Getting science recommendation letters as a graduate student in a nonscience field?

[wag_h]

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So here's the background: In undergrad, I took a mix of science and nonscience courses. I had been considering medical school, but wasn't ready to jump on that just yet. It's four years, a huge time commitment, and I'd been advised to only pursue medicine if I couldn't see myself doing anything else. So my relationships were much closer with my humanities and liberal arts professors, and I decided to pursue my interests in policy analysis first. And I'm really happen with that decision, as I don't think I would've been ready academically or mentally to start medical school straight out of undergrad.

That said, I'm now looking to pivot a bit and combine those interests, as I've found my goals in pursuing medicine and policy run fairly parallel and are complementary. I was wondering what my best avenue to obtain science letters of recommendation might be, having taken all of my prerequisites already but lacking strong connections with science faculty from my undergraduate institution. I'm hoping to apply in the 2020-2021 cycle, so I do still have some time to form relationships. Should I attempt to pick up a TA position at my graduate school in a basic science and then ask that professor? Try reaching out to my professors from my undergraduate institution (several states away, unfortunately) in whose classes I did well, explain my situation and offer to do informational interviews via phone or videoconference? Talk to my statistics professors in my graduate program?

I'm not afraid to cold email, as I did so in my undergraduate studies to find a senior thesis adviser, but I want to make sure I go about this appropriately. I might also just be ****ed, which is on me. But please let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts. Thanks!

 

[Rachapkis]

I would call the office that advises premeds at your undergrad institution and current institution to see if they have suggestions. Absent a better suggestion from them, I would try communicating with your old undergrad science professors and explaining your situation. If one or more of them were open to writing a recommendation, you could provide them with your resume, CV, and application (and a draft letter if they first expressed an interest in it) to make the process easier for them. Second, I would try to solicit a recommendation from your graduate statistics professor (I don't see how this could hurt as long as the professor is willing to give you an excellent recommendation). Third, if I did not otherwise have the requisite number of science recommendations, I would then try to pick up a TA or lab position at your current institution.

 

[Catalystik]

So here's the background: In undergrad, I took a mix of science and nonscience courses. I had been considering medical school, but wasn't ready to jump on that just yet. It's four years, a huge time commitment, and I'd been advised to only pursue medicine if I couldn't see myself doing anything else. So my relationships were much closer with my humanities and liberal arts professors, and I decided to pursue my interests in policy analysis first. And I'm really happen with that decision, as I don't think I would've been ready academically or mentally to start medical school straight out of undergrad.

That said, I'm now looking to pivot a bit and combine those interests, as I've found my goals in pursuing medicine and policy run fairly parallel and are complementary. I was wondering what my best avenue to obtain science letters of recommendation might be, having taken all of my prerequisites already but lacking strong connections with science faculty from my undergraduate institution. I'm hoping to apply in the 2020-2021 cycle, so I do still have some time to form relationships. Should I attempt to pick up a TA position at my graduate school in a basic science and then ask that professor? Try reaching out to my professors from my undergraduate institution (several states away, unfortunately) in whose classes I did well, explain my situation and offer to do informational interviews via phone or videoconference? Talk to my statistics professors in my graduate program?

I'm not afraid to cold email, as I did so in my undergraduate studies to find a senior thesis adviser, but I want to make sure I go about this appropriately. I might also just be ****ed, which is on me. But please let me know if you have any ideas or thoughts. Thanks!

Some med schools ask for science faculty letters without stating further qualifiers, but many others specify that they should be science faculty "who taught you." Hopefully you've done or will do some research on the websites of med schools you are most likely to target so you know if your application list would be too severely limited by using a science TA position reference letter. You might also look into how many of them would not consider a math professor's letter as "science," as I think many of them should.

Is it not possible for you to take an undergrad upper-level Bio or Chem class now? The chances of a high-quality LOR from a science faculty member who doesn't recall you from many years ago isn't great.