Reference Letter

[jwilli03]

Hi guys,

Are they any guidelines as to what should be included in the actual letter of reference? I know there is the reference form online that also needs to be filled out, but what should be included in the written letter?

Any help or ideas would be awesome!

[dreizehn]

Hey jwilli03,

Beyond the instruction given on the reference form itself:

Please attach an additional page to support your ranking of the applicant. Please note any attributes or flaws which, in your opinion, make this applicant particularly suitable or unsuitable for a career in veterinary medicine.

there aren't any other official guidelines or requirements (at least that I'm aware of), and the actual content is up to the reference writers themselves.

With that said, if they are seeking some further guidance, you might suggest they could identify and expand on your possession of some of the key attributes identified in the form itself (I've grouped these according to what I think are similar skills and the most important, but this is really just my personal opinion, so take it with a grain of salt):

• Ability to work with others | Verbal skills | Emotional intelligence
  
• Character and integrity | Dependability and reliability
  
• Acceptance of feedback and instruction | Ability to learn from mistakes

[/b]
[/li][li]Ability to analyse and solve problems
[/li][li]Ability to work with animals[/b]

[/li][li]Motivation for becoming a veterinarian (you get to write a whole essay about this yourself, so I'd consider it less important for the reference to write about as well, but it wouldn't hurt for them to briefly mention it if it's relevant for them)

[/li][li]Leadership
[/li][li]Personal and social maturity
[/li][li]Intellectual capacity
[/li][li]Initiative/originality
[/li][li]Written skills
[/li][li]Planning skills
[/li][/ul]Up to this point, the reference has essentially just checked off some boxes on the form; now the admissions people want to hear a bit more about why they scored you as they did:

• Why does this person think you would make a good addition to the field of veterinary medicine?
  
• What skills, attributes, experience, etc. have you demonstrated that make you a good candidate?
  
  
  What is it about you that has sufficiently impressed this person such that
  they are willing to sincerely recommend you for the veterinary profession?

The reference letters essentially come into things as flags (i.e., a negative reference letter might be enough to flag an application for further review or rejection). There is no set formula for what should or should not be in the letter, as it will be different for every applicant. As with your own essay, I think the only thing they should really avoid is "fluff" that is not relevant to why you would be a good DVM candidate.

[jwilli03]

Okay thanks,

I already have two vets who are able to give me a good reference letter, but for the third letter do you think it would be okay to ask a TA who I have been volunteering with? Would this be appropriate even though they are not a professor?

[dreizehn]

In my opinion: yeah, a TA could make a fine reference, so long as in your specific case he/she fits OVC's description of a referee.

For the third reference (who can be a vet but doesn't have to be), the only guidance the admissions page gives is that the person must be "...qualified to give an unbiased, informed and critical assessment..." Ms. Lowenger also speaks about the referee requirement in this year's video for unsuccessful applicants: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAtjLtwOGmQ#t=34m31s. The keys things I take away are:

• The person should be in the position to be able to give a reference (e.g., has supervised you, knows you well enough to be able to assess your attributes, etc.)
  
• Should be able to fill out all (ideally) or at least the vast majority of the assessment categories on the reference sheet (e.g., maybe the third reference did not observe interaction with animals, but they observed essentially everything else)
  
• No friends, family members, etc. (i.e., no biased people)
  

Regarding the references, the admissions page, checklist, etc. do use the word "professional," but I think they're using it more so in the sense of it being an unbiased and informed reference (i.e., not in the sense of it having to be from a recognized profession, like doctors/vets, lawyers, professors, etc.). I think some people get a bit caught up on thinking they should get a reference from a professor to "impress" the admissions people, but this isn't necessarily the best approach. Sometimes, a person simply has not worked closely enough with a professor to develop a relationship such that the professor could make a meaningful assessment. In such a case, really all one would be getting is the title, as the professor would not be able to give a meaningful or useful assessment.

So, if the TA you have been volunteering with seems to fit the above better than any professors you might be considering, I think the TA would be the better option.

[ratshark]

This might be a bit redundant, but I just want to make sure. I am doing a MSc program, but I am applying with the undergraduate cohort because I won't have 3 full time semesters of grad school by the time I apply.

Is it ok to have my MSc supervisor provide a reference? Or would this be a bit frowned upon considering that a MSc cohort student needs to provide 2 references from research supervisors.

[dreizehn]

I can't think of any possible reason why anyone would have an issue with you using your MSc supervisor as a reference. Personally, I think this is probably an excellent choice for your third reference. Also, keep in mind that you're applying with the undergraduate cohort, so they're going to evaluate you the same as all the other people applying in the undergrad cohort, not like the grad cohort (i.e., there's no reason in there for why they'd frown upon your choice of reference).

I think one of my top pieces of advice to applicants would have to be: RELAX. I know it's not really going to happen; that's kind of the nature of the beast of the admission process (and I know I probably didn't enough myself), but do try. They are not trying to find some insignificant reason to reject your application, or to give you a lower ranking, or to make it harder than it already is to get in to vet school. It may not always seem like it (I know from experience :, but they are in fact trying to make it as straightforward as possible, as they really are just trying to find the most qualified of applicants.

Also, I say it a lot on here (and I do believe even in this thread itself), but specifically in regards to reference letters it really is helpful to keep in mind that they essentially just come into things as flags (i.e., it's really just that a negative reference letter might be enough to flag an application for further review or rejection. So long as you get three qualified people (including two vets) who think you are an overall good person and would make a good vet, the references are not going to be an issue).

[annonymous]

Hi everyone,

Just another quick question about reference letters. Has anybody else received the confirmation letter along with the return envelope we're suppposed to you use to send the letters to OVC? I haven't gotten mine yet and was just wondering if others had.

[cbarne01]

Mine arrived last Friday (Jan 25th).

[Guest1]

I got mine last Thursday, and OVC got it back this Monday.

[annonymous]

Okay, thanks guys! I live far away from Guelph so maybe that's why it hasn't come yet. Hopefully it'll show up soon

[animalover]

Hi,

I am wondering, is it possible to hand in my reference letters to OVC in person rather than mailing it to Guelph? One of my vet references did not sign the seal of the envelope and I think I need to get it signed but that will take some time.

[lowenger]

dreizehn is right on with his answers. Great work!

[cbarne01]

I plan to drop mine off in person to the U of G admissions desk in the University Centre (level 3, address is on the mailing label).

[dreizehn]

Feb 12, 2013 21:42:13 GMT -5 @animalover said:

Hi,

I am wondering, is it possible to hand in my reference letters to OVC in person rather than mailing it to Guelph? One of my vet references did not sign the seal of the envelope and I think I need to get it signed but that will take some time.

YES, documents for which admissions requires a hard copy (e.g., reference letters)* can be submitted in person to the admissions office:

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Program
Admission Services UC L3
University of Guelph
Guelph, ON N1G 2W1
Canada

(i.e., go the the third floor of the UC and they'll let you know where to drop it off. This is the address as given at the bottom of the admissions page: www.ovc.uoguelph.ca/recruitment/en/applyingtodvm/Academicrequirements.asp)

*Note: Just a little side note I didn't want to cram in up there: hard copies of transcripts from any other post secondary institution attended are also required, but remember that they must be mailed directly from said institution (i.e., university->UofG, NOT university->you->UofG).

[aquavet]

What happens if we submitted our references through mail (expected to be delivered before the deadline), but they actually arrive after the deadline? (ie. Canada post loses the mail somewhere)

[dreizehn]

This is definitely the kind of question that comes up the night before the deadline for documents, eh?

Short answer: in an effort to be fair to all applicants, I'm fairly certain the deadlines are very strict, and delivery issues (e.g., lost or late mail) would not be a valid reason for missing the deadline.

Now, with that said, that's exceedingly short for one of my posts, so I'm going to try to lighten the mood by reflecting a bit on my own application:

Personally, I couldn't bring myself to live with the mystery of standard mail, so I sent all my hard copies via traceable courier (the Wednesday evening before the Friday deadline, of course, because, hey, application-of-my-life or not, I'm still a procrastinator... ) Now, this of course didn't alleviate my worrying, it just meant I instead worried the courier truck was going to go careening off the 401 on Thursday, and my reference letters would go flying off in the wind or burn in the ensuing fire (I figured either was equally likely in the aftermath). Well aware of this potential event, I had also calculated in my head how long it would take to drive around Ontario on Friday to each of my three references, pick up new copies of their letters, then drive to Guelph to drop them off in person before the office closed at 4:30PM. According to my calculations at the time, this would in fact have been doable...hahaha ;D

Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to get at is that I definitely get what you and most of this year's other applicants are feeling right now. All I can say in an effort to be helpful is: relax and try not to worry (at least not too much...) Canada Post handles millions of pieces of mail each day, and the likelihood of anything unfortunate happening to your item is so exceedingly, exceedingly minute that it shouldn't even be a blip on the radar. At this stage in the application process, be happy that you've already completed what are probably the most difficult portions of the application, and the next step (interview selection) is out of your hands, so try to put it out of your mind until you hear.

Also, if you're not aware of WebAdvisor yet, here's a post I made earlier outlining how to check online regarding the receipt of your documents: (in any case, keep in mind that it can take from a few days to a few weeks following delivery for documents to appear as received)

Jan 16, 2013 19:25:13 GMT -5 dreizehn said:

KEEPING TABS ON YOUR APPLICATION

---

UofG uses WebAdvisor for their registrar related activities (e.g., applications, payment, etc.): webadvisor.uoguelph.ca

From here, you can check the status of your application and check what documents (e.g., transcripts, MCAT scores, references, etc.) have been received as follows:

1.) Login (button in the upper right. This is the "central login ID" and password UofG probably sent you in the fall as a non-UofG student; UofG students already have this)

2.) Go to the "Applicants" sub-menu (on the right, under "Main Menu")

3.) Under "Communications" click "Documents"

This will display a table listing all the documents relating to your application already received by admissions (do note the disclaimer at the top though, as it can take a few weeks for things to show as received).

4.) Back on the main "Applicants" page, under "Admission Information" you can click "Admission Status." This will display the current status of your application. This is where you can check your status and, going by my year, is the first place you will learn about the final decision (I also eventually got an e-mail a few days later, then a letter after a couple weeks).

At the moment, it's probably just something like "Application received" for all of you. The key changes that happen are either:

YES: something along the lines of "Student admitted" or "Application successful."

NO: "Admission refused"

If you are successful, the final change is to "Offer Accepted by Student" if you accept.

[ratshark]

I had the exact same stress!! I mailed my reference letters on Tuesday night using Xpresspost (guaranteed overnight). So by the end of Wednesday my letter still didn't arrive. Turns out that because of the Tuesday snow storm the mail truck didn't leave Toronto. I hope your letters got in alright.

It would have been a LOT more helpful if the reference letters were done online. This way, it would be fair to ALL students. Guelph students can simply walk their reference letters over to the admission office and not rely on Canada Post, unlike the out-of-Guelph students.

[cbarne01]

I drove 2.5 hours just to skip the mailing stress. I visited friends to make myself feel less like a nerd.

[rc]

Not entirely sure online reference letters make sense. There would be issues with confidentiality, ensuring the form was completed by the vet in question and it would be hard to teach some of the older vets how to use any sort of an online form.

[guest01]

I submitted my reference letters to Guelph on Feb. 26 (Tues.) in person but it still doesn't say 'received' on my Webadvisor yet. I know it says it may take 2 to 3 weeks to update online but I was wondering if anyone handed in around the same time as me and it says 'Received' on their webadvisor? Thanks.