{"id":18523,"date":"2019-09-05T16:25:58","date_gmt":"2019-09-05T21:25:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kaptest.com\/blog\/prep\/?p=18523"},"modified":"2020-09-11T20:40:51","modified_gmt":"2020-09-11T20:40:51","slug":"requesting-medical-school-letters-of-recommendation-after-a-gap-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpapp.kaptest.com\/study\/mcat\/requesting-medical-school-letters-of-recommendation-after-a-gap-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Requesting Medical School Letters of Recommendation After a Gap Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Strong\u00a0letters of recommendation<\/a>\u00a0that speak to your intelligence, passion, and potential are an essential part of your medical school application. They transform you from a list of statistics on a sheet of paper into somebody perceived to be an intelligent, capable applicant. Together with your personal statement<\/a>, recommendations are what show admissions committees who you really are.
\nStill, it can be difficult to know where to begin when asking for letters of recommendation, especially if you haven\u2019t contacted your prospective recommenders for a few years, as is the case for most students who choose not to go directly to medical school after graduation. If you happen to have\u00a0taken a year or more off\u00a0before applying, fear not.
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Reaching out to a recommender after taking years off<\/h3>
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\nIndividuals who are commonly asked to write letters of recommendation\u2014professors, research directors, and volunteer coordinators\u2014are used to being bombarded by emails from students during application rounds. As a result, it may be helpful to remember that what seems to you like a demanding request is something they often consider to be just another part of their job description.
\nThat being said, you do not want your request to get lost in the mix. Therefore, it is all the more important that you reach out to them early on to re-establish your previous connection by sending a short, but informative email.
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What to say to prospective recommenders<\/h3>
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\nOnce you have identified the individuals you believe will be willing to write you strong letters of recommendation, it is time to contact them. Approximately two to three months before you plan on applying to graduate school, send a personalized email to each of your prospective letter writers. Try to keep this email short and sweet, while addressing the following three main points:<\/p>\n