Letters of Recommendation

I am glad someone asked me to cover this topic, because I think choosing your evaluators, along with a topic for your personal statement, can be the most difficult part of your VMCAS application. Usually, you are required to have THREE evaluations, one must be from a professor of advisor, another from a veterinarian, and the other can be from someone you have either worked with or that knows you well (this CANNOT be a family member.) Again, you need to do your research for each school you plan on personally applying to because some schools have a maximum number of evaluations that you can send. I think they are usually five but please don’t quote me on that. Do your research first! The third letter can definitely be from another veterinarian or another professor, this is really up to you, but make sure it is someone who knows your strengths and who can prove you are a hard worker and why you deserve a spot at the veterinary school(s) you are applying to. 

I think for most people it is a no brainer who they might choose as their veterinary evaluator. This might be someone you have worked for throughout high school or undergrad that knows your strengths and can prove you have the same characteristics that  a successful veterinarian does. They should be able to point out these specific characteristics, such as working well under stress, having effective communication skills, etc and also state that you are able to hold a job and complete academic courses while participating in extra curriculars, if that is something that you choose to do. The more POSITIVE characteristics your veterinary evaluator knows about you, the more likely your admissions committee is to trust their word. These veterinarians have been through this schooling before also and if they know you are capable of the same schooling, this will give you a large boost.

I think the most difficult evaluator to choose is the academic evaluator. If you are coming from a larger school where you may not have been in close proximity with any of your professors, this can make it hard to get to know your professors or advisor well. If I can give you any advice, try to ask a PROFESSOR to write you a letter and NOT an advisor. The exception to this is if you have had your advisor for a class throughout your undergrad career. While your pre-vet or major advisor knows what your grades are, and most likely knows what it takes to get into veterinary school, unless they have had you in class, they do NOT know what your work ethic is and cannot write you the best letter that they possibly could otherwise. There are a lot of biology classes that you will take in your undergraduate career that you will either repeat in vet school or will be a great indicator of how you will perform in vet school. An example of these will be histology, parasitology, microbiology, comparative anatomy, neurobiology, etc. If you do well in these classes and have a good teacher, try to gain a strong relationship with the professor. I know when you perform well in a class you don’t spend as much time with a teacher as per se when you are struggling and having to visit their office hours as much. Ask if you can participate in research with the professor, etc. This will show them that you are interested in learning more and want to go that extra mile. This will give you a boost up and they will definitely should not hesitate to write you a letter of recommendation! Also, many people do not have their Chemistry and Physics professors write them a letter of recommendation, if you do well in these courses, there is no reason to NOT ask them to write you an evaluation! They are just as important in the application process! Your Organic and Physics GPA is a whole portion of your application at most schools. Personally, I had my Physics professor write my evaluation because I had him for both sections of Biophysics, I did well in his class and he was previously a professor at a medical college and knew what kind of student it took to do well in this kind of setting. You have to weigh these kind of options when choosing a academic professional, because remember, they can tell you know when you ask so you need to have some back ups.

It is important that you know the evaluators that you are going to choose for your letters of recommendation. It is very rare that a veterinarian or professor will write you a negative letter of recommendation but it has happened, and it can happen. Make sure that you ask them if they would care to write you a POSITIVE letter of recommendation when asking them to write you one. Make sure you give them ample amount of time to write them. Ask as soon as possible and don’t be afraid to remind them if they haven’t turned it in by the beginning of September. Don’t overdo it, they all have careers and may have other things going on, such as writing other recommendation letters! Like I said, they also reserve the right to tell you no, so make sure you have some back-ups. That’s why it is important to shadow other veterinarians and get close with professors! Make sure you ask your evaluators to write you a recommendation before entering them in your VMCAS application, that is respectful and professional. It is also professional and polite to send them a Thank You card once they turn their evaluation in, you will be notified of this via email. You should also send them another Thank You or at least let them know if you are accepted to veterinary school! 

If you have any other questions regarding letters of recommendations, please comment and let me know! I would be glad to answer!