LOR Question

[phoenix]

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I know a similar question has probably been posted in the forums many times before, but I was hoping for a Peds perspective (and maybe some reassurance).

I keep getting different advice about who to get letters of recommendation from (mostly from current residents).

Here are some examples.....
1) You must get a LOR from your Peds Sub-I (usually goes along with the "you must honor your peds sub-I" statement)
2) A good letter from a big name institution/Pediatrician is better than a great letter from a no-name institution/Pediatrician (if you want to get into residency at a big name institution)
3) A resident told me that he received a one paragraph LOR from a nationally known top Peds attending and was told by a top residency program that this was the most impressive part of his application. This letter basically just said "this student did well on my rigorous rotation."

I'm not top program material, but is this really what top programs are looking for?

I'm trying to maintain my anonymity, but I should probably mention that I have just about completed all of my fourth year electives and will not have any of the above mentioned LORs (before anyone tells me not to worry b/c I still have 4th year).

Thanks in advance to those who respond.

 

[Marigold]

My best piece of advice regarding letters is that you make sure your letter writers are people who know you pretty well...I think it's pretty easy to read a letter and decide whether or not the writer genuinuely knows and can describe what kind of person you are, or whether they are just writing another generic "so-and-so works hard and does a good job" kind of letter. Yes, big names are good, but I honestly would also place a lot of value on a letter that you KNOW will be complementary and personal from someone with a not-so-big name but who knows you well.

 

[oldbearprofessor]

Here are some examples.....
1) You must get a LOR from your Peds Sub-I (usually goes along with the "you must honor your peds sub-I" statement)
2) A good letter from a big name institution/Pediatrician is better than a great letter from a no-name institution/Pediatrician (if you want to get into residency at a big name institution)
3) A resident told me that he received a one paragraph LOR from a nationally known top Peds attending and was told by a top residency program that this was the most impressive part of his application. This letter basically just said "this student did well on my rigorous rotation."

1. It's a good idea to get a letter from an attending from a 4th year elective, but since you don't have to do a pedi sub-I, you don't have to honor it or get a LOR from it.
2. I disagree.
3. This might be a true anecdote. Maybe the person wasn't otherwise that remarkable. 🙂 So what? If you know such a person, it's nice to have that letter, if not, it won't hurt you. Even if you are at a medical school with a very famous pediatrician, programs will be aware that not every medical student will have interacted with them to get a letter.

In general, follow what Marigold said. Think about folks who can write the words "I would like to have this person as a house officer in MY program."