asking for letter of recommendation question

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SeroSanguinous100

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Hi guys, I am in an undergraduate health program and want to go to graduate school for psych. Sorry for being deliberately vague. Anyway, there is only one psych person at my school and I actually had an argument with this person (really stressed and overworked, poor judgement on my part) and had to talk to the dean with this teacher. The teacher was really nice at this time and said if I was having troubles and stress I could speak with them about it. Anyway, I want to go to graduate school for a psych career and am considering approaching this person for a letter. I am doing a lot better in my school now so I think the teacher will see it was an isolated incident. I thought it would be good to show I can get along with everyone by getting a letter from the same teacher I had a little problem with.

Do you guys think this is possible? Or should I forget it and focus on developing relationships with others in time to apply?

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This forum is for psychiatry, not psychology. We know about as much about grad school admissions as any other medical doctor.
 
Based on the limited info provided in your post, this being the only psych person, and how they handled the discussion with the dean professionally, I think there is minimal risk in asking. You would want to let the person know what your plans are and that you are looking for a letter of recommendation. The usual advice if you're unsure of the person's feelings about you is to ask if they could write a you a strong letter, or a supportive letter. This gives them some outs to decline (e.g. I don't know you well enough to write a strong letter). It also prevents them from saying yes and you getting a very generic and lukewarm letter, which probably would not help your application.
 
I was thinking of asking them questions about psych graduate schools and asking to shadow them in their job. Then they can see how professional I am. Then ask for a letter.
 
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