My instructor said she will write me an "average-good" LOR...should I accept?

[NFkappaB]

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Hi, I recently asked my molecular biology lab instructor to write me a reference for medical school. Here is some background -

She was my lab instructor for about 4 molecular/cell biology labs - in which I got A+ on all of them. She knows I am diligent, hard working, and academically very strong. However, there was an incident where a lab partner of mine complained that I was difficult to work with...that I was constantly putting her down, rude, disrespectful...etc etc. So, this lab instructor put her in a new group, and asked me to work by myself for the rest of the way.

I recently asked her to write me LOR, she responded positively. However, when I asked her more specifically if the LOR will be a "strong one", she responded by saying "I should be able to write you a good reference FOR THE MOST PART." The part *FOR THE MOST PART* troubled me and I asked her further in person, if this LOR will be "reflective of my academic abilities...etc etc" and she replied "I wrote you an average-good" reference. I can see that she was in a bad mood that day and was a bit annoyed by me keeping on asking her about the reference.

So, should I now trash her reference?

 

[apoptosis123]

So, should I now trash her reference?

yes.

 

[FattySlug]

I understand the frustration of seeing a good LOR becoming average but look at it on the bright side: she let you know how good it is gonna be. That is waaaaay better than not saying anything and gave you an average one.

I guess my advice is to look at other sources for LORs. Only use this one as the last resort. Give her a few months to cool off while you look for other LORs. I got mine from 2 small biology classes that I took where I actually got to know the professors.

Edit: oh yea try to be gentle to lab partners in the future LOL. Can't expect too much from people really.

 

[deleted307836]

Do not use her reference. Forget it even exists.

That is pretty disappointing though, especially considering that you've had her for multiple classes and did well.

It's good you asked her; at least she admitted it was an "average" LOR. And the "for the most part" phrase that you alluded to doesn't bode well at all either. 🙁

 

[gettheleadout]

I would not use her letter.

 

[deleted307836]

Do you have any other professors that you think could write a good LOR?

 

[NFkappaB]

Do you have any other professors that you think could write a good LOR?

To be honest, this instructor was my best choice on paper. Took 4 labs with her, and received A+ on all 4 labs. For courses, I only got As, and didn't have as much contact with them.

 

[senorsquishie]

Don't use it. Period.

 

[hiyaman]

Hi, I recently asked my molecular biology lab instructor to write me a reference for medical school. Here is some background -

She was my lab instructor for about 4 molecular/cell biology labs - in which I got A+ on all of them. She knows I am diligent, hard working, and academically very strong. However, there was an incident where a lab partner of mine complained that I was difficult to work with...that I was constantly putting her down, rude, disrespectful...etc etc. So, this lab instructor put her in a new group, and asked me to work by myself for the rest of the way.

I recently asked her to write me LOR, she responded positively. However, when I asked her more specifically if the LOR will be a "strong one", she responded by saying "I should be able to write you a good reference FOR THE MOST PART." The part *FOR THE MOST PART* troubled me and I asked her further in person, if this LOR will be "reflective of my academic abilities...etc etc" and she replied "I wrote you an average-good" reference. I can see that she was in a bad mood that day and was a bit annoyed by me keeping on asking her about the reference.

So, should I now trash her reference?

were you rude and disrespectful? No one wants to work with a jack ass

 

[orthomyxo]

were you rude and disrespectful? No one wants to work with a jack ass

This. If I were the professor, I wouldn't write you a good letter if you were rude. Trash it.

 

[getright]

were you rude and disrespectful? No one wants to work with a jack ass

I would love to hear an explanation of this.

 

[ksmi117]

To be honest, this instructor was my best choice on paper. Took 4 labs with her, and received A+ on all 4 labs. For courses, I only got As, and didn't have as much contact with them.

It doesn't matter what grade you got in the professor's class as long as the letter speak well of your abilities. Besides, for med school applications, A's and A+'s are the same. I wouldn't use this letter. If she seemed hestitant about writing a strong letter, she won't. End of story.

 

[apumic]

Hi, I recently asked my molecular biology lab instructor to write me a reference for medical school. Here is some background -

She was my lab instructor for about 4 molecular/cell biology labs - in which I got A+ on all of them. She knows I am diligent, hard working, and academically very strong. However, there was an incident where a lab partner of mine complained that I was difficult to work with...that I was constantly putting her down, rude, disrespectful...etc etc. So, this lab instructor put her in a new group, and asked me to work by myself for the rest of the way.

I recently asked her to write me LOR, she responded positively. However, when I asked her more specifically if the LOR will be a "strong one", she responded by saying "I should be able to write you a good reference FOR THE MOST PART." The part *FOR THE MOST PART* troubled me and I asked her further in person, if this LOR will be "reflective of my academic abilities...etc etc" and she replied "I wrote you an average-good" reference. I can see that she was in a bad mood that day and was a bit annoyed by me keeping on asking her about the reference.

So, should I now trash her reference?

Honestly, having taught labs myself, I wouldn't have given you a good LOR after that incident either. From what you just said, people find you difficult to be around and difficult to work with. I don't think I could, in good conscience, "strongly recommend" you for much of anything when you suck at "playing nice" with other people and, frankly, that's probably the most crucial thing most adcoms are looking for in an LOR, because, really, they can see your academic performance and such through your transcripts. It's the soft skills and personality stuff (ability to "place nice," reliability, honesty/integrity, etc.) that they want someone else's assessment of. Your A or A+ (or whatever) is irrelevant in writing the letter. There have been C students in my classes for whom I would write a STELLAR letter and A students for whom I would refuse to write a letter (or, if pressed, write a fairly scathing letter b/c of things like extreme lack of reliability or social sensitivity, excessive grade grubbing, etc).

 

[Biebs]

Caribbean medical schools are good... FOR THE MOST PART.

Eeeeeeek.

I seriously would consider looking for alternative sources for a letter of recommendation. She doesn't sound too nice. It's an unfortunate situation, but good thing you asked. Obviously you want to avoid any blemishes on your application, at least the ones you're in control of (PS, parts of your AMCAS, etc). It sounds to me like she gave you a mediocre letter, why use it if you could get a better one from a different professor?

Yikes.

 

[gettheleadout]

It doesn't matter what grade you got in the professor's class as long as the letter speak well of your abilities. Besides, for med school applications, A's and A+'s are the same. I wouldn't use this letter. If she seemed hestitant about writing a strong letter, she won't. End of story.

I haven't had much experience with this issue on SDN, but does the grade received in the course matter at all in the efficacy of a LOR from the course professor? I would imagine, as you said, that even if one didn't get an A in a class, the letter writer's opinion of your work ethic and such matters much more, though I'd worry that they might not say enough to compensate for not saying you were one of their highest scoring students. Opinions, anyone?

 

[Biebs]

I think it just depends on your letter writers. If they are good, motivated, and genuinely care about your letter when writing it then you could have gotten a C in the class and still have a great letter of recommendation.

However, again, it's all dependent on your letter writer. Professors who hate/are bad at writing letters could very well produce a mediocre letter even if you performed at the top of your class. Obviously, having a high grade in the course will help you, but having a low one (not an A) wont necessarily hinder you.

 

[apumic]

I haven't had much experience with this issue on SDN, but does the grade received in the course matter at all in the efficacy of a LOR from the course professor? I would imagine, as you said, that even if one didn't get an A in a class, the letter writer's opinion of your work ethic and such matters much more, though I'd worry that they might not say enough to compensate for not saying you were one of their highest scoring students. Opinions, anyone?

I'd probably not ask someone whose class you got less than a B in. That said, getting an A does NOT necessarily indicate it's the best person to ask. Basically, go with profs you know well who like you. If you've given them reason to have doubts, maybe ask them. Have an open discussion. We realize students make mistakes, and if they're isolated instances, we often want to know what happened. When I notice an A student not turn something in or turn in a really low quality project (e.g., in lab every report she's ever turned in was 95+% and suddenly she turns in a good pre-lab with a bare-bones skeleton of a report, netting her, say, 17% on the entire assignment), I often will approach the student in private and ask what happened (sometimes teasingly, sometimes more seriously, depending upon the student and what I suspect might be the situation). We're human, too. Whether or not we can give you a by on your grade, we don't want to see our students fail -- esp. not the ones we see working hard and have taken a liking to. In that hypothetical case, I would gladly write a stellar letter for such a student and entirely ignore the one project. I might even let her redo it for half-credit or similar because I knew she would not have let something fall through the cracks had there not been more critical issues requiring her immediate attention. Seek out those professors that have taken a liking to you. They'll be pretty forgiving. In the case of the OP, it sounds like a complaint was made that got to the instructor and made her wonder about the OP's social skills and ability to work with others. If the OP hasn't given sufficient evidence that such a perspective is completely baseless, the instructor has little choice but to wonder whether the OP can effectively work with other people. That will ultimately ruin the OP's chances of receiving a truly positive evaluation from her.

 

[gettheleadout]

I'd probably not ask someone whose class you got less than a B in. That said, getting an A does NOT necessarily indicate it's the best person to ask. Basically, go with profs you know well who like you. If you've given them reason to have doubts, maybe ask them. Have an open discussion.

That makes sense.

 

[rHinO1]

Hi, I recently asked my molecular biology lab instructor to write me a reference for medical school. Here is some background -

She was my lab instructor for about 4 molecular/cell biology labs - in which I got A+ on all of them. She knows I am diligent, hard working, and academically very strong. However, there was an incident where a lab partner of mine complained that I was difficult to work with...that I was constantly putting her down, rude, disrespectful...etc etc. So, this lab instructor put her in a new group, and asked me to work by myself for the rest of the way.

I recently asked her to write me LOR, she responded positively. However, when I asked her more specifically if the LOR will be a "strong one", she responded by saying "I should be able to write you a good reference FOR THE MOST PART." The part *FOR THE MOST PART* troubled me and I asked her further in person, if this LOR will be "reflective of my academic abilities...etc etc" and she replied "I wrote you an average-good" reference. I can see that she was in a bad mood that day and was a bit annoyed by me keeping on asking her about the reference.

So, should I now trash her reference?

Don't use the letter, and more importantly, stop being a d-bag.

 

[slatermd]

Don't use the letter, and more importantly, stop being a d-bag.

LAWL! pwned eleventy one

 

[Uisa]

If I were you, I would not use that letter. An average-good letter? What the he!! does that really mean? How do you qualify an "average good"? You get my point? I would ask another professor to write you a LOR and this time ask the professor right from the start if they are able to write you a great recommendation

 

[NFkappaB]

Hi

First of all, the first incident, I made it clear that I disagreed with my lab partner's version of events. The bottomline was that she didn't like me for who I was, not that I did anything wrong. The lab instructor didn't really want to hear my side, and just said I will be working on my own for the rest of the semester. In no way or shape did I admit guilt.

Second, so last night, I e-mailed another professor for a "strong" LOR. He e-mailed me back saying "yes, that should be OK, make a phone appointment to further discuss this." Is this "SHOULD BE OK" another red flag, or am I being paranoid again?

 

[ksmi117]

Hi

First of all, the first incident, I made it clear that I disagreed with my lab partner's version of events. The bottomline was that she didn't like me for who I was, not that I did anything wrong. The lab instructor didn't really want to hear my side, and just said I will be working on my own for the rest of the semester. In no way or shape did I admit guilt.

Second, so last night, I e-mailed another professor for a "strong" LOR. He e-mailed me back saying "yes, that should be OK, make a phone appointment to further discuss this." Is this "SHOULD BE OK" another red flag, or am I being paranoid again?

Just because you made it clear that you disagreed with whatever your lab partner says doesn't seem you were the "right" one. The fact that your instructor made you work alone instead of having you trade partners says to me that the instructor was at least inclined to believe there was some truth if you being a hard person to work with. And I doubt it's just from hearsay. Lab instructors are in the lab with you and pay attention to how people interact.

The other letter sounds like it will be fine. Don't press the "strong" LOR thing much more because it will get annoying fast. Just tell him that you're hoping the letter conveys ___ and ___ (insert whatever here). And he should tell you whether it will or not. But seriously, don't annoy him. Because the letter won't be great if you do.

 

[FattySlug]

Hi

First of all, the first incident, I made it clear that I disagreed with my lab partner's version of events. The bottomline was that she didn't like me for who I was, not that I did anything wrong. The lab instructor didn't really want to hear my side, and just said I will be working on my own for the rest of the semester. In no way or shape did I admit guilt.

Second, so last night, I e-mailed another professor for a "strong" LOR. He e-mailed me back saying "yes, that should be OK, make a phone appointment to further discuss this." Is this "SHOULD BE OK" another red flag, or am I being paranoid again?

LOL you were acing her labs. If anything she should give you the benefits of the doubt or at the very least hear you out. I think there is something else going on here. You do sound like one of those typical obnoxious pre-med who pester professors into writing LORs.

Anyway, back to topic I think that this new LORs should be fine to use. Usually the conversation goes like this "Can you write me a strong letter?" "Sure come to my office and we can talk about this." right? Or has anyone had all their professors emphasize "yes I will definitely write you a stellar letter"?

 

[NFkappaB]

Just because you made it clear that you disagreed with whatever your lab partner says doesn't seem you were the "right" one. The fact that your instructor made you work alone instead of having you trade partners says to me that the instructor was at least inclined to believe there was some truth if you being a hard person to work with. And I doubt it's just from hearsay. Lab instructors are in the lab with you and pay attention to how people interact.

The other letter sounds like it will be fine. Don't press the "strong" LOR thing much more because it will get annoying fast. Just tell him that you're hoping the letter conveys ___ and ___ (insert whatever here). And he should tell you whether it will or not. But seriously, don't annoy him. Because the letter won't be great if you do.

I am thinking about (after waiting a few weeks) to approach my lab instructor again, and provide her with some of my former LORs from my tutoring, TAing, and job references that expicitly states that I am a friendly person that works well with other people. Do you think this will get her to change her mind, or am I pushing it too far?

 

[ksmi117]

I am thinking about (after waiting a few weeks) to approach my lab instructor again, and provide her with some of my former LORs from my tutoring, TAing, and job references that expicitly states that I am a friendly person that works well with other people. Do you think this will get her to change her mind, or am I pushing it too far?

I say pushing it way too far. Just let it go. She has her opinion of you and that's not gonna change. It sucks. It really does. And her opinion may not be valid at all. But pestering her is only gonna make it worse. I mean think of it this way, if you were in her position, would letters written by people you don't know really change your mind?

 

[NFkappaB]

What bothers me is that she first said the LOR was "good for the most part" and then said it was "average-good." So, I don't really know if its acceptable or not - because she COULD have been in a bad mood.

This instructor was only one of the few science professors that knows me well enough to *potentially* write me a strong LOR. Other professors, I don't have nearly as much contact.

 

[rHinO1]

LOL you were acing her labs. If anything she should give you the benefits of the doubt or at the very least hear you out. I think there is something else going on here. You do sound like one of those typical obnoxious pre-med who pester professors into writing LORs.

*snip*

Being a great student does not equal being a great person.

I am thinking about (after waiting a few weeks) to approach my lab instructor again, and provide her with some of my former LORs from my tutoring, TAing, and job references that expicitly states that I am a friendly person that works well with other people. Do you think this will get her to change her mind, or am I pushing it too far?

Yes x1000. Honestly, doing that would be very pushy, and be annoying.

Maybe you should prepare a pantomime or interpretive dance to convince her.

 

[n3xa]

Give it up.

 

[rHinO1]

What bothers me is that she first said the LOR was "good for the most part" and then said it was "average-good." So, I don't really know if its acceptable or not - because she COULD have been in a bad mood.

This instructor was only one of the few science professors that knows me well enough to *potentially* write me a strong LOR. Other professors, I don't have nearly as much contact.

A good for the most part letter: "NFkappaB is a fantastic student. Her ability to learn and grasp difficult concepts puts her in the top 1% of all the students I have ever had. Although, in lab she has sometimes displayed behavior that makes him/her difficult to work with at times. I believe he/she will continue to grow as a person, and will potentially be a very competent doctor."

You might get a better letter from a professor that has had less contact with you.

 

[MDub1]

What bothers me is that she first said the LOR was "good for the most part" and then said it was "average-good." So, I don't really know if its acceptable or not - because she COULD have been in a bad mood.

This instructor was only one of the few science professors that knows me well enough to *potentially* write me a strong LOR. Other professors, I don't have nearly as much contact.

The fact that it's good for the most part, means that it's bad for some part as well. Don't use it. I would suspect an average letter from someone who doesn't know you that well is better than one that says something bad about you.

 

[FattySlug]

What bothers me is that she first said the LOR was "good for the most part" and then said it was "average-good." So, I don't really know if its acceptable or not - because she COULD have been in a bad mood.

This instructor was only one of the few science professors that knows me well enough to *potentially* write me a strong LOR. Other professors, I don't have nearly as much contact.

Did you have any small biology classes? You could try asking those instructors. Don't push this one though. If you annoy her enough she is going to say yes but write you an average one and your chances are shot.

 

[jm192]

Yeah,

You need to quit hoping she was in a bad mood and is going to change things. That's unprofessional in itself, and she would have contacted you and corrected things if that were the case. But it's not.

She, for whatever reason, is believing the other person over you.

A lot of schools are trying to emphasize groupwork and team based learning , and her letter basically says you're bad at that.

Did you request the letter after the incident? I mean, I may have been a little hesitant after that.

 

[BiopsychStudent]

I don't think anything you can do at this point is going to miraculously change her assessment of you as a student after having had you for four classes. I understand that LORs can sometimes be hard to come by, and that an instructor who you've done so well with seems like a golden opportunity for one...

...but do you really want to risk a luke-warm evaluation that doesn't paint you as the greatest person in the world?

 

[Biebs]

You do sound like one of those typical obnoxious pre-meds

Hey... what makes you think that about the OP?

I am thinking about (after waiting a few weeks) to approach my lab instructor again, and provide her with some of my former LORs from my tutoring, TAing, and job references that expicitly states that I am a friendly person that works well with other people. Do you think this will get her to change her mind, or am I pushing it too far?

LOL. OK FattySlug...I see your point now.

OP drop it. Seriously, it's neurotic pre-meds like you who give relatively normal people who are pre-med a bad name. Get your letter from your other professor and move on.

 

[b-real]

Something doesn't add up with the OP.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=751113

...

With myself as an example, I told her how it took me 5 tries (2 before my Ph.D and 3 after my Ph.D) did I finally get in. But she wants to hear other people's direct opinion of her situation...

Why would the OP be asking advice on LORs if she has already gotten in?

Also:

Hi -

Say a professor caught you cheating on an assignment, and asked you to do a make up assignment as punishment for the cheating. Is this IA?

Agree, OP is kind of a d-bag.

 

[JKinSC]

Something doesn't add up with the OP.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=751113
Why would the OP be asking advice on LORs if she has already gotten in?

Nice find!

I will never understand why people do this crap; is your life really that boring?

 

[b-real]

Nice find!

I will never understand why people do this crap; is your life really that boring?

Shelf exams suck, studying for them even more so...Yes, I've been bored all day.

 

[JKinSC]

Shelf exams suck, studying for them even more so...Yes, I've been bored all day.

lol. I was referring to the OP, I assure you.

 

[apumic]

I am thinking about (after waiting a few weeks) to approach my lab instructor again, and provide her with some of my former LORs from my tutoring, TAing, and job references that expicitly states that I am a friendly person that works well with other people. Do you think this will get her to change her mind, or am I pushing it too far?

This is most likely to reinforce her opinion of you, not change it. I kind of feel like I'm answering a VR question on the MCAT here: Which of the following actions would most strengthen the lab instructor's main argument?

 

[NFkappaB]

Something doesn't add up with the OP.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=751113



Why would the OP be asking advice on LORs if she has already gotten in?

Also:


Agree, OP is kind of a d-bag.

This used to be my brother's account, he got a Ph.D and has moved on to medical school.

 

[NFkappaB]

This is most likely to reinforce her opinion of you, not change it. I kind of feel like I'm answering a VR question on the MCAT here: Which of the following actions would most strengthen the lab instructor's main argument?

Apumic, I don't think you understand the issue here. Someone made a complaint about me, but the instructor DID NOT BOTHER to hear my side. The lab instructor did not observe me working with my partner prior during the semester to get a sense of what actually happened. Once she got the complaint, she told me what it was, and told me that I will be working by myself from now on. I politely denied to her that I did anything wrong, and rather was focused on doing the experiment throughout the whole semester.

Some way, some how, there must be a way to get into her head that I am not a person that some sophomore person accused me of being. I personally think I have a shot, because in the prior 3 labs, I had NO PROBLEMS getting along with other lab members - and she knows this.

The reason why I am very insistent on getting her LOR is that I am having trouble finding a professor to replace her. I only know her and one other science prof personally - and had my sight set on them writing me the LOR.



I guess my next question will be - how much will it hurt my med school chances if she writes me a reference that discussed the one isolated incident I had? In the end, I may have NO CHOICE but to get her reference.

 

[b-real]

...

I guess my next question will be - how much will it hurt my med school chances if she writes me a reference that discussed the one isolated incident I had? In the end, I may have NO CHOICE but to get her reference.

No one can tell you for certain. Most people here aren't on an admissions committee, and those that are can only tell you what they would do. That letter will be a red flag, because it shows that you don't get along with others. Medicine is all about team work these days, and I can tell you from seeing it first-hand that people who don't get along with others will find themselves in hot water really fast. You would be best served getting a generic LOR to replace the "mostly good" one.

Lastly, good thing you got only a warning for that whole academic dishonesty thing, because that would have sunk your application faster than anything written in a LOR.

 

[Whatyousay]

Better to have a mediocre letter that provides no insight to you as a person, than a good letter that cast doubts on your ability to become a physician.

 

[apumic]

Apumic, I don't think you understand the issue here. Someone made a complaint about me, but the instructor DID NOT BOTHER to hear my side. The lab instructor did not observe me working with my partner prior during the semester to get a sense of what actually happened. Once she got the complaint, she told me what it was, and told me that I will be working by myself from now on. I politely denied to her that I did anything wrong, and rather was focused on doing the experiment throughout the whole semester.

Some way, some how, there must be a way to get into her head that I am not a person that some sophomore person accused me of being. I personally think I have a shot, because in the prior 3 labs, I had NO PROBLEMS getting along with other lab members - and she knows this.

The reason why I am very insistent on getting her LOR is that I am having trouble finding a professor to replace her. I only know her and one other science prof personally - and had my sight set on them writing me the LOR.



I guess my next question will be - how much will it hurt my med school chances if she writes me a reference that discussed the one isolated incident I had? In the end, I may have NO CHOICE but to get her reference.

I do understand the issue. I am telling you, as a faculty member (albeit, instructor-level/junior) at my school, that I do not think you will be able to change her opinion such that she would be comfortable writing you a good letter based upon what you have told us. I typically don't ever have students come to me and complain about their lab partner. To have someone get to the point where they come to me and state that it's really not working out w/ their lab partner would certainly influence my perception of that person's lab partner and make me watch more carefully. Further, the fact that she didn't simply switch partners around and instead isolated you, makes me think either 1) she's inexperienced as an instructor and doesn't know how to handle conflicts between her students appropriately (somewhat unlikely if she'd been your instructor for multiple semesters already); or 2) after observing your behavior in class and/or response to her feedback (as well as hearing your former lab partner's comments), she did not feel you would be able to work well with another lab partner either. If the latter is true, it is very unlikely you will change her mind. Like it or not, she's made her decision. Trying to change it is not only futile, it's dangerous to your reputation at the school. Go ask someone else.

 

[music2doc]

No one can tell you for certain. Most people here aren't on an admissions committee, and those that are can only tell you what they would do. That letter will be a red flag, because it shows that you don't get along with others. Medicine is all about team work these days, and I can tell you from seeing it first-hand that people who don't get along with others will find themselves in hot water really fast. You would be best served getting a generic LOR to replace the "mostly good" one.

Lastly, good thing you got only a warning for that whole academic dishonesty thing, because that would have sunk your application faster than anything written in a LOR.

I'm not on an adcom or anything, but I work very closely with my university's pre-health program. I know that at our school's affiliated med school, working well with others is a top criterion they use in deciding whether to admit someone. From the notes I took when our director of admissions spoke to our pre-meds and when she spoke to just our program leadership, she made it clear that students who did not get in were generally smart, diverse, resilient, sensitive, and confident but that these students seemed to lack maturity, good communication skills, self-awareness, and teamwork. I don't know you but if your instructor were to indicate any weakness in your ability to work well with others or in your self-awareness, I suspect you would be out of the running pretty quickly at that school. And, no offense, but I think pressing the issue still would make her think you're not very self-aware. If anything, I think it would confirm that you have not changed. Sorry man.

 

[NFkappaB]

What if I have 4 LORs, and only ONE of the 4 LORs questioned my ability to work with others?

Only 1 of the 4 LORs questioned my ability to work with others, while 2 of other 4 explictly states that I DO work well with others and that it is a personal strength?

Wouldn't the scale tip in my favour regarding this personal quality?

 

[apumic]

What if I have 4 LORs, and only ONE of the 4 LORs questioned my ability to work with others?

Only 1 of the 4 LORs questioned my ability to work with others, while 2 of other 4 explictly states that I DO work well with others and that it is a personal strength?

Wouldn't the scale tip in my favour regarding this personal quality?

Not really. Why are you trying to play Russian Roulette with your LORs?!

I mean, if you're going to do it, man, then just do it. See how it turns out. Frankly, it's not our a**es on the line. It's yours. It's assumed that the letters you get are the best possible representation of you. Any weakness mentioned is going to be magnified by someone reading an LOR. Others saying you are good at working with others is great and all but the fact that your other LOR stated you weren't means the other profs probably haven't really seen enough of you to know and are merely assuming you're good at it (or taking your word for it).

 

[ksmi117]

What if I have 4 LORs, and only ONE of the 4 LORs questioned my ability to work with others?

Only 1 of the 4 LORs questioned my ability to work with others, while 2 of other 4 explictly states that I DO work well with others and that it is a personal strength?

Wouldn't the scale tip in my favour regarding this personal quality?

Simple answer: no. If anyone questions your ability to work with others, there's gotta be some issue there. Plus adcoms assume you ask to get letters from people who love you. If someone you think will speak highly about you says that, what would the profs who don't know you so well or who you had bad experiences with say?

 

[n3xa]

Why is this thread still alive?!?!?!?!

(Yes I realize my response bumps it up)