letters of recommendation guidelines

[bananaboat]

my school does not have a premed committee
i'm getting my research supervisor to write a letter of recommendation this thursday

i was wondering if there are any guidelines i should give her (min/max length, what to include, what not to include)

any advice, if possible from students involved in admission processes, would be very appreciated.

thanks

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[jackieMD2007]

I am in the same boat with you.
Here is what you should do:
Provide LOR writer with-AMCAS application (or resume if you don't have the app ready yet), personal statement, unofficial transcript (usually you can print off of the internet) as well as self-addressed-stamped-envelopes to the schools (if they have to mail them out).

Let your person know the letters are confidential (closed file) and that you need them to include your full legal name and AMCAS ID (or SSN).

After that is all set, I would also give the writers the Interfolio stuff so you will have a way to replace lost letters.

 

[spospo]

i did a google search to find some good ideas for people. my science profs had written before, so they didn't need much guidance. but my coach, humanities profs, and boss never had. some med school websites even hint at things they want in the letter. good luck

 

[bananaboat]

i did a google search to find some good ideas for people. my science profs had written before, so they didn't need much guidance. but my coach, humanities profs, and boss never had. some med school websites even hint at things they want in the letter. good luck

what about lenght?

what is the standard/min/maximum length?

i have one really strong reference and i was hoping she could write quite a bit, but i don't know what is an unacceptable amount.

 

[spospo]

i have yet to hear anything about length. i know if i was writing a letter, i would hate to have to meet/stay under a certain number. i think it is really up to the writer. some may tell more stories about you and be very wordy. other may just get right to the point. i wouldn't worry about giving your writers a length as much as a good idea of what they should write. hope that helps

 

[CTtarheel]

Career services at my school organizes LOR's for jobs, grad schools, etc. They won't accept LOR's longer than 3 pages. Mabye use that as a guideline? Just a thought.

 

[LizzyM]

Two pages is the norm. Some can manage it in one page.

Generally one paragraph for each:
In what context and for how long have you known the applicant?
What did the applicant work on in your classroom, workplace or lab?
What positive attributes did the applicant demonstrate?
Are there any negatives? (optional)
Summary paragraph with a recommendation to the committee.

 

[Matth52]

At my school they give us forms to hand to our recommenders, and there is only space for like a page worth of writing (but it says they can attach more if needed).