human instinct Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 I have a question which has been bugging me for a while...Does it look bad to ask the same prof for an lor for your backup plan (masters, dental e.t.c ). If so how would one approach the prof in asking them since they might question your seriousness towards medicine. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest begaster Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Your LOR writer is not an admissions committee member. You do not have to prove anything to him/her regarding your commitment to medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
human instinct Posted May 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 lol...is it a bad omen then that all my lors have asked me for a career statement when I asked them for an lor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Your LOR writer is not an admissions committee member. You do not have to prove anything to him/her regarding your commitment to medicine. why not? they may say in their letters that your committment to medicine is questionable, which will reflect poorly on you. OP: i dont know if using the same reference is the wisest idea. it could be that their reference letter kept you from getting in. unless you've seen the actual letter, there's no way to know for sure. you might be doing yourself harm by using a possible bad letter when applying to other programs. this is assuming your rejection wasn't based on missing GPA/MCAT cutoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest begaster Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Indeed they could, Madz. But, odds are, if they're going to make such a terrible statement in a reference letter to medical school, you're already in trouble regardless of whether you have asked them for a backup letter or not. Simply put, your reference writers will either try to help you or hinder you. They're not going to destroy your chances if they like you because you asked for a backup letter as well. If they do mention it, they were going to sabotage your chances either way and you just gave them a target. Besides, at least one interview asked me what my backup plan was. Having a backup plan is a mature, wise decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madz25 Posted May 30, 2008 Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Indeed they could, Madz. But, odds are, if they're going to make such a terrible statement in a reference letter to medical school, you're already in trouble regardless of whether you have asked them for a backup letter or not. Simply put, your reference writers will either try to help you or hinder you. They're not going to destroy your chances if they like you because you asked for a backup letter as well. If they do mention it, they were going to sabotage your chances either way and you just gave them a target. Besides, at least one interview asked me what my backup plan was. Having a backup plan is a mature, wise decision. Exactly...but you wont know if they gave you a bad reference and then to use them for another program would be a bad idea. Hopefully they'll tell you that they dont feel comfortable writing a letter if their intention was to hinder you. Agreed: having a backup plan is a wise decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
human instinct Posted May 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2008 Thanks guys...but hopefully as far as i know...im in good terms with them (received an excellent grade for ROP course with one, received complements from other 2 on various occasions)... So i dont think they would want to hinder my applications (hopefully)...Just in case i will still ask them if they are comfortable with providing me lor for another program. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuckman Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Most profs I know understand if you have a backup. They know how competitive medical admissions is. Good points are mentioned by everyone above. I feel that you should simply ask your prof if he can endorse you strongly. Nothing wrong with asking directly. Zuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostintime Posted May 31, 2008 Report Share Posted May 31, 2008 Depends on the prof. My supervisor who wrote my reference letter for med was extremely supportive and encouraged me to do research in the future even if I get into med. You just have to watch out for research-snobby profs, who think research >>>> med, and look down upon med. They will probably not write you a great letter. And yes, those profs do exist unfortunately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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