Letters of Recommendation

Veterinary School Application Advising Ad
This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
I

icedblackcoffee

New Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2018
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Members don't see this ad.
hi all!

First of all I'm new to sdn so my apologies if I post this in the wrong forum. (still navigating the site)
So I have a few questions about letters of recommendation:
1. For LOR from a professor, does it have to be a science professor?
2. I'm currently an undergrad and plan on taking two gap years. Where can I save my LOR and how do these online portfolios work? My school offers a letters of reference service but from what I'm reading online it seems like they only send out letters by snail mail. Correct me if I'm wrong but vmcas only accept electronic letters right? so I'm assuming they will not accept the physical letters from my school.
Overall if someone could explain the process and how I would upload my eLOR on the application from an online portfolio that would be very appreciated. Thanks!
 
icedblackcoffee said:
1. For LOR from a professor, does it have to be a science professor?
Click to expand...
Most schools don’t specifically require it to be a science professor. They may prefer it if you were to ask them because vet school is all science, but afaik none I applied to specifically required a science professor. Your best bet is to check with the schools you’re planning to apply to.

icedblackcoffee said:
Where can I save my LOR and how do these online portfolios work? My school offers a letters of reference service but from what I'm reading online it seems like they only send out letters by snail mail. Correct me if I'm wrong but vmcas only accept electronic letters right? so I'm assuming they will not accept the physical letters from my school.
Overall if someone could explain the process and how I would upload my eLOR on the application from an online portfolio that would be very appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...
You cannot use an online portfolio for LORs for vet schools. They are required to be uploaded by the letter writer and there is a “survey” type thing where they rate you in different categories.
 
icedblackcoffee said:
hi all!

First of all I'm new to sdn so my apologies if I post this in the wrong forum. (still navigating the site)
So I have a few questions about letters of recommendation:
1. For LOR from a professor, does it have to be a science professor?
2. I'm currently an undergrad and plan on taking two gap years. Where can I save my LOR and how do these online portfolios work? My school offers a letters of reference service but from what I'm reading online it seems like they only send out letters by snail mail. Correct me if I'm wrong but vmcas only accept electronic letters right? so I'm assuming they will not accept the physical letters from my school.
Overall if someone could explain the process and how I would upload my eLOR on the application from an online portfolio that would be very appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...
1. It should be a professor who is able to say how well you handle school and in particular rigorous material but most importantly someone who knows you well. So not necessarily science. A common distribution is one vet, one academic and one employer reference. Mine followed this distribution but overlap (e.g. my employer was a vet). For academic I selected my research PI who was also my employer. And he was A professor just not MY professor...but I selected him because I didn't really know any of my teachers personally.

2. As ski said you can't save the letters, they are confidentially ontained via the email of the selected LOR writer. You need to keep in touch with whomever you would like to ask from. For two of the vets I have letters from (a lab I volunteered in on campus) I wrote them updates last year as I received interviews.l and to say thanks for writing one. Then when I had to ask again this year it wasnt liked I had become a stranger.
 
For acedemic which is better?

Anatomy and physiology Professor who knew you well but haven’t spoken to in many many years. I graduated over ten years ago. Did great in class and tutored for that class the following year.

Or

Professor from this Fall in physics, also did well but teacher doesn’t know me as well.

Both willing to write recommendations.
 
PppermintTwist said:
For acedemic which is better?

Anatomy and physiology Professor who knew you well but haven’t spoken to in many many years. I graduated over ten years ago. Did great in class and tutored for that class the following year.

Or

Professor from this Fall in physics, also did well but teacher doesn’t know me as well.

Both willing to write recommendations.
Click to expand...
Ask yourself what would you like them to say about you and if they would be able to say it

That should give you your answer
 
PppermintTwist said:
For acedemic which is better?

Anatomy and physiology Professor who knew you well but haven’t spoken to in many many years. I graduated over ten years ago. Did great in class and tutored for that class the following year.

Or

Professor from this Fall in physics, also did well but teacher doesn’t know me as well.

Both willing to write recommendations.
Click to expand...
I think it's important to ask yourself what the letters from each professor would consist of. I had 2 academic letters (one chemistry professor and one biology professor/research adviser/pre-vet adviser/I studied abroad with her), and I knew that each of them could write about my work ethic, determination, leadership, etc. BUT I only knew that they could write about it because they knew me so closely. If I hadn't spent the 10 hours/week in my chemistry professor's office hours, he would have had no idea what my work ethic was like. If I didn't spend hours working with my adviser, she would have no clue on my leadership ability. I could have asked other professors, but none of them knew me closely enough to talk about personal things like those.
Obviously, it may be difficult for a professor from 10 years ago to recall specific information. Maybe you can send them a resume of things that you have done, or even talk about specific experiences you would like for them to highlight in your letter? For my chemistry professor I specifically asked if he would be able to write a letter that outlined my work ethic in his classes
 
SkiOtter said:
if they don't know you how are they going to write you a good STRONG LOR versus some generic bull****
Click to expand...

I need an acedemic LOR so I have to pick someone. The recent prof does know me, the one a long time ago just knew me better as I tutored and mentored for my major at my school. He ran the mentor program.

I’ll send the schools an email and see what they would prefer. I feel like 12-13 years ago may be a stretch.
 
cbucks said:
I think it's important to ask yourself what the letters from each professor would consist of. I had 2 academic letters (one chemistry professor and one biology professor/research adviser/pre-vet adviser/I studied abroad with her), and I knew that each of them could write about my work ethic, determination, leadership, etc. BUT I only knew that they could write about it because they knew me so closely. If I hadn't spent the 10 hours/week in my chemistry professor's office hours, he would have had no idea what my work ethic was like. If I didn't spend hours working with my adviser, she would have no clue on my leadership ability. I could have asked other professors, but none of them knew me closely enough to talk about personal things like those.
Obviously, it may be difficult for a professor from 10 years ago to recall specific information. Maybe you can send them a resume of things that you have done, or even talk about specific experiences you would like for them to highlight in your letter? For my chemistry professor I specifically asked if he would be able to write a letter that outlined my work ethic in his classes
Click to expand...

That is a good idea. I guess I worry about leading the letter at all. I’m sure the prof from a long time ago would tell me if they couldn’t do it due to the passage of time.
 
CoffeeQuestionMark said:
Ask yourself what would you like them to say about you and if they would be able to say it

That should give you your answer
Click to expand...

Vmcas does a survey too...? I worry they both might have a hard time doing that. One because of the passage of time and the other because I just took the one class with him.

What questions are asked?
 
PppermintTwist said:
I need an acedemic LOR so I have to pick someone. The recent prof does know me, the one a long time ago just knew me better as I tutored and mentored for my major at my school. He ran the mentor program.

I’ll send the schools an email and see what they would prefer. I feel like 12-13 years ago may be a stretch.
Click to expand...

This is likely going to get you nowhere. They can't tell you which letter would be better - they don't know you OR your potential recommenders. If anything, they would "prefer" the stronger letter - which is something only you can be the judge of based on how well the professors know you.
 
WhtsThFrequency said:
This is likely going to get you nowhere. They can't tell you which letter would be better - they don't know you OR your potential recommenders. If anything, they would "prefer" the stronger letter - which is something only you can be the judge of based on how well the professors know you.
Click to expand...

Then they shall have been as helpful as this at least
 
PppermintTwist said:
Then they shall have been as helpful as this at least
Click to expand...
As tough as it is, we can’t tell you which professor to choose because we don’t know the specifics about you, your application, your professors, etc. We could all sit here and say that the best letter is going to come from a professor who knows you well and can prove your qualities needed to be a vet, but you’re the only one who could know which processor has the potential to do that.
I would suggest meeting with each professor (preferably in person, but email can also work) and talk to them about how they would feel about writing you a STRONG letter of recommendation. Tell them it doesn’t have to be an immediate decision yet, but you would like if they could think about if they would be able to write you a great letter. If either appear hesitant, then you know they wouldn’t be able to and you’ll have to choose someone else.
 
cbucks said:
As tough as it is, we can’t tell you which professor to choose because we don’t know the specifics about you, your application, your professors, etc. We could all sit here and say that the best letter is going to come from a professor who knows you well and can prove your qualities needed to be a vet, but you’re the only one who could know which processor has the potential to do that.
I would suggest meeting with each professor (preferably in person, but email can also work) and talk to them about how they would feel about writing you a STRONG letter of recommendation. Tell them it doesn’t have to be an immediate decision yet, but you would like if they could think about if they would be able to write you a great letter. If either appear hesitant, then you know they wouldn’t be able to and you’ll have to choose someone else.
Click to expand...

I know you can’t tell me who is the best, I was asking for opinions.

Thanks all for your thoughts. I will do what I think is best. No need for further replies of similar content. Thank you.
 
SkiOtter said:
Most schools don’t specifically require it to be a science professor. They may prefer it if you were to ask them because vet school is all science, but afaik none I applied to specifically required a science professor. Your best bet is to check with the schools you’re planning to apply to.


You cannot use an online portfolio for LORs for vet schools. They are required to be uploaded by the letter writer and there is a “survey” type thing where they rate you in different categories.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much, this was very helpful! Just to be clear if an evaluator uploads a letter of rec. they must also fill out a survey? I just want to make sure I can tell my professor and warn them in case they can't remember too well a year later. (Also sorry it took so long to respond, I thought I would get a notification in my email. I didn't realize I should be checking the forum).
 
icedblackcoffee said:
Thanks so much, this was very helpful! Just to be clear if an evaluator uploads a letter of rec. they must also fill out a survey? I just want to make sure I can tell my professor and warn them in case they can't remember too well a year later. (Also sorry it took so long to respond, I thought I would get a notification in my email. I didn't realize I should be checking the forum).
Click to expand...
It's basically a "rank this person in these categories on a scale from 1-10." Pretty short and sweet.
 
icedblackcoffee said:
Thanks so much, this was very helpful! Just to be clear if an evaluator uploads a letter of rec. they must also fill out a survey? I just want to make sure I can tell my professor and warn them in case they can't remember too well a year later. (Also sorry it took so long to respond, I thought I would get a notification in my email. I didn't realize I should be checking the forum).
Click to expand...
Yep afaik the survey is mandatory.
If you go to the top of the thread and unwatch, you can rewatch and check “with email notifications”
I think it’s also a setting on your account where it does or doesn’t automatically watch with email notifications, so you could check there too if you just want notifications for any thread you’ve watched/posted on.
 
yes hi good morning everyone

SO I'm presently a contender at only 2 out of the 10 schools to which I applied this cycle. Gearing myself up to need to reapply BUT

My biggest experience, my biggest unique selling point and probably the only reason I got interviews, is now the job from which I've been fired. It's a long story as to why I was fired and it was pretty unfair to me if I'm honest, but either way I know that my supervisors thought I was good at what I did - efficient, smart, etc - despite the firing.

HOWEVER, I do not think it would be appropriate to ask for another letter of recommendation from either of these supervisors. They wrote me one this cycle, but I don't think it would be cool to ask again given recent events. I know I still have the experience behind me, but I feel like it's only halfway legitimate without a letter to go along with it. I DO think it's fine to check off that they may contact the experience on VMCAS, just not ask for a whole LoR. I'm afraid that I will not get the same consideration that I did this year without that letter.

Thoughts?
 
sheltermed said:
yes hi good morning everyone

SO I'm presently a contender at only 2 out of the 10 schools to which I applied this cycle. Gearing myself up to need to reapply BUT

My biggest experience, my biggest unique selling point and probably the only reason I got interviews, is now the job from which I've been fired. It's a long story as to why I was fired and it was pretty unfair to me if I'm honest, but either way I know that my supervisors thought I was good at what I did - efficient, smart, etc - despite the firing.

HOWEVER, I do not think it would be appropriate to ask for another letter of recommendation from either of these supervisors. They wrote me one this cycle, but I don't think it would be cool to ask again given recent events. I know I still have the experience behind me, but I feel like it's only halfway legitimate without a letter to go along with it. I DO think it's fine to check off that they may contact the experience on VMCAS, just not ask for a whole LoR. I'm afraid that I will not get the same consideration that I did this year without that letter.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

First of all, I'm sorry you lost your job Shelter. That sucks, and I hope you find something better soon.

IMO (whatever that's worth) it won't be a red flag to not submit a LOR from that job if your other LORs are strong. Obviously there's a limit on the number of letters schools will accept, and realistically you'll have to prioritize which people/employers you want to ask. It's totally logical that you could have 4 or 5 really, really awesome connections and experiences that you want to prioritize over this one job. Not having a letter from this place shouldn't make or break you next cycle, if you end up having to apply again. Just try to make sure your vet, academic, and other letters are as strong as possible.

Anecdotal story: I wasn't accepted in my two cycles. I interviewed twice, was rejected first and wait listed the second time. The most unique experience I had (both times) was my pathology shadowing/employment. I never asked for a letter from them, and it never came up in file reviews. The first time the adcom wanted me to give them another academic letter, the second time they said my letters, experience, volunteering were all great, but I could try and improve my GPA by doing a master's. So, for what it's worth, my really cool experience was still really cool without a LOR. (although obviously not cool enough to get me in 😉)
 
As an extra note, it doesn’t HAVE to be a professor if it’s an “academic reference”. The only actual professor I asked said no because he was partially retired. I didn’t have any other professors that knew me well enough so I asked two of my graduate TAs (both were PhD candidates) that taught the lab for two different classes.

I was accepted to 3/5 schools I applied for, waitlisted to one, and only denied to another (I think my GPA was the issue for Davis though).

If you are closer with a TA and they know your work ethic and everything better than a normal professor, it may be worth asking one.
 
danseth said:
As an extra note, it doesn’t HAVE to be a professor if it’s an “academic reference”. The only actual professor I asked said no because he was partially retired. I didn’t have any other professors that knew me well enough so I asked two of my graduate TAs (both were PhD candidates) that taught the lab for two different classes.

I was accepted to 3/5 schools I applied for, waitlisted to one, and only denied to another (I think my GPA was the issue for Davis though).

If you are closer with a TA and they know your work ethic and everything better than a normal professor, it may be worth asking one.
Click to expand...
Varies by school. Tufts and LMU want a professor who has taught you as one of the letters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

O
Letters of recommendation-nontrads
Replies
14
Views
2K
thenontraveler
thenontraveler
M
Letters of Recommendation
Replies
3
Views
1K
Bonfuturedvm
Bonfuturedvm
L
Letters of Recommendation
Replies
8
Views
2K
LetItSnow
LetItSnow
haileylee7
Letter of Intent
Replies
3
Views
988
battie
battie
T
Waitlisted: Sending Letters (yay or nay)
Replies
5
Views
2K
Caroline.Cave
C
Top