Letters of Recommendation

A good set of letters of recommendation can really boost your application.
First steps in getting a good set of letters is starting a list of all those you can think of who will write you letters. We made a good list of professors, employers, volunteer organizations, dr.s and who ever else we could think of. Now keep in mind we started this list a good year before we were going to apply. It was important to us to give each person plenty of time to accept the invitation to write a letter as well as write a good letter in plenty of time.

BYU where Spencer went to school offered a program where your letter writers could turn in their letters to them. Then when it was time for us to turn in that part of our application BYU did all the work. This made it really easy to ask for letters early and not worry them later. See if your pre-med department offers something like this. It was a great help for us!

Also remember that professors will most likely be writing letters for a lot of other students as well. If you want your letter to stand out ask early and give them plenty of time to write a good letter. Also know that with professors you want a letter from a professor that knows you well. There were a few professors that we would have loved to ask for a letter  but Spence didn't feel they really knew him. He was just a student in a class of 400. So we went for professors where Spencer had a personal relationship with them.

While you are preparing for Medical School (way before applications) it is a good idea to get to know your professors, make friends with those you do research for, work hard as a volunteer. Not only are these things good for hours/service but you will also make a good impression for when you ask for a letter of recommendation later on.

Another thought....a couple of times Spencer was asked to write a letter of recommendation for himself. Then he would send that to the individual writing his letter. This gave the letter writer a chance to see what Spencer thought of himself and also what he wanted those reading the letters to see. It gave the letter writer a good starting point for Spencer. Just a thought!

Good luck with your letters. Like everything I've said before...start early so you don't have to worry about it later on!

Links:
AMCAS has a special letter writer application.  You can find info here
Here is a site with some other suggestions
BYU has a great document to get your mind on what kind of letters you want and what info you would like. Read it here.