"Big name" LOR vs other LOR?

[Letters]

BfotiIs it better to get a letter from a big name academic person who may not know you as well or a letter from someone not nationally recognized who knows you better?

[Ventricles]

I think its always better to have a neurosurgeon who knows you well to write your letters. If its a big name person, all the better. The more experienced program directors and chairmen know how to read between the lines of LORs, and the big-name guys have been writing their letters for years. In rank meetings, our PD will often say that chairman X wrote the applicant one of his generic letters. Compare that to the relatively unknown random tumor guy at program ABC who wrote a glowing 2-page letter about the applicant who worked in his lab for a year. Makes a big difference.

[Guest]

No letter from Sub-I < Generic letter < any great unique letter < great unique letter from big name < call by known NSG on your behalf < call by big name NSG on your behalf

[Guest]

No letter will ever undo a bad step 1. No letter will ever break a solid step 1. At the end of the day what you get on step 1 determines where you go

[Ventricles]

(03-29-2017, 05:27 PM)Guest Wrote: No letter will ever undo a bad step 1.  No letter will ever break a solid step 1.  At the end of the day what you get on step 1 determines where you go

Christ, enough with the fucking Step 1 nonsense! No, it categorically does not determine where you go. Its one (albeit important) factor amongst many. A below average Step 1 score does not at all sink your chances of being a neurosurgeon, and trolls have got to stop posting that sort of bullshit here.

[Guest]

(03-29-2017, 05:27 PM)Guest Wrote: No letter will ever undo a bad step 1.  No letter will ever break a solid step 1.  At the end of the day what you get on step 1 determines where you go

One call from a friend or respected colleague of a Chair, on your behalf, can get you in without any problem.  This is not school. This is a job and the boss can give you the job for whatever reason he sees fit. He can also deny you the job if he/she simply decides that he does not like you; even if you have a 280 on your step I.  You have to get past your grade school mentality. It is my understanding that the only way they can't give you the job because of  your Step I score, even if they want to, would be if you flunked it. i.e. scored below 190 something.

[Guest]

I had a great unique letter from a well known neurosurgeon and it was more well received than the generic letter I had from a "nsg god"

[Guest]

(04-05-2017, 12:04 PM)Guest Wrote: I had a great unique letter from a well known neurosurgeon and it was more well received than the generic letter I had from a "nsg god"

Agreed. imagine PDs see the same exact letters from the same NSGs for multiple applicants in every cycle. It can't have any impact on them any more. Unique letters and unique calls is what an LOR should be.

[Guest]

(03-29-2017, 11:05 PM)Guest Wrote:

(03-29-2017, 05:27 PM)Guest Wrote: No letter will ever undo a bad step 1.  No letter will ever break a solid step 1.  At the end of the day what you get on step 1 determines where you go

One call from a friend or respected colleague of a Chair, on your behalf, can get you in without any problem.  This is not school. This is a job and the boss can give you the job for whatever reason he sees fit. He can also deny you the job if he/she simply decides that he does not like you; even if you have a 280 on your step I.  You have to get past your grade school mentality. It is my understanding that the only way they can't give you the job because of  your Step I score, even if they want to, would be if you flunked it. i.e. scored below 190 something.

A phone call can sink you but a phone call alone won't get you in.