Another LOR question ...

[meadow36]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Hi,

I have two wonderful recommendations submitted already, both from vets that I currently work with at an ER practice (have worked with them both for over a year). My third letter is proving to be a problem.

I wanted to use a PHD that I worked closely with in a Genetics lab; however we've been out of touch for several years and I can't seem to get any contact info for him. I was considering the hospital manager at the practice I work at - but that would mean all three letters would be from people at the same practice. Is there going to be a problem with this? Unfortunately I can't think of another person to do it. I don't have an academic person to go to (got my degree 8 years ago and have been taking post-bacc classes at a local university; but no one that knows me personally).

Help! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[msmrtrthnyllb]

I was considering the hospital manager at the practice I work at - but that would mean all three letters would be from people at the same practice. Is there going to be a problem with this?

From what I've heard from two deans, no; they couldn't care less.
Last year I sent three from the same practice.

 

[Bcrunner1313]

I'll second what msmrtrthnyllb said. I'm in the same boat and after speaking with a dean and adcom, it seems like they don't have a problem with this.

 

[rosemma]

Odd, I was told from multiple people (mostly current vet students) to not have them all from people at the same clinic. From my own perspective, I don't think it would count against you at all. I can't see adcoms judging you poorly based on that. However, I don't think it works in your best interest. You get three LOR to send in and personally I would want as much variety in my application as possible in order to cover as much ground as I can. You are given such limited space, why overlap any information? If you have three letters from the same clinic, albeit different people, there is most likely not going to be much diversity. If I worked in admissions, I wouldn't count it against you, but I would kind of wonder who you are outside of the clinic in other aspects of your life.

Overall, I don't think it will count against you, but I would want to take advantage of being able to have three. The same goes for the rest of the app - I tried not to repeat anything unless absolutely necessary, esp in supplementals.

 

[Bcrunner1313]

Of course getting all your letters from one place of business isn't the best situation. In an ideal world, we'd all have a rec letter from a small animal vet, a large animal vet, and a professor that is just jumping out of his/her skin to write us a letter. But then reality sets in and we look at what we are actually left to work with.

I think you've nailed it on the head Rosemma. Getting 3 letters from one clinic will not count against you in any way, as the adcoms understand that not everyone can get 3 diversified letters that are all even remotely pertinent to veterinary medicine. It would be nice to be able to show a little variety, but if you, meadow, feel like these 3 people can currently write you your strongest letters, then there is no harm in using them. Also, I'm willing to bet that msmrtrthnyllb and I talked to some similar people at UF about this issue, so it may just be a UF thing...

 

[meadow36]

Well I know people in other places, but these are the people that know me the best and can write the strongest letters. Last year I included a letter from a former professor and the dean at UF told me to pick people I work with (since I have a lot of work experience). That PHD would have been perfect but he seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth - I can't find contact info for him anywhere. 🙁

 

[chordy4]

is there anyone else in the lab who was working there when he was who might have a forwarding address/phone number??

 

[rosemma]

Have you just tried googling his name? If he is a researcher, he should have a lab website or an email posted somewhere.. esp if he works at a university. Not sure if this is the case, but googling has saved me before.

 

[meadow36]

I've tried everything to find him; he is not at the lab that I was at w/ him anymore, and all the papers have that old e-mail address. Unfortunately I am very bad at keeping in touch.