Letters of Recommendation (Do they really mean that much?)

[Corks]

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Ok gang,

So I was accepted to a few places this year, and some places only wanted two letters of recommendation so I had to pick wisely.

One of my letters was from my cell biology professor, one from a PT that first got me interested in the profession and taught a PTA class, and the other was a PT that I worked with as a rehab for a year.

For the majority of schools, I gave all 3 letters, but some only wanted two. I decided to choose the professor and the PT that taught in PTA school.

Alright, so long story short, I am ineligible to apply to UW-Madison because one of the pre-req's I needed (Biomechanics) is full this spring, and I don't want to take it at a private school for 5x the cost. I'm happy with where I ended up. Either way, I decided to read my LOR's.

Two of them were 3 pages long, and REALLY thorough. The one from the PT who taught PTA's was literally 3 sentences long and was the most generic thing I have ever read in my life.

This letter was used in all of the schools I applied to. So my question is, from what I've seen, do LOR's really matter? 😛

 

[jblil]

I think the usual answer applies: "it depends."
If you have stellar GPAs, a high GRE score, and the adequate number of observation hours for the schools in question, than the LORs would be but the icing on the cake.
OTOH, if you have so-so grades, the LORs could make the difference between being invited to an interview and being rejected.

 

[jchen707]

^ agree. This whole application process can be a crap shoot and so whenever anyone asks, do I have a chance with my stats, the typical answer is it depends. This answer also applies to your case, because if you are already qualified for a certain program, then the LORs might not matter as much and prob won't hurt you, esp if the one of the LORs was in depth and detailed

 

[CherokeeWahine]

So my question is, from what I've seen, do LOR's really matter?

For schools that do not conduct interviews, LORs are extremely important. The LORs are the school's only way of "seeing" what character traits you possess.

For schools that do conduct interviews, LORs are probably hit or miss. It would depend on the program.

 

[arvest25]

For schools that do not conduct interviews, LORs are extremely important. The LORs are the school's only way of "seeing" what character traits you possess.

For schools that do conduct interviews, LORs are probably hit or miss. It would depend on the program.

Exact!!!

 

[Corks]

My whole point for bringing this up was that the school that DID see this really short and generic letter was one that accepted me! I was so surprised when I read it... This school (UWM) does not have interviews either, so they must have really liked my essays 🙂.

 

[CherokeeWahine]

My whole point for bringing this up was that the school that DID see this really short and generic letter was one that accepted me! I was so surprised when I read it... This school (UWM) does not have interviews either, so they must have really liked my essays 🙂.

That's another good point. Some programs look heavily at your writing abilities, so if you wrote a stellar essay and rocked the writing portion of the GRE, that also looks good for schools that do not conduct interviews.

 

[arvest25]

That's another good point. Some programs look heavily at your writing abilities, so if you wrote a stellar essay and rocked the writing portion of the GRE, that also looks good for schools that do not conduct interviews.

Yes it does! That alone helped me out with a few schools I applied to! I had pretty descent stats to go along with them, but that really enhanced my chances!

 

[dizzy88]

Depends on a lot of things.

At my school, you get 20 points through your application, 6 coming from your LORs, 9 from your personal statement, and the other 5 as your application as a whole (GPA, experience, extra curriculars, etc). Top 150 scoring people get interviews.

So, if you had a great essay and a solid application, LORs may not mean as much. However, if you're in a competitive applicant pool, or if you're lacking somewhere, it could mean a lot.