Strange LOR

[buffywannabe]

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I am volunteering in an ER right now and when there is nothing to do we have the option of helping the housekeeping staff clean or just chilling. One of the housekeeping staff always tells me that I am one of the only people who helps him clean. I am going to ask the volunteer coordinator for a letter soon, but she has actually never seen me work. I am wondering if I can have them submit letters together in a packet. This housekeeper is a great writer, he has read to me some of a book he is writing. I think if I put them together it will bring validity to the one letter and it will show all of my hard work versus just a generic letter. What do you guys think?

 

[235009]

you definitely shouldn't get a recommendation from the housekeeper (this seems like common sense to me) and you probably shouldn't get one from the volunteer coordinator because it will be very generic...keep looking

 

[TurkSurg]

try getting to know some more nurses or MD's, maybe they'll write a good one

 

[Terpskins99]

you definitely shouldn't get a recommendation from the housekeeper (this seems like common sense to me) and you probably shouldn't get one from the volunteer coordinator because it will be very generic...keep looking

If I were an ad-com, a rec-letter from a housekeeper would definitely catch my eye! 😛

 

[autodf06]

I would definitely get a LOR from the housekeeper you speak of. I went to a pre-med seminar thing with the South Alabama Dean of Admissions and he told us the LOR he most distinctly remembers is a hand-written letter on yellow legal paper written in pencil by a farmer for one of his field hands applying to medical school. He said it didn't matter that the farmer had dropped out of grade school or had barely legible writing, what he said in the letter was the most important thing to him and the admissions committee. Granted he couldn't remember if the guy got in or not, but if it left that kind of impression on him it can only be a good thing.

 

[buffywannabe]

Yeah I kind of think this is a toss up. I think that this will show that I will never be one of those doctors who looks down on others in the hospital, no matter what role they play.

 

[Ashers]

Yeah I kind of think this is a toss up. I think that this will show that I will never be one of those doctors who looks down on others in the hospital, no matter what role they play.

Or you meet people who almost, but not quite, call you a liar because of stuff like that. I kept getting harped on for something similar during residency interviews (from my personal statement) by the attending saying multiple times that I was just being politically correct despite me reiterating, "No, I truly believe that people should be nice and respect others." Fortunately, it was only 1 person, but it was enough that I did not want to go to that place.

As for the letter, I don't think it'd really fit in well with other letters, especially if schools specify what types of letters they want. If there happens to be a school that says they would accept an optional letter from any sort of person you might know (clergy, high school teacher where you've continued to volunteer, etc), that could potentially work, but making it a main letter wouldn't be ideal.

 

[Prince Abubu]

I think you should do it. The poster who spoke about the farmer has a point.