When to ask for LORs and how much of a relationship do you need with the prof?

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Laurenxxxx

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I go to a small school so luckily I am pretty close with a couple of professors. I'm confident on about 2, maybe 3, LORs but stuck on the rest. Is it enough to just have had the professor for one class and continue to converse with them a couple times a week? Just the casual, "hello, how are you, whats new with your life, etc"?

Also, is it too early to start asking? I've read previous threads on here about when LORs are due for applying but I got some mixed answers so I'm wondering if anyone knows for sure. Are they required for the primary application or only for secondaries? Say if I'm really awesome and get my primary in the first week it's open, when should I expect secondaries?

By the way, I am applying this summer (2014) and am currently a junior.

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I go to a small school so luckily I am pretty close with a couple of professors. I'm confident on about 2, maybe 3, LORs but stuck on the rest. Is it enough to just have had the professor for one class and continue to converse with them a couple times a week? Just the casual, "hello, how are you, whats new with your life, etc"?

Also, is it too early to start asking? I've read previous threads on here about when LORs are due for applying but I got some mixed answers so I'm wondering if anyone knows for sure. Are they required for the primary application or only for secondaries? Say if I'm really awesome and get my primary in the first week it's open, when should I expect secondaries?
You don't say what year you are, or when you are applying, so it is hard to say if it is too early. Definitely start asking now if you are applying this coming cycle; if you are applying later, bring up now that you would like a LOR in the future, but don't ask them to write it yet unless you will not have any more contact with them between now and then.

Keep up contact with professors you know, who seem to like you, and who are favorable to you mentioning the possibility of needing a LOR. Start talking with other professors if you believe you need more LORs, though usually 3 is the number required. You will need to assign LORs into AMCAS during your primary application (don't remember if it is required to have them assigned before submitting or not) but they don't actually have to receive the LORs until secondaries are due, and you can add or remove LORs during the cycle. Earlier is better, so ideally you will have everything lined up and submitted during or shortly after submitting your primary, and schools will access them when reviewing the secondary applications. Also when asking, remember than professors often are not as quick at submitting things you ask for as you would like. Some people ask for a LOR and end up waiting months before they are actually submitted.
 
I believe that letters of recommendation are part of your secondary application but you assign at least one school to receive them in your primary. If the professor knows who you are, that's good. You can ask them for a letter and gauge their reaction. It would be good to give them a resume and have a conversation about what you want to do so they can personalize your letter. It's never too early to ask but you should let them know about your timeline with a general deadline and follow up without being annoying.
 
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It depends on your school. At my school there were so many premeds professors were accustomed to being asked so a close relationship wasn't necessary. As long as they know you on a first name basis you should be fine. Just make sure they have something to write about other than your class rank or are at least willing to sit down and talk to you about your personal statement/activities so that they get to know you more. If you've been in a research lab for a long time that usually ends up being your strongest letter just because of the consistently close relationship you have to have with PIs and the large amount of material they have to write about.

I would ask 3-4 months before you're planning on turning in your primary. It would be best to at least have a good draft of your PS ready by then too. They might even give you advice on it! You want to make sure that if something happens and someone ends up not being able to write you a letter (one of my professors had to suddenly leave the country so this happened to me) you have time to find a replacement. Also remember to tell them to include their signature and write it on an institutional letterhead!

Letters aren't needed until you're turning in your secondaries. Granted things were a lot slower this year but I turned in my primary last week of June, got verified first week of August, and got all of my secondaries within that first week to week and a half (the exception being the UCs which screen heavily before secondaries and might wait a month or two before they send you one).

EDIT: You actually do not have to have your letters assigned when you turn in your primary. Assigning letters to schools is one of the few post-verification changes allowed. I know because this is what I ended up doing.
 
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I write positive recommendations for students who do well in my class. However, I write good recommendations for students whom I know well. A personal statement is helpful but doesn't take the place of my ability to draw on my experiences with the student over the entire semester. I can parrot back a high grade or I can talk about a consistent demonstration of skill and leadership. The latter makes the rec stronger.
 
Good enough a relationship so that when you ask him/her "do you know me well enough to write me a good LOR?", the answer will be yes.


I go to a small school so luckily I am pretty close with a couple of professors. I'm confident on about 2, maybe 3, LORs but stuck on the rest. Is it enough to just have had the professor for one class and continue to converse with them a couple times a week? Just the casual, "hello, how are you, whats new with your life, etc"?

Also, is it too early to start asking? I've read previous threads on here about when LORs are due for applying but I got some mixed answers so I'm wondering if anyone knows for sure. Are they required for the primary application or only for secondaries? Say if I'm really awesome and get my primary in the first week it's open, when should I expect secondaries?

By the way, I am applying this summer (2014) and am currently a junior.
 
I am confused about LORs. "Make sure your letter writer has a copy of the AMCAS Letter Request form, which includes your AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID." Doesn't this mean you can only ask the writers during the year of the application cycle?
 
I am confused about LORs. "Make sure your letter writer has a copy of the AMCAS Letter Request form, which includes your AAMC ID and AMCAS Letter ID." Doesn't this mean you can only ask the writers during the year of the application cycle?

You can ask the writers whenever. They will only be able to send the letter in during the application year.
 
If the professor knows you, and you get a good grade in the class, and you have talked to him before - it can't hurt to ask. My school has a pre-health committee that takes all my letters of recommendation, and makes one pre-health letter of recommendation to send out. That way, no matter what year I am in, I can ask my teachers to write one and send it to the committee, and the committee keeps it for me and when I need, sends out the letter they write.

Also, you could have them send it to one of those websites that keeps letters of recommendations for you and sends them whenever you want (and makes copies for multiple schools).

If you have a class, and aren't going to do anything more with the professor, then have them immediately send you a LoR to one of those websites or prehealth committee before they forget about you. If you have a professor you like, you could also help with his lab over the semester or summer and have him write you a good LoR, and have him send it to one of those websites or committee. I don't think as a professor, I would care much for a student to keep emailing me every week for small talk. Either keep in touch about things related to the field, or research, or have him write the letter and be done with it! Good luck man
 
Once I feel comfortable enough getting to 1st base with them, I'll go in for the kill, but pull out at the last second and ask for a letter.
 
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