Fillable Printable Sample Recommendation Letter-LOR samples for packet
Fillable Printable Sample Recommendation Letter-LOR samples for packet
Sample Recommendation Letter-LOR samples for packet
LettersofRecommendation
CarolC.Teitz,MD
Namesofapplicants,advisors,andschoolshavebeenchangedforprivacy.
EFFECTIVELYNEGATIVELETTERS
“Damning with faint praise” The first letter contains negative words such as “mediocre” ,“surprisingly low score”, “I feel
comfortable recommending him”. The second mentions spotty attendance, frustration, position in the top 60% which
would infer the 59
th
percentile rather than the 99
th
percentile.
1. Please accept the following as a committee letter in support of the admission of Mickey
Mouse into medical school. I have become well acquainted with Mickey during the past
three years by way of my service as Pre-Health Professions Advisor at the University of P.
Mickey recently completed a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences and he has
done quite well academically since deciding to pursue a career in medicine. The earliest
portion of Mickey's academic record contains some mediocre grades, but Mickey went on
to do well in the basic science classes that can serve as indicators of a candidate's potential
for success in medical school coursework. I am aware of the surprisingly low score Mickey
obtained on his initial attempt at the MCAT, but I am confident that Mickey will obtain a
much higher score on the test following completion of adequate self-study. During his
semesters at UP Mickey has displayed the maturity and communication skills essential for
success as a medical student and physician. Mickey has used his medical volunteer and
shadow opportunities to improve his understanding of health care delivery, and during our
conversations he has revealed an impressive level of knowledge of local, national, and
international aspects of medicine. Mickey's work as a mountaineering guide indicates that
he is able to maintain his composure during very stressful situations; it is likely that he
would remain productive no matter what kind of medical crisis he encountered. I am
certain that medical personnel and patients will enjoy their interactions with Mickey and,
because I do not feel that his low, MCAT score is a good indicator of his academic skills, I
feel comfortable in recommending him for entry into medical school.
2. Please accept the following as a committee letter in support of the admission of Donald Duck into
medical school. I have acted as Donald's pre-medical advisor for the past four years and also served
as his Virology and Immunochemistry instructor. During his years at the University of N Donald
and I occasionally met to discuss course schedules, topics in science, and the medical school
application process.
Donald obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology in a fairly efficient but academically unremarkable
fashion, and did so while supporting himself and his family by working 3 jobs. Donald obtained
"B”marks in my two courses, and, although he occasionally provided insightful comments during our
classroom discussions, I found his spotty attendance and multitasking during class to be the more
memorable features of his involvement. My frustration was largely due to my sense that Donald has
the potential to become an exceptional scientist or clinician. Some of Donald's absenteeism may have
been due to the demands of parenthood and a problem with insomnia that he has largely
recovered from. Donald did obtain a very good score on the MCAT, and his accomplishments with
his past coursework (perhaps along with having fewer outside responsibilities and distractions
while in medical school in comparison to his undergraduate years) should leave Donald prepared for
classroom success during the first two years of medical school. Donald is personable, and I have
noticed that he is popular amongst his peers. Donald's fondness for assisting others and his
willingness to try new things may render him a leader amongst his medical school classmates.
Donald served as my
… several months· ago, and I was impressed by his professionalism; if Donald
becomes a physician and interacts with his patients in a similar fashion, he will quickly develop a
trusting clientele.
I feel that Donald is in the top 60% of premedical students that I have interacted with during the
past decade.
ALLABOUTTHEWRITER – almost nothing about the applicant
The class presented an overview of human traditions. Folklore studies combine methods and
theories from two disciplines: on the one hand, the study of literature, and on the other hand,
anthropology. Thus the class satisfies university distribution requirements for both the social
sciences and the humanities. Students had to read both primary and secondary sources; they
were required to write response essays, and two completed two written essay examinations.
Students also were required to participate in discussions, both in class and online. In large classes
such as this one, individual students sometimes are difficult to remember, but Mr. D stood out as
a valuable contributor in these discussions.
CONTEXT
Process:
1. The Pre-Health Advisory Committee of Z University consists of thirty five faculty
representing many academic disciplines in the University College, Honors College, School of
Allied Health, Division of Student Affairs, School of Medicine, and Colleges of Engineering,
Humanities and Sciences, and Education. Our applicants submitted an application to participate in
the process and interviewed before a two or three person panel. Each panel reviewed student’s
credentials, determined a ranking status, and drafted the attached letter of evaluation. The panels
presented their letters and ranking status before the entire advisory committee for approval. While
the committee letter is signed by the advisor who is assigned to work with the individual student,
the opinions and evaluation in the committee letter reflect that of the Pre-Health Advisory
Committee as a whole.
In determining letter content and ranking status our committee considers performance in science
and non science classes, rigor of academic program, extra-curricular involvement, health care
experience, maturity/professionalism, and communication skills. MCAT and DAT scores were
not used by our committee in the evaluation of students.
2. The Pre-Professional Health Sciences Advisory Committee process for pre-health applicants
includes a formal one-hour interview with the candidate. This letter represents a consensus of
opinion from the Advisory Committee composed of faculty members across all disciplines.
It
is based on the interview, letters of recommendation, academic record, test scores, if
available and personal contacts with the candidate in other settings. The additional letters of
recommendation are solicited by the student and arrive confidentially to our office with a
signed waiver. These requested letters are included in this committee packet and the right to
see this packet has been waived by the applicant.
3. Attached are letters of evaluation for the applicant whose name appears above.
Except for our committee letter, each of the attached letters was submitted
independently from the others. Current students are not required to go through
our committee process but most do. All current students are made aware of the
opportunity to participate in the committee process. The enclosed statement
explains our Pre-Health Advisory Committee process and provides statistics that
I hope you will find helpful. Unless otherwise stated, the applicant has waived
his/her right to inspect these letters or to learn the nature of their contents. The
signed waiver statements are on file in the Office of Pre-Health Sciences
Advising. Your acceptance of these letters for review constitutes an agreement
that you will maintain their confidentiality.
4. At YU, pre-professional advising and counseling is done by a committee in the Division
of Natural Sciences known as the Health Sciences Committee. Each student interested in
a career in the health sciences may request an advisor from the committee. Together the
student and advisor plan course work, assess progress and discuss general interests.
At the time of the application, all students who desire a committee recommendation letter
make their requests in writing. The student is asked to request letters of evaluation from
others who also know them well and have these letters sent directly to our committee.
One member of our committee then prepares a draft recommendation, drawing on
information provided by the student, letters of recommendation submitted on behalf of
the student, and personal knowledge gained from interaction with the student. This draft
is reviewed, discussed and finally approved by the entire committee as the
recommendation of the YU Health Sciences Committee.
5.
The Board of Prehealth Advisors provides a committee letter for any X College student or
graduate in the last four years who requests one. In addition to commenting on her academic
performance, we point out other aspects of an applicant’s experiences, accomplishments,
capabilities and personal qualities. We rank applicants in general terms, and our
recommendations fall into three groups, ‘strong and enthusiastic,’ ‘strong,’ and
‘recommended.’ Occasionally, we ‘present’ an applicant. In 2009, we provided committee
letters for a total of 25 X College students / graduates who applied for 2010 entrance
to human medical (22, allopathic and/or osteopathic) and dental schools (3). Of these, 7
were ‘recommended,’ 12 ‘strongly recommended’ and 6 ‘strongly and enthusiastically
recommended.’ X College’s Board of Prehealth Advisors has a policy of not writing
committee letters for alumni/ae who graduated five or more years before submitting
applications and have not had contact with us during the interval. Our reason for declining
to provide a committee evaluation for these alumnae is that we do not have recent first-hand
observations on which we can base a recommendation. That said, we are happy to provide
advice to our alumni/ae and to write individual letters of reference in the behalf.
RatingSystem:
1. The rating system used by the Pre-Professional Health Sciences Advisory Committee
process for pre-medical, dental, and veterinary medical school candidates is based on
academic ability (GPA and Standardized test scores when available), leadership,
reliability, altruism, concern demonstrated for others and a fit for the chosen health
profession. We use a descriptor term rating system for recommendation which compares
this year's candidates to many years of W University pre-professional health science
student applicants. The terms and their descriptions follow. A superior recommendation
is given when an applicant is similar to past W University students who not only gained
multiple United States medical, dental or other health professional school acceptances but
was also given numerous scholarship offers by accepting institutions. This is truly a
superior student in every category and we typically have from one to no more than three
of these of students each year.
The next category is an excellent recommendation. This applicant is similar to past W
University students who gained multiple United States medical, dental or other health
professional school acceptances. The majority of the candidates we advise wil1likely fall
into this category.
The next category is for the committee to highly recommend the applicant. This applicant
is similar to past W University students who gained at least a single United States
medical, dental or other health professional school acceptance based on a wide range of
school applications. There will also be a few of our candidates in this category each year.
The next category is for the committee to recommend the applicant. This applicant is
similar to past W University students who were accepted to an international health
professional school(s) and have an unlikely chance of an acceptance at a single United
States medical, dental or other health professional school. Very few candidates we advise
will fall into this catego ry.
Finally the committee has established a not recommend category since we do not prohibit
students from applying to professional health schools. We advise them as to their chance
of acceptance based on our past experiences with other W University students. Since we
are not an admissions committee, it is not our final say as to their suitability; however we
could use this category of recommendation if warranted. We have never yet needed to
use this category because advising is so highly prized by our students and our committee.
2. This year we interviewed and evaluated 166 students who will be applying to medical or dental
schools for the class that begins in the Fall, 2011. Students who interviewed before the committee
were required to have a minimum 3.2 cumulative GPA and complete a minimum of 25 hours of
undergraduate coursework at ZU to participate in the process. The table below summarizes the
placement of these students in our five recommendation categories.
N %
Highly Recommended 39 29
Recommended with Confidence 65 31
Recommended 35 23
Recommended with Reservations 19 13
Not Recommended 8 4
The table below summarizes the placement of applicants (N=398) in our five recommendation
categories into medical and dental schools for the past five years (2006-2010).
Highly Recommended 110 94% accepted
Recommended with Confidence 115 85% accepted
Recommended 107 13% accepted
Recommended with Reservations 42 1% accepted
Not Recommended 24 0% accepted
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experiments, Dr. found Jane’s, “…written work was excellent, clear and thoughtful. She
applied herself to the statistical analysis and the critical reading exercises with
enthusiasm. I could see she appreciates a challenge and enjoys gaining new skills.”
Among the very top students of a highly selected group of upper classmen enrolled in the other
course, Jane performed extremely well in a small group setting, able “to effectively share the
responsibilities and accomplish the goals. She organized several classes focused on
genetic and environmental causes of >>> Disease and was able to gather and post
appropriate readings in a timely manner, and to lead discussions that were lively while
also covering the basic background information. She has excellent abilities to
analytically critique a scientific article.”
Dr. H found Jane’s performance on the two final projects, a NIH style research proposal and a
podcast for the general public, to be “stellar.”
Dr. H, Ph.D. has known Jane as a NSF funded research intern in his laboratory for
about three years. During this time Jane made substantial contributions on two separate projects,
Described as “very nice work,” she dissected …and then used …to demonstrate a key
piece of preliminary evidence for an NIH grant he was recently awarded. Jane prepared a poster
describing this data and presented it, entirely by herself, at the 2007 national meeting of the
American Society for +++. During a second project Jane assisted on pilot studies in 2007
in which she isolated …and performed all the …. Her work resulted in being asked to “train
another undergraduate to do those steps, and she did so very efficiently.” Dr. H found
Jane to be, “thoughtful and personable, and she can demonstrate both leadership and
teamwork as the situation requires. If she wished to pursue a graduate degree I would
welcome her to continue in my lab.”
This work led to an award that fully funded a trip to the Society for … Conference in Washington,
DC.
Jane has been working in Dr. K’s office as a Clinical Assistant/Assistant Office Manager
and still he finds it hard to keep her sufficiently challenged as he watches her take on more and more
responsibility. She has numerous qualities that he believes set her apart from other students seeking
medical school. The first relates to her commitment to working in rural family medicine focusing on
pediatrics. Both Dr. K and another ER physician who have worked with her agree,
“This is a young woman who was made to be a doctor. It’s in her heart, and it’s who she
is.” The second relates to her role in his office which he compares to that of a resident, seeing all of
his patients, conducting detailed histories and managing most of the logistics of their care. “My
patients love her because of her positive energy.” His letter shows a personal fondness and
respect for Jane’s work and commitment to rural health care, “From her work in the remote
villages to her weekly work in the underserved pediatric wards here in…, Jane’s work
rises to the level that is best described as community activism. She has made a real
difference.”
ORGANIZATIONINTODOMAINS
X College:
On behalf of the members of the X College Board of Prehealth Advisors, I write to recommend
Jane Doe for admission to medical school. Jane is a diligent, conscientious, intelligent, hardworking
student possessing strong leadership skills and a passion for rural health care delivery. She is
self-motivated, shows a deep interest in applying scientific knowledge to clinical problems and
consistently focuses on patient well-being.
ACADEMICS: Jane graduated from X College in the spring of 2009 having completed a major in
neuroscience with a Liberal Arts Commendation. She was named to the Dean’s List in recognition
of her academic work during three of the four years she was enrolled at X. Due a medical leave of
absence during the fall of her third year, she was ineligible for the Dean’s List but returned with a
GPA of 3.9 the following spring. She entered the college with numerous awards and scholarships.
Jane also received the :::: Award recognizing her volunteer work with natives in a remote village she
visited in 2003.
She has honed her research skills from many research experiences along with her courses, and is
currently a well-trained young scientist. Jane was recruited to X in the prestigious ~~~
program and immediately began working in the neuroscience lab of Dr. B (8/2005 –
5/2007). She conducted experiments related to … and this research ultimately led to a Howard
Hughes Medical Institute award that allowed her research to continue during the summer of 2007.
By the end of her two years in his laboratory, she had mastered numerous techniques including ….
Her work in this lab led to two presentations, one at the annual… Conference
and the other at the
…Conference.
SERVICE: Jane was active in both community service and extracurricular arenas in the X College
community. She was leader of the community service program in her residence hall and volunteered
during the fall semester of her second year at a nearby Nursing Home. As a cross-country runner for
X in 2005, her ability to manage academics and athletics was recognized by the NCAA Cross
Country Coaches Association All Academic Running Team and the Regional conference Women's
Cross Country All-Conference Team.
CLINICAL EXPOSURE: Even before entering X, Jane began acquiring clinical experiences. She
began volunteering in the NICU at XYZ Medical Center (2003 – present) and has accumulated
more than 130 volunteer hours. Her efforts there include comforting premature babies, assisting
nurses and being on call for infants during their final hours. She also mentored with a Pediatric
Surgeon, Dr. J, serving as a clinical intern observing in the operating room, in his clinic, and during
hospital rounds(1/2003 – 5/2003). It was during this, her first experience in a patient care setting,
that she became committed to the challenge and excitement of becoming a physician.
Outside the classroom and laboratory, Jane has sought clinical experience by volunteering as a
Clinical Research Intern at ABC Medical Center’s Level 1 Trauma Center (9/2006-
5/2007). She was responsible for screening incoming trauma center patients to determine their
eligibility for studies on cellulitis and abscesses, glucose intolerance, and congestive heart failure. If it
was determined that a patient met the criteria and consented, Jane worked with them using
applicable instruments. Examples include a new EKG vest for those with congestive heart disease
and an infrared thermography laser to measure skin temperature differences between diagnosed
cases of cellulitis and abscesses.
RESEARCH: Jane has been similarly active during her undergraduate summers. She sought out
work in Dr. H’s laboratory at Z University by convincing him that her previous lab experience
would be a valuable asset to his studies on …. This position, which initially began in the summer of
2007 and was funded by an award from the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for
Undergraduates (REU) program, continued throughout the fall of 2007 as Jane needed to remain
nearer to home in order to receive medical treatment. Jane returned to the lab as a volunteer in the
summer of 2008. She worked 30-40 hours a week in the lab learning several new techniques
including ….. As a participant in some of Dr. Hs pilot studies with …Jane presented preliminary
findings to the faculty. Based on that presentation, she was chosen among all of the other REU
students to present this research at the Society for ….
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE: Since graduation, she has worked as a Medical Assistant in the
Women’s Clinic (5/2009 –9/2009) to convert the clinic’s paper charts to an electronic medical
records system. The benefits included learning a great deal of medical terminology, becoming facile
with an EMR, and gaining valuable insight into an OB-GYN practice as well as medical
management of pregnancies. She also worked with medical students and understood fully the
purpose of 3rd and 4th year rotations. She has worked as an on-call personal care provider for a partial
quadriplegic (9/2009- 11/2009) during weekend evenings. She would dispense medications,
reposition the patient in bed, help with a CPAP respiratory machine, or any other task as needed.
More recently she has been working as a Medical Assistant for an interventional anesthesiologist
who conducts spinal procedures for patients suffering from debilitating pain (11/2009 – present).
Dr K has taught her how to perform nerve conduction studies and assist during spinal procedures
including preparation of the procedure room, starting IVs, and taking vitals.
The following quotations from the attached letters describe Jane’s accomplishments, capabilities,
and personal attributes, and provide evidence for the committee’s recommendation.
In summary, Jane has demonstrated diligence, academic capability, research competence and
commitment to patients in clinical settings. Through her volunteerism, her vision to become a
physician in rural underserved areas has been consistently demonstrated. Jane is thoughtful and
inquisitive, making the most of all learning experiences she encounters. She is professional, takes
initiative, works hard and is resourceful making her well-liked. As a volunteer, a clinical or research
intern, or a medical assistant, all of those who are fortunate to come in contact with Jane find her
sense of purpose and determination refreshing. Jane has never wavered in her goal of becoming a
rural physician and she remains steadfast and committed to the work. Thus, on the basis of her well
demonstrated capabilities and accomplishments, fine personal attributes, and her strong motivation
to become a physician, the members of the X College Board of Prehealth Advisors recommend Jane
Doe for admission to medical school.
V College:
To Whom
It May Concern:
On behalf of several V College faculty and others, I am writing this composite letter of
evaluation in strong and enthusiastic support of the application of Clara Barton,V College Class of 2008,
to medical school. While summarizing the inputs of others to her candidacy, I also include a review of my
extensive contact with Clara in two undergraduate courses including multiple contacts with her outside of
the classroom. I also draw on my 40 years of teaching of medical and undergraduate students both here
and at T Medical School and on my role as the faculty leader of pre-health programs at V to affirm what
all of her writers agree on, namely that Clara is an outstanding candidate for medical school admission.
I will divide my comments about Clara into three areas: her academic accomplishments, her
extracurricular interests, and a number of outstanding personal characteristics which, taken together,
uniformly reflect on the outstanding strengths of her candidacy.
Academic Accomplishments
Clara graduated from V College in June, 2008, having majored in Biology with a minor
in Chemistry. With a near perfect GPA (3.90), she graduated summa cum laude and with election to
Phi Beta Kappa. She was also named a *** scholar during her tenure here. Her classroom
performance was also marked by three course citations. Citations are given at V for
outstanding performance in the classroom and most students covet receiving one during their time
here. Clara's receiving three, particularly in three different disciplines (Biology, Chemistry, Classical
Studies), attest to her outstanding attendance at scholarship. Her facility in the disciplines abutting on
a medical education is also testified to by an outstanding performance on the MCAT examination.
Her academic prowess is also reflected in strong letters of support from three V faculty.
Professor AG taught in a spring course in her senior year entitled The Molecular Basis of
Cancer, which is taught at a high level to both undergraduates and Ph.D. students at V and is
a rigorous class which depends heavily on the reading of the literature and discussion. Professor
G notes that Clara was "an inquisitive and energetic presence in the class". She was
"prepared, engaged and actively contributed and was fearless in her questioning". With written work
nearly always at the top of the class, she remained positive and excited about the material until the
end of the term, was quick with clarifying questions, and appropriately critical of data presented in
the papers. Similar comments come from Professor G G co mmenting on Clara's
performance in organic chemistry, where she missed being the top student in the class by only 3
points out of a possible 500. He notes her "outstanding command of the material and excellent work
ethic". In the laboratory portion of the course, she was one of the top students, who worked
independently, was not afraid to ask questions, and was always contributing thoughtful and correct
answers. In his course citation Professor G simply notes "a smashing performance"!! Her
strength in the classroom was not limited to the natural sciences. Professor N C of the
French and Italian Department taught Clara in a class in the Women and Gender Studies curriculum.
Professor C notes that "Clara rose to the challenge of questioning assumptions and was able to
initiate and participate in wide ranging conversations". She was "intellectually and emotionally
adaptable in the best and most serious way and her classroom work and written assignments were of
the highest caliber". In noting an "active desire to comprehend and explore what was unfamiliar to
her", Clara was thoroughly at home in a non-science course.
I had the pleasure of teaching Clara in two undergraduate courses, a mid-level biology major
course in endocrinology and a senior seminar, which is, in essence, an advanced biochemistry course.
In the spring of her junior year she enrolled in my endocrinology course, a course that is taught at a
high level of rigor and expectation. Probing extensively in the endocrine literature, students are
expected
to synthesize in a hypothesis-based problem-solving mode the topic of endocrinology from
multiple perspectives including cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, physiology and pathophysiology.
This performance overall placed her second in a very talented group of 46 students. Not only did she
do well on course examinations and problem sets, but wrote a superb critical and analytical paper
reviewing a publication in
The New England Journal of Medicine on the effects of long-term
bisphosphonate therapy on osteoporosis. She was always an active participant in the classroom and
always brought critical elements to many of the discussions that we had. The same demeanor and
approach to scholarship was evident in the winter of her senior year when she enrolled in my
Molecular Mysteries of Human Biology class. This class consisted of the very best of the senior
biology majors, many of whom have already gone on to the very best medical schools. Clara's
performance again placed her very nearly at the top of the class. Relying on the analysis of the
biochemical literature and correlating that with physiologic and pathophysiologic consequence, Clara's
performance on problem sets was particularly impressive. In addition, she was required to present
with one other student to the class for one hour on a paper that I chose from the literature. On
exploration of the topic of exercise, Clara was assigned a paper from
The Journal of Biological
Chemistry
looking at the impact of … on the exercise response. Her presentation was superb; particularly
in the way that she culled complex information into a comprehensible and thoroughly enjoyable
presentation to the rest of the class. Taken together, my exposure to Clara in these two courses indicates
not only her considerable intellect and her knowledge base of biology, but importantly her ability to
communicate that information effectively to others in a critical and thorough way. Thus, from my
purview and the purview of others, there is no doubt that Clara has all the tools to succeed in any medical
school classroom.
Extracurricular Interests
Outside of the classroom while at V, Clara was an effective teaching assistant in the
Chemistry Department and participated in a tutoring program in our Academic Skills Center. While
she came to V with an initial interest in veterinary medicine and was important in organizing
many activities around animal welfare on the V campus and being an intern at S University in a veterinary
laboratory, her interest turned to human medicine. Here she participated in our Surgical Volunteer
program in our Medical Center, where students interacted with Same Day Surgery patients and their
families in helping to coordinate their care. She also participated in our shadowing program, learning at
the bedside and in the clinic about medicine from the inside. Subsequent to her graduation, she has sought
employment in her native state. Building on a prior internship there, she has been supervised
by Dr. JS who lauds Clara for the many contributions to his neurology practice. While
assisting in the handling of patients, she has also worked on two research papers with Dr. S at
which time she displayed "excellent critical thinking and analysis skills". Being an integral member
of the staff there since July, 2009, she has functioned as a receptionist with "extreme
conscientiousness and organization. She has also shown excellent verbal communication skills and a
calm demeanor that allowed her to interact with patients. Over the past year, in reviewing diagnostic
testing with Dr. S, Clara's intellectual ability, gained from her comprehension of her
premedical studies, has been on display. Noting that she also has a professional attitude and a great
sense of humor, Dr. S is very enthusiastic about recommending her for a career in medicine.
Personal Characteristics
Clara grew up on a farm in the middle of the woods and developed a set of values
certainly reflected in all the comments in her supporting letters. Adjectives and phrases used to
describe her include mature, sincere, very warm in every interaction, self-assured, smart and
engaging, delightful and cheerful, sophisticated and sensitive. An extremely bright young woman,
she is at the same time hard-working and enthusiastic about whatever she undertakes. Her ability to
work with others has been well on display; one could certainly see her being a centerpiece of student
interactions in any medical school classroom. Furthermore, she has the sensitivity, dedication and
demeanor that will make her an outstanding patient physician.
In summary, Clara is an outstanding candidate for admission to any medical school. Possessed of superior
academic skills and complemented by formative extracurricular experiences and outstanding personal
characteristics, she will be a highlight of any medical school class matriculating in the fall of 2011.
Therefore, she comes to you with our very highest recommendation. If you have any further questions
regarding Clara, do not hesitate to contact me.
SAMEAPPLICANT/DIFFERENTWRITERS
Minnie’s letters are both from individuals, not a committee. Note how the second writer mostly
writes about his lab rather
than giving as much information about Minnie as is gleaned from the first letter.
Applicant: Minnie Mouse
Writer #1 I am very pleased to recommend Minnie Mouse for medical school. I first met Minnie
when she was a freshman at the University of M. I run an outreach program that supports under-represented
students interested in the life sciences, and as a pre-med student, Minnie fit right in. I have been her adviser
since I met her, and she has been absolutely unwavering about her goal to become a physician.
Her transcript speaks for itself. She has taken a heavy science course load, been on the Dean's List, and has
taken Honors courses, all while double-majoring in Biochemistry and Biology. Her academic accomplishments
are a direct result of her focus, discipline, attitude, and intelligence. What her transcript doesn't tell you is that
while achieving such excellence she has participated in a wide variety of activities to prepare herself for
medical school, and to stay deeply connected with her heritage. Her transcript also does not hint at her vibrant
and positive personality.
Minnie worked two jobs while going to school: one at a restaurant, and the other
conducting human genetics research; she is continuing her research work full-time now that she
has graduated.. In the lab, she is working on a large-scale multi-institutional project to identify all of the
functional elements in the human genome. Minnie's contribution is mapping and classifying ### sites using
high-throughput sequencing.
She regularly volunteers as a peer mentor, and spends many, many hours each summer as
a volunteer at Camp ^^^, a residential camp for children with cancer and their families.
This volunteer experience is particularly important to her since she hopes to become a pediatric
oncologist; it has given her perspective on how cancer affects not only the child, but their entire
extended family. She has seen how each family responds differently, and has learned to be aware
of and sensitive to, complex family dynamics.
Minnie has honed her sportsmanship and leadership skills through many years of
competitive Lacrosse. In addition, she has her black belt, and is a very accomplished singer and folk dancer.
For Minnie, folk dancing isn't just about the immediate joy of dancing; it is a visceral connection to her
heritage, and is as important to her as breathing.
Minnie has a phenomenal work ethic, a sincere and deep interest in the life sciences, and
a long-standing dedication to her goal of becoming a physician. She truly enjoys sharing what
she has learned, an attribute that will make her a terrific role model for younger students.
Minnie is willing to push herself to achieve something difficult, rather than shying away, or trying to find
a way around a problem. Her summer 2010 medical volunteering trip to Central America is a
classic example of Minnie deliberately putting herself in a situation where she can stretch and
grow, even when it is uncomfortable.
Her job-shadowing experience in the summer of 2008 was a tremendous experience. She quickly gained the
confidence of the surgeons and other clinicians, and as such was given much more responsibility than any of
them initially anticipated. Minnie told me about one case that gave her a very broad and thorough picture of
medicine. A patient came in while she was working in the angiogram unit, and she was involved in the
imaging process of this patient's heart. It was determined that he needed surg ery quickly, and Minnie was
fortunate enough to be an observer during the surgery. Later, she was involved in his care and recovery as
she shadowed his physicians, until the patient was well enough to leave the hospital. She was
able to be a part of his care from practically the moment he came into the hospital until he was
discharged. This experience gave her the "big picture" view of medicine from the standpoint of a
single patient. Minnie has the maturity and vision to see both the individual perspective, and the
larger issues at stake, and we had a deep and complex discussion about many of the issues
involved in both.
In the summer of 2009, she interned at a hospital in a foreign country , in a pediatric oncology unit.
This experience really brought home to her the difference between medical care in the United
States, and in other parts of the world. Country x is not a third-world country, yet some of the
resources available to patients are very similar to third-world conditions. The success rate in the
oncology unit was very high, but only a handful of patients were accepted, and they were to stay
in the hospital for several months so their follow-up could be monitored carefully. Minnie
wondered: how were these patients chosen? Was it money? Family connection? Likelihood of
survival? What happened to those children who were not selected? She could only imagine....
From my 25 years experience in working with undergraduate students in life sciences, I
am absolutely certain that Minnie will become an outstanding physician and will represent your
medical school well. She is an extraordinary young woman who has the intellectual horsepower
to do amazing research and healthcare, and has the personal skills to make positive changes in
our healthcare system. She will be a dynamic leader, and has my highest recommendation.
