Letter of Rec

[Jazzyy]

Hi, I was hoping to get some advice for choosing the right individuals to list as a reference on my CASPA applicatioin. I'm having a hard time deciding on the last one, my choices are the following:

 

1- LOR from a medical school admission advisor (not sure if this might hurt or help my chances since its an advisor for medical school)

OR

2- LOR from a nurse (whom I volunteered for)

OR

3- LOR from m previous job (non clinical on campus job)

 

Pls let me know which LOR is more worthy, thanks!

[marilynpac]

You didn't read the forum rules, it's against the rules to double post!

[Allegro]

Depends on whether the PA program has any specific requirements regarding the identity of your references.

[AJRcoach]

Choose the person who knows you best and will do the best job for you! Forget the title of the person; if the letter is marginal or "negative" who cares about titles. Attend my free webinar and you'll find out exactly "who" should write your letter and "what" should be included in it! According to Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions Survey of admissions officers at 145 US schools: 87% say they have received a negative letter of recommendation about an applicant. 15% of these officers actually believe a poor LOR is the biggest application killer. (Source: Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions Survey, Business Wire/Kaplan, 9/8/10)

To learn more, visit www.AndrewRodican.com, and attend my free webinar "The 5 Major Mistakes You Must Never Make When Applying to PA School"

[AJRcoach]

This is a great question. Considering 87% of college admissions officers report having seen at least one "bad" LOR, I strongly recommend that you get this right. Make sure you know the person well and that they will meet the deadline and give you a "favorable" LOR, that's most important. Who cares about titles if the LOR stinks! I cover this very topic in my free webinar; in fact it's one of the 5 mistakes I cover (see below):

A great resource for ALL PA school applicants, no matter what phase of the process you’re in, is the book, “The Ultimate Guide to getting Into Physician Assistant School.” This book is published by McGraw-Hill and has a contribution from CASPA. The book is in its 3rd Edition and includes information on the application process, letters of recommendation, essay (with examples), and three chapters on the interview, with questions and answers. The author also offers one-on-one coaching; visit www.AndrewRodican.com to order the book and for more information.

To attend a FREE Webinar: “The 5 Mistakes You Must Never Make When Applying to PA School”, visit www.AndrewRodican.com and click on “Free Webinar” on the menu

All PA school applicants should check out this informative (ABC Affiliate) TV interview with Andrew J. Rodican, PA-C, author of the best- selling book, “The Ultimate Guide to Getting Into Physician Assistant School” The “Youtube” link for the TV interview is:

[Allegro]

There are, however, PA schools who will toss out an app BEFORE reading the LORs if the applicant has failed to provide certain pre-requisites regarding the identity of references. Some require a letter from a PA or health professional and will disqualify the app without it. Not all schools do this, in which case, yes, always go for who knows you best and will provide the best information.

[LESH]

My bias has gravitated towards paying attention to rec letters from PAs and clinical supervisors only. But like I said that's just my bias...

[CJKitty]

i was in an interview with another candidate that didnt have a letter from a PA, and it came up... casting that person in a worse light than if they had one.

 

This didn't actually come up at any of my interviews, but EVERYONE who was being interviewed said they had at least one letter from a PA. (Yep, I was that nosy, probably had everyone in my groups thinking I was insane.) However shoddy these statistics might be, it certainly suggests that having a relevant LOR was a requirement to make it that far in these programs.

 

My LORs were from a PA, MD, and the director of my unit, who has her BSN + MBA.

[gammagirl]

is it adviseable to have on from a professor? I can easily get three- one PA, one Md , one medical supervisor. The professers have only know me for one semster. They know my testing ability but they don't know ME.

[MCHAD]

I would say the letters that you are planning are the best choices for you. You don't want one of those generic letters that professors write for about 30 students a year that says "so and so did good in my class blah blah blah". I actually made the mistake of having someone write my letter (vice president of the college i attended) that knew me very well but was so busy that he passed the request to his secretary that wrote one of those generic letters i mentioned. Make sure they are willing to take the time to write an outstanding letter.

[lzypanda]

pa, md, and unit director is a good spread to have.

 

i was surprised that someone would apply without a PA letter. it wouldnt have come up if everyone had one.

 

I actually didn't apply with one.. I chose 2 MD and 1 NP letter. I'm sure my application might have been stronger with one, but I choose the three that I think would have evaluated my performance and character (aka knew me and my work ethic) best.

[ohiovolffemtp]

CASPA limits you to three letters of recommendation. It depends upon the individual school if they are interested in and will accept others sent directly to them.

 

I had my three from 2 ER physicians and 1 ER RN. I asked them because they were familiar with my work as a medic. I have applied to 2 schools. I was accepted by 1 and will be interviewing with the 2nd next month. Neither of the schools I applied to require a letter of recommendation from a PA.

 

It seems like the answer to this question, like others about GPA's, HCE, etc. depends upon the individual schools. So, my recommendation is to contact the schools to which you will be applying to get their wishes.