hoomans Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 okay so some advice would be appreciated since UBC explicitly stated they won't help with this. we are required to send in 3 ref letters divided between 1 professional, 1 academic, and 1 community service. issue with my main community service item (hospital volunteering) is that 1) it was pretty short, 2) I mainly took blood pressures etc of patients before appointments and interacted little with the doctor or residents, so i can't really ask them for a letter, and 3) the volunteer coordinator only makes schedules so i doubt can answer the questions about my ability to work with people or other qualities. so im a bit stumped as to who to ask. the only thing i can think of is that one of the first labs i worked at for pay, I continued to volunteer at after my contract ended for ~a year. i have a good relationship with my supervisor and know this letter will be great, but does this really count as community volunteering? thanks all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirsam Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 Congrats on the interview. For the community reference, I would ask the volunteer coordinator first. It couldn't hurt to ask and you would be surprised by how much they know about you. It is part of their job description to give out references and I am sure that they would be happy to. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverick Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 I wouldn't do the lab solely because it'd be hard for them to discuss content like altruism and empathy. Go with the community service one I'd say, something to the point and correct is better than something positive and incorrect . Read through the reference letter guidlines though, they are extremely informative and I think cover this topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lab2185 Posted December 15, 2016 Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 Congrats on the interview! Your community reference doesnt have to be from a hospital position! You can ask anyone basically that you have done volunteer work with in the community. Look over your app, and pick someone else from the other volunteer activities you did! If you got an interview, I am sure you have quiet a good selection of things to choose from! Also, it is unlikely they would get contacted. They usually just write a letter, unless it has changed from last year. But yes, of course they need to know you well and be able to write a strong letter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoomans Posted December 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2016 Thanks everyone Decisions decisions... haha. Congrats on the interview! Your community reference doesnt have to be from a hospital position! You can ask anyone basically that you have done volunteer work with in the community. Look over your app, and pick someone else from the other volunteer activities you did! If you got an interview, I am sure you have quiet a good selection of things to choose from! Also, it is unlikely they would get contacted. They usually just write a letter, unless it has changed from last year. But yes, of course they need to know you well and be able to write a strong letter. Unfortunately the hospital experience actually is the extent of my community service after high school haha. I think my leadership initiatives or research might have carried the rest of my application, but this is really stumping me. Congrats on the interview. For the community reference, I would ask the volunteer coordinator first. It couldn't hurt to ask and you would be surprised by how much they know about you. It is part of their job description to give out references and I am sure that they would be happy to. Good luck. Haha, I really would have asked the coordinator, except I literally only see her when I go to the volunteer office to sign in and sign out. I'm not sure how she can comment on my teamwork/maturity/ethical responsibility, etc. and I don't feel right asking someone who doesn't know me well even if she agrees to say totally good things about me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirsam Posted December 16, 2016 Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 Thanks everyone Decisions decisions... haha. Unfortunately the hospital experience actually is the extent of my community service after high school haha. I think my leadership initiatives or research might have carried the rest of my application, but this is really stumping me. Haha, I really would have asked the coordinator, except I literally only see her when I go to the volunteer office to sign in and sign out. I'm not sure how she can comment on my teamwork/maturity/ethical responsibility, etc. and I don't feel right asking someone who doesn't know me well even if she agrees to say totally good things about me. I completely understand what you mean, but it couldn't hurt to try. Your coordinator would definitely ask around about you and look at your log to see your commitment and punctuality etc. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeanutButter1 Posted December 16, 2016 Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 Having a similar issue. My problem though, 8: that the organizations I've been with for a long time have a high staff turnover rate! I have people who could say wonderful things but they've recently left the organizations. I feel like volunteer coordinator positions tend to have high turnover ... at least based on organizations I'm affiliated with. I have one community ref who only knew me for about 7 months who would give a good reference ... but would it look weird to have a referee from an org I was with short term compared to one I've been with for years?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.