Denied a LOR-- help please!

[airabuyu13]

So I've been a nursing assistant for 6 months now, working 10 hours a week on average. I work with different nurses all the time, though I know a few of them relatively well. Unfortunately, I'm having a lot of trouble getting an LOR. I would ask my manager, but she, out of anyone probably knows me the least, as she doesn't really work with me that often. I'm really struggling because two of the nurses I know the best who I've asked said they really would love to write me a rec but they're SO busy right now and don't have time at all. It's so frustrating because I know they really would write me really heartfelt recs, but they're all working full time on top of being in school part or full time. They've also never written recs before, so probably don't know how important they are to the med school application process. How do I explain how important this is for me without acting like I don't recognize how busy they are? I really do respect how little time they have, but I feel like this LOR would be really important in showing my clinical experience and personal attributes.

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[SN12357]

Ask them if they'd be willing to edit and sign letters you draft yourself.

This isn't ideal but its super common in a lot of situations and should get around the problem you describe here.

 

[Mr Avante]

Ask them if they'd be willing to edit and sign letters you draft yourself.

This isn't ideal but its super common in a lot of situations and should get around the problem you describe here.

Definitely.By doing this I dodged a similar situation.

 

[TexasSurgeon]

Ask them if they'd be willing to edit and sign letters you draft yourself.

This isn't ideal but its super common in a lot of situations and should get around the problem you describe here.

-1. Don't ask this of them. It's very easy to tell if your LOR is written by yourself and makes you look like a shallow and deceiving applicant. What are you going to say: "uh my writer denied me so I thought I'd write my own and get their signature"? No way

 

[SN12357]

-1. Don't ask this of them. It's very easy to tell if your LOR is written by yourself and makes you look like a shallow and deceiving applicant. What are you going to say: "uh my writer denied me so I thought I'd write my own and get their signature"? No way

Writing letters for yourself and having the official writer make minor edits and sign them is very common. It's moderately less common among med school applicants but if you maintain this attitude in med school when you go looking for residency letters you'll be in for a nasty shock. Writing your own letter is often a courtesy to extremely busy letter writers. It is not frowned upon. It does not imply bad things about the candidate. It is not a deception as long as you only provide the draft and the original letter writer signs it.

Source: I have finalized & sent out many letters from my PI.

It is, however, challenging to write honestly about yourself. OP, don't be afraid to be enthusiastically positive! Have someone else read the letters just like you would have someone read your essays. And if your letter writers aren't experienced, be extra careful to coach them in when and how to send the letters, and be precise in your instructions (particularly about them needing to be on letterhead).

 

[Didierdrogba]

-1. Don't ask this of them. It's very easy to tell if your LOR is written by yourself and makes you look like a shallow and deceiving applicant. What are you going to say: "uh my writer denied me so I thought I'd write my own and get their signature"? No way

bad advice

 

[whatbout2morrow]

Is there any chance that your manager would ask the input of the nurses that you work closely with and write you a strong recommendation based off of that?

 

[airabuyu13]

Thanks guys for all the replies!

I contacted one of the nurses asking to write it for her, and she agreed. I now have a draft, though I'm really not sure how good it is as I've never done this before. How should I proofread it before I give it back to the nurse to edit an sign? Is there something I should be going for (other than a strong recommendation)? Who would be a good person to proofread my draft? Thanks again!