Personal LOR and letterhead

[ls2412]

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One of my LORs is from a family friend whose two kids I have been tutoring for years. I know most schools require letters to be on letterheads, but does this hold true for more personal letters? I don't really know what she could even put for that but I'll still have her sign it and everything.

 

[WedgeDawg]

I don't even know if this would be considered an appropriate letter

 

[gyngyn]

The dead give-away on these "family friend" letters is the opening phrase, " I have known IS2412 since she was a small integer."

 

[ls2412]

Unless the person who is writing has some professional background that would lead to an evaluation of some kind, it it unlikely to have any major positive impact and could be looked at a negative light as in "couldnt this applicant get a professor to write a letter?"

I don't even know if this would be considered an appropriate letter

She is focusing the letter on my tutoring experience, as some of the schools I am applying to require a non-academic/personal letter or invite additional personal letters. I do have professors and research mentors who are writing my other letters.

 

[ls2412]

She just happens to be a family friend but it is really written from an "employer" perspective.

 

[nwts]

She just happens to be a family friend but it is really written from an "employer" perspective.

The problem is that she still IS a family friend, even if the reason she is writing the letter is because she hired you. Letters of evaluation are supposed to be a way for a medical school to hear the opinion of an unbiased party (someone whose relationship with you is based on business or academics). If she was a family friend before she hired you as a tutor, it is going to be hard for her to convince them that she truly is unbiased and isn't just trying to help a close friend get into medical school. It also makes it worse that the nature of your employment with her is a more personal relationship. If she were, say, a manager of a larger grocery store for which you were a cashier, it would mean that the terms of your employment were less personal. In that situation, you would be working for the grocery store as an entity, not for her personally. Since you are working as a private tutor for her students that contracts independently (I'm assuming this isn't being run through a tutoring service), you are working for her personally. This doesn't help you make the case that she is unbiased.

 

[ls2412]

The problem is that she still IS a family friend, even if the reason she is writing the letter is because she hired you. Letters of evaluation are supposed to be a way for a medical school to hear the opinion of an unbiased party (someone whose relationship with you is based on business or academics). If she was a family friend before she hired you as a tutor, it is going to be hard for her to convince them that she truly is unbiased and isn't just trying to help a close friend get into medical school. It also makes it worse that the nature of your employment with her is a more personal relationship. If she were, say, a manager of a larger grocery store for which you were a cashier, it would mean that the terms of your employment were less personal. In that situation, you would be working for the grocery store as an entity, not for her personally. Since you are working as a private tutor for her students that contracts independently (I'm assuming this isn't being run through a tutoring service), you are working for her personally. This doesn't help you make the case that she is unbiased.

Yeah, I definitely see what you mean... I doubt she will mention being a family friend though in the letter because honestly she knew my mom but not me prior to the tutoring. Basically every interaction I've had with her has been through tutoring, but you're right about it being not through a tutoring service and I see how that could be a problem and that's why I'm running into issues for the letterhead.

Its kind of too late for me to do anything about this though since I don't have a good option for other personal letters and am already submitting secondaries, and her letter is almost done. So I guess I'm just going to have to go with it at this point.

 

[ChrisMack390]

There is no such thing as a 'personal' letter of recommendation.

 

[gyngyn]

There is no such thing as a 'personal' letter of recommendation.

I agree. Seems creepy.

 

[candbgirl]

You obviously are intent on using this letter so go ahead and have her type it up and send it in. Nothing can be done about the lack of letterhead.

 

[nwts]

Yeah, I definitely see what you mean... I doubt she will mention being a family friend though in the letter because honestly she knew my mom but not me prior to the tutoring. Basically every interaction I've had with her has been through tutoring, but you're right about it being not through a tutoring service and I see how that could be a problem and that's why I'm running into issues for the letterhead.

Its kind of too late for me to do anything about this though since I don't have a good option for other personal letters and am already submitting secondaries, and her letter is almost done. So I guess I'm just going to have to go with it at this point.

Actually, you don't need a personal letter. I have not yet seen a medical school that requires a "personal" letter (as in one that isn't from a professor, research supervisor, physician, etc.) There may be a few, but if there are, there aren't many.

 

[ls2412]

I agree. Seems creepy.

There is no such thing as a 'personal' letter of recommendation.

Sorry, bad choice of words. I just mean non-academic basically. Just as an example, Iowa's site says this "A fourth letter may be sent from a person associated with a particularly significant extracurricular experience. These letters should come from individuals who can assess your personal (as well as academic) qualities" which is I guess what I meant since tutoring would be my significant extracurricular experience and she does know about my personal qualities. Some schools want/accept additional letters so I thought I would go for it.

Hopefully this doesn't hurt me :/

 

[nwts]

Sorry, bad choice of words. I just mean non-academic basically. Just as an example, Iowa's site says this "A fourth letter may be sent from a person associated with a particularly significant extracurricular experience. These letters should come from individuals who can assess your personal (as well as academic) qualities" which is I guess what I meant since tutoring would be my significant extracurricular experience and she does know about my personal qualities. Some schools want/accept additional letters so I thought I would go for it.

Hopefully this doesn't hurt me :/

I have yet to see a school that specifically says that you SHOULD send a non-academic letter. I know some schools say that you can, but I've never seen one that requires or strongly recommends one. I don't think it is necessarily a good idea to send an additional letter just because you're allowed to.

 

[gyngyn]

Hopefully this doesn't hurt me :/

If you've already sent it, just let it go.
I've seen worse things.