[SERIOUS] Do LORs Need to *Specifically* Address Why I'm a Good Fit for Medical School?

[discombobulate]

Basically what the title says.

For the LORs that I send to medical schools, must the letters *explicitly* discuss why I would make a good physician,
OR
is it sufficient for them to simply discuss my character, work ethic, etc. and let the Adcoms make their own connections as to how those testimonies of my character signal my capacity to be a good physician?

I ask this because...
-I am taking a gap year, and before applying to medical school, I WILL need to use those LORs for internships.
-LORS that talk about my character, WITHOUT spelling out "X would make a great doc because...", are far more versatile in this respect. My profs and employers are busy people, and I do not want to bother them for different versions of the same LOR depending on my purpose for the letter.
-If the answer to my question ^ is "yes," then I can get away with asking for LORs WITHOUT admitting to my bosses that I am applying to med school, because they don't have the best impression of premeds.

I have a feeling I'll get bashed for asking this type of question, but I still have to ask.

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[Welshman]

forget about reusing LORs for non med school purposes unless you want a poopy letter. Vague letters will get you nowhere.

give your prof the AAMC letter writing guidelines and tell them to answer it as best they can.

 

[SpoiledMilk]

 

[Tots]

-If the answer to my question ^ is "yes," then I can get away with asking for LORs WITHOUT admitting to my bosses that I am applying to med school, because they don't have the best impression of premeds.

This won't be possible. They have to upload the letter to AMCAS.

 

[LizzyM]

This won't be possible. They have to upload the letter to AMCAS.

I don't keep up with AMCAS rules. Is Interfolio no longer an option?

 

[Tots]

I don't keep up with AMCAS rules. Is Interfolio no longer an option?

Oh you are right. It is still an option and so it would be possible to get letters without making it obvious you are applying to medical school. Though I don't recommend this option.

YMMV but: plenty of letters I have seen don't specifically say 'medical school' but if there is a collective oddness about your letters that make it obvious they were written for another purpose, that is going to raise questions.

 

[discombobulate]

@gonnif @Tots
Ok, thank you, I see the consensus here is that disclosing the med school purpose of the LOR is a definite must.

Hence my follow up question:
In your experiences, how do professors react to students who ask for LORs for internships, and THEN come back and ask for *another* letter customized for med school? One first hand account I have had is that the writer had a "wtf, ya kiddin' right?" response. Mind you, the "wtf" response was not directed towards me. I was the writer's intern, and the writer was being asked by one of the people I supervise. I felt pretty bad for the person asking for the letter, because she was essentially being treated as a nuisance.

My concern would be running into that situation myself, and end up with a med school LOR that *does* address med school, but in an annoyed way because it is the second darn letter they are creating on my behalf.
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Second related question:
Any advice for building good relationships with professors who simply do not like premeds? My school is extremely packed with premeds. 99% of every science class is populated with them, with the 1% being phd-aspirers. As such, my professors all make it quite plain that they are put off by premeds because we are only taking their class for the sake of med school. I have a professor who REALLY likes me because I do special work for his lab, and he likes my attitude for learning. However, he has zero idea that I am aiming for med school, which makes me deeply fear a drastic change in his opinion of me once I request a letter, not for the field he thinks I am pursuing, but for med school. This question drives me nuts.

 

[Tots]

@gonnif @Tots
Ok, thank you, I see the consensus here is that disclosing the med school purpose of the LOR is a definite must.

Hence my follow up question:
In your experiences, how do professors react to students who ask for LORs for internships, and THEN come back and ask for *another* letter customized for med school? One first hand account I have had is that the writer had a "wtf, ya kiddin' right?" response. Mind you, the "wtf" response was not directed towards me. I was the writer's intern, and the writer was being asked by one of the people I supervise. I felt pretty bad for the person asking for the letter, because she was essentially being treated as a nuisance.

My concern would be running into that situation myself, and end up with a med school LOR that *does* address med school, but in an annoyed way because it is the second darn letter they are creating on my behalf.
-------
Second related question:
Any advice for building good relationships with professors who simply do not like premeds? My school is extremely packed with premeds. 99% of every science class is populated with them, with the 1% being phd-aspirers. As such, my professors all make it quite plain that they are put off by premeds because we are only taking their class for the sake of med school. I have a professor who REALLY likes me because I do special work for his lab, and he likes my attitude for learning. However, he has zero idea that I am aiming for med school, which makes me deeply fear a drastic change in his opinion of me once I request a letter, not for the field he thinks I am pursuing, but for med school. This question drives me nuts.

Most faculty have no problem writing letters (sometimes many) for students they know. Especially students who excelled and did well. Most faculty I have interacted with at the undergrad and med school level saw this as part of their job and at least pretended to enjoy helping their students pursue graduate school.

If you ask someone for a letter and they are hesitant, get a letter from someone else.

I don't have good concrete advice but try to do well (obviously) and be genuinely interested in learning the subject they are teaching. Of course faculty get annoyed when pre-meds come in and treat their class as a check box. They believe what they are teaching is important (whether true or not). The only time I encountered faculty hostile to premeds, they were hostile to premeds who wanted a better grade with no work. Even my most anti-premed faculty were supportive of premeds who excelled and did good work. And honestly if you find faculty who are overly dismissive of you because you want to go to medical school, find other faculty. This gets easier in upper level courses where are generally fewer students.