LOR Letterhead Question

[Guacamolerat]

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A recommender of mine was writing their LOR and stated they did not have an official letterhead. Is an unofficial letterhead with name, address, and contact information sufficient for medical schools? There is no company attached to the letterhead. They're one of my employers but not specifically designated under any organization. It's a complex situation, and without going too much into detail, they employ students as a way to provide support to someone who is close to them. Thank you for the help!

 

[wysdoc]

A recommender of mine was writing their LOR and stated they did not have an official letterhead. Is an unofficial letterhead with name, address, and contact information sufficient for medical schools? There is no company attached to the letterhead. They're one of my employers but not specifically designated under any organization. It's a complex situation, and without going too much into detail, they employ students as a way to provide support to someone who is close to them. Thank you for the help!

They can create a letterhead on their computer, being sure it includes their name, title, email and phone contact info

 

[LizzyM]

Frankly, it does not seem to be a letter that will be helpful in any way.

 

[Guacamolerat]

Frankly, it does not seem to be a letter that will be helpful in any way.

Sorry, could you expand on why you think this? It’s one of my largest clinical experiences for my application, and is a rather large shaping experience for my journey in medicine.

 

[LizzyM]

A recommender of mine was writing their LOR and stated they did not have an official letterhead. Is an unofficial letterhead with name, address, and contact information sufficient for medical schools? There is no company attached to the letterhead. They're one of my employers but not specifically designated under any organization. It's a complex situation, and without going too much into detail, they employ students as a way to provide support to someone who is close to them. Thank you for the help!

Maybe I misinterpreted this line. I thought that they were employing students as a way of supporting students to whom they were connected (sweetheart deals) but now I realize that you are working for someone who has hired students to care for a loved one with a disability. You can list this in your activities section with the contact information for the employer without having a LOR from that person and you can reference the employment in your essays. The letter is not going to be a huge help.

 

[Guacamolerat]

Maybe I misinterpreted this line. I thought that they were employing students as a way of supporting students to whom they were connected (sweetheart deals) but now I realize that you are working for someone who has hired students to care for a loved one with a disability. You can list this in your activities section with the contact information for the employer without having a LOR from that person and you can reference the employment in your essays. The letter is not going to be a huge help.

Gotcha! Yes sorry that is what I meant from description. Who would you recommend I reach out for a LOR from, if not someone who can attest to my clinical side? Currently I have my two stem profs, bio and orgo, my Italian prof who I built a great relationship with, and my PI from research. Thank you for your help!

 

[LizzyM]

Okay, so my bias is as someone at a top med school that is focused on research. We are happy to see the four letters you have: 2 stem professors, a non-stem professor and a PI. I've generally found that clinical letters tend to be mundane and unhelpful. "he showed up on time, his clothing was clean and pressed, he was respectful of the patients, even those who asked him to leave the room during their visits".

 

[Guacamolerat]

Okay, so my bias is as someone at a top med school that is focused on research. We are happy to see the four letters you have: 2 stem professors, a non-stem professor and a PI. I've generally found that clinical letters tend to be mundane and unhelpful. "he showed up on time, his clothing was clean and pressed, he was respectful of the patients, even those who asked him to leave the room during their visits".

I see, thank you for your help!