Which kind of LORs/references are best?

[ammonihah99]

I'm looking at NAU's reference requisites and I'm wondering how I can go above and beyond the minimum requirements in this area. Their specific program requires 3 letters of recommendation, one has to be from a PT and one has to be from a professor, but they will accept the third (and fourth, I guess) LOR from another PT, a professor in major, an academic, a supervisor/employer, a pre-PT advisor, and a health care professional. (What defines an "academic"? Really what's the difference between a professor in major, a professor, and an academic?)

Anyway, who would you recommend I go with for the other 2 LORs? Which profession or category would be more effective? For example, I know a neurosurgeon and nephrologist who are both very well-respected that would write me a LOR in a heart beat. Would either of those be more impressive than a supervisor/employer or an advisor? Would it make me sound like I'm trying to superficially impress somebody rather than stick with the basics of professors and PTs? Or would the specialists' LORs show that I have a functional relationship with healthcare professionals outside of the the PT/academic realm?

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[DPTHopeful921]

IMPO, i believe academic refers to just any professor. If your major is biology, but you get a reference from a math professor, then that would count as an academic reference whereas the reference from the biology professor would be a reference from a professor in major. As far as references go, I try to use as many PT references as I can b/c your applying to PT school. You want schools to see that working PTs see that you are competent, intelligent, and motivated enough to do this profession. Plus, if you get a PT that is well known in the world of PTs and the recommendation is coming from them, then that holds a bit more weight when people review your application. They might think, "well if Dr. X is recommending this person, and Dr. X is a renowned PT, then this applicant must really have their stuff together and must be a good applicant."

 

[futurepharmd89]

I have LoR from my organic and bio professors, I can get a good one from my old cheif from when I was in the Navy, but I don't have any pharmacist connections through which I can get a letter from... How much of a disadvantage does that put me at?

 

[DPTHopeful921]

are you applying to pharmacy or PT school? If your applying to PT school you should have one, but Id say two at the very least, PTs that will write you recommendations.

 

[markelmarcel]

Plus, if you get a PT that is well known in the world of PTs and the recommendation is coming from them, then that holds a bit more weight when people review your application. They might think, "well if Dr. X is recommending this person, and Dr. X is a renowned PT, then this applicant must really have their stuff together and must be a good applicant."

Interestingly, this happened to me. My school's program director and I were talking (at an open house after I had submitted my app/had yet to interview/be accepted) and she knew a PT that I had used for my reference. Now, her opinion of this PT is something I don't know, and I don't know if my reference from her helped me get an acceptance or not, but I just wanted to say it can happen where you may run into people at the PT schools that know of therapists who are still practicing.

 

[ammonihah99]

So then I should the two required from a professor and a PT, then get the other extra two from PTs? Or one professor, one PT?

 

[Litlwarrior08]

Two PTs.......b/c many of the schools that require 3 or 4 LOR specifically state 2 PTs. Then you have yourself covered. PTCAS will allow up to 4 and the schools can see all of them. I have two PTs, one professor in my major field whom I had for 2 / 3 classes and an employer whom I have worked with for 5 yrs+ I think the employer shows stability / loyalty. It comes down to who knows / can represent you best.
Good Luck.

 

[ammonihah99]

Gotcha. Makes sense. I'll check the other schools' requirements to make sure I'm covered.

 

[PTisfun]

When we look at LOR for admissions, we specifically try not to weight the person who wrote it, but just the profession. Because the applicant should not get an undue advantage or disadvantage for the applicant, we do not want the LOR to bias one applicant that another may not have since we do not 'know' their recommendor. Hope that makes sense

 

[ammonihah99]

Thank you PTisfun for that information! Super helpful, makes a lot of sense.