Letters of Recommendation (LORs)

No matter what professional program you are applying for, there is a strong chance you will need a recommendation letter to vouch for why you are the right fit for the profession and/or the program along with your strengths as an applicant. For PA schools, CASPA (centralized application system) allows up to five recommendation letters. Some programs require a PA/MD/DO/NP, professor, and a supervisor letter. At the minimum, three letters are required to submit your CASPA, but it is your responsibility that you have a letter from each category of whatever the school is requiring (professor, PA, supervisor or volunteer etc.) Additional recommenders can still submit their letters even after you submit your application to the school. The school will receive a notification for an update on your application and they can retrieve the new letter at that time.


What should you ask your recommenders to write about? (Download the template on the bottom of the main page)


Put yourself in an admissions committee’s shoes and think about what they would want to read about an applicant attending their school. Letters are to vouch for the applicant’s strengths, characteristics, and confirm that they are the right choice. For PA schools, I sent my recommenders a template letter and asked them to mention anything they know or have seen about me from the following list:

These are the characteristics a PA should have; allow your recommenders to mention examples they remember about you from this list.

  • Emotional stability

  • Detail oriented

  • Independent

  • Team Player

  • Compassion

  • Problem-solving skills

  • Adaptability

  • Confidence

  • Strong interpersonal skills

  • Hard working


For example, Nidhi has strong interpersonal skills and she communicates affectively with the staff to accomplish tasks in a timely manner.

Other letter requirements may differ from school to school – the requirement of the letter being on a letterhead and/or having a signature. Some programs will also have the recommender submit school based form stating the shadowing hours and a signature. Be sure to gather all of this before sending it to your recommender so you’re not constantly going back and forth. You can check for additional requirements on the school website or CASPA’s document section under the school you’re applying to.


Is there anything else that the recommenders need to do?

Once you submit their email on CASPA, your recommender will get a link that will ask them to rate you on certain skills from strongly recommend to recommend etc. They will then have a chance to submit a letter on the link. You can “un-invite” them to write you a recommendation letter if you change your mind and you can add someone else. I highly recommend setting the deadline for the letter 10 days before you plan on submitting in case the recommender gets busy, this flexible window will allow you to reach out to them and still be on time for your own CASPA submission deadline.


How many letters should you get?

This is completely up to you, make sure you meet every school’s requirements. I submitted 5 during my first cycle and 4 in the last 2 cycles. Be sure to have well rounded letters, a person who can vouch for your work ethic, a person who can vouch for patient rapport and communication skills, a person who can vouch for you as a strong student etc.


Should you send a thank you note?

I sent a thank you gift card after I received my acceptance, but that was mainly because I didn’t want to make it seem like I’m bribing them to continue writing me letters even if I get rejected. Again, this is a personal choice, a sweet gesture to thank someone who took out their time to do something for you is never a bad idea.