I. asked 2 years ago
Hi! I asked for a letter of recommendation for an internship program. I requested this letter for the sake of the program, and the professor agreed. but I am not sure if it could potentially be used as a med school letter in the future. Do professors usually keep copies of letters they write so I can ask about it again when the time to apply comes(in 1-3 years) because I don’t feel ready to ask the prof to write a med letter now(still want room for growth and to know them better)? Or should I mention it to see if the prof would write the letter with the purpose of both program and med school in mind? I could see the letter being generic to fit both but also think it might be more fit to tailor to the program. Thanks!
Pre-Med Hub Staff answered 2 years ago
Hi!
In general, letters of recommendation for internships and for medical schools are somewhat different. As you said, a letter for an internship is probably best suited for the program and likely cannot be reused for a medical school application. Letters of recommendations for medical schools usually are more detailed and try to reflect the medical school competencies. In order to do so, you and the professor should have a close relationship, ideally one that has developed over time.
However, there could be some aspects the professor writes about in the internship letter that could be used for med school letters. Your professor likely will still have a copy, but if they don’t, it’s not a big deal since your medical school letters of rec would likely be different. Also, you never know what could happen in the future and you may find that you no longer need a letter of rec from this professor! That being said, it is up to you whether or not to bring up the idea to them.
I hope that helps! Let us know if you have any other questions!
Leen, PMH Advisor