We want to chat about something that many students don’t even think about or give enough thought to that makes a HUGE difference to getting interview invites at PA schools…

…it can even put you in the “NO” pile no matter how amazing the rest of your PA school application is!

What are we talking about??

Letters of Recommendation!

But before we get into that, we want to share a fun travel story with you.

As you probably already know, Katie and I love to travel ! Last time we were in Wyoming it was for a medical conference. Katie’s husband came along so he could enjoy running in the mountains too.

While we were getting checked into the conference he went off to find his own breakfast and wander around for a few hours until we were done. 

Now, her husband is a sociable guy…he likes everyone and everyone likes him. Katie and I spent the entire morning listening to lectures, taking notes, and awkwardly trying to make small talk with other attendees. 

When we returned to the hotel around noon, her husband was surrounded by a bunch of locals casually chatting outside the hotel lobby. When he saw us, he smiled and exclaimed “Great news! We’ve got a free ride!” When I saw the gleaming black SUV purr to a stop at the curb in front of us, I just stared!

Not only was it a free ride…it was a Mercedes Benz!

Turns out, while we were sitting in uncomfortable chairs and attending lectures, he had gone out to breakfast, made friends with the guy at the local camping store, then somehow stumbled upon an offer to use a fancy set of wheels…for the week! TRUE STORY!

He is the ONLY person in the world who could go out for breakfast in a small Wyoming town and come back with a luxe car to “test for a few days” before the hotel started renting it to other guests. 

This story always makes me smile…hope it made you smile too. 

Now, onto today’s topic! Today is all about letters of recommendation and how important every one of your LORs are!

We get it, it can be a pain to try and get a LOR from people…they are super busy, they forget, or they have a million other excuses…but these letters are SO important to your application. 

Choosing the right people to write your LORs is integral to having a strong PA school application!

If even one of your LOR writers writes “do not recommend” or anything negative in your LOR, you will likely get put in the “no” pile – even if you have a 4.0 GPA and thousands of patient care hours.

Remember, these are professionals writing about you to other professionals (PA schools) and attesting to your competence, ethics, morals, critical thinking, etc. If a professional who is well-versed in being a professional does not recommend you, then PA schools trust this opinion and it weighs heavily against you.

And when there’s thousands of other applicants vying for the same seat and they all have excellent LORs, you can see how one bad LOR REALLY REALLY hurts your chances.

When considering who to ask for LORs, ask first: “Can you write me a strong LOR for my PA school application?” If they say no or give an excuse or don’t seem thrilled, then say thank you and MOVE ON to someone else who CAN write you a strong letter of recommendation!

Choose someone who knows you well, can attest to things like your intelligence, work ethic, people skills, medical knowledge, punctuality etc. The more SPECIFIC details they can tell about you the better.

Also, here’s who NOT choose (even if they can write you a strong LOR):

• Someone who has know you “your whole life”
• Family friend
• Your pediatrician
• A PA you’ve shadowed for just a few hours
• People who don’t have time to write a good LOR

You want to make sure you have AT LEAST ONE LOR from a medical professional (ahem, especially *a PA*) to attest to your readiness to enter a rigorous graduate program.

Supervisors, college professors, work colleagues, providers you’ve shadowed and spent extensive time with…these are all good people to ask!

Remember, your CASPA LORs are an important part of your PA school application so spend some time thinking about who would be the most beneficial to write a letter on your behalf!

And before you hit submit on your CASPA app, definitely make sure your app is strong enough to stand out to PA schools so you can get interviews! Sign up for our CASPA App Editing and Zoom Feedback service.