Does prestige matter when it comes to references? (AB schools)

[CPart]

Hey everyone

This is my first time applying for med school and I am really stressing about reference selection. I will be using my MSc supervisor for one but I am struggling with other picks.

I have heard varied opinions on who is a good reference. Some people say as long as they can speak to your character and abilities while others say you should make sure they have a professional title.

For example, I have a coworker/shift supervisor that I worked with for 4 years in a retail environment. She saw me interact with customers and other employees but she wouldn't be seen as overly prestigious. I also have a senior level PhD student I worked closely with on graduate student council, but again not very professional in title. Then I have 2 volunteer coordinators who might sound better on paper but I have either known them for less time (less than a year) or not interacted much in person, only email. I think my one other solid option is a research staff scientist I have interacted with a lot but outside of my main lab environment so I don't think she would be too similar to my supervisor.

If you could please provide me with some opinions I would really appreciate it, thanks!

[frenchpress]

Use people who know you well AND who you think will be able to write a good reference. It’s a balance sometimes to pick someone who can do both, and I’d say ‘professional title’ is less important.
 

There’s nothing wrong with using a retail boss, might even be a great choice. But writing references for medical student admissions might not be something they have any skill at. I used to have to write references fairly often when I worked in academia - it’s actually pretty hard to do well. If you choose someone who doesn’t know you, like the volunteer coordinators you described, you should expect the letter might be pretty generic. It also depends on the school’s application style - some letters are more of a form and easier to fill out for people than others that want just a plain letter.