A letter of recommendation for medical school is a letter written for an individual with regards to his/her skills, accomplishments and performances. It is written to recommend a candidate to the employer, organization, or institute.
These letters do the job of marketing individuals showcasing their skills, experiences, and interest for the purpose the letter has been written. These letters of recommendation are written by a previous employer or a colleague or somebody for an individual and then sent to the hiring manager introducing the candidate and their relevant skills.
Well, Letter of Recommendation or in short, LOR is often required to serve different purposes, such as: to get admission in a college/university, to obtain a new job or to get get promotion in a company etc.
For different purposes, different formats are used, here I will explain how to write a letter of recommendation for medical school in detail and various other aspects including a sample recommendation letter especially for medical school.
What is the Letter of Recommendation for Medical school?
A medical school recommendation letter is a letter written in favor of a student. A student is recommended by a mutual contact for the admission in the medical school.
Medical is a whole different field and competitive enough. While, letter of recommendation alone does not decide whether or not you are suitable for their medical school yet it plays a very important role by making selection process easier for college/university administration.
The person recommending an individual includes all the skills and academic performances of the individual for the reference of the medical school. Through these letters, the faculty have an idea of how well the student is going to serve as a health care professional.
The format and the type of recommendation letter depend on medical school. You may learn more about different formats before writing one.
Who Can Recommend You for Medical School?
The person who will be writing a letter of recommendation for medical school has to be somebody who would make an impact.
You can select a professor from undergraduate classes. However, you will be required to make a good relationship with the professor in order to get a recommendation letter.
A class with a number of students cannot make a professor interact with everyone in the classroom. Visit them often in their office and try building a healthy relationship. Let the professors know your accomplishments, skills and experiences and grades. Inform them about your program in brief so they have an idea of what you are applying for.
Write an eye catching resume mentioning all skills and experiences and show it your every professor you want recommendation letter from. This will help your recommender write a better letter of recommendation for your desired medical school.
Many universities prefer you to submit recommendation letters through AMCAS. You may go through their websites in order to be on time and meet the submission deadline.
What is the Format of Letter of Recommendation for Medical School?
A letter of recommendation has to be in one page page at least. The word count may varies 450 to 700 words. There should be four to five body paragraphs including the introduction of the candidate. Add on a conclusion.
Put every detail you think will make your letter stand out. Provide your recommender with all the skills, grades, and experiences. Your writer may include your qualities, your good traits; he/she may compare your performance with other students from the class to make the letter stronger.
The more detail you put in regards to the requirements of the medical school, the more chances are there of you being selected for the interview process.
Keep the letter as thoughtful as you can.
What is a Letterhead?
A letterhead goes along with a letter of recommendation if providing it by mail or fax. In case a medical school requires a letterhead you may include the following in it:
- Your full name
- Date of writing a letter
- Title
- Name of the school
- Address
- City/state and pin code
- Contact details
How to start with the Letter of Recommendation for Medical School?
Your recommender has to give a short introduction to his/her profession. The time span he/she has been observing your performance and has to recommend you with all relevant information.
Here is a good sample letter of recommendation for medical school that you can go through.
Dear admission committee,
I, Steven lord, the professor of the science class, am writing to you in regard to one of the finest students from my class.
Joe has always been a student with the highest scores and a high-level understanding of the subject. I often don’t write a letter of recommendation. Since Joe petitioned me to write him a letter of recommendation, I couldn’t let him down.
I have known Joe for the last two years. He has a great level of understanding of the subject and urges to help people achieve a better lifestyle. His devotion and dedication would be great for medical school.
In the above body, the writer mentions that Joe has a great understanding of the subject and wants to encourage people to have a better lifestyle. This says it all about the qualities and nature of an individual which will be a plus point.
After putting on three to four body paragraphs end it with a conclusion.
Conclude the letter in such a way that convinces the medical school admission committee to select the candidate for the interview process.
e.g.: I highly recommend Joe Leis as a medical student who has a great understanding of humans with medical terms. I am sure he will be the best student in the medical field because of his understanding of the subjects.
What Makes Letter of Recommendation for Medical School Strong?
A letter of recommendation stands out when you add on the duration since you have known the candidate and their accomplishments all this while. Moreover, adding on with examples to their skills and experiences the letter may get better and increase the chances of getting selected.
Also include the necessary:
- Full name of the student
- Name of the school applying at
- Relationship with the candidate
- Duration of how long you have known them and their skills
- Lists their accomplishments
- Provide detail information on their qualities and skills in regards to medical school
- How far can they contribute to the medical school?
- The grades, performance and key skills of the candidate.
- The reason why an individual is suitable for medical school.
The more thoughtful and logical the letter of recommendation is, more the chances of being selected in your favorite medical school increases. Give it some time and efforts. Provide your recommender with all sorts of information and impress them with your words, it helps to come out with strong Letter of Recommendation for Medical School.
