Ahh! Some recommendations questions..

[JohnDO]

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How do you guys go about getting recommendations from professors? I've never had the same professor twice (up until now), and so I feel as though I havn't had the opportunity to get to know any professors on a personal level. This semester I got the same physics professor I had last semester. I did excellent in his class, and he knows who I am. I've had a few conversations with him in his office and via email, but I don't know how appropriate it is to ask him for a recommendation. I'm trying my best to get to know him better this semester, but he seems somewhat distant; keeping things in a student/professor perspective.

My second question deals with premedical advisors and committees. I noticed some osteopathic schools would like either an advisor's recommendation, or a committee recommendation. Unfortunately, my university stopped writing committee letters about a year ago and shut down their preprofessional advising. I never see my major advisor because him and I butt heads. I pretty much do everything on my own as far as scheduling and finding out what I need to be doing and what classes to be taking. I'm thinking about making an appointment with another advisor [which is generally discouraged] and meeting with her. However, she doesn't know me, and I can't be justified in asking her for a recommendation after meeting with her only a few times. So I'm in a bind here. As far as I know, my top four choices for school only require an osteopath and a science professor's recommendation. However, I want to keep my options open.

My third question deals with obtaining an osteopathic recommendation. I plan on getting a recommendation from one of my parent's friends who have known me since I was born. He knows me very well, and has already agreed to write me one. However, is it appropriate to obtain a recommendation without shadowing him? I noticed many students shadow the osteopath they are getting their recommendation from.

Thank you all!

John

 

[Amy B]

Question 1 - Get to know your professors so you never have to struggle to get a recommendation. Doing good in a class is not enough, you have to get to know them better. Visit them during office hours, think of questions pertaining to lecture so they can see you are thinking about their class on a broader canvas. For the prof you have in mind, just email or visit him and tell him you are applying to med school and would like to know if he would be willling to write a recommendation for you. Give him a copy of your personal statement. If you don't have that ready then try to come up with something to show him a bit of what you are made of and why you want to become a doctor.

Question 2 - If your school doesn't have a committe, you are not required to get a letter from them. They might want one from the advisor, but if I were you I would call the school and ask them what would be acceptable in place of those letters.

Question 3 - you do not need to shadow a DO to get your letter. I didn't. I just met with one for a 40 minute interview. I gave him my personal statement as well as the answers to a number of secondary essays I had answered so he could know all about me and my desire to become a doctor. If you have know a DO all your life, by all means have them write the letter. I would again suggest that you gfive that person your personal statement so they can address it in their letter.

Without your school having a pre-med advisor you are going to have to think about who is going to send out your letters for you. You aren't allowed to see them so you can't personally handle them.

Good luck.

 

[moniagrl]

1. i had similar problem. i didn't have many professors who knew me for more than one semester. in that case ask anyways if you can't get anyone else, but only ask teachers who know how to write LORs well. the problem is that if they don't know you then their letter will be generic. one of my teachers took all the papers i wrote for her class and used examples from my work in her letter

also ask the physics professor. It is good to have a letter from an organic professor as that is the class that most resembles med school material

2. if your school does not have a committe and u have no advisor that knows u well, then forgo the advisor letter. u don't need one, just put on your secondaries that there si no committe at your school. no letter si better than a crappy one

and yes u can opt to see your letters but since med schools don't like when u do that, make sure your letters are confidential

3.while u don't have to shadow a DO, i would strongly advise it. not only for the letter, but also for the experiance. it would also give them more personal things to write about what u did and your qualifications