Your threads have been merged.

 

You can use a high school teacher? Are you serious ?

[Kirsteen]

Hi there,

 

During the last year that I applied to medical school, I also applied to a UofT PhD program (which was my back-up plan). For both applications, I used reference letters from the same writers, but had each writer tailor the letter slightly to fit the specific application. These letter writers were happy to do so as: a) they were aware of my Plan A and Plan B; they were happy to help; c) whether they were aware of it or not, it was a nice use of economies of scale, i.e., they could generate two letters without too much additional elbow grease. In hindsight, these letters appeared to be adequate enough as I received an acceptance to the PhD program as well as medical school that year. So, in short, I don't think you can go too wrong by taking a similar tack.

 

Cheers,

Kirsteen

[TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

You can use a high school teacher? Are you serious ?

 

I used a high school teacher as one of my referees. I got in. 'Nuff said.

[nowai]

Three profs are okay as long as they are able to comment on your non-academics. I used 3 and got in.

[Lady]

I used a high school teacher as one of my references because she was my volleyball coach and the teacher supervisor of the athletic association (of which I was the president). I wanted someone who has known me for a long time and who could attest to some of my personal qualities such as teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal skills (she was more of a character reference). I wouldn't recommend using a high school teacher as an academic reference. Just my opinion...

-Lady

[TimmyMax]

Hey,

 

I wanted someone who has known me for a long time and who could attest to some of my personal qualities such as teamwork, leadership, and interpersonal skills (she was more of a character reference)

I think that so long as you can have all of your bases covered, it doesn't really matter who you choose, so long as tehy think that you will make a decent physician. Even then, I doubt that it's all that critical to have a so-called "character" reference anyway- I'm sure that you could get away with three "academic" references.

[JewelLeigh]

I agree with Timmy - very strong applicants are likely to get in regardless of who the references are written by.

 

However, from my past experience as part of a team that reviewed applications to one med school, letters from high school teachers are not anywhere close to as strong as letters from professors/volunteer supervisors/recent employers, etc. That is definitely not to say that high school references are unacceptable, just that a great reference from a high school teacher would not be ranked as highly or given as much weight as a similarly great reference from a prof or recent volunteer supervisor for example. Why? Because high school teachers typically knew the applicant 3 ore more years ago, usually while the applicant was still living at home and somewhat less independent AND are comparing the applicant to a much different and smaller group of people (high school students) than what some other references can offer.

 

That being said, there are definitely situations in which a high school letter could be equally as strong as those mentioned above. Specifically, if the high school teacher has known the applicant in another capacity in the years since high school (Eg. Applicant coached baseball at the high school, but not "We have kept in touch as friends"), then HS teacher references can be a great addition.

 

Anyway, my comments may not be relevant for all medical schools, but based on my experience, I would encourage most people to seek more recent/relevant references if possible. While I am sure many people got in with great high school references because they were great applicants overall, for current applicants, a more recent/currently relevant reference will, in my opinion, give your application that little boost that just might need

 

JL

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