Weak letter of reference

[DrDrakeRamoray]

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In general, will a weak LOR which is good (ie. says nice things) but is very average or run of the mill have a negative impact or will it be neutral (ie. not hurt an application but not help it much either). This would be for a character reference but I guess the same goes for any reference.

 

[Falco2525]

In general, will a weak LOR which is good (ie. says nice things) but is very average or run of the mill have a negative impact or will it be neutral (ie. not hurt an application but not help it much either). This would be for a character reference but I guess the same goes for any reference.

i thought it was letter of reccomendation....but anyways average wont help and may not hurt...great letters can make a difference though

 

[chad5871]

The effect is essentially neutral. If it doesn't say anything negative, then it can't hurt, but it may be somewhat of a waste. If you can, try to get letter writers who know you well enough to say why you are motivated to pursue medicine and how well they think you will do as a physician. That's a lot more meaningful than, "DrDrakeRamoray was in my Intro Biology class and earned an A. He earned one of the highest grades and attended each lecture. Blah blah blah..."

 

[notdeadyet]

In general, will a weak LOR which is good (ie. says nice things) but is very average or run of the mill have a negative impact or will it be neutral (ie. not hurt an application but not help it much either).

I think a really weak LOR could be slightly negative. It shows that you haven't made enough of an impression on three people in college to get three decent LORs.

This would be for a character reference but I guess the same goes for any reference.

I would be very hesitant about sending in a weak character reference. A character reference allows you to send in a LOR from anyone in your life, not just professors, who can attest to your personality and suitability to be a good physician. You can send in one from a coach, preist, boss, etc. If you can't find a single person to write a good reference about you character, I'd worry this would send up red flags.

 

[Lests55]

You still have time. Make some connections THIS SEMESTER. Start now, it's definitely not too late.

 

[kevster2001]

Usually a "character" reference would be from some that really knows you, so I thnk you should find someone that writes a strong one. it would be understandable to have a runofthemill academic ref if yo'ure asking a large lecture prof and what not.

 

[Amemus]

If the writer has to really search to find something nice to say about you (e.g. complimenting your punctuality), I'd read that as a negative letter. A recommendation that says you performed adequately is also very bad. But that's just the way I see it. I'm sure there are differing opinions, but to be safe I would choose my references wisely.

 

[KCT15]

Anyone willing to provide feedback on a 2 - 3 of my LORs? I'm a non-trad so I'm not sure what they are looking for and what is considered good. I may be a reapplicant next year so want to make sure this is not one of the places I'm hanging out. If you are willing, please PM me.

Thanks!

 

[notdeadyet]

Anyone willing to provide feedback on a 2 - 3 of my LORs?

Careful. Many medical schools require you to waive access to your letters of recommendation. Regardless, it's highly recommended that you do this.

 

[dpmd]

Just because you waive your RIGHT to access the letter does not mean that your letter writer can't voluntarily give you a copy. All of my letter writers for med school applications did this, and some of my letter writers for residency apps did this. This was after I told them that I was waiving my right to access the letters.

 

[notdeadyet]

Just because you waive your RIGHT to access the letter does not mean that your letter writer can't voluntarily give you a copy.

True. But you have to waive your rights when you ask for the letter, not after the fact. As long as you do that, you can read whatever's given to you.

 

[JohnMadden]

True. But you have to waive your rights when you ask for the letter, not after the fact. As long as you do that, you can read whatever's given to you.

This is definitely a gray area. You waive the RIGHT to view it, but the writer could, in theory, let you read the letter before they ever submit it. T

here was a professor at my undergrad who would let students read the letter and decide whether or not they wanted to have it submitted on their behalf. I thought this was very considerate. Unfortunately, I didn't have the prof because I wasn't premed in undergrad.

 

[dpmd]

No gray area. You ask for the LOR, and give them the cover letter for where to send it on which is indicated the fact that you have waived the right the access the letter. If they give you a copy, there is no problem. The waiver just means that if you get into that school, you can't go to the student affairs office and demand they show it to you from their files.

 

[JohnMadden]

I guess it's in the language. I think one of the previous posts was implying that waiving the right meant that you could not see the letter under any circumstances, which we know isn't the case. I'm sure that the medical school would still value the letter less if they knew you read it, even after the fact...