The Biggest Mistakes We See in Letters of Recommendation (And How to Avoid Them)
If you’ve spent months earning patient care hours, improving your GPA, and perfecting your personal statement…
Don’t let a weak letter of recommendation quietly hurt your application.
Here’s the surprising part:
Most letters of recommendation aren’t bad because the recommender doesn’t like the applicant. They’re bad because they’re generic.
As former PA admissions committee members, we’ve read thousands of applications. While you never get to see your letters, admissions committees do—and certain patterns show up over and over again.
Here are the biggest mistakes we see and how you can avoid them.
Mistake #1: Asking Someone Who Doesn’t Really Know You
Many applicants think they should ask the person with the biggest title.
The medical director.
The lead surgeon.
The CEO.
But if that person only interacted with you twice, their letter usually sounds something like this:
“Katie worked in our department and was always professional.”
That’s not memorable.
A PA, physician, charge nurse, professor, or supervisor who has watched you grow over months can almost always write a stronger letter.
Choose someone who knows your work—not just your name.
Mistake #2: Waiting Until the Last Minute
Strong letters take time.
When someone is rushed, they often write a generic letter because they simply don’t have time to think through meaningful examples.
Whenever possible, ask at least 4–8 weeks before you need the letter.
This gives your recommender time to write something thoughtful instead of something they finish the night before.
Mistake #3: Giving Your Recommender Nothing to Work With
Remember:
Even someone who thinks highly of you may struggle to write about you if you don’t help them.
When someone agrees to write your letter, send them:
- Your resume
- Your updated CASPA experiences
- A draft of your personal statement
- Programs you’re applying to
- Career goals
- A few experiences or accomplishments you’d love for them to highlight
This isn’t writing the letter for them.
It’s making their job easier.
Mistake #4: Choosing Someone Based Only on Their Credentials
Applicants often assume:
“A physician’s letter is automatically better than a PA’s.”
Nope. In fact, we daresay, a PA wins out because…ahem, you’re applying to PA school.
Admissions committees are looking for credible evidence that you’ll succeed in PA school.
A detailed letter from someone who has supervised you for two years, and who actually knows what you’re going to go through because they went through it themselves, is usually far more valuable than a vague letter from someone with an impressive title.
Specific examples always beat impressive credentials.
Mistake #5: Never Following Up
People are busy.
Following up doesn’t make you annoying.
It makes you responsible.
If your deadline is approaching, send a polite reminder well before CASPA opens or before your application deadline.
You’ll save yourself unnecessary stress.
Mistake #6: Assuming Every Letter Is a Strong Letter
One of the hardest truths:
Not everyone should write your recommendation.
If someone seems hesitant…
If they say they’re extremely busy…
If they don’t sound enthusiastic…
Take that as a sign.
A lukewarm letter, or even worse, a bad LOR, can quietly weaken an otherwise competitive application or put you in the “no” pile, no matter how great your GPAs are.
Instead, thank them and ask someone who can genuinely advocate for you.
What Makes a Great Letter?
The strongest recommendation letters have one thing in common:
They tell stories.
Instead of saying:
“Katie is hardworking.”
They explain why.
Maybe you stayed late to comfort a patient.
Maybe you anticipated problems before anyone else noticed.
Maybe you became the person everyone trusted during busy shifts.
Those specific examples help admissions committees picture the kind of future PA you’ll become.
That’s what makes a letter memorable.
Final Thoughts
You can’t control every word someone writes about you.
But you can control who you ask, when you ask, and how well you prepare them.
A thoughtful, detailed recommendation won’t get you accepted by itself.
But paired with a strong personal statement, meaningful experiences, and a polished CASPA application, it can reinforce exactly what admissions committees hope to see:
Someone who is ready to succeed in PA school.
Need Another Set of Eyes on Your Application?
At Pre-PA Clinic, we’ve served for years on PA admissions committees and know what competitive applications actually look like.
If you want expert feedback and editing on your personal statement, CASPA experiences, life and AI/technology essays, and overall application, our CASPA Editing is designed to help you submit your strongest application with confidence.