Letters of recommendation: which is better?

[RainOnNeptune]

So I have several professors willing to write letters of recommendation for me, and I think they will be strong, personal letters. What I'm missing is a letter from a HCE supervisor, all the people I worked with as a medical assistant have since moved on (it was a challenging work environment). I finally did manage to track a former supervisor down, and could ask her, but while we got along ok and I left the job under decent circumstances I don't feel that her letter will be as powerful as other letters I could get. So my question is which would be better? A mediocre letter from a former supervisor mixed in with glowing letters from professors or all glowing letters from professors?

[MT2PA]

Get a supervisor letter.  There is a big difference between being a student and being an employee.  You also should really consider that a letter from a PA or MD would go a long way (and be infinitely better than a professor) and is sometimes required by schools.

 

Personally I had no letters from professors and I had to track down several former supervisors who had moved jobs as well.  It was worth it.

[UWPAgrad2019]

Get a supervisor letter.  There is a big difference between being a student and being an employee.  You also should really consider that a letter from a PA or MD would go a long way (and be infinitely better than a professor) and is sometimes required by schools.

 

Personally I had no letters from professors and I had to track down several former supervisors who had moved jobs as well.  It was worth it.

Are no letters from professors sometimes okay? because it has been a few years since I graduated, and I believe a couple professors would still write me a letter if I needed it, but a lot has changed for me since I was in undergrad and I work with MDs, PAs, and FNPs who would be more than willing to write me letters and know me very well...

[MT2PA]

Are no letters from professors sometimes okay? because it has been a few years since I graduated, and I believe a couple professors would still write me a letter if I needed it, but a lot has changed for me since I was in undergrad and I work with MDs, PAs, and FNPs who would be more than willing to write me letters and know me very well...

 

Some schools require them - I just didn't apply to any that did ( I actually contacted one school explaining my situation and they still required a professor...so I didn't apply there).  I had been out of school for 7+ years and didn't get to know the professors in the few pre-reqs I had to take.  There's no way someone who had me in class in 2007 was going to remember who I was or what I was capable of - that would have just been a waste of a LOR.  

[DiggySRNA]

LOR power package;

 

anyone that can attest to your innate character; professionalism, maturity, trustworthiness..etc

[jlumsden]

Admissions committees know that whoever writes a letter for you will say nice things.  That's just how letters of recommendations work.  What you should focus on is finding someone who can attest to your healthcare experience, bedside manner, technical competence, etc...  Your former supervisor sounds like the best fit.  Professors are unlikely to be able to speak to these things, especially in concrete terms.

 

It doesn't hurt to provide the supervisor with a few reminders of what you did while you worked with her.

 

Another option might be to get a letter from a PA or MD that you've shadowed.  Two of my three letters were obtained that way.

 

Good luck!