Getting LOR in 8 weeks?

[Doctor W]

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I hope to apply to medical schools next year, however I dont have any LORs. My hospital doesn't allow shadowing, and I have social anxiety and choose to avoid professors. Since 2016 application season is coming up, I would like to get LORs this semester. If I ask questions after every class (5 min of interaction every week), can I ask the prof for a LOR at the 8 week mark, to give them 4 weeks to write the LOR? By that time I would have finished a midterm and could show the prof how interested I am in their course.
Thanks

 

[cantankerous]

How are you going to be a doctor with social anxiety? Yikes.

 

[Doctor W]

I'm working on it. Can you give me a reason why to avoid asking?

 

[Lannister]

I asked my professor for a letter of rec around 8 weeks into a class, but only because I had no other option (I'm a Spanish major, so my only science classes were pre-reqs with like 400 people in them). She was honest and told me that she didn't know me on a personal level so she couldn't attest to any of my person attributes, but that she could write the letter about my academic and professional attributes. Which was fine with me, because the class she taught was Active Learning and I'm hoping to go to a med school that does PBL. And it must have been a decent letter, because I got an II at my top choice which uses almost entirely PBL.

 

[Doctor W]

I asked my professor for a letter of rec around 8 weeks into a class, but only because I had no other option (I'm a Spanish major, so my only science classes were pre-reqs with like 400 people in them). She was honest and told me that she didn't know me on a personal level so she couldn't attest to any of my person attributes, but that she could write the letter about my academic and professional attributes. Which was fine with me, because the class she taught was Active Learning and I'm hoping to go to a med school that does PBL. And it must have been a decent letter, because I got an II at my top choice which uses almost entirely PBL.

Thanks for your response. Congratulations on your acceptance.

 

[Lannister]

Thanks for your response. Congratulations on your acceptance.

Not accepted yet, haven't even attended the interview lol. But thanks. Good luck to you 🙂

 

[candbgirl]

How are your ECs and your GPAs? Have you taken the MCAT yet? How did you do? What are you doing to get your social anxiety under control? I'm asking because unless everything is all in place for an application to be submitted next June, you might want to consider a gap year or two. If that's the case your LORs might be outdated by the time you apply.
But it's always good to ask early for your letters. Some professors are super busy and it takes awhile to get the letter written. But I'm not sure 5 minutes interaction every week will result in a great letter. Good luck.