LORs - appropriate getting them from older friends

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qtpai

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Most of the people I live with at my dorm are graduate students, probably around 90%. Many of these are my friends. A few are somewhat close friends. One of these is 36 years old and will be getting her PhD in a year. She knows me better than any of my professors do or anyone else giving me LORs for that matter. She knows me from a context that they do not. Would it be appropriate for me to get a LOR from someone like this, or would it be inappropriate?

Thanks.

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Most of the people I live with at my dorm are graduate students, probably around 90%. Many of these are my friends. A few are somewhat close friends. One of these is 36 years old and will be getting her PhD in a year. She knows me better than any of my professors do or anyone else giving me LORs for that matter. She knows me from a context that they do not. Would it be appropriate for me to get a LOR from someone like this, or would it be inappropriate?

Thanks.

Not a good idea. She does not even have a PhD yet! It's essential you get it from someone who had authority over you (PI, volunteer club leader, shadowing physician).
 
I would not, I think most med schools are looking for letters that DO deal specifically within an academic context. Someone who knows your work ethic, intelligence, etc, with some hard facts to illustrate it. Honestly, a LOR from a friend is just one notch up from a letter written by family.:laugh:
 
Most of the people I live with at my dorm are graduate students, probably around 90%. Many of these are my friends. A few are somewhat close friends. One of these is 36 years old and will be getting her PhD in a year. She knows me better than any of my professors do or anyone else giving me LORs for that matter. She knows me from a context that they do not. Would it be appropriate for me to get a LOR from someone like this, or would it be inappropriate?

Thanks.

Definitely not. Someone who knows you solely from a personal viewpoint is considered a biased source, with conflict of interest. True that it would be the same for a teacher or boss that you get to be good friends with, but schools bank on their professionalism I guess for an accurate picture of your abilities.
 
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