Anyone get a LOR from a volunteer coordinator?

[bozz]

My volunteer coordinator says that in her letter, she will mainly talk about the fact that I volunteered. She says that she has never worked with me personally, so she will mainly say that I volunteered there. I mean she's a great person, and I plan my volunteering hours out with her. But I have never "worked with her."

Normally, profs who might not know you so well use your resume/CV and comment on your strengths.

Thoughts? I mean, has anyone had a clinical volunteer coordinator of some sort write them a LOR?

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[RoadRunner17]

I have, but I worked alongside her... so I know her really well and vice versa, so she also serves as a character reference... if its a LOR that just says what you did and how many hours you worked, I can't see it being that much more effective than any other letter. It's the equivalent of the LOR from a professor whose class you got A's in but never talked to.

 

[Bacchus]

I hopefully have a clinical letter being written. Its based on a form that circled the dept. for comments.

 

[MonkeyChow]

I am having the person who oversees alot of my work (she's a CNA) write the letter rather than the coordinator who I have little contact with. If that is not an option, maybe you could have her talk to the nurses/CNAs/doctors who may know you to get their input and put that into her letter?

 

[45408]

You can, but it probably won't count for much at all if this person doesn't know you. It will simply validate that you volunteered there. Generally speaking, the more LORs a person writes, the more likely it is to be the kind of thing the adcom is looking for. That's why I didn't ask my boss at the ambulance company to write me one.

 

[kami333]

I'm getting my coordinator write a LOR but I see him everyday.

Seeing if someone who you've worked along with will write one and the coordinator will co-sign it?

 

[m_rivera84]

I also was wondering: if my volunteer coordinator wrote me a letter, but her English is not perfect (grammar and word choice mistakes), does it make a difference?

 

[chad5871]

I also was wondering: if my volunteer coordinator wrote me a letter, but her English is not perfect (grammar and word choice mistakes), does it make a difference?

Ooh, good question. My Organic 2 professor wrote me a letter and his English is not very good either, so I'm a bit worried about that (although one of his former students told me that the reason she got into med school was because of his LOR! 😱)

 

[nontrdgsbuiucmd]

I am having the person who oversees alot of my work (she's a CNA) write the letter rather than the coordinator who I have little contact with. If that is not an option, maybe you could have her talk to the nurses/CNAs/doctors who may know you to get their input and put that into her letter?

Ditto for me, the charge nurse wrote a letter at the hospital I'd volunteered at rather than the volunteer manager, as I worked closely with the charge nurse every day, and she was particularly literate. I would think a LOR from a person who does not know an applicant well would be of limited value, or possibly even a negative, in that it would not recommend the candidate as a good future doctor; I thought that was much of the intent of LORs.

I'd suggest finding a different party, even if it's another professor, rather than have a weak letter included in the file.