another LOR question. . . .

[javandane]

to all,

i'm new here, so i appreciate any and all help offered. my situation is this: i'm working as a research associate in a medical school, and am also enrolled in a graduate course at this same school. i'm in the process of deciding whom to ask for letters of recommendation for my summer 2004 applications, and would like a recommendation from one of the professors of the course i'm enrolled in. my question: do i approach him now and make it known that i'd like to ask him for a letter sometime next year, or wait until the end of the semester? i'm really not thrilled about playing the sort of undergrad game of seeking out your professor outside of class to ask questions about the material( it's a very small class--discussion format-- so any questions can be asked and answered during lecture) or pretending i'm interested in hearing about his research when i'm really not. i'd rather have him get to know me as a person, not simply a student. and i feel that if he's aware that i'll be asking him for a letter in the future, perhaps he'll make some attempts at appraising me in this way during the semester, rather than as a grade at the end of the course.

again, i'd appreciate any thoughts on the above.

thanks!

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[swankydude]

The technique that really worked for me is to aced more than one class offered by a particular professor and then asks him/her for a LOR? works every time?

 

[Winston Smith]

how about asking questions during lecture then? that way he'll recognize you and realize your interest in the class. i mean we don't have questions every second but every now and then it might be nice to ask something interesting. or do it right after class if you don't want to do it in front of everyone.

i don't think it's a good idea to come out and say 'i'll be needing a letter later so remember me' or something like that cuz why would he write a strong letter for you then? you have to get to know him/her a little, talk to him about anything.

 

[superdevil]

unfortunately, getting a GOOD LOR takes some time and effort. if you don't want to go to his office hours and you don't care about his research, that's not much of a start. how is he supposed to get to know you as "a person, not simply a student"? it may take a bit of legwork to get it done right.

for the letters i have so far, i got A's all three quarters from my ochem prof and asked him, and by the end of this year, i will have taken 3 classes from a molecular bio prof as well as working in his lab for 4 quarters. sounds like a lot, but its worth it. this is the level of interaction that scores the good LORs.

also, like Winston said, avoid the "advance notice" regarding the LOR. just do your best, and, if you are confident he's impressed with you, ask him immediately- even if its for next year's app cycle.

 

[matthew45]

My experience is this: if you pay attention in class, don't go to sleep, ask cogent questions when appropriate and be respectful, you'd be suprised how well they might remember you and regard you when you go talk to them.

I'm also going to give away another secret. Ever since Fresh year I've waited until my final grades came in, then sent a personal email to my teachers thanking them for teaching (if I liked the class). You really can't accuse me a Machiavellian pre-med scheming since waited until my grade was posted and I started doing it before I was pre-med or know anything about LORs. But you'd be amazed at how well a teacher might remember something like that.