vicpremed Posted January 11, 2019 Report Share Posted January 11, 2019 Hi there, Is it true that if a reference states that they are unable to judge two different things (e.g. ability to speak a second language, etc.) on the reference form, that they are then disqualified and you are able to choose another? I have a professional reference who came to me with this concern, and now I'm wondering if this is accurate and if so, how it will reflect on my application. They haven't actually completed the reference yet, but I've already sent the email request. Does anyone have any insight into this? Thanks very much in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchpress Posted January 11, 2019 Report Share Posted January 11, 2019 3 hours ago, vicpremed said: Hi there, Is it true that if a reference states that they are unable to judge two different things (e.g. ability to speak a second language, etc.) on the reference form, that they are then disqualified and you are able to choose another? I have a professional reference who came to me with this concern, and now I'm wondering if this is accurate and if so, how it will reflect on my application. They haven't actually completed the reference yet, but I've already sent the email request. Does anyone have any insight into this? Thanks very much in advance! I haven’t heard of this. You could email admissions for advice on it. I suspect that they’ll just tell you that you should choose the most appropriate referee for the questions asked on each form, and that if the referee can’t comment on multiple things then the reference may just not be as considered as strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohimark Posted January 11, 2019 Report Share Posted January 11, 2019 Yeah this is a great question. I was chatting with one of my references this week about this very issue. He said he's had to turn people down for UBC's reference because of this very issue since he hasn't had enough opportunity to judge those qualities (he's a big-shot prof). I wasn't aware this was a thing until he told me - but I don't see any qualifier on the references guide 2018-19. Maybe the initial email from UBC contains this but I guess we're banking on the referee to catch this and then you can just choose someone else and have them fill it instead, at no consequence to you. Hm! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vicpremed Posted January 15, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Thanks for the responses! From what I can tell, the information about not being able to judge on two different items is only given to the person whom you've asked to be your reference. I can't find it anywhere in the information that they've given the applicants. Then, only after they've disqualified themselves are you able to choose an alternate reference. This is what I've gathered so far at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyridoxal-phosphate Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchpress Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 2 hours ago, vicpremed said: Thanks for the responses! From what I can tell, the information about not being able to judge on two different items is only given to the person whom you've asked to be your reference. I can't find it anywhere in the information that they've given the applicants. Then, only after they've disqualified themselves are you able to choose an alternate reference. This is what I've gathered so far at least. Interesting, I hadn’t heard about this. You’re right that it does not seem to be in any of the info given the applicants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyridoxal-phosphate Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neurophiliac Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 3 hours ago, pyridoxal-phosphate said: According to the OAS my academic reference who doesn't know me very well at all has submitted. If they put "unable to judge" on enough items do you think they would get a notification before submitting saying that they are disqualified, and I would then get notified to select someone else? I would just hate for them to have been disqualified upon submission, without me or them knowing. It’s not a real-time form though, so they really have to submit before UBC Med Admissions sees that “unable to judge” has been selected multiple times. And honestly, I’m not sure what happens after if that were to happen. Would UBC notify the applicant and ask for a new reference? Or is the submitted reference final and then you just become red flagged without even knowing it? I’m not sure, but am leaning more towards the latter . I’m hoping that your reference would have let you know if they were unable to judge you on multiple qualities (which is usually the case). So, the fact that they didn’t contact you is maybe a good thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyridoxal-phosphate Posted January 19, 2019 Report Share Posted January 19, 2019 On 1/18/2019 at 8:46 PM, Neurophiliac said: It’s not a real-time form though, so they really have to submit before UBC Med Admissions sees that “unable to judge” has been selected multiple times. And honestly, I’m not sure what happens after if that were to happen. Would UBC notify the applicant and ask for a new reference? Or is the submitted reference final and then you just become red flagged without even knowing it? I’m not sure, but am leaning more towards the latter . I’m hoping that your reference would have let you know if they were unable to judge you on multiple qualities (which is usually the case). So, the fact that they didn’t contact you is maybe a good thing? x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.