I've been asked to write an LOR on my own behalf. That said, does anybody know of some sites with good sample letters of recommendation (preferable related to medical applicants)? Thanks in advance
i think if you do a search on sdn...something might pop up...i remember this topic coming up before in the past.
I did a search and found some tips, but what I'm really looking for are some decent sample rec letters.
ahh i see... hmm i dont think you can find any on sdn... nor do i think anyone is gonna post what they wrote if they had to do the same thing you did. its hard to find samples of med school LORs on the internet i would assume as well. hmmm. do you have a template at least?
Being asked to write your own LOR is quite common -- recommenders are so busy that I've helped many clients with them. Unfortunately there are confidentiality issues -- no one is likely to share their own letter with you, and even if it did, the specific details would differ so much that it wouldn't help you much. In lieu of that, here are some questions that should help you outline your letter. 1) Who are you asking to recommend you (name and title)? What are his/her qualifications? How is he/she qualified to evaluate you compared to other candidates? 2) How long have you worked with/known this person? In what capacity? Did he/she hire you? Was he/she your teacher? How often did you have contact? How well does he/she know you? 3) What are your top 3 positive qualities? Provide a specific example, of which the recommender is aware, that demonstrates each quality. 4) Have you received any awards or outstanding commendations of which your recommender is aware? Are you involved in any non-work or professional activities of which the recommender is aware? 5) Are there any mild criticisms that should be mentioned? (These are usually the flip-side of your strengths.) NOTE: Some people don't want to include criticisms, because these will stand out against other LORs with no criticism. I think if done well, it can be effective, even adding a realistic touch to the letter -- use your own discretion, and only include criticisms that you know about and have demonstrated improvement in. The answers to these questions should give you a jumping-off point to write the letter. Best of luck!
It's a relatively simple task. I'll knock out an abbreviated one now. To Whom It May Concern: This letter is written at the request of Mr. Robert So-So and is in strong support of his application for admission to your medical school. As Robert's professor for two classes and research advisor for almost 2 years, I consistently found him to be skilled, enthusiastic and conscientious He is extremely bright, articulate and personable. He is unusual in both his seriousness of purpose and in his intellectual ability. As a research assistant, I was impressed by his blah, blah and unceasing commitment to blah, blah. In the two classes that he took with me, he consistently performed within the top 2 or 3 percent of the class. And he earned an A in both classes, but what made him stand out was his willingness to always offer insight and meaningful contributions to our class discussions. He also exhibits exceptional interpersonal skills when dealing with other students and faculty members. Beyond the context of work, he?s a great person. I have also gotten to know him as a friend and in spite of all his great talents and accomplishments, he remains humble and sincere. Simply stated, he is someone you want to know?a pleasant soul. I am confident that Robert So-So will become a successful medical student; but more importantly, I am confident that he will be an incredible physcian. I would welcome him into the profession and only hope to have someone like him as my family doctgor. As such, I highly recommend her to you with no reservations. If I can be of any further assistance to you in consideration of Robert's application, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely Yours, +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Okay, so that is pretty basic, but it has everything that you'd need. You want the level of endorsement like with or withour reservations, you want the number of years and context, you want an appraisal of your intellectual, social, and emotional maturity. Don't offer any criticism of yourself. It's magnified in recommendations, because recommendations are always inflated bull, so that focus on that, because most of us get these great recommendations that make us appear like the best student ever. It's a game. Good luck
