Letters of recommendation are an important factor in the medical school admissions process. This is typically the only area of your application where a medical school will learn about your personal qualities.
It is very important that you choose a letter writer who knows you well and not one who simply knows you because you received an “A” in their course. The letter writers can range from professors and GSI’s (Graduate Student Instructors) to supervisors for voluntary activities, principal investigators in your research lab, your supervisor at work or community members.
It is your responsibility to discuss your qualifications with your letter writer(s), so plan ahead and make an appointment to do so. Arrive prepared with a resume and/or a personal statement that conveys your interests and passions for becoming a physician.
Whoever writes your letter, you should first discuss with them their comfort in writing a letter of recommendation about you and ensure that they have a good idea of what to include in a letter of recommendation for medical school.
AMCAS has also developed Letters of Evaluation Guidelines to help you and your letter writer strategize the organization of the letter and the key competencies to convey in the letter.
To ensure that all of your letters of recommendation have arrived, make sure you open a file with Interfolio, for your letter writers to upload their letters to.