my letter service offers a regular letter form and a letter form with a ranking grid. which one should i give to my letter writers? do med schools have a preference for either one? thanks.
Were I to be on the receiving end - by a vast margin, I would desire the regular, text-form letter. As a screener for interviews, I want to hear about your intagibles that do not necessarily manifest clearly on paper and I want to hear them from someone credible & who obviously knows & has worked with you in academia or in a position of responsiblity. A form where someone merely checks boxes w/o a requisite defense borders on useless in my humble opinion.
Dave,
your previous post was awesome. When you have some free time (I know…) you must consider telling your story in such an articulate way to others - not just here. Career day at schools, etc.
R.E.M. has a great line in one of their songs which says, “Old man, you’re not yet young, there’s time to teach”. This isn’t so much a reference to your age (of which I have no idea) but your experience. Only by the older generation passing on specific experiences and triumphs can the next generation be encouraged and taught what really matters.
You have a way with words and should share your experiences if and when you can. 
“I told my doctor that I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places.” - Henny Youngman