Spread Holiday Cheer

I got a few really nice emails this past week going into the holidays from students and I was a bit surprised at how happy they made me so I thought I’d share this with you all. Writing the emails surely only took the students a few minutes but it made this ol’ girl happy enough that if they ask to shadow again (one of them did), I’d say yes or if they ask for a letter of recommendation (one of them did), I’d be happy to write it. 

So now that your semester has come to an end and before you get too deep into the holiday festivities, I encourage you to take a little time to write some thoughtful emails to a few people. One, because it’s a nice thing to do. Two, because you will likely need something nice from them in return in the future. So you can plant the seed now!

Shadowing 

If you had the opportunity to shadow over the last semester or year, please take some time to send an email or card to the physician or office that you shadowed. In addition to thanking them for the opportunity, wish them happy holidays, mention something that you learned while there, reaffirm your desire to be a physician, and drop the seed that you’d love to shadow again in the future if they can accommodate you. Most students don’t do this—sure they say thanks at the end of the day or period of shadowing and usually send a follow up email afterwards; but taking time to send a holiday greeting is going a step above for an added personal touch. You can, and should, do this—make their day and make them want to agree to having you again. We need all of the shadowing hours we can get, right??

Professors

Did you do well in a BCPM class this semester? I hope the answer to that is yes! That’s the plan, right? Remember that you need letters of recommendations from professors, specifically ones in whose class you did well.  Choose a course that you made an A in (because they usually will include your grade in the letter), that you did a standout project/report in, or a class where you participated in office hours, answered questions, etc- anything that made you stand out. Professors who have a personal connection to you write the best letters. Understanding that they have hundreds of students, I know that it’s sometimes hard to make that personal connection. One way you can help yourself out is to be proactive. Going into the holiday break is a great time to drop an email to them. In it, thank them for teaching the course, include something to make them remember you (like a paper, project, assignment, where you sat, etc), and mention your interest in medical school and how her/his course helped you to be better prepared for medical school. And, of course, wish them happy holidays. You don’t necessarily need to mention anything about a letter of recommendation now, though you certainly could, but planting the seed with this email is a great start. Likely (hopefully) they’ll send you a nice response and include a line about being willing to assist you in the future if needed and if so…there you go, ask them for a letter of recommendation. If not, you’ve still made the first step and are that much more ahead when the time comes to ask them for that recommendation letter. 

Researchers

If you’re participating in research, you should also consider sending a kind holiday email to the lead researcher you’re working with. They would also be a great person to get a letter of recommendation from in the future so an email with a nice personal touch that doesn’t involve white mice or questionnaires is a good idea; again, you want to make a personal connection. 

Community Service Coordinators

You should certainly have some volunteer/community service hours under your belt by now. People who lead community organizations are usually especially stretched during the holiday season. It’d be really nice of you to send a card or note of appreciation and well wishes for the holiday season. It’d be even better if you could volunteer some of your time to help during the holidays if they’re understaffed. While they could also be letter writers for you, you don’t need to seek out anything in return from these folks by sending this nice greeting…just show them your appreciation for what they do and for allowing you to be a part of it. 

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Do you have a little extra time in the next few days to write an email or send a card to one or several of the people in the groups mentioned above? If so, I think you should do it! In general, times are hard; a lot of professionals will take a little bit of happiness wherever they can get it. Spread happiness…and help yourself out a little bit too 🙂