Question About Which LORs to Submit?

[tco]

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I posted this on Aunt MInnie, but it seems like these threads are more active. Hopefully I'll get some votes on here...

My application is complete, but I'm curious as to what letters I should use in most of my submissions, so I'd appreciate any input you might have. I have the following letters, with some narrative about my history with each writer:

1. Pathology - I did a post-sophomore fellowship in pathology, and participated in a research project with this physician. We ended up presenting a poster in Vancouver on our work. He has known me for over two years now, and knows me well. After I decided on radiology, we met to discuss my future and he seemed very interested in writing a letter for me.
2. Home Radiology - This physician hasn't known me long, but I'm sure his letter is exceptionally well written, and highlights the time we spent together during my home radiology rotation very well. He was my rotation coordinator and ran a very structured rotation. We had online modules to complete and 3 hours of interactive lectures per day...Plus, it's my home radiology letter...
3. Away Interventional Radiology - I worked with him for a significant amount during my away IR rotation. He was very outgoing and let me be the primary operator on a large number of procedures. By the end of my month, I had more procedural experience than most of the program's more senior residents. He also spent time showing me around the city after work hours. I'm sure he wrote a very good letter.
4. Peds 1 Course Coordinator - I asked this physician for a letter immediately after my pediatrics rotation. It was my last rotation, and I felt like we got along exceptionally well. There isn't anything special about his letter, it's just a clinical letter.
5. Peds 2 - This physician was my teaching attending during pediatrics. I asked him for a letter because I wasn't too sure how busy the other writer would be. Also, he said in his evaluation I was one of the best students that he had worked with, and that he could clearly see how well liked I was by all of the other students, etc. etc. Very complimentary overall in his rotation evaluation. After what I read, I had to ask him for one.

Thanks in advance.

 

[shark2000]

This is my experience from being a chief resident and part of selection committee a few years ago:

Try to have a letter from one of your core rotations like Medicine, Surgery or OB. These are very important ones sine you have spent most of your time with them.

There is a difference between what the letter writer says and how much the letter reader take it serious. The value of the letter depends on two factors: How well the writer knows you and who is the writer.

Let's say you have done a 2 week rotation and have got a letter which says you are the best student in the history of medicine. Still this letter has much less value than a letter from 3 month Medicine rotation which says you are an an excellent student. Both of your radiology letters may be exceptional. But I bet most readers take a letter from medicine or surgery rotation more serious than the IR or radiology letter.


The truth about LORs is that most people have very good LORs. Practically nobody will write you a bad or mediocre letter. They simply refuse to write a letter if it is not going to be a good one. Every letter finishes with the sentence "I highly recommend him for the position he is looking for" or sth similar. The things that stand out are the specific interaction between that the writer and you.

In summary, letter A that says I worked with this guy for 3 years, he was always very good and we never had any problem is a more effective LOR than letter B that says I worked with this guy for 3 weeks and he is exceptional.

Good Luck.

 

[tco]

This is my experience from being a chief resident and part of selection committee a few years ago:

Try to have a letter from one of your core rotations like Medicine, Surgery or OB. These are very important ones sine you have spent most of your time with them.

There is a difference between what the letter writer says and how much the letter reader take it serious. The value of the letter depends on two factors: How well the writer knows you and who is the writer.

Let's say you have done a 2 week rotation and have got a letter which says you are the best student in the history of medicine. Still this letter has much less value than a letter from 3 month Medicine rotation which says you are an an excellent student. Both of your radiology letters may be exceptional. But I bet most readers take a letter from medicine or surgery rotation more serious than the IR or radiology letter.


The truth about LORs is that most people have very good LORs. Practically nobody will write you a bad or mediocre letter. They simply refuse to write a letter if it is not going to be a good one. Every letter finishes with the sentence "I highly recommend him for the position he is looking for" or sth similar. The things that stand out are the specific interaction between that the writer and you.

In summary, letter A that says I worked with this guy for 3 years, he was always very good and we never had any problem is a more effective LOR than letter B that says I worked with this guy for 3 weeks and he is exceptional.

Good Luck.

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I already submitted my application 🙁

The interesting part of our education system is that I spent more time with my away IR attending than I did with my home core rotation attendings. Our home rotations are 2 months, and they're broken into pieces for clinic vs inpatient. Anyway, I ended up mixing up the letters that I used.

I used 1 and 2 for every application. I used 3 for places that are well known for IR/places that seemed to want 2 radiology letters. I used 4 for places that seemed to want more well rounded applicants. Of course, I'm just going by their program webpage, so I have no idea what they actually want. I used 1, 2, and 4 for all of my TY's. Hopefully everything works out.