A few LOR questions...

[obgyny]

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I'm really sorry if these questions have been asked several times...

I technically have to take 2 years off until med school to do the MCAT and work to save up some money. I'm applying next round (June 2010). I signed up for my school's LOR service. My question is: do I obtain the LORs I get from my profs before I graduate? Or wait until I apply? I know it's not that much time off, but I think it would be better to get them now, while I'm still fresh in their memory, right?

Also, it's pretty standard to get 2 science prof LORS. Do they have to be profs you took a class with? 1 LOR will be from my eco/evo research prof (never took a class with him) and the other LOR will be from a neuro prof I took a class with and will be doing research with.

One more question: how do adcoms feel about LORs from community college profs? I took all my non-sci classes at a CC, I was thinking of asking my CC English prof. Also, I knew my CC physics prof really well for 1.5 years. I basically was the unofficial tutor of the class and I feel like he could write me a strong LOR.

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

 

[obgyny]

bump!

any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[Stratego]

My question is: 1) do I obtain the LORs I get from my profs before I graduate?

2) Do they have to be profs you took a class with? 1 LOR will be from my eco/evo research prof (never took a class with him) and the other LOR will be from a neuro prof I took a class with and will be doing research with.

3) how do adcoms feel about LORs from community college profs?

1) Yes, get them now. People, die, move, take sabbatical in other countries. Don't take the chance.

2) Getting a letter from the principal investigator of your project(s) is expected. It doesn't matter that you never had a class with the person.

3) It's more important to have a strong, very supportive letter from someone who knows you well. If it comes from an instructor at a CC, who cares. It's better than a luke-warm letter from the head of your department. If your CC teachers are professors, rather than instructors, that's to the better. Many of us got letters from lowly teaching assistants who thought we were terrific and knew who we were out of a class of 300 students. We still got admitted.

 

[obgyny]

1) Yes, get them now. People, die, move, take sabbatical in other countries. Don't take the chance.

2) Getting a letter from the principal investigator of your project(s) is expected. It doesn't matter that you never had a class with the person.

3) It's more important to have a strong, very supportive letter from someone who knows you well. If it comes from an instructor at a CC, who cares. It's better than a luke-warm letter from the head of your department. If your CC teachers are professors, rather than instructors, that's to the better. Many of us got letters from lowly teaching assistants who thought we were terrific and knew who we were out of a class of 300 students. We still got admitted.

thanks for the advice!