Advice on LORs

[bprior]

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I just started my junior year and am getting worried about obtaining LORs. I have never been to any office hours and this semester all of my science professors office hours are during my classes. I have always been the kind of person to figure things out on my own rather than ask for help. I am wondering some ways I can get around this and obtain some good letters. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Goose340]

For one of my letters I spent a saturday with my cell bio prof in his research lab helping him out and talking to him. After that he became very engaged in my success and wants me to report back to him on interviews and acceptances. You could try "shadowing" him in his research, I guess I would call it that.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

I hated going to office hours and I've always found that studying alone was more efficient during 'study' time and only after I was done that reviewing with friends was worthwhile.

I suggest acing a class and signing up to be a TA. (LOR #1)
Upper level science elective classes usually have a very small class size so you can chat quite a bit with them. (LOR #2)
Contributing in one of the professor's research lab (LOR #3)
Shadow a dentist or volunteer somewhere... (LOR #4)

Those are all options but if you really have trouble... just look for any professor whose class you got an A in and just ask for one. They might or might not write you one but keep in mind that it'll probably just be mediocre at best. Of course... the better the rec the better it is for you!

 

[bprior]

Thanks for the advice! I shadowed a dentist over the summer and plan on getting some more hours in before I apply. The dentist said he would right me a good letter. I also plan on doing undergrad research, so I plan on getting one from that professor. All of my classes this semester are large lectures so hopefully next semester I get a class of smaller size.

 

[dantemac]

Here is how I got mine while rarely going to office hours:

TA for chemistry (LOR #1 - original lecture course was like 400 people)
TA for bio (LOR #2)
Volunteer Coordinator
Dentist I shadowed
LOR #5 = Upper level bio class, professor said my work was some of the best in the class, I e-mailed her and thanked her for the compliment and parlayed it into a LOR.

 

[amalgamgrillz]

Here is how I got mine while rarely going to office hours:

TA for chemistry (LOR #1 - original lecture course was like 400 people)
TA for bio (LOR #2)
Volunteer Coordinator
Dentist I shadowed
LOR #5 = Upper level bio class, professor said my work was some of the best in the class, I e-mailed her and thanked her for the compliment and parlayed it into a LOR.

I thought we weren't allowed to get LORs from TAs. I read somewhere that even if it's a Post Doc instructor, the course coordinator has to sign off on it

 

[dantemac]

I meant that I was the teaching assistant for the class and I got one from the professor.

 

[bprior]

How do you become a TA for a class? Other than obviously doing good in that class.

 

[dantemac]

The funny part is, I didn't do great in intro bio or intro chem. And I never went to office hours. The way I became a TA is I e-mailed the professors stating how much I really wanted to be a TA for them, and no one else in the department. I also stated my favorite part of their class, just to establish I was listening and somewhat knowledgeable/passionate on the subject. For the last part I told them I could provide a letter of interest/resume if they wanted one (they didn't need one).