Reference letters - from whom is it more significant?

[hannahsahib]

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Hey guys!

The school that I am applying for does not require ref letters, but they said we can send them in if we want. No mention of a maximum that we can send.

Right now I have 5 letters;
-1 from a research professor whom I did undergrad summer research for 4 months

- 1 from an english teacher whom I have known for 1 year (Im pretty close with him- I have even babysat his son haha)

- 1 from my pharmacology proff, who I have known for 2 semesters

-1 from the volunteer coordinator for home-care for the elderly that i have been doing for 8 months

-1 from a professor whom I volunteered for (teaching calculus and math)

Should I just send all, or would that be looked down upon?

 

[PharmacyWarrior]

Hey guys!

The school I am applying for does not require ref letters, but they said we can send them in if we want. No a mention of a maximum of letter we can send.

Right now I have 5 letters;
-1 from a research professor whom I did undergrad summer research for 4 months

- 1 from an english teacher whom I have known for 1 year (Im pretty close with him- I have even babysat his son haha)

- 1 from my pharmacology proff, who I have known for 2 semesters

-1 from the volunteer coordinator for home-care for the elderly that i have been doing for 8 months

-1 from a professor whom I volunteered for (teaching calculus and math)

Should I just send all, or would that be looked down upon?

I would take the 1st, 3rd, and 4th. You're applying into pharmacy so you don't really need a LOR from an english teacher or math professor. I would get LORs that are related to science and health related professions.

 

[hannahsahib]

Thanks!! I just thought the english one would be good since Engl is my minor, and it's a bit 'different'. I think you are right though, thanks again!

 

[xtsukiyox]

Make sure you're sending what the schools are asking for. Most have guidelines about who they want to see a letter from. Also, make sure you're not sending too many.

 

[rxlea]

Research, pharmacology, home care. Do you need one from a pharmacist? Some require that

 

[Rouelle]

In reality, it probably doesn't matter who writes the letter (science prof, non-science prof, research advisor, etc) as much as we tend to think it does. The key is to ask someone who knows you well and who actually cares enough to write a personalized recommendation rather than copy/pasting a generic form letter that they have already prepared.

FWIW, I'm a "non-traditional student" (i.e. old) and had one letter from a research advisor and two letters from coworkers. I suppose it was acceptable because nobody ever mentioned my letters to me.

 

[Rouelle]

Not to hijack the thread, but I sometimes wonder how important the LORs actually are. I realize that if there is some discrepancy in an application (such as a grade issue) then it could possibly be addressed by a LOR writer who may have first hand knowledge. Obviously a bad letter is going to raise major red flags, but in general, I think we all are going to ask people to write letters who we pretty much know will write something good. Is the LOR process in reality anything more than just a screening mechanism to identify bad applicants? Does the quality of the good stuff in a "good" letter actually matter?

 

[hannahsahib]

All my school says in terms of ref. letters is:

Do I need letters of reference?
We do not ask for letters of reference in the application procedure. You can include them at your own discretion. If received, they will be added to your application file.

Maybe I will send them an email to ask them... its very vague!

Hey Rouelle, I always thought of LORs are just a way to make sure the applicant isn't some liar who made up all his/her volunteer hours haha. If you don't have any LORs it's kind of a sign that you haven't been interacting with people (or maybe that you are simply too lazy to ask for one 🙂 )

 

[ttngu234]

The value of a reference letter is not who it is from (although some schools have specifics on who you can obtain it from - e.g. professor and pharmacist), but the depth of their recommendation. You want someone who will write great things about you and how they feel that your abilities will push you through to become a successful pharmacy school student.

All letters of recommendations are good. However, you want someone who will write you a GREAT letter, which will be seen by the committee. This is why it is important to have each recommendation letter mention a different aspect about you.

Example, my three recommendations are from (a) professor at school, (b) pharmacist at work, (c) board of director/mentor from my volunteerism. Each of mine emphasize a different aspect about me, but my mentor emphasizes how busy I keep myself and my time management abilities.

Think of it as an opportunity for them to see what type of person you are. This is why you want to obtain the letter from someone who knows you very well.

 

[PharmacyWarrior]

The value of a reference letter is not who it is from (although some schools have specifics on who you can obtain it from - e.g. professor and pharmacist), but the depth of their recommendation. You want someone who will write great things about you and how they feel that your abilities will push you through to become a successful pharmacy school student.

All letters of recommendations are good. However, you want someone who will write you a GREAT letter, which will be seen by the committee. This is why it is important to have each recommendation letter mention a different aspect about you.

Example, my three recommendations are from (a) professor at school, (b) pharmacist at work, (c) board of director/mentor from my volunteerism. Each of mine emphasize a different aspect about me, but my mentor emphasizes how busy I keep myself and my time management abilities.

Think of it as an opportunity for them to see what type of person you are. This is why you want to obtain the letter from someone who knows you very well.

I have to agree with this poster. LORs are very important because it shows a lot about who you are, and you don't want LORs that are not personalized. Some professors use templates for LORs so you want to avoid those, as well as those that have negative comments about you.

 

[BPTiffy]

If you allow to send 3: research, pharmacology, and volunteer co-ordinator.
If you allow to send 2: pharmacology and volunteer. Because they know you for longer time, it's more likely their letters are stronger which is better for you.