LOR's from which professors....

SDN Members don't see this ad. (About Ads)

I'm just curious, when schools say that one (or any) of the LOR's need to be from a faculty member, is it implied that it has to be from a science faculty member, or can it be from any professor/instructor?

Originally Posted by hye345

I'm just curious, when schools say that one (or any) of the LOR's need to be from a faculty member, is it implied that it has to be from a science faculty member, or can it be from any professor/instructor?

I had my organic professor write me one, but I don't think it would need to be a science professor. Just so they know you well and they can account for you being a great student, you should be fine.

With that being said... my thought is that a good LoR from a science professor would still carry more weight.

But a good LoR from a non-science professor would be better than a mediocre one from a science professor.

How about a letter from your PI ? I work (volunteer technically) in one of the research labs at school.

Originally Posted by Beet Pharmer

How about a letter from your PI ? I work (volunteer technically) in one of the research labs at school.

This probably wont win me points for knowledge, but what is a PI again?

Originally Posted by hye345

This probably wont win me points for knowledge, but what is a PI again?

No worries !
A PI is a Principal Investigator. He/She is the head of the research lab. They all have PhDs and are considered staff so I thought their LoR might be worth something ?

One of my LOR is from a history professor. After reading several of his articles and lectures, I knew I had to get one from him. His style is unique, vivid, and exciting. I thought a letter from him will be distinct from the thousands of the mundane "xxx is a conscientious student" yawn-fests admission committees get every year. I also took 2 of his courses and frequently stayed after class to chat with him about history and more.

If you feel this person knows you well and is willing/able to write you a great LOR, then do not hesitate to ask; but if you have many options and they all love you and can write equally well, then it's safer with the science faculty/pharmacist LOR.

Also, some schools require that at least 1 of your LOR's is from a science faculty or pharmacist. You can check with the pharmcas school info page http://www.pharmcas.org/collegesschools/schoolpages.htm or call/email the school directly to make sure.

Originally Posted by Beet Pharmer

No worries !
A PI is a Principal Investigator. He/She is the head of the research lab. They all have PhDs and are considered staff so I thought their LoR might be worth something ?

Before your clarification I thought you were going to get a letter from a private investigator.

Who else but a private investigator would know that you have no skeletons in your closet, right?

Hmm, well so far, I have one science professor who said he could write me one (and he's one of the few science professors that I've spoken to semi-frequently outside of class, so he knows me fairly well). I am going to ask my 2 current science professors, as well as my public speaking professor. Out of these, the public speaking professor is the one who knows me the 'best'. I'm also thinking about asking one from one of the semi-heads of a (non-science) organization I'm a part of (she already offered to allow me to use her as a reference), though I'm not sure what 'category' of letters this would fall under.

I just have to ask.. is there a limit to the # of LOR's you can submit to pharmcas?

Originally Posted by hye345

I just have to ask.. is there a limit to the # of LOR's you can submit to pharmcas?

Yes. You can submit up to 4 LOR's on pharmcas according to pages 40 and 41 on http://www.pharmcas.org/docs/Instructions201011.pdf .

You may be able to submit more by sending them to the school you are applying to directly, but be sure to check with the school first.