{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-tsx","path":"/primemedschoolletters","result":{"data":{"primeArticle":{"slug":"prime.medschoolletters","excerpt":"With an increasing number of medical school applicants, pre-med students and professors alike feel burdened by the race for letters of recommendation.","headline":"So Few Letters, So Many Students","author":"Gwendolyn Lopez and Katy Nicholas","authorbio":"","authoremail":"","authortwitter":"","coverimg":"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.medschoolletters/IMG_0630-f1ae496bd4d602486cd82f28a1f75d4b.PNG","covercred":"Joy Chen","coveralt":"Illustration of a professor overwhelmed with medical school letters.","articleType":"article","updated":"","content":[{"type":"text","value":"Pedro Perez struggled during his freshman year at UCLA."},{"type":"text","value":"While other pre-medicine students came to the university with resources and connections in the medical field, Perez found it challenging to obtain that same guidance. He had overcome financial barriers to attend UCLA as a first-generation pre-med student and was excited to learn as much as possible."},{"type":"text","value":"But then he walked into his lecture. Along with the 500 students already in it."},{"type":"text","value":"Students like Perez let go of their dreams of personalized instruction time with their professors, understanding that obtaining a letter of recommendation from UCLA faculty requires more than simply showing up to class. To achieve his dream of becoming a doctor, Perez knew he was going to have to get creative and dedicate time to forming relationships."},{"type":"text","value":"When applying to medical school, pre-med students cannot rely solely on grades and MCAT scores to stand out – they need letters of recommendation from professors and professional mentors. At UCLA, both students and professors are overwhelmed by the high demand for letters of recommendation, creating a competitive environment among pre-med students. First-generation students, transfer students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds face additional barriers in this environment, but Perez and his peers are finding novel ways to overcome these challenges."},{"type":"text","value":"Over the past few decades, medical schools have seen an increasing number of applicants. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the number of applicants has jumped from around 34,000 in the early 2000s to an all-time peak of around 62,000 in 2021. That year, UCLA students made up about 1,000 of these applicants, more than any other undergraduate university in the United States."},{"type":"text","value":"With such a large applicant pool, students use their letters to stand out. Krikor Kevranian, a third-year psychobiology student, said letters of recommendation allow medical schools to understand his interactions outside the medical field, so they see more than just the grade he got within a class."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"I write letters for students that did not necessarily meet an A grade,\\\" Khankan said. \\\"I have to explain why they still deserve the same access and opportunity as the student who got the A.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"\"I’m always talkative and always open, and I want to help people,\" Kevranian said. \"A letter of rec maybe will display that more than just me writing about my experiences and my grades and my extracurriculars. It’ll be more personalized.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Rana Khankan, an Academic Administrator within the Life Sciences Core Education Department, agreed that it is not enough just to regurgitate the student’s transcript in the letters she writes. Instead, she averages an hour per letter personalizing the content to each student’s personal circumstances and unique strengths."},{"type":"text","value":"\"I write letters for students that did not necessarily meet an A grade,\" Khankan said. \"I have to explain why they still deserve the same access and opportunity as the student who got the A, and that takes a little bit more creativity because it varies from one student to the next.\""},{"type":"text","value":"However, obtaining those letters is especially difficult at UCLA, where a large undergraduate population of over 33,000 students results in hundreds of students attending most STEM introductory courses. UCLA’s student-to-faculty ratio of 19:1 – significantly higher than the national average of 14:1 – makes it difficult for students to form deep relationships with professors."},{"type":"text","value":"These challenges are amplified for transfer students, who are often expected to graduate in two years. Gianna Reyno, a fourth-year human biology and society student who transferred from Biola University, feels as though she has limited time to build relationships with professors and must make up for this by taking summer courses. Students often obtain letters from professors who have taught multiple courses for the student, which Reyno said is less feasible for transfer students due to the reduced amount of classes they actually take at UCLA."},{"type":"text","value":"Reyno added that there is a lot of pressure to get letters from UCLA professors rather than community college professors because top tier medical schools take prestige into account. But Reyno is not certain she has that option."},{"type":"text","value":"\"They (medical schools) definitely hold more weight towards a UCLA professor just because of the name of UCLA, and so that’s what I’m aiming more towards,\" Reyno said. \"But also getting the quality of letters probably will be a little bit different.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Julia Gensheimer, a medical and doctorate student at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, said the difference between procuring a letter of recommendation at UCLA and her alma mater, Emory University, was stark and shocking. Gensheimer’s classes at Emory never had more than 50 students in them, so she always felt comfortable reaching out to professors even two years after taking their class."},{"type":"text","value":"With such little competition, the small class sizes also helped her and her peers receive research opportunities and clinical experience just by cold emailing."},{"type":"text","value":"\"I didn’t choose Emory for that reason – I had no idea that that would become important,\" she said. \"But once I was there I realized, ‘Oh wow, this is actually really nice to be able to get that support.’\""},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Illustration of a stethoscope.\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.medschoolletters/IMG_0631-f9652639e84c8eb4557c0f2b92b63afa.PNG\",\"credit\":\"Joy Chen/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"In addition to the large class sizes, Perez said coming from an underrepresented background made it difficult to access information or mentorship opportunities as a pre-med student. Because of this, Perez believes that representation and outreach towards underserved communities is crucial for their success."},{"type":"text","value":"\"If they (mentors) don’t come from the same background as me, nine out of their 10 tips probably won’t apply to me,\" Perez said. \"They might tell me that ‘I need to do XYZ for networking by talking to this person and that person,’ but I don’t even have people like that in my life. So I can’t even begin to start from there.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Due to many classes grading on a curve, Perez said that students often would not share resources in order to help themselves, further disconnecting him from opportunities."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"If they (mentors) don’t come from the same background as me, nine out of their 10 tips probably won’t apply to me.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"\"Most people can attest to the fact that it (the pre-med atmosphere at UCLA) was extremely toxic,\" Perez said. \"If you weren’t already well connected by the time you came into UCLA and becoming well-connected once you were in there … you would have to strike out with finding someone who would be willing to help you.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Deb Pires, the Academic Administrator of the Life Sciences Core Education Department, describes these networking challenges as a hidden curriculum for requesting letters. Some students are comfortable reaching out to faculty, whereas some don’t know how to approach them, she said, resulting in an inequitable system. To even the playing field, she provides a yearly three-day workshop during week zero of fall quarter for STEM transfers and first-gen students to familiarize themselves with UCLA."},{"type":"text","value":"For professors like Pires, the letters of recommendation process has become equally challenging. Pires said she received a maximum of 30 letter requests around 15 years ago. Today she writes up to 100 per year."},{"type":"text","value":"Pires currently teaches the introductory Life Science 7A and 7B courses, which are required for all life science and pre-med majors. Of the roughly 2000 students enrolled across all sections of these courses, Pires said 80 to 85% of them identify as pre-med or pre-dental school students."},{"type":"text","value":"Hung Pham, a professor in UCLA’s Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, added that a competitive medical school application can ask for up to six letters instead of the minimum three, increasing the amount of letter requests every year. Only a small number of professors teach the lower division science courses required for medical school – such as the LS7 and CHEM14 series – resulting in those professors being spread thin as these are highly populated classes."},{"type":"text","value":"Pham, who receives an average of 200 letter requests every year, now doubts whether he can complete them for the first time in his career. Pham said that it’s difficult to get to know students strictly through lecture time due to the large class sizes of up to 350 people."},{"type":"text","value":"\"My plate is full, and for my own mental health and sanity, I just needed a break from writing letters,\" Pham said."},{"type":"text","value":"Pham said that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was easier to form relationships with students as they felt more comfortable attending office hours. Since then, he has noticed a disconnect between faculty and students, mentioning that just having a student introduce themselves at the beginning of the quarter could lead to a more personal connection."},{"type":"text","value":"Because of this, both Perez and Kevranian frequently attended office hours, not just for academic help but also to showcase their commitment to the course and academic curiosity. For example, Perez often found himself answering other students’ questions in his professors’ office hours, which helped him stand out."},{"type":"text","value":"\"I was definitely able to get some letters of rec from professors who I didn’t even get an A on every single test,\" Perez said. \"I think it was mostly because of the time that I took to establish that relationship with them.\""},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"My plate is full, and for my own mental health and sanity, I just needed a break from writing letters.\\\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"While academic participation is crucial for obtaining a strong letter, students must develop their interests outside of the classroom as well – a certain number of letters can also come from extracurricular activities. Kevranian said students often view extracurriculars as a list to check off. However, he instead focused on finding extracurriculars he was most passionate about, such as volunteering at food banks."},{"type":"text","value":"Perez added that letters of recommendation capture the defining moments of a student’s formative years. This is why he sought two letters from the hospital he volunteered at – one from a doctor he met there, the other from the hospital’s volunteer program coordinator."},{"type":"text","value":"\"If I have something that’s supposed to be my most meaningful experience, it would be really weird if I couldn’t get anyone to vouch for how much I loved it.\" Perez said."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Illustration of a letter of recommendation.\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/prime.medschoolletters/IMG_0632-8133005920152c5fbd8e4c065c13e478.PNG\",\"credit\":\"Joy Chen/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Motivated by gaps in UCLA’s pre-med resources, students like Perez and Gensheimer took it upon themselves to create supportive environments where students can seek help from their peers. Gensheimer started her organization Med Mentors in 2020, where current medical students have coffee chats with pre-med students, offer MCAT tutoring, read personal statements and create YouTube videos with advice for aspiring medical students."},{"type":"text","value":"Likewise, Perez began the Pre-Med Community at UCLA in 2020, which offers a one-on-one mentorship program and reduced pricing for MCAT study materials. He said his goal was to help students like him – who came from socioeconomically challenged backgrounds – find their footing in their medical journey."},{"type":"text","value":"Perez feels these organizations also create a less competitive pre-med environment at UCLA. He said these collaborative spaces encourage students to work together to achieve their goals, rather than against each other – something he believes is vital to working in healthcare."},{"type":"text","value":"\"People need to have that balance so that they can be proper leaders that we need in communities where doctors are located,\" Perez said. \"The types of leaders who are allowing themselves to be led, the type of people who are teachers that allow themselves to be taught by others.\""},{"type":"text","value":"After four years at UCLA, Perez decided to take a gap year before applying for the 2023-2024 cycle of medical school applications. He attached four letters from the professors and mentors who guided his most meaningful experiences, such as his hospital volunteering and lab work. He stressed over personal statements until he was critical of every sentence, exhausted with how mentally draining the process was."},{"type":"text","value":"But it was worth it. As of this spring, Perez had been accepted to multiple medical schools and was strongly considering attending the Keck School of Medicine at USC this fall. He said he was drawn to the school’s curriculum because it matches his career goals."},{"type":"text","value":"\"Their school is what my mission is as a doctor, which is to promote health equity to people from disadvantaged backgrounds,\" Perez said. \"They’ve also been pretty clear when they actually, genuinely want students like me.\""},{"type":"text","value":"Reflecting on his journey, Perez rejected the competitive and cutthroat letter of recommendation environment at UCLA. Once he embraced his peers as teammates and started learning from them, he was able to connect with professors and display the intellectual curiosity and connections highlighted in his letters."},{"type":"text","value":"\"I think that’s the most important value you can have: this ideal of self worth that doesn’t go into thinking that you’re worth more than others,\" he said. \"As long as you have that, it’s going to be a lot harder for anyone who’s trying to compete against you to actually wind you down.\""}]}},"pageContext":{"term":"summer24","slug":"prime.medschoolletters"}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}