Science prof LOR flexibility?

[eafutureeyedoc]

Does anyone know if the following schools are flexible regarding letters of recommendation? My undergrad school doesn't do the commitee/prehealth advisor thing so I have to solicit my professors individually and I am REALLY struggling to get letters from science professors. All of my science classes have been humongous 300+ student lectures, and I have only stopped into office hours for questions a handful of times, so there's no way they remember who I am. I am applying to Salus, Nova, SCO, and UAB, and it looks like all require at least one science professor and Salus (my top choice right now) requires two. Getting one science prof letter is going to be difficult enough, and it definitely won't be a strong letter...I highly doubt I would be able to get a letter from two science professors before the end of December. I have the rest of my application together and was planning on submitting applications for the entering class of 2015 cycle over winter break, but my LORs are holding me back...could I go ahead and submit with multiple non-science professor letters or multiple optometrist letters and then maybe try and bond with a science prof next semester and ask for a letter? Has anyone ever been accepted without a science LOR or accepted on the condition that they get one? If so, where? I am really stressing out about this and would hate for something so small to hold me back...really kicking myself for not going into office hours all this time. Any advice would be much appreciated! Thanks!

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[mathcod]

I was accepted on the condition I got a LOR from a science prof who taught a class I took. My original LOR was from my research PI of 2 years who taught grad students.

Sometimes you just gotta give the old college try and ask a professor. Most understand that it's part of their job and they probably get many students who solicit them, and if they don't feel they can write a strong one, they can always say no.

I know you are on a deadline, but just for the sake of advice for others on this forum, you can always outright tell a professor at the beginning of the quarter that you are interested in asking them for a letter at the end of the quarter and ask them what you have to do to get a good one from them. Some may say just get a good grade, some may say to participate more in discussion and get a TA to approve, etc. You can also submit to them your profile of what you are applying to and why.

I agree, sometimes it can be really nerve-wracking to ask for letters of recommendation or references if they don't know who you are, but it wouldn't hurt to try the tactic I mentioned above. I'm sure the bare minimum letter would be - he got an A in my class, and that would at least be somewhat better than no letter.