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8/22/2019 Effective Med School Letter
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THE EFFECTIVE MEDICAL
RECOMMENDATIONWayne M. Samuelson, M.D.
University of Utah School of Medicine
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Wh Letters of Recommendation?
attend our school and to have a balanced, butheterogeneous group that will excel in both the art
and science of medicine. (Admissions Committee
Training Manual 20008-2009, pg. 3)
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Selection Criteria
MCAT
Biological Science
MCAT and GPA each contribute 10% to final
Committee members do not see test scores or GPA
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Selection Criteria Extracurricular Activities
Community/Volunteer Service Leadershi Abilit
Research
Ph sician Shadowin
Patient Exposure
Candidates must artici ate in each area of activit .The selection process focuses more on what hasbeen learned than what was done
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The Secret to Selection
Its not what you do, its what you learn from what you
do that makes the difference
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Characteristics of a Stron Letter
The letter should tell us about the candidate, not aboutthe letter writer
Dont repeat what can be found elsewhere in the
application Stick to what you know about the candidate
Length
Be complete, but concise. The average interviewer willread 90-120 letters each year.
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Characteristics of a Stron Letter Relationshi to the a licant clearl stated
Taught him/her in class S/he worked in my lab
Your letter is most effective if you know the candidate
well in the context in which you are recommending him or
Letters from neighbors, family members, etc., are usually noteffective
o not ma e statements or g ve assessments t at are outs eof your personal interaction and experience with thecandidate
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Your Expertise and Observations are
mpor an o s
I have known in 20 years of teaching the subject
apart from his classmates
worked hard to master the material, and when he
had done so, he saw to it that those around him
learned it as well. Our class was better because hewas in it.
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Less Hel ful Information
musicians
Adams father is a member of the legislature
to your development fund
students potential for a successful career in medical
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A Common Occurrence
candidate for admission to your dental school. Hewas one of the top students in my organic chemistry
course.
(Later in the same letter)
I know that William will be an excellent physician
and I recommend him highly.
(The applicants name was Steven)
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Another Common Occurrence
something, I will only write letters for my very beststudents. Donald Duck has distinguished himself as a
student in my Advanced Statistical methods class.
His will be the only letter of recommendation I willwrite this year.
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Another Common Occurrence contd
something, I will only write letters for my very beststudents. Michael Mouse has distinguished himself as
a student in my Introduction to Medical
Anthropology class. His will be the only letter ofrecommendation I will write this year.
(Donald and Michael were presented to the committee on the
same ay
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Avoid Contradiction
were often messy and difficult to read. Hisparticipation in class was inconsistent and he was
occasionally disruptive. His test scores placed him in
the bottom third of the class.I recommend him highly and with enthusiasm as a
candidate for medical school.
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Inconsistencies are Problematic
but I found that she lacked initiative and theintellectual capacity to succeed in the laboratory
In her application, Estelle indicated that she had
submitted a manuscript from work done in this lab.Our literature search turned up two peer reviewed
articles where she was listed as a principle author
and the letter writer was listed as the senior author.
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Candor is Im ortant We take ever ossible measure to assure that
applicant files remain confidential Feel free to call me is code for I would like to
talk to you about this recommendation
If there is important information that we shouldnow a out an app cant t at you es tate to put nwriting, feel free to contact me directly
- ,
Email: [email protected]
University Hospital Operator: (801) 581-2121
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Recommendations Dont overwhelm ourself b tr in to write too
many letters Include information based on your personal
interaction with the applicant
Dont include information that will be founde sew ere n t e app cat on
Be consistent and accurate
ease nc u e your acu ty es gnat on Feel free to contact us at any time
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Questions?