Few important questions regarding applications.

[S&G]

Hi all,

 

I'm currently a first year Master's student, a degree which I pursued since September. I'm aiming to matriculate in a Canadian med school this year; however, after receiving couple of rejections last year post-interview, I thought I would broaden my chances, since I don't mind at all living in the US. Anyways, I consider myself very lucky, in that I don't have a strong application, but got two interviews anyways.

Here are my stats, just in case they are needed:

3.7 gpa @ mcgill

31N(retaking June 16th).. I got a N, which is quite low :S

volunteering @ 2 spots, was involved in clubs for 3 years as a VP, kickboxing, few piano competitions, summer research, etc.

I'll be applying to, most of the schools that are stated to take Canadian schools.

 

My questions however, are regarding reference letters. I'm hoping to get some advices on this. Because I've been out of McGill for more than a year, I'm having some trouble getting reference letters from professors which I took a course from. I'll only be able to get one reference letter from a science professor that I took a course with, and TA'ed under. However, that's where it ends. I don't think I"ll be able to get another reference letter from one of my science professors. Only chance I have is, an English professor who was nice enough to tell me that she'd be happy to write a reference letter - this was nearly 1.5 years ago. I'm not too sure if she'd still be up for that lol. I also recently lost a referee from a senior resident due to her being too busy with Royal College exams and her pursuing of a Master degree. Has anyone experienced this sort of deal? If so, how did you overcome it? Any advices on how to ask for a reference letter from a science prof, although it's been quite a while since you took the course? From reading previous threads, it does seem that schools are quite strict about meeting reference letter requirements, and I thought it'd be a great time to start thinking about them now...

 

My other question is, the sticky above stated that references are NOT needed for primaries.. with that being said, since I am writing my MCAT on June 16th, will it still be alright for me to get my references ready by July 16th?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Edit: just another question. As a Canadian student, we really do not have access to shadowing opportunities. I do however have about 12 hours of shadowing, which is not significant. Will American schools look down on Canadian students not being able to shadow?

[S&G]

Update:

Thinking of applications got my heart pounding, , it's making it so hard to study.... anyways, I'm seriously considering to ask all the professors that I have gotten an A in.. and perhaps even offer them a phone interview, skype interview, etc... lol

[moo]

As for shadowing, I'm not sure why everyone thinks shadowing is required. I think for DO schools, shadowing is important but even they realize that there are almost no DOs in Canada, so shadowing a DO would be difficult. I never shadowed when I applied and it was not a big deal.

[thirty6ix]

Okay, I'll try to address a few of your concerns:

 

1) Speaking from experience, these things can be worrisome, and being stressed about these things is usually typical, and can often help you focus on sorta getting all your stuff in order. That being said, try not to go overboard with the stress; if you do your part and work hard on your applications, that's all you'll need to do.

 

2) You should absolutely get that English prof to write you a letter. Many schools require a letter from the humanities, or at least someone from a different department from one of your science profs. Also, 1.5 years is not as long ago as you'd think.

 

3) I'm not sure if you're in a research-based degree, but if you are, getting a LOR from your supervisor is pretty much a necessity. In fact, many schools explicitly state this as a required ref.

 

4)As for other letters, you should indeed cast a broad net, but don't just approach the profs who gave you the highest marks. If their letters just say "S&G attained a __% average in my course. Sincerely, Prof. X", it's a pretty weak letter. Instead, just think of profs who might remember you remotely well.

 

5) Whether you're asking for a LOR from someone you see everyday or someone who you haven't seen in years, there are a few things you should do out of courtesy and convenience:

i) Give them as much pertinent information about you as possible. This includes, at minimum, a detailed CV and an unofficial transcript. Include more as necessary. The phone/skype interview is a good idea as well.

ii) Try to give a reasonable amount of time to write the letter. I'd recommend at least 4-6 weeks, but if it has to be shorter, apologize for the short notice.

iii) Give a clear deadline for when you need the letter submitted by. As a rule of thumb, I make a point of asking my referees to fully submit the LOR about a week before I actually need the LOR submitted; they don't need to know when the school's deadline is, they need to know when your deadline is. Of course, if you're asking them for a letter at the last minute, this usually goes out the window.

iv) Tell your refs that you will send/give them a reminder on a certain date (usually about a week before your deadline) and make certain that you follow up with them. If a ref doesn't submit something on time and you failed to follow up with them, its as much your fault as theirs.

 

 

As for the shadowing question, I had approx 10-15 hours of shadowing experience when I submitted my primary, and I ended up gaining acceptances at BU and SUNY Upstate (both of which I would apply to, BTW). Although you (and I) have admittedly clocked less hours than most US premeds, the secret is how you report it on your app. No, I don't mean inflating the hours - keep those legitimate. I mean, give a detailed an convincing account of not only what you did and how long you did it for, but, more importantly, of why those experiences have prepared you for/ informed you about a career in medicine.

 

Hope this helps.

[2011matriculant]

OP, American med schools just want to see that you have some clinical experience. Generally speaking, any activity with direct patient contact could potentially fall under this category so long-term shadowing is not necessarily required (although it certainly won't hurt your application). Good luck!

[nwhyte3]

The solution to the problem is simple - start asking. You have to be willing to accept a no. Big deal. I asked 6 professors in 1 day - 2 said no, 4 said yes, 3 letters were good enough for my application. Its not like you will be physically harmed if they say no, just ask them.