How short is too short for a recommendation letter?

[ajordan361]

Hi all,
I was accidentally sent a copy of a letter of recommendation written upon my behalf by a pediatrician. The letter was good but only about a page long and didn’t include much of my personal information for my CV, however it did discuss how I was one of her top students. Another professor emailed my his letter and it was almost two pages long and filled with information from my CV. I am just wondering if I should not send this recommendation letter in with it being only being around one page in length or is this ok….thanks so much

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[Osteopathology]

One page? I havent really seen LOR that are much longer than one page in length.

I doubt any program wants to read 3 page LORs ... but who knows.

 

[Amxcvbcv]

Hi all,
I was accidentally sent a copy of a letter of recommendation written upon my behalf by a pediatrician. The letter was good but only about a page long and didn’t include much of my personal information for my CV, however it did discuss how I was one of her top students. Another professor emailed my his letter and it was almost two pages long and filled with information from my CV. I am just wondering if I should not send this recommendation letter in with it being only being around one page in length or is this ok….thanks so much

More concerning than the length of the letters is the fact that you've seen them. Did you waive your right to see them? At our program, if you waive that right, the letter can not come from anyone other than the letter writer.

 

[ajordan361]

I did not waive my right to see the letter but didn't ask my preceptor for it either.

 

[fun8stuff]

I was under the impression that when you "waive your right" to see your LOR, it simply means that you cannot demand to see it. However, if the writer chooses to share it with you (which is a professional courtesy), then it is all right for you to look. This could be wrong though... but I have heard this from people in and outside of medicine.

Regarding length: I think between 1 and 2 pages would be good for the typical applicant. I would lean toward quality, rather than quantity. If someone is just reciting your CV, then they are wasting space. Your interviewer has your CV right next to them. I have heard that a good LOR should talk about your personal qualities, highlighting and supporting your CV with specific details and/or examples. A good LOR should add to and reinforce an applicant application. Again, I could be wrong though...

 

[ScooterBanks]

No one wants to read more than a page. There is an unofficial cutoff at that point. Whoever wrote the letter knew what they were doing.

Letters of recommendation are virtually useless anyway. They all basically say the same things. The only way that they help is if the writer personally knows people in the program in which you are applying...in that case, it really doesn't matter what they say because they will just pick up the phone and call on your behalf if they really like you.

80% of matching is Step 1 score and your personality in an interview. Everything else is so far down in importance that it's definitely not worth your time to worry about.

 

[hans19]

Hi all,
I was accidentally sent a copy of a letter of recommendation written upon my behalf by a pediatrician. The letter was good ...

I ignored the rest of your post. What more do you want from a letter?