What kind of things should one tell their Letter of Recommendation (LoR) writer to focus on in their letter?

[GoPenguinsGo]

I have a year before I re-apply to medical school and one of the comments one of the schools that gave me feedback was to replace one of my science letters since it didn't really add anything (it wasn't bad by any means, it just didn't offer anything new of note). This past semester I took Immunology (as part of a DIY post-bacc) and my professor for this class has agreed to be part of my thesis committee for my graduate degree. I want to use him to write me a letter as a replacement for one of my science LoRs (the good one is from my co-PI who both had me as a student and works with me in the lab, so he knows me really well and very personally).

What kinds of things do excellent letters have that set them apart from merely good or even great LoRs???? I want him to talk about:
-Academic excellence
-Creative thinking and problem solving
-Ability to handle criticism
-Ability to work well with others


Anything else that should be included to go from "good" to "excellent"?

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[seanm028]

I gave my writers a copy of the AAMC guide for letter writers. It lists exactly what schools want to see, as well as a few examples of what they don't want to see. It might help to push them in the right direction.

 

[LunaOri]

What sets you apart from other students.