General Questions Regarding Letter of Recommendation

[Romber]

Hi Everyone,

I'm not entirely sure what makes a good letter of recommendation letter. I figure submitting 4 of them is the best, but does the credentials of the person writing the letter play a big role? I also figure that I would probably want a couple of professors. I have a couple in mind, but only one of them I kept in semi-contact. Basically, how well should I know them to get a Letter of Recommendation from them?

Thanks

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[The Recoverer]

Hi Everyone,

I'm not entirely sure what makes a good letter of recommendation letter. I figure submitting 4 of them is the best, but does the credentials of the person writing the letter play a big role? I also figure that I would probably want a couple of professors. I have a couple in mind, but only one of them I kept in semi-contact. Basically, how well should I know them to get a Letter of Recommendation from them?

Thanks

Quality > Quantity

 

[kcwang]

"Here are some helpful links for rec letters:

List of School and required rec. letters
http://www.pharmcas.org/docs/ReqTypebySchool0910.pdf

Why rec. letter can "make or break" an application
http://pharmdadmissions.ucsf.edu/200...on-really.html

What your evaluator get
http://www.pharmcas.org/applicants/evalquestions.htm

Pharmcas General info on rec letter
http://www.pharmcas.org/applicants/eval.htm "



copied and pasted from this thread
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=907708

 

[Romber]

Thanks for the replies!

What exactly is a "supervisor" according to the LoR table?

 

[schamj01]

Thanks for the replies!

What exactly is a "supervisor" according to the LoR table?

A supervisor generally is someone you work directly under. If you have not worked but have volunteered, you could probably use someone you volunteered under.

Also, I would suggest making sure you are confident that your references will give you not only a good reference, but a detailed, non-generic one. It's much better to have a less-well known reference that knows you well.

 

[Romber]

A supervisor generally is someone you work directly under. If you have not worked but have volunteered, you could probably use someone you volunteered under.

Also, I would suggest making sure you are confident that your references will give you not only a good reference, but a detailed, non-generic one. It's much better to have a less-well known reference that knows you well.

Thanks! In that case, what is the difference between an employer and a supervisor then?

 

[smercer]

Thanks! In that case, what is the difference between an employer and a supervisor then?

Retail:
Employer= CVS Owner....supervisor= Lead/Charge Pharmacist you work under on your shift.

Hospital:
Employer: Director of Pharmacy....Supervisor: Lead/Charge Pharmacist or manager on shift you work.

Also good idea to create a resume and give these people a copy of your PS. Let them know why you want to do Pharmacy, so they can tailor their LoR to your info. Otherwise you could end up with conflicting/worthless info coming from them as they do not know exactly what to write for you.

 

[UAMShopeful]

I had 2 pharmacist friends (one that I had worked directly under for 4 years) write Rec letters, along with my Organic Chem professor and my Biochem professor... I got in.. and although I made a 95 on the PCAT, my GPA was 3.0 so.. I'm guessing the rec letters were worth something.. If that helps

 

[xtsukiyox]

Be careful to submit the letters each school is asking for. If you submit extra, the school may disregard the extras or pick the ones they want to pick. (And really, wouldn't you rather choose what recommendations they'll be basing their opinions on?)

 

[Romber]

Thank you for the responses, everyone. It really help clear things up for me.

One more question: Is there a 2012 pdf of LoR required per school? I did some searching on PharmCAS and AACP site and couldn't find such a neat table.

 

[smercer]

Go to the school's website. They will usually state what they require. Most schools want 2-3, but some may be different.

I would think 3 should be good. Then you can do a supervisor, pharmacist, and professor. If you work at a pharmacy then you can get 2 pharmacists with one as your supervisor.

 

[xtsukiyox]

One more question: Is there a 2012 pdf of LoR required per school? I did some searching on PharmCAS and AACP site and couldn't find such a neat table.

Gosh, I could swear I've seen this document at least for 2011/12 cycle, but I can't find it for the life of me. If I'm remembering correctly, the document brought up at least as many questions as it did answers, so I would have probably recommended going to the school page anyway.