Advice for LoR after taking a couple years off from school

[ethereal_goldfish]

I am taking a year or two off before applying for vet schools. However, I am graduating this coming year and was wondering how to ask for LoRs from professors after taking a couple of years off from school. Does anyone have any experience with doing this and have any advice?

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[Fly Racing]

I decided to have 3 vet letters since it was allowed and I felt my transcripts stand for themselves. It worked fine for me. Otherwise, plan to get in touch with a couple of your professors now, tell them your plan and ask if they'll be able to write you a letter in the future. When you contact them in the future, include some important highlights about your previous interactions together. Plenty of people are still applying a couple years, so don't stress too much

 

[StartingoverVet]

This has been addressed in past, but it is not a big deal.

Best way: if you can stop by, let them know how you are doing, give them info on yourself.
Alternative: e-mail and let them know, again include some biographical info.

Happens all the time, just have to ask, and it always help to "remind" them who you are i.e.
"you remember I'm the guy that knocked over the snake tank and we had to chase snakes down for weeks" ...

 

[that redhead]

If possible, I would avoid asking for a letter from someone who you haven't seen in a few years. If you must have a science professor and there's no way around it, do your best to bring it up before you leave and then remind them who you are when you ask again. Ideally, you'd have letters from people who had worked with you more recently.

 

[WelshCob]

I just had three veterinarians write me letters. No big deal.

 

[KCgophervet]

I had a professor write me a letter after I'd been out of school for ~3 years. It was a professor I was pretty close with ahead of time and even spent 10 days on a research boat with in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico the summer after graduating undergrad. We were Facebook friends and I kept him updated throughout the time (told him when I decided to go the vet route, what pre-reqs I was taking, where I was applying etc and made sure to send him an updated CV and my PS. I was working in research and going into lab animal and didn't know 3 vets to write for me so having him write one, the lab animal vet at the place I worked at, and my PI worked out for me.