The best level of recommendation in LoRs?

[Darko]

Hey,

I asked my boss to write a letter of recommendation for me, and luckily, he asked if I could write it then sit with him for final revisions.

In Letter of Recommendation verbiage, what is the best recommendation someone can give? Is it "I strongly recommend Darko," or "I highly recommend Darko?"

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[uclabruin2003]

i highly recommend sounds better i think.... or you can say...i enthusiastically recommend....just a thought

 

[Pinkertinkle]

Does it really matter?

 

[thegenius]

Hey,

I asked my boss to write a letter of recommendation for me, and luckily, he asked if I could write it then sit with him for final revisions.

In Letter of Recommendation verbiage, what is the best recommendation someone can give? Is it "I strongly recommend Darko," or "I highly recommend Darko?"

Dude....if you have the freedom to write the letter yourself - you better make it sound good.

I "highly recommend" is crap.

I "strongly recommend" is also dog poo.

You have to write something that stands out. You some artistic freedom (but don't get crazy.) What would you want to read if you were an ADCOM?

I bet just about every single LOR an ADCOM reads is "<person> would be an excellent doctor, I highly recommend him."

I'm already thinking of things I would say...

 

[derf]

Hey,

I asked my boss to write a letter of recommendation for me, and luckily, he asked if I could write it then sit with him for final revisions.

In Letter of Recommendation verbiage, what is the best recommendation someone can give? Is it "I strongly recommend Darko," or "I highly recommend Darko?"

i enthusiastically recommend, without reservation, of any kind, nor any hesitation...

 

[thegenius]

i enthusiastically recommend, without reservation, of any kind, nor any hesitation...

C'mon now. That still isn't that good when you think about it. You're recycling old verbiage.

How about...

"Since I started teaching 15 years ago, Jane Doe is perhaps the best student I have ever come across. I simply don't find individuals that are as unique as her. Let me explain why..."

That, IMO, is a good start!

 

[Darko]

Dude....if you have the freedom to write the letter yourself - you better make it sound good.
...
You have to write something that stands out. You some artistic freedom (but don't get crazy.) What would you want to read if you were an ADCOM?

Thanks for all of the advice so far! I don't want it to stand out too much, just because I have a distinct voice in my PS and essays. I don't want ADCOMs to think I wrote the LoR myself... that'd be bad (I think).

Plus it's from a corporate employer, so I'm concerned if I stray too much from the accepted format it'll raise a red flag.

I've also read "I recommend x with highest enthusiasm."

 

[thegenius]

Thanks for all of the advice so far! I don't want it to stand out too much, just because I have a distinct voice in my PS and essays. I don't want ADCOMs to think I wrote the LoR myself... that'd be bad (I think).

Plus it's from a corporate employer, so I'm concerned if I stray too much from the accepted format it'll raise a red flag.

I've also read "I recommend x with highest enthusiasm."

Well, remember the ADCOMs expect all of your recommendations to be glowing. I wouldn't worry too much about having it stand out. In fact I would strive for that kind of response. I've been in business for 6+ years, and I have received too many recommendations for prospective employees such as "He did a great job" or "I highly recommend him." They just don't stand out.

I actually prefer recommendations where the recommender takes a more personal stance with me. They address me by first name (which I know you can't do for medical school) and they say something like, "thegenius, John Stevens is a real keeper. I wish he stayed at our company but he was at a sinking ship. I've been around numerous developers and he is simply the best...."

You have to do what you think is right, but at the same time remember that it's difficult to write a LOR that is disengenious. LOR's in my opinion can really only hurt you, they often don't help. But a small percentage of recommendations, like 5%, that can really make a difference.

How high up is your boss? Is he/she a VP? A CEO? A CTO?

 

[DoctorMalki]

Thanks for all of the advice so far! I don't want it to stand out too much, just because I have a distinct voice in my PS and essays. I don't want ADCOMs to think I wrote the LoR myself... that'd be bad (I think).

Plus it's from a corporate employer, so I'm concerned if I stray too much from the accepted format it'll raise a red flag.

I've also read "I recommend x with highest enthusiasm."

my friend's supervisor also asked her to write the reccomendation letter herself, but instead of writing it herself she told me what to write and I wrote it for her in my own words. Sometimes adcoms can tell if the same person wrote the PS and secondary essays and the LORs. Just being extra cautious I guess. But ask your friend to write it for you, just make sure he/ she covers everything you want in the letter.

 

[IndyZX]

If I ghost-wrote an overly personal LOR, I'd feel like a total douchebag as the professor read it in front of me before signing off on it.

 

[Darko]

Well, remember the ADCOMs expect all of your recommendations to be glowing. I wouldn't worry too much about having it stand out. In fact I would strive for that kind of response. I've been in business for 6+ years, and I have received too many recommendations for prospective employees such as "He did a great job" or "I highly recommend him." They just don't stand out.

You have to do what you think is right, but at the same time remember that it's difficult to write a LOR that is disengenious. LOR's in my opinion can really only hurt you, they often don't help. But a small percentage of recommendations, like 5%, that can really make a difference.

How high up is your boss? Is he/she a VP? A CEO? A CTO?

He's a senior manager (2 below VP) at a Fortune 10 company, and he knows me the best. I could have gotten a director but he only came aboard this year and he has 10-15 years less experience in the industry.

I thought his letter would be good as a character letter considering I've worked there about 2 years, and my pre-med committee only knew me from class.

Should I send this letter out to the schools I told would get it, and then send it out to the other ones only if I don't hear from them in a while?

 

[Darko]

my friend's supervisor also asked her to write the reccomendation letter herself, but instead of writing it herself she told me what to write and I wrote it for her in my own words.

Excellent idea!

 

[thegenius]

If I ghost-wrote an overly personal LOR, I'd feel like a total douchebag as the professor read it in front of me before signing off on it.

In that situation (a professor writing it), I would feel like shiit too. But I've developed excellent relationships with people at work that I would feel just fine giving them a letter that I wrote.

The LOR should go under some scrutiny by your recommender - and you can change it around. Just make it really good. None of this "I highly recommend him", or he "did satisfactorily at his position."

You gotta use your best judgement, and do something that makes you feel comfortable. I guess I'll end it at that!

 

[Darko]

In that situation (a professor writing it), I would feel like shiit too. But I've developed excellent relationships with people at work that I would feel just fine giving them a letter that I wrote.

Agreed. I've received excellent feedback from him when I turn in assignments and when it's time for yearly reviews. A lot of the things I'm including in the letter are things he's already said to me, so it doesn't bother me a bit.