Workout

I have sort of finished my P90X workout.  I did 10 weeks and there are 13, but the last week is just recovery.  The reason I didn't finish is because I stumbled upon this gem. I have lost some inches and gained a bunch of strength doing the P90X workouts, and I really love them, but I am ready to try something new.  The workouts on the BodyRock site are usually short, not more than 30 min, but very intense and are full body.  I did my first one last night and it about killed me, plus I am a little sore today.  I love how they vary the workouts and even though they reuse some of the exercises, each workout is different so it is hard to get bored.  I also love how you keep track of your reps and time and then can either post them on the site or just keep them to yourself so you can come back and try to beat it the next time.  She uses some equipment, but does show you how to do each exercise without - and trust me, the exercise is just as hard.  I am challenging myself to get in better shape and start eating healthier.  The site even has some healthy eating tips and yummy recipes.  I took some before pictures last night, and after 60 days I will take some semi-after pictures, and I say "semi" because I am not planning on stopping the workouts then.  I just want to see my progress at that point.  :o)  Who knows, maybe you will even see my before and after pics on their site!

Letters of Recommendation

I have a few friends that are panicking over their letter of recommendations for medical school and thought this might be a good topic to blog about.  LOR's are very tricky, because you are asking someone else to write about their opinions of you, and you are at their mercy on when they actually sit down and write the letter.  I have heard so many horror stories (and know two people at the moment) from students that submitted their applications, have them verified and are ready to apply to schools, but are still waiting for their lor's to come in, so I thought I would just put some tips and pointers out there.  I am also including a helpful link to some questions/answers here.  It will probably be more helpful to you than my little ol post.  :o)

I also want to say that I am a non-traditional applicant, so keep that in mind.

First things first - start getting to know your professors early.  This will make things easier when you ask them for letters.  Go to their office hours and take the time to let them know you are serious about the class and your grade.  This is how I was able to get to know my professors.  I didn't have a lot of time, so I made sure I let them know that I took time out of my work schedule to see them, and they were able to see I meant business. Another great way is to ask to review your exams if they don't give them back to you.  My biology professors kept all of our exams so in order to review them, I had to make an appointment.

Letters - Every medical school has their own requirements for lor's, but they all require a certain number from science professors and non-science professors.  Some schools have pre-med committees and require a letter from your committee as well.  If you do research, which a lot of schools like, then a letter from your PI is also recommended.  Because I am a non-trad student, I asked my employer for a lor, which is great because they know how I am as an employee versus a student.  Physician letters are also very helpful, so if you shadow or volunteer, take the time to really get to know the physician and let them know who you are and why you want to be a doctor. They will have some good weight, especially if what they say corresponds with your professors and other letter writers evaluations of you.  The whole point behind a letter is to sounds good, but everyone knows that - so adcoms also like to see similarities between letters to really get an idea of who you are and what others think of you.  A bad letter can hurt you, so if you don't think someone is going to write you a strong letter, don't ask. 

Timing - This is very important.  You don't want to ask too early, but you don't want to wait around either.  Part of this depends on how well you know your writers and how busy they are.  I asked my letter writers in January/February.  Yes, this is a little early, but I gave them a deadline of around March/April.  This gave them time to procrastinate and me enough time to bug them before my application was sent in. I was lucky and most of my professors were very understanding and very supportive of me applying and they sent in their letters on time, as was my employer.  I had to keep poking and prodding the physician, but he got it in on time and apologized every time I reminded him.  :o)  I know he was busy and letter writing wasn't his strong suite, but I asked him early knowing that it might take him awhile to get them sent in. Another reason why being too early isn't a big deal, is because you will have to get new letters if you reapply anyway.  As long as your letter is under a year old, you should be fine.  You don't have to have letters in order to submit your application, and I think this is where a lot of students get tripped up.  The schools have their own deadlines for letters, and if a school's deadline is October, then asking in June would seem to be like a fine idea.


There are some questions regarding how to submit the letters, which the site I linked should answer very nicely.  I am lucky and my premed adviser collected them and sent them in for me because KU doesn't use any of the letter services, such as interfolio.  

I'm definitely not an expert and I'm sure there area lot of different opinions, but I am only trying to offer some tips and suggestions.  My experiences are very unique because my state school is very in-state oriented and looks at the whole applicant package, and not just the numbers (not all schools are numbers heavy, but how else do you weed out thousands of applicants?). A lot of my advise and knowledge comes from outside sources and I only want to share the wealth.