What exactly is a "strong LOR"?

[DBear]

I've noticed in many posts regarding applicant profiles that state that one has X number of "strong" letters of recommendation lined up. How are people so sure of this?

Just out of curiosity, I wonder how people assess the strength of a letter of recommendation. For the most part, professors don't seem to always show students the letters they have written, at least in my own experience and from what I've gathered in my school. 

If one doesn't know what's actually written (or will be written) in a letter, then is a "strong" LOR referring to one written by a prominent scholar? Or is it based on the assumption that the letter writer will most likely write a persuasive letter? 

Just a matter of curiosity as "strong" LoR (or even SoP for that matter) is quite subjective and personally, I feel like even if the letter writer is quite well-known in the relevant field, if they cannot directly attest to an applicants capabilities with evidence to back up their claim, it wouldn't be a strong letter.

 

[fuzzylogician]

I've had several people tell me that one of my letters for job applications brought tears to their eyes when they read it. I assume it's strong (to say the least). When I was applying to grad school, my letters were something people often commented on in interviews, so again, I know this means they were good. For the record, I've never seen any of my letters for grad school or for postdocs/jobs. Nonetheless, I know they are strong because they come from people who I am certain support me and believe that I am a strong candidate for whatever I'm applying for. My letter writers are people who have known me for many years, who have advised me on multiple projects, who can attest to my teaching abilities, research abilities, my personality, etc. They can give specific details and anecdotes to support whatever comment they make about me. They know the contents of my papers and my ideas, and can discuss in detail why they matter. They are people who care about me and have my back. That's how I know I have strong letters. (Therefore, when I was only applying to grad school and before I had interviews, I *hoped* but didn't quite *know* that I had strong letters, based on my relationships with my recommenders. It's always just a guess, unless a writer shows you the letter or a reader tells you about it.)

You'll notice that at no point did I discuss how prominent my letter writers are. They are, but that's not what's going to get me the grant/fellowship/job/etc. It's the content that matters. The reputation of the letter writer and their relationship with the institution you're applying for would only be something I would consider if you had several otherwise equal options to choose from. Otherwise, I would go with the more detailed letter from the person who knows you best. 

[steve3020]

I guess it's the reputation of the writer + their relationship with them + recommender's relationship with people at the target institution. Personally I've read one of my letters and to me it seems perfect but who knows what other people might think.  

[DBear]

Thanks @fuzzylogician and @steve3020 -

 

Fuzzy, your answer is exactly what I was looking for and it makes sense to me. It seems to make a lot more sense that one would say in hindsight that they had strong letters which received positive feedback and happy to know that it was more about content. Being an international student, my letter writers are known within their fields in my country but I doubt that their name would carry substantial weight outside our borders. Anyhow, hope that my letters end up being strong - thanks for your explanation! (Can we mark this question as resolved? At least as the "asker", I feel satisfied  )  

[fuzzylogician]

13 minutes ago, DBear said:

Fuzzy, your answer is exactly what I was looking for and it makes sense to me. It seems to make a lot more sense that one would say in hindsight that they had strong letters which received positive feedback and happy to know that it was more about content. Being an international student, my letter writers are known within their fields in my country but I doubt that their name would carry substantial weight outside our borders. Anyhow, hope that my letters end up being strong - thanks for your explanation! (Can we mark this question as resolved? At least as the "asker", I feel satisfied  )  

FWIW I was also an international student. People still knew my letter writers (at least two of them, I think), or at least the letters were good enough to get me where I wanted to go. (There is no "resolved" function I am aware of for questions, but if you're happy we could just stop replying and the thread will naturally get pushed down.)

[Gadgette]

I think it depends on which program. I want to study genetic counseling and all of the schools stress advocacy experience. My job is advocacy based and person centered, so my supervisor and her supervisor both wrote me letters. Then for the third letter, I asked a parent of one of the individuals with whom I've worked. I can pretty much guarantee no one at the places I've applied to have heard of these 3 people, but they could talk about my experiences, work, commitment, etc.