Letters of Reference?

[BVSc2016Hopeful]

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I have some options when it comes to letters of reference. I can ask several of the veterinarians I have worked with, and I hope the double boarded vet I worked for most recently will consent to writing one of them. The other 1 or 2 could be from the interns/residents I worked with at the same place as the above vet. Or I can ask one of the ER docs I worked with about 2 years ago (I worked there full time for over a year, they know me well!). Or I can ask one of the top equestrians I've worked for. Or I can ask the Manager of the Animal Sanctuary I worked for. Or one of my fellow technicians who is now in vet school. Or one of the students I worked with/taught who is now entered her fourth year at a well respected vet school.

What would you do?

 

[l2vet]

Do all of these people you listed know you equally? If there's differences in the amount/length of experience you have with each of them, let us know.

I would always say to get at least 1 of those vets you worked with, and it doesn't necessarily have to be the 2x boarded one. If one of them specializes in an area of interest of yours, I'd pick that one, even if it's the one with less letters after their name--I think they'd be able to write a more targeted letter. If you can get 2 of the vets, I think that would be wise.

More generally, I'd choose people I'd worked with recently, over people I'd worked with several years ago, UNLESS those experiences are so exceptional as to override the combined experiences and recent-ness of the others.

I'd have to say I'd steer away from technicians. Not that anything is wrong with them or they're not expert, but you're looking for someone to attest to your potential as a veterinarian and as a student, and I'd stick with vets for the former and professors for the latter. Now, if you're using the technician for a personal or character reference, then they're a total green light. I'd say the same for vet students. It's not that they wouldn't be able to write you a great letter, it's just that they may not be able to properly attest to the specific characteristics that you're trying to bring to the forefront. The animal sanctuary manager would be a good choice in my opinion, but not as good as a veterinarian. They can more attest to your animal experience, but not necessarily to your veterinary potential or experience.

 

[BVSc2016Hopeful]

The doubled boarded vet doesn't know me quite as well as the interns and residents I worked with, but was the supervisor for my unit. He's also faculty at a well-respected CVM. I asked him, we'll see what he says. The Animal Sanctuary Manager I only worked with for about 4 months. The ER doc I worked with for approx the same amount of time as the other vets, but it was not as recent.

So it sounds like I should use the intern and resident I worked the closest with for the LOR and can include the others for personal references if needed?

 

[sumstorm]

Go with quality and ability and willingness to write an excellent letter when asking DVMs/professors to write letters. You could have the best thrice boarded person on earth, but if they write a rushed, or mediocore, or generic letter, it will do more harm than good.

I did use a vet experience that was 4 years old when I applied, but I had 5 years of experience with him, it was zoo experience, and he could address the issues I was concerned might be questions for ad coms.

I took a different approach to choosing my LOR's; I asked myself what the adcoms most needed to find out from my LOR's in general and that might appear lacking elsewhere in my application, then I asked people whether they would be willing to write a very positive LOR that illustrated X and Y? If they seemed interested, I'd ask to meet with them and go over my performance/experience with them. When I sat down for that meeting, I gave them a copy of my resume, and a brief memo about experiences I had under their guidance that were significant for me (and conveniently illustrated the challenges I was hoping they would address.) I told them that I really appreciated their writing a LOR, that I know it takes alot of effort on their part, and that I wanted to make it as easy for them as possible, and that I know how easy it is to forget all the great experiences they helped provide.

No one took offence to the assistance; realisticly they are incredibly busy and what was significant to me was probably just a regular occurence for them. I also asked if there was anything they felt was important for them to include and any concerns or negatives they had about writing the LOR. This gave us a chance to clear up any issues as well.

 

[libster06]

You can also have an advisor from your school write you one, if they know you well. Some people have great advisors and have closer relationships than others, and the advisors have seen the progress the student has made throughout their undergrad career, so they know the goals the student has. It's a great way to let the committee know about your academic background, and not just your work ethic.

I would also recommend getting a letter from at least one veterinarian. Some may disagree with me, but even if the vet doesn't know you THAT well, they have to know you some, since they must have hired you and worked with you in a clinic setting?

Lastly, you need to definitely be sure that these people will write you a positive LOR. It would amaze you the people that actually do not write positive LORs for students. I was in a lecture recently and the speaker said that he used to be on an internship committee for a vet school, and some of the people that the applicants were asking to write them recommendations were actually advising against the applicant, and/or saying negative things about them. Seems like the writers would have notified the applicant prior to sabotaging their application, but that apparently was not the case. So, as susmtorm said, it is good to make sure that the people you choose know what you want them to write about and they are willing to stand behind that.

 

[BVSc2016Hopeful]

The double boarded vet definitely knows me well, I worked with him for over a year full time. There is also nothing mediocre about him, he'll write an amazing LOR, I'm sure. I was really wondering about the other LOR, should it be from two vets, or is it better to have some diversity? I can get another vet from the same work experience, or a vet from a past facility I worked for (also worked there over a year full time). No shortages of vets who I've worked with, for sure! Maybe include a third from someone outside the vet industry who knows me well? I have a riding instructor who I worked with off and on for over 10 years who would write me a glowing recommendation.

 

[l2vet]

Lastly, you need to definitely be sure that these people will write you a positive LOR. It would amaze you the people that actually do not write positive LORs for students. I was in a lecture recently and the speaker said that he used to be on an internship committee for a vet school, and some of the people that the applicants were asking to write them recommendations were actually advising against the applicant, and/or saying negative things about them. Seems like the writers would have notified the applicant prior to sabotaging their application, but that apparently was not the case. So, as susmtorm said, it is good to make sure that the people you choose know what you want them to write about and they are willing to stand behind that.

That's YOUR responsibility to ask for a good recommendation. If you ask someone to write a recommendation for you, they will write what they know. If they know more good things than bad, it would be unethical of them to give you a glowing recommendation. Anyways, you should never even be asking someone you think would remotely have anything bad to say about you. But even a good recommender will comment on your weaknesses in a non-damaging fashion, i.e. "while she is not the quickest worker, she is always very thorough" or something of that nature.

@OP
I'd still give my recommendation that the purpose of recommendation letters is to attest to your ability to succeed in:
1. veterinary school (ability to excel in sciences, research, etc)
2. professional school in general (work ethic, study habits)
3. as a veterinarian (evidenced by your behavior in experiences and the opinion of practicing vets.
Therefore, I think you should always have at MINIMUM 1 vet, who can attest to #3. #1 can be usually most succinctly and accurately described by a research advisor, professor, or academic advisor. #2 is the most general, and that's where you have some real wiggle room as far as who you get to give you the recommendation.

Basically, the end all and be all of the above novel is that I would worry less about the position of who you have writing the letter pertaining to #2, and more of how targeted/specific/focused they can be in their recommendation of you. Anyone can write a letter of recommendation, but it's up to you to find someone who can write you not only a glowing review, but one that stands out among the crowd of generic letters.

 

[libster06]

That's YOUR responsibility to ask for a good recommendation. If you ask someone to write a recommendation for you, they will write what they know. If they know more good things than bad, it would be unethical of them to give you a glowing recommendation. Anyways, you should never even be asking someone you think would remotely have anything bad to say about you.

I'm certain the people in my earlier example did not think their writers were going to write bad things? Yea, it is YOUR responsibility, but apparently just asking for a letter isn't enough in some cases, because some writers may not tell you they aren't going to give you the greatest recs. What if you think you worked really well with them and they think otherwise? So, would it be better of them to let you know ahead of time that they don't feel comfortable writing a positive recommendation? Of course. Do people always do that? No.