Reference letter from Priest

[MB333999]

why hello there!

kk so my buddy is applying this coming cycle and he feels he can get a pretty good LOR from a priest since hes done a bunch of volunteer work at his church. Now his question is, is it a good idea getting a LOR from a priest?

I told him it should be fine as long as he actually gives u a good letter. I dont think the fact that its from a priest will hurt him at any places but might actually help him at some.

what do you guys think?? should he get someone else to write a lettter?

thanks

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[venacontracta]

Assuming the letter is written in an appropriate way, I would consider it equivalent to a letter of recommendation from a volunteer supervisor or something like that. In other words, it probably can't hurt, but its impact might be limited.

 

[Geekchick921]

Assuming the letter is written in an appropriate way, I would consider it equivalent to a letter of recommendation from a volunteer supervisor or something like that. In other words, it probably can't hurt, but its impact might be limited.

Pretty much my thoughts as well.

 

[FIREitUP]

Assuming the letter is written in an appropriate way, I would consider it equivalent to a letter of recommendation from a volunteer supervisor or something like that. In other words, it probably can't hurt, but its impact might be limited.

The impact is limited why? Because it has positive religious context or because the priest does not have a PHD or MD/DO? If the priest can attest to the moral fiber of the individual and has gotten to know the individual well I don't see why this could not be an excellent letter of recommendation.

 

[movax]

The impact is limited why? Because it has positive religious context or because the priest does not have a PHD or MD/DO? If the priest can attest to the moral fiber of the individual and has gotten to know the individual well I don't see why this could not be an excellent letter of recommendation.

It could impact if you get an adcom member who is not religious/militantly atheist, and decides not to remain impartial. (edit: I forgot about the biggest , if they're a different religion entirely and decide to take offense/take it out on the applicant).

Then again, hopefully OP's buddy applies to Loma Linda

 

[wanderer]

It could impact if you get an adcom member who is not religious/militantly atheist, and decides not to remain impartial. (edit: I forgot about the biggest , if they're a different religion entirely and decide to take offense/take it out on the applicant).

Then again, hopefully OP's buddy applies to Loma Linda

I don't think someone who is of a different religion will take it out on the applicant. Most doctors that are religious are pretty moderate.
Hopefully though, the letter avoids mentioning religion directly and focuses more on the applicant's character.

 

[Dianyla]

As long as the letter emphasizes what a good physician this person will be and not what a righteous/pious/faithful person they are, it should be fine for pretty much any secular schools.

I would imagine that any of the Jesuit affiliated schools will definitely appreciate it more. Other religiously-affiliated schools or schools with a heavily religious tradition/surrounding community (Loma Linda, University of Utah) may be a mixed bag. They may appreciate that the applicant is at least some flavor of religious as opposed to being an atheist, but they may dislike the particular flavor of religion.

 

[LizzyM]

Priest, minister, rabbi, imam, lama... I would not bat an eye at getting a letter from any religious leader. My concern would be that the priest doesn't realize that the style of LORs for medical school are different than what are written in other contexts and he may not know that to be competitive for med school admissions he needs to say "when it comes to walking on water, this applicant would give Jesus a run for his money." Any suggestion of a weakness or a flaw, or even something that was poor but has grown better over time can be interpreted in the wrong way. What could be meant to be a balanced letter or a net positive letter could be interpreted as lukewarm or negative because it isn't full of hyperbole.

 

[FIREitUP]

Priest, minister, rabbi, imam, lama... I would not bat an eye at getting a letter from any religious leader. My concern would be that the priest doesn't realize that the style of LORs for medical school are different than what are written in other contexts and he may not know that to be competitive for med school admissions he needs to say "when it comes to walking on water, this applicant would give Jesus a run for his money." Any suggestion of a weakness or a flaw, or even something that was poor but has grown better over time can be interpreted in the wrong way. What could be meant to be a balanced letter or a net positive letter could be interpreted as lukewarm or negative because it isn't full of hyperbole.

I don't see how this is limited to any religious figure, I think any person outside of academia could make this mistake of not embellishing a letter of recommendation.

 

[Astarael]

Here's an important distinction to make: was the priest the supervisor of your friend for his volunteer work, or is the priest a personal friend? If the priest has any sort of supervisory role, I would think that it would make a great letter. If, on the other hand, the priest is more of a personal reference and your friend just happened to volunteer at the same church, then I would be a little more careful about using it. LORs are really meant to be from people who know you in a primarily professional, not personal, way.

Edit: I just realized that I might have made that a little unclear. My impression is that a LOR is ok from a personal source, as long as there is a professional connection as well. In the case of the priest, the professional connection would be if your friend actually worked with the priest.

 

[Lil Mick]

One of my letters was from a priest (went to college at a religious school), and it was never brought up on interviews. Provided he knows it's a medical school letter that needs to address desire/ability to become a doctor, it seems fine for most schools, especially if he's applying to a Catholic medical school.

 

[LizzyM]

Letter from a pastor: not a good idea.

Letter from a supervisor of volunteers: ok but generally too bland/generic to be of benefit.

Letter from a professor: OK

Letter from a pre-med advisor (I know at least one): no problem

 

[fishbait63]

Would be good for Loma Linda.... (I am not joking) they have a place where they ask for one in the secondary