Letter of Recommendation Question

[rylemdr]

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I'm planning to ask a letter of recommendation from my respiratory therapy instructor. He will be with me throughout the rest of my 18 month program and being top of my class, I have no doubt he will gladly accept my request. I was reading the sticky regarding letters of recommendation and it is highly advised to have someone who knows you well to make a letter of recommendation.

My only concern is that my instructor is not exactly a professor. He is a highly skilled RT with a bachelor degree, but he does not possess a master or a PhD.

Will pharmacy schools consider the person who prepares the recommendation letter's level of education? Should I find someone who could best serve my purpose instead?

 

[Sugoi Travis]

I have no doubt he will reject my request.

I lol'ed at this part even though I know exactly what you're talking about.

On a serious note, consider that LoR to be a supplement to your pharmacist/PhD professor's LoR. I had two people with bachelor's degrees (don't know what degrees though) write up LoRs for me; one of them was the referee coordinator for my soccer league and the other was the director of coaching and I worked with both of them in the league for 5 years+.

For me, I consider those to help adcoms see into you in a different perspective. The major part will come from pharmacists and PhD letters, but letters like the one you're looking for are nice for making you more well-rounded.

 

[Skrumpy]

and being top of my class, I have no doubt he will reject my request.

You may want to rethink the phrasing of that statement.

It doesn't matter if he is a professor. They are looking for people that know you in a professional capacity (school, work, ECs, etc). I don't think they are going to pick apart the person writing the LoR, unless their LoR looks like it was written by a 3rd grader. TBH pick the top 3-4 people (or however many LoRs are required for the schools you are applying to) who will be able to speak highly of you. Does prestige come into play at all? Yes, but likely to only a minor degree until you start getting to the upper echelon of Deans, Presidents, etc in which case if they still write a crappy/insufficient letter their title likely won't compensate for the insufficiency of their letter. I had a pharmacy tech (my immediate supervisor) write one of my LoR as I was in a time crunch for this application period. They had it written and submitted in just a couple of hours. Based on previous writings of theirs I don't doubt that the letter was written at a lower level, but the content was probably a glowing review of my personality. All in all I would go for people that really like you, and not seek out people specifically for their title (unless you have connections to Obama 🙂 )

 

[rylemdr]

I lol'ed at this part even though I know exactly what you're talking about.

On a serious note, consider that LoR to be a supplement to your pharmacist/PhD professor's LoR. I had two people with bachelor's degrees (don't know what degrees though) write up LoRs for me; one of them was the referee coordinator for my soccer league and the other was the director of coaching and I worked with both of them in the league for 5 years+.

For me, I consider those to help adcoms see into you in a different perspective. The major part will come from pharmacists and PhD letters, but letters like the one you're looking for are nice for making you more well-rounded.

I lol'd after reading that as well I have corrected that part of the post.

Thank you for the sage advice. What you are saying makes a lot of sense. I will do my best to collect a set of LoR's that will make me stand out as a well rounded individual.

 

[rylemdr]

You may want to rethink the phrasing of that statement.

It doesn't matter if he is a professor. They are looking for people that know you in a professional capacity (school, work, ECs, etc). I don't think they are going to pick apart the person writing the LoR, unless their LoR looks like it was written by a 3rd grader. TBH pick the top 3-4 people (or however many LoRs are required for the schools you are applying to) who will be able to speak highly of you. Does prestige come into play at all? Yes, but likely to only a minor degree until you start getting to the upper echelon of Deans, Presidents, etc in which case if they still write a crappy/insufficient letter their title likely won't compensate for the insufficiency of their letter. I had a pharmacy tech (my immediate supervisor) write one of my LoR as I was in a time crunch for this application period. They had it written and submitted in just a couple of hours. Based on previous writings of theirs I don't doubt that the letter was written at a lower level, but the content was probably a glowing review of my personality. All in all I would go for people that really like you, and not seek out people specifically for their title (unless you have connections to Obama 🙂 )

That is a good way to look at it. I have an ample amount of time to prepare these letters as I still have about 2 - 2 1/2 years of prerequisites to do. I will make an effort to ask a recommendation from my teachers and professors at the end of every course and pick out the best ones just before I submit an application.

 

[Skrumpy]

That is a good way to look at it. I have an ample amount of time to prepare these letters as I still have about 2 - 2 1/2 years of prerequisites to do. I will make an effort to ask a recommendation from my teachers and professors after every class and pick out the best ones just before I submit an application.

Well I wouldn't necessarily do that. There really isn't a need to ask for a LoR from each of your profs. What I would do is pick profs that are really outgoing and friendly and develop a "relationship" with them. Pop into their office hours 1-2 times a week, email them occasionally, ask them engaging questions about their research, do well in their class but don't be a "grade seeker", take an active interest in the material. Usually this is going to happen with a prof you have had successive courses with (such as a year long ochem, biology, math series, etc), but that doesn't have to be the case. Once you are out of the course you can still keep in touch with your prof. Perhaps ask them questions via email about material that ties in with what you are currently learning but incorporates what they were teaching you. There are many other ways as well. Some schools even have directed research programs which can really allow you to develop a tight bond with a prof.

 

[rylemdr]

Well I wouldn't necessarily do that. There really isn't a need to ask for a LoR from each of your profs. What I would do is pick profs that are really outgoing and friendly and develop a "relationship" with them. Pop into their office hours 1-2 times a week, email them occasionally, ask them engaging questions about their research, do well in their class but don't be a "grade seeker", take an active interest in the material. Usually this is going to happen with a prof you have had successive courses with (such as a year long ochem, biology, math series, etc), but that doesn't have to be the case. Once you are out of the course you can still keep in touch with your prof. Perhaps ask them questions via email about material that ties in with what you are currently learning but incorporates what they were teaching you. There are many other ways as well. Some schools even have directed research programs which can really allow you to develop a tight bond with a prof.

Great advice. I'll definitely keep all of what you said in mind. I'm glad that the things you've mentioned I have already started doing. I've built a good relationship with my instructor by approaching him at random times during the semester to ask what areas he could see that I could improve on. I'm showing him that I'm making an effort to be a better student and desiring to continually grow as an individual.

I'm starting general chem in the fall (if I get can even get in; waitlist # 9) at my local community college and will try to build a relationship with my professor as well. Thanks for all the tips!