sarakj Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Hello all, Just another qs about CaRMS LOR. Does it put me in disadvantages if I use a generic cover letter for Radiology program.. Thank you all Sara Kj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Hi Sara, When I prepared my CaRMS letters (not for rads), there were generic paragraphs that appeared in each and every letter I sent. However, I also made an attempt to include at least one paragraph about why the particular school to which I was applying appealed to me. I especially elaborated if I had done an elective at this program. Now, because I applied to a field that is not traditionally very competitive, I had the luxury of actually honestly having good reasons for applying to each school. If you are applying across the board and perhaps have no deep desire to do radiology at, say, the University of the North Pole but are applying there nonetheless, you might try to find out through the grapevine what strengths the program has and include these in the "personal/non-generic" paragraph. My 2 cents. Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarakj Posted September 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Thank you Kate for your respond. I guess what i mean is a generic cover letter for LOR..and not personal letter.. would appreciate your input again. Sara Kj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate Posted September 14, 2009 Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Sorry, Sara, I misunderstood... it was past my bedtime when I read your question!!! Yeah, I just used a generic cover letter when requesting letters of reference. For the two schools that I was most interested in, I did include a short paragraph outlining my personal reasons for wanting to attend that program. However, I strongly suspect that the content of the letters of reference reflected how I performed on the rotation, what the residents thought of me etc., rather than how dazzled the evaluator was by my cover letter! In other words, don't get too stressed out about it. Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarakj Posted September 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2009 Thank you very much Kate.. great answer Sara KJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 If you are only applying to radiology, I would ask for a radiology specific letter. But if you have to use the same letter for more than one specialty, then you could submit a generic. I didn`t use any generic letters (I didn`t apply to radiolgy either). If I was going to use generic letters, I don`t think I would have all 3 letters generic. Some preceptors may be willing to write you a letter for 2 specialties. But no expert in carms...one of those things you go through and never really understand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellen Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 Just a follow up question... is there any advantage to asking for a program-specific letter? I guess the disadvantage is that that letter could only be used for the one school, but I was just wondering if there were any advantages... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lactic Folly Posted September 15, 2009 Report Share Posted September 15, 2009 As I recall, Calgary FM specifically asked for a program specific letter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WaveSense Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Do you guys remember when you did your electives in other places? ie. During which year and was it during the academic year or during the summers? I'm very confused as to when we're qualified to do anything clinical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satsuma Posted September 16, 2009 Report Share Posted September 16, 2009 Do you guys remember when you did your electives in other places? ie. During which year and was it during the academic year or during the summers? I'm very confused as to when we're qualified to do anything clinical. Away electives are usually done during clerkship. The timing of them depends on the structure of your school's program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.