Don't know professors at all for letters of recommendation?

[beattheprocess]

The most I've really talked to a professor in person was briefly after class and mostly about grading or exempting an assignment because I was sick or something. I go to a large school with almost 30k undergrads with professors handling the large 200+ student classes and it takes like 10 minutes of waiting to get to talk to them after class like I did. I occasionally asked questions on content by email and that was mostly to TAs. There was only one small class I took that had a professor teaching it and he said that "my essays were a highlight of the class" so I might ask him for one, but I took his class in spring of 2017 when I was a freshman, so almost 2 years ago. I don't know if he remembers me, and if he does and writes one, it's only 1/5. Do professors generally say yes when a student that they hardly know asks for a letter of rec if they got an A in the class?

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[Dream of the Endless]

That is a case by case basis. Some will say yes, others will say no. You have to gauge the personality of your teachers. But I want you to really think about this for a moment. You have spent years and countless hours of your life preparing for this opportunity to finally apply and crystallize your goal of practicing medicine as an attending. Knowing that your Letters could help make your application stand out among 60,000 others are you really comfortable throwing that opportunity away? Even if you did get a letter, it would be generic. Can we agree that would be a waste?

You still have a year left to make an impact. Go to office hours, ask questions during lecture, ask about their research, sit in the front row consistently, become a TA. Attending a large university is not a valid excuse, my friend. Even here at the largest university in the nation (No, really. It's actually the largest) office hours are frequently empty besides around test time. You only need up to 3 letters from teachers in most cases.

Perhaps I am making this joke in bad taste, but your name is beattheprocess. Doesn't that imply you take advantage of opportunities to overcome adversity? This is an opportunity, my friend!

 

[beattheprocess]

That is a case by case basis. Some will say yes, others will say no. You have to gauge the personality of your teachers. But I want you to really think about this for a moment. You have spent years and countless hours of your life preparing for this opportunity to finally apply and crystallize your goal of practicing medicine as an attending. Knowing that your Letters could help make your application stand out among 60,000 others are you really comfortable throwing that opportunity away? Even if you did get a letter, it would be generic. Can we agree that would be a waste?

You still have a year left to make an impact. Go to office hours, ask questions during lecture, ask about their research, sit in the front row consistently, become a TA. Attending a large university is not a valid excuse, my friend. Even here at the largest university in the nation (No, really. It's actually the largest) office hours are frequently empty besides around test time. You only need up to 3 letters from teachers in most cases.

From posts on SDN it seemed that most letters were “lukewarm” or “generic” so I thought I would be fine. I also generally like to figure things out by myself before asking any questions, and most of the studying I do is days before leading up to the test and it’s never really been a problem in terms of grades.

 

[Dream of the Endless]

Listen, I hear what you're saying and I promise you I am the same way. Unfortunately, I had to work basically full time during classes I would even consider asking questions. That does not take away from the importance of the letter. I imagine that its importance lies in the fact that it is someone else evaluating you, as opposed to the rest of the application being written by you, and insight into your interpersonal skills and character.

From posts on SDN it seemed that most letters were “lukewarm” or “generic” so I thought I would be fine.

Even if this were true, why would you want to follow them? There are a limited number of seats to your schools of choice and most that apply never make it to the interview. Listen, friend. It's a competitive process. You already invested years of your life toiling away for this. What's a few more minutes or hours to appeal to 2-3 people?

 

[beattheprocess]

What's a few more minutes or hours to appeal to 2-3 people?

Just seems rather “fake” to talk and act interested only for the letter then probably never talk to them again and also in my opinion LORs are the most ridiculous requirement in the process.

 

[Dream of the Endless]

I would agree with the first half of your statement. The easy way to get around that is... don't be fake. What I mean by that is actually engage with your faculty member. Show interest and concern for others. Medicine is a humanistic branch of science. You will have limited time to see your patients. Being able to connect positively with them in a short span of time can only benefit you. The second part of your comment I can't abide. Even in the business world, interpersonal relationships and word of mouth are important. For example, your boss at a Fortune500 company could make a simple phone call that could immediately land you an interview in a prestigious position somewhere else. But anywho best of luck to you, my friend. I hope whatever decision you make is what you believe is best for your application.

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Get involved with research with any science professor, become a TA, go to office hours, get involved with your academic advisor by seeing him/her 3 to 5 times a semester, and ace your classes. That's all I did to get my 3 science letters and the one committee/advisor letter.

Sent from my SM-G950U using SDN mobile

 

[DameJulie]

You can try to ask. Depending on the professor, sometimes they are willing to write one for you. Some professors at my school (also large class sizes) are willing to do it.

 

[chaim123]

From posts on SDN it seemed that most letters were “lukewarm” or “generic” so I thought I would be fine. I also generally like to figure things out by myself before asking any questions, and most of the studying I do is days before leading up to the test and it’s never really been a problem in terms of grades.

Not one of my letters was generic. If you want to be one of the few who actually succeeds in this process, you have to care enough to try. Have you never done anything in 3 years that has brought you close to a professor? Even an EC or something else?

 

[pikachoo]

I realized I was very short on time for a science rec and went to office hours for biochem almost every week/every other week -- and I never go to office hours -- & ended up quite close with the prof. Haven't asked her yet but it's not that hard, all it takes is spending time in their office and getting to know them.

After a while most of our conversations weren't even class related and now I feel she knows me enough to write a good one. I don't think just having a good grade is a good idea because it really provides very little information about you that your transcript doesn't. Trust me I know how annoying it is w/ big classes and getting the motivation to show up especially when you don't have questions, but after you break the initial awkwardness and find something to talk about you'll actually enjoy going

 

[beeboops]

If there's any professors you feel would be open to this, you can ask to set up a time to meet with them and go over your motivations for medicine, etc. so they have a solid foundation on which to write their LOR. I did this even with professors that I knew well enough, but I think it made the difference in the strength of my LORs.

It might not hurt to also send them a rough personal statement and resume/CV before the meeting so they can review it and ask any questions they find relevant.

 

[LonelyBoi]

Just ask man. At big schools professors write so many recommendations for kids they hardly know. Just email, send them a CV, and ask if they want to meet. Send it to 4-5 professors and thats it. They may write you a generic letter, but that’s not going to hurt your application(won’t help but won’t be a reason for you being declined)