LOR from PI, Science Professor, or Clinical Supervisor?

[letsdothis94]

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So I've seen many forums where there is uncertainty in using a PI for a science professor LOR. However,I have two letter writers with some ambiguity behind their relationship to me. First, my PI of two years also taught my intro biology course prior to me working for him. I'm assuming it wont count for both a Sci LOR and a research LOR so what determines their classification? Second, I have a clinical supervisor who was also my PI for the clinical research I was involved in. Again, who has final say in their relationship to me? This shouldn't be that big of a deal but considering some schools have strict LOR requirements it is of concern to me.

 

[deleted781806]

A writer counts as a "science LoR" if they have taught you in a science class, they would count as a "research LoR" of they were a PI during any type of research project you undertook (bench-top or clinical). I think that "science" generally takes preference over "research" but it would depend on the tone your letter-writer takes in their LoR, if they are emphasizing your academic capabilities or if they are emphasizing your research capabilities, that's what it really comes down to.

This is all assuming that you are sending in individual letters of med schools, and that your previous institution does not have a pre-med committee. If you fall under the latter category, the committee would decide which type of letters these writers would fall under and sort them accordingly.