Referee Types

[orangeman]

Hi everyone! 

Given that we have 2 referees, I was wondering if we should try to diversify i.e. have one referee from employment, 1 from volunteer. Or should both referees be of professional status such as a professor or physician status. 

 

Second, similar to a question posted earlier, but specifically, if you are holding a VP status in a student group let's say and the president is currently unavailable to give you a reference (moved out of the country/busy with other things) would it be acceptable to ask another VP to be your referee? 

 

Thanks guys  

[GH0ST]

Hi everyone! 

Given that we have 2 referees, I was wondering if we should try to diversify i.e. have one referee from employment, 1 from volunteer. Or should both referees be of professional status such as a professor or physician status. 

 

Second, similar to a question posted earlier, but specifically, if you are holding a VP status in a student group let's say and the president is currently unavailable to give you a reference (moved out of the country/busy with other things) would it be acceptable to ask another VP to be your referee? 

 

Thanks guys

 

1. While diversity is important, it's not a substitute for a quality letter from someone who knows you well. Think about that when making your decision.

 

2. I did this for verifiers, but it may be less appropriate as a reference (especially if they have not worked with you in a professional capacity).

 

I'll let others interject should they have any additional advice.

 

- G

[Friendly Magpie]

Both of my referees for U of A are from employment because they know me best. Although I've never been accepted, I was waitlisted the first time I applied so the referees must have been acceptable.

 

Ghoststalker is right in that it's best to get quality letters. 

 

I hope that helps. 

[chronicconic]

I believe reference letters are checked at the end of your assessment, i.e. after MMI scoring, and are primarily used to flag any applicants. This is in total contrast to UofC, which uses reference letters to formulate your application scores.

[Friendly Magpie]

I believe reference letters are checked at the end of your assessment, i.e. after MMI scoring, and are primarily used to flag any applicants. This is in total contrast to UofC, which uses reference letters to formulate your application scores.

 

Chroniciconic is right (welcome back to the forums by the way!  ). At U of A, they don't even look at your reference letters until after the interview and it's basically a check mark for them. Unless your referee says something absolutely horrible about you, it shouldn't affect whether or not you're accepted.

[TheApiarist]

I see that UofA tries to limit subjectivity as much as possible. Don't know if it's a good thing or not.

[Friendly Magpie]

I see that UofA tries to limit subjectivity as much as possible. Don't know if it's a good thing or not.

 

I agree with this. They are definitely a lot more objective than Calgary. Mind you, I haven't applied to Calgary before so I'm curious to see how my 'Top 10' will be received as I've had higher than average personal activities scores both times that I've applied to U of A.