How long have you known your LOR writers?

[Mexi]

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Just wondering what is typical. I suspect that my veterinary LORs would realistically be from people who have known me no more than 2 or so years at the time the application needs to be in. Is 2 years enough time to obtain a LOR that will be sufficient for the institutions? Just curious as from the discussions here, it seems a lot of people have LORs from those they have known 4-5 years+. I might have one or two of those, but there would be at least some that would be around 2 years, and I still want this to be effective as it would be a vet LOR.

Tell me I'm not the only one, haha.

 

[jmo1012]

i think its more about quality/quantity of day to day time you spend with the LOR person than the number of years you spent with them. 5 years at not very many hours a year probably isnt as good as 1 year spending multiple hours a week with that person.

 

[SocialStigma]

1. 3 months (vet)
2. 3 years (vet)
3. 1 year (professor)

 

[Pelagia]

1. DVM/PhD vets (2 years)--I had both of them write me a letter
2. DVM that I worked as a technician under, and was currently working with as I applied (3 months)
3. Thesis advisor (1 year)

I wanted to make sure I had a LOR from a clinician, so she could attest to my skills in the hospital setting. I was kind of nervous about asking her to write me one since I had only known her 3 months, but she was so cool about it! Chances are, the vets you are working with know how passionate and dedicated you are, and that will show in their LORs.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

1) SA DVM, general practice - 2 years
2) Professor - 3 years (3 courses w/ lab)
3) Professor - 1.5 years (1 course w/ lab)

Even though I'd known most of them for a while, I was kind of nervous about what they'd say because I'm not really someone who fraternizes with professors much, and my boss wasn't inclined to stand around and talk. I didn't know if they'd feel like they knew me well enough to write something... but everyone was really enthusiastic about doing it.

 

[scb44f]

Mixed animal vet - 1 year - went in consistently
Avian vet - 6 months - went in for a couple of weeks full time
Extracurricular advisor - 3 years

Definitely agree that it's not necessarily how long, but how well they get to know you. I was nervous about asking the avian vet because I really only spent a couple of weeks with her, but I felt like she knew me well because I spent every minute with her and went on lots of house calls which meant downtime to talk. I asked if she felt comfortable writing a letter in support and she was excited about it; she ended up being the first person to turn it in.

 

[cowgirla]

3 years, 4 years, and 7 years.
I'd say you really only need a few months of quality work to get a good letter. You want your best work to be recent in their minds-- if you work for a few months and are outstanding, great.

If your more recent work over the course of a couple years is so-so for whatever reason, that will probably reflect in your letter. Just make sure your writers know how amazingly awesome you are and you'll be fine.

 

[breenie]

1. SA DVM (2 years) - Worked 10-15 hours a week under her for 2 years at a SA clinic
2. LA DVM (a few months) - Spent 4-12 hours a week shadowing this vet during the summer. He was an LA vet who drove around to farms, so all of those hours were sitting DIRECTLY NEXT TO HIM AT ALL TIMES. I continued to shadow him past the LOR stage and we're now very close, but at the time I would still say I knew him better than LOR writer #1 because of the situation.
3. Cheesemaker - Okay this sounds weird, but this woman makes goat cheese and milks a herd of goats, and I did an internship with her one summer that was about 10 hrs/week. I milked for pay the next summer, and do so again this summer! We are very close and she's been an outstanding mentor for me. And she really wanted to write me a letter. 😉
4. PhD - my undergraduate advisor who taught one of my classes and supervised the above internship. We spent less time together, but he knew me best as a student/in an academic environment
5. DVM/MS - My PI at a research lab I worked at for the summer during apps. I continued to work there past that date, but I had only know her a few months, and spent way more time with the other lab jockeys than her, but she wrote me a good letter, I believe. She's also sort of a big name in her field, so I thought it'd take advantage of the opportunity.

I took advantage of having as many people vouch for me as possible, but I think I could have gotten by with fewer. Also it really did range how much time I spent with them, but the letters than I think truly carried the most knowledge of who I was as a person were #2 and #3.

 

[Mexi]

Thanks for posting your stats guys. I feel a lot better about my situation now, haha.

Here's an odd question for you, since clearly I am very ignorant about this process... do some schools require LORs in their application process? And if so, if you happen to apply to a school that does not explicitly require LORs in their application process, do you add your LORs to the supp app anyway?

I'm sorry if this is a silly question and the LOR process is just an assumed addition to any apps... I just didn't see anything about LORs when I browsed the application process of my desired institution.

 

[Cautionary Tail]

Here's an odd question for you, since clearly I am very ignorant about this process... do some schools require LORs in their application process? And if so, if you happen to apply to a school that does not explicitly require LORs in their application process, do you add your LORs to the supp app anyway?

I'm not aware of any schools that don't require LORs. (Unfortunately, because I felt like asking for them was easily the most agonizing part of the applications process. 😉)

Generally a minimum of three is mandatory, but programs may differ in how many evaluations they want to see from veterinary vs. academic settings. If you're applying to American programs, most use VMCAS for the main application. Since the LORs are uploaded to VMCAS, any school that you apply to using that service will receive them. If a school doesn't use VMCAS (like Tufts), they'll have their own similar system for uploading or submitting LORs.

ETA- Ack! I didn't realize you were in Canada... I didn't apply to any Canadian programs (considered PEI, but there was a blip in my history that would have rendered me non-competitive there), and am not entirely sure how your applications process works. Sorry!

 

[Mexi]

I'm in Canada and would apply to AVC. I looked and they have their main academic app, and then a supp app which only seems to include all your volunteer/animal/ex-curricular experience. I could be missing it, but I can't seem to find any mention of LORs.

I'm assuming I'm just having a moment and overlooking something, but if AVC doesn't actually require LORs, would it be frowned upon to include them anyway, or would that be regarded as doing a little something extra?

I'm going back to scour the application info now...

 

[Whyevernot55]

1. Academic: 7 or 8 years? He never taught me a class, but he's the VP of my undergrad institution and worked closely with me when I managed the equestrian program. He's since become a very good friend who I've kept in touch with.
2. Academic: 2 years - taught my Parasite lab and my Endo lecture. Doesn't know me terribly well outside of class, but can attest to my academic abilities.
3. Vet: 4 years - SA vet and practice owner of the clinic I've worked at for the past 4 years, she knows me incredibly well and I am insanely grateful to her for taking me on as an employee when I knew virtually nothing.
4. Vet: 4 years - SA vet, the associate at the practice I work at. A closer friend (and less of a boss) than the owner, but also knows me well and has taught me a lot.
5. Vet: 7 years - equine vet who hired me when I was in college to pay my horses' vet bills. Also a very, very good friend and mentor.

I am incredibly lucky to have a lot of really good eLOR writers to choose from, and I picked the people who know me the best and can attest to a variety of my strengths, including personal, professional, and academic.

 

[EllieGirl89]

My non-vet LOR writer was the one I've known the longest. She was the manager of a stable where I cleaned stalls and trained young horses and I knew her for about 2 years by the time I needed a LOR. The vets, one I had met about a year before working with him but worked with him for about 3 months before he wrote me my LOR, and the other one I only met through the first one and knew him for 3 months when he wrote my LOR. I think the key is quality of interaction with these people more so than the amount of time you spend with them. Really get to know your LOR writers and show them who you are!

 

[squirrelsrule]

I was nervous about my DVM LORs because I have only recently decided to become a vet. My one LOR I met in Feb. and asked her for a LOR in May. I asked her if she felt comfortable writing one and that I'd understand if she didn't feel she knew me well enough. She was like 4 months is more than enough time I'd love to write the letter for you. So, as long as you have worked with them for at least a couple months and feel like you know them well enough to ask, I'd go for it. Just be sure to give them an out if they don't feel like they know you well enough to write it. Of course, I haven't gotten in yet, so my advice probably won't mean much.

 

[jtom]

It all depends on how well you know them and thus how well they know you. There is no minimum time limit for a LOR. If you feel you know them well enough then ask.

 

[lostbunny]

2 years (prof)- but only spent class time and a few office hours together
1.5 years (vets)- spent many hours together, overnights, day shifts, etc.

 

[smilin1590]

I just found this thread and very glad I did. I've started shadowing this summer at a small animal vet once a week at a local small town clinic so unfortunately it's not too busy. The doctor is super nice and I'm trying to get to know him well and show my personality to him but I too feel like it may be inappropriate to ask for an eLOR as at least one of my vet letters since I've not known him very long. Should I forgo asking him, although he's super nice or just do what squirrels said and give him an out in case he doesn't feel comfortable writing one.

 

[jrwinsto]

I asked a vet I started shadowing with this summer because I feel she knows me better than any other vet I have worked with and we get along great, even in the short amount of time I have known her. If you feel he knows you well enough to write more than just a generic LOR I think you should definitely ask.

 

[BearKat17]

1. Small animal vets (husband and wife dvms doing one together)---1.5 years
2. Professor/advisor/dept. Chair--- ~ 3-4 years
3 . Former biology teacher/mentor--6 years or so