How important are letters of recommendation?
The most helpful and informative recommendations are from individuals who know you well and who can write specifically about you and your accomplishments, either academic or extracurricular. For example, recommendations assist us when they discuss information about you that might not be readily apparent from even a careful review of your transcript, or when they provide insight into your character; in other words, when they help us to distinguish you from other applicants. However, note that the admissions decision is not influenced by the number of recommendations we receive for an applicant, nor by the social or political prominence of the person providing the recommendation.
Letters of recommendation are very important in the admissions process. They convey your knowledge of the veterinary profession, the depth and level of your commitment to the field, and the qualities of character that you have shown to the person you choose as your evaluator. We offer a set of guidelines for those individuals writing letters of recommendation at http://cvm.ncsu.edu/studentservices/info_for_ref_writers.
