Did you ask for LOR's already?

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gene_pool

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For people applying for this upcoming cycle, have you asked for LOR's already? I have people that I feel will write me strong letters, I just feel a bit anxious about finally asking...

Any good tips, articles, or links out there for LOR-asking etiquette?

Thanks in advance!

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If you're sure you can get a letter, mention it ASAP. Professors/physicians/etc are busy people and you'll want to give them a heads up. Also, give them a friendly reminder every month or so, they forget
 
If you're sure you can get a letter, mention it ASAP. Professors/physicians/etc are busy people and you'll want to give them a heads up. Also, give them a friendly reminder every month or so, they forget
Emphasis on bolded!
 
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Yeah, mostly because I am already out of college (graduated 2014), I asked in October so they wouldn't have forgotten me in general.
 
Get it asap. Don't overestimate the amount of time a professor has to write love letters.

One of my letterwriters took 2 years with his insanely busy schedule. Gotta admire the persistence though.:heckyeah:
 
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Definitely ask now! Tell them you need it by may and then send a reminder in april, set up interfolio now! Someone gave me great advice for this once, say you worked in a lab:

Dr. XXXX,
I was hoping you wouldn't mind writing me a letter of recommendation for medical school. I hoped you would write one because you know my professional work in a laboratory setting and oversaw my lesioning experiments and I think that could be really beneficial to my app. .....

You don't have to word it exactly like this, but this is a good way to kind of tell them what you want them to focus on in the letter!

Good luck!

I usually asked via email, and only had one professor that did not write it. (He just never responded) Most of them love getting requests for letters and are used to it.
 
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they definitely don't have to write it right now, but definitely ask if you would be able to have one written.


you can always use interfolio and have digital non-viewable access to the letters at any time.
 
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Never heard of Interfolio! I always wondered how to "hold" the letter.

I'll be asking ASAP, thanks everyone
 
What do you guys think about asking in-person versus e-mailing?

What did you guys typically do?
 
Get it asap. Don't overestimate the amount of time a professor has to write love letters.

One of my letterwriters took 2 years with his insanely busy schedule. Gotta admire the persistence though.:heckyeah:

What the heck? It's hard to imagine the circumstances in which it takes 730 days for someone to finish up a letter.
 
What if you're currently in their class, but want a letter from them anyways by late May? Should I wait until the end of the semester until I get my final grade (early May) to ask or can I tell them now that I plan to ask them for one at the end of the semester? If the latter, when should I notify them (now or after 1-2 midterms)?
 
Never heard of Interfolio! I always wondered how to "hold" the letter.

I'll be asking ASAP, thanks everyone

I attached my resume to a personal and tailored letter that I wrote for each person. I also attached a rough personal statement about my med school aspirations and how their class helped me come a little closer to my goal. Before I emailed them, I asked half of them in person if they would be comfortable writing me a "strong letter of recommendation for medical school". You should understand that anyone can write a LOR. Some professors are socially awkward and cannot say no. You don't need "any" LOR. You need a strong and glowing LOR.

Basically, you should be nice, toot their horn, and provide them with as much amazing ammo as possible so that they can write a cohesive and kick ass letter. This methodology will also ensure consistency among your writers and their letters will reinforce similar points about you because you provide them with one basic document with a few unique elements in each one. This will add credibility to your character assessment.
 
I wouldn't get a LOR from someone that I didn't feel comfortable showing up in person and talking about it. I also texted my letter writers every few weeks bugging them.
I asked all of mine in person as soon as I knew I was going to apply (so about 1.5yrs early). However, I'm on the opposite coast at this point, so I'm sending my formal 'with details and deadline' request now, about 1.5mo before I actually want the letters (which is probably ~2mo before I need them). I cheated, though, and requested letters from the same people for another program a few months ago, so they should have a good draft ready to turn into a med school rec!
The exception to this is my MD supervisor, who I'm asking in person now with ~2mo to go...but he told me he would love to write me a letter ages ago, and has no other students or people who he has offered letters to.
 
It's always good to ask as early as possible. Most of my writers were professors who were doing research and so I asked in May and some them said "I can't get it to you until June because I am working on a grant proposal" These letters usually get written within a day and that's why they ask for reminders near the deadline.
 
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