Asking for a Reference Letter before Getting into Something

[SuperSaiyan3]

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Alright, so we all know that you need reference letters and contacts to apply to most med schools.

I'm now in 3rd year of my undergrad and I'm trying to build a good profile (a better one than I already have) by participating in a varsity sport and volunteering in labs.

Do you think I should talk to my coach and laboratory supervisor NOW and ask them if they would be happy to write me a good letter in return for my services and efforts?

I ask this, because I've had jobs and previous sports where I went above and beyond, but I was never really friends with my coaches or supervisors... as they never worked WITH me (I work by myself in my jobs) or they felt that they didn't know me well enough to write me a reference letter... which is ******ED because how would I be able to make up for the fact that my job requires me to work alone and that they have never seen me first hand? But it could be a very sweet position... and it seems like such a waste to miss a reference letter from such a position.


What do you think? Frankly, I would think it'd be a very awkward question, and now they know you have an alternative motive for being there, other than the passion of the sport or for the job. (which I already find to be ******ed... hey... NOBODY WANTS TO WORK FOR FREE. Students who get in line to volunteer in labs or hospitals are USUALLY just want that experinence written down in their resume or profile.)

 

[redsquareblack]

Do you think I should talk to my coach and laboratory supervisor NOW and ask them if they would be happy to write me a good letter in return for my services and efforts?

If you haven't worked with them, then it's not worth asking them. Even if they said yes, their letters wouldn't exactly be descriptive, and would most likely carry much less weight for an adcom. Adcoms are looking for letters that are descriptive, that help them form an impression of the applicant through the eyes of others who are familiar with and have worked with the applicant.

Also, I would hesitate to have your coach write you a letter, unless you performed a particularly important leadership role that distinguishes you from other members of the team.

 

[schrizto]

I wouldn't ask first, because of the psychological aspect of it. If they agree, they will be thinking of what to write in your recommendation letter from then on before really knowing you.

 

[apumic]

So wait...you want to...whhhat?!

Yeah, asking someone to write you an LOR before you've even begun working under them is just tacky. If you do research or a TA-ship, a reference is sort of an unwritten expectation but it'd be pretty tacky to actually come out and mention it at this point. After a good year or so working with them would be an appropriate time to ask for an LOR. Less than that can be done but LORs from people who've known you less than a year are likely to carry less weight as the person has not had long to get a well-rounded picture of you. (Imagine the adcom reading the following: "Over the past 3 months I've known SS3...." See what I mean? It sounds kind of premature, doesn't it?!)

 

[RogueUnicorn]

hahahaha wtf

 

[BlueElmo]

It just sounds wrong to actually ask for a LOR before you start working/volunteering for him or her.

 

[marele86]

I'd personally be more worried about *losing* potential LORs from this.

Look at it from the supervisor's perspective - you've almost certainly had some great volunteers/researchers, lots of average ones, and a handful that were lazy, disrespectful, rude, late, or completely immature.

So if someone you don't know wants a LOR before they commit to volunteering/researching with you, you're thinking that you can't in good conscience agree to write a good LOR before actually getting to know the person.

Even if they agree to do it, if they for some reason don't like you, they'll just end up writing you a subpar one (as opposed to just telling you that they "don't have time" to get out of it) that will get you rejected from most, if not all, of your potential schools.

 

[rockaction]

NOBODY WANTS TO WORK FOR FREE. Students who get in line to volunteer in labs or hospitals are USUALLY just want that experinence written down in their resume or profile.)

Are you one of those students? If so, that's pathetic. You're taking a spot from someone who could be genuinely interested in the work. And all you want is a LOR. Goodness gracious I can't stand pre-meds like you. All you care about is the payoff. Enough that you're willing to ask for it from the get go? So you'd walk up to your supervisor and be like "oh hey are you going to write me a letter of recommendation for this?" as if you wouldn't do the work otherwise. That's low, man.

You people need to realize that not everything you do to get into medical school should be so calculated and heartless.

 

[schrizto]

Believe it or not, there are people out there who want to volunteer in labs because they genuinely want to, like me 😀.

 

[Longshanks]

Are you one of those students? If so, that's pathetic. You're taking a spot from someone who could be genuinely interested in the work. And all you want is a LOR. Goodness gracious I can't stand pre-meds like you. All you care about is the payoff. Enough that you're willing to ask for it from the get go? So you'd walk up to your supervisor and be like "oh hey are you going to write me a letter of recommendation for this?" as if you wouldn't do the work otherwise. That's low, man.

You people need to realize that not everything you do to get into medical school should be so calculated and heartless.

quoted ftw 👍

 

[akinetopsia]

In fairness, I've had some large lecture sections of classes where the professor has said, "If you're remotely interested in getting an LOR from me, then you need to do two things: e-mail me so we can set up a meeting and get to know each other before x date, and get an A."

Some professors are very upfront about willing to write LORs, but with large lecture sections, they don't get to know the students all that well - thus you have to be active in cultivating a relationship with them.

I would think that involvement in sports/clubs is the same. You have to cultivate a relationship with the coach/supervisor, and the LOR will take care of itself. If you baldly do it JUST for the LOR, most people can see right through that. Don't be that person.