Does anybody have a good sample letter or want to write one?

[GonnaBeAnMD]

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Fortunatley or Unfortunatley - all of my letter writers asked me to write my own and they'll sign. Now I've asked for my 4th letter and got the same response. I don't want them all to sound the same though! Does anybody have a sample I can go off of or willing to write one for reimbursement? 😱

 

[climbingdocs]

Fortunatley or Unfortunatley - all of my letter writers asked me to write my own and they'll sign. Now I've asked for my 4th letter and got the same response. I don't want them all to sound the same though! Does anybody have a sample I can go off of or willing to write one for reimbursement? 😱

see if you can find something online

 

[Law2Doc]

Fortunatley or Unfortunatley - all of my letter writers asked me to write my own and they'll sign. Now I've asked for my 4th letter and got the same response. I don't want them all to sound the same though! Does anybody have a sample I can go off of or willing to write one for reimbursement? 😱

That's not really something you should be seeking samples of. It has to be different than other people's letters by necessity (since you are different, and the context in which the letter writer knows you is different), and ethically since folks are really not supposed to see their letters (since they are waiving rights to see them) it is foolish for anyone to come out and say "here is a letter I wrote for myself". It puts both that person and the signer at risk.

But in general: it should say who the person is, how the person knows you, that they have had opportunity to observe you in settings that might reflect on how you will conduct yourself in a professional setting, and that they find you to be among the top such students they have worked with and that they would recommend you strongly.

 

[Abram Hoffer]

That's not really something you should be seeking samples of. It has to be different than other people's letters by necessity (since you are different, and the context in which the letter writer knows you is different), and ethically since folks are really not supposed to see their letters (since they are waiving rights to see them) it is foolish for anyone to come out and say "here is a letter I wrote for myself". It puts both that person and the signer at risk.

But in general: it should say who the person is, how the person knows you, that they have had opportunity to observe you in settings that might reflect on how you will conduct yourself in a professional setting, and that they find you to be among the top such students they have worked with and that they would recommend you strongly.

I refused politely to do this with one LOR and within a few days, the person I requested to write the LOR had provided a very nice one. All these people have to do is dictate something to their secretaries. It shouldn't be put on us. On a different note, are you sure it isn't a test in ethics? hmmm.... probably not 4 tests anyway

 

[GonnaBeAnMD]

I think I'm just going to bypass a 4th letter since I hear three is enough. Maybe I'll just let the attending know that I don't feel comfortable and if I get one, great and if not then I'm okay. Thanks for the responses.

 

[Law2Doc]

Maybe I'll just let the attending know that I don't feel comfortable and if I get one, great and if not then I'm okay. Thanks for the responses.

Silly to not be comfortable in this, it's going to be the one letter you have some control over and can make sure it's strong. But it's just a worse idea to model your letter after someone else's, so I would recommend writing it without seeing others.

 

[Dr McSteamy]

they should easily sound different as long as you didn't do the same thing in every rotation?

i had to write 2 of my own letters, and I was able to make them sound a little different. just emphasized different things/qualities.

 

[euphio]

they should easily sound different as long as you didn't do the same thing in every rotation?

i had to write 2 of my own letters, and I was able to make them sound a little different. just emphasized different things/qualities.

For the OP, I would recommend enlisting the help of a friend who writes reasonably well. Give him/her one of the letters you've written, and ask them to tweak it - that will help launder out some of the unavoidable similarities in word choice and phraseology, and make it sound more like the letters came from multiple writers.