how bad is it if you get an LOR from a TA, and then have the professor sign it?

[abcxyz0123]

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Is it basically the same as if the professor didn't even sign off/approve of it, or does it come across as carrying the same weight as a letter written by the professor himself? I go to a huge public school, and I need LOR's now, and am not a science major, so I have only done the pre-req's in massive 300 person classes. Anyone here know what I should do?

 

[Law2Doc]

Is it basically the same as if the professor didn't even sign off/approve of it, or does it come across as carrying the same weight as a letter written by the professor himself? I go to a huge public school, and I need LOR's now, and am not a science major, so I have only done the pre-req's in massive 300 person classes. Anyone here know what I should do?

In most cases it won't say it's by the TA, and adcoms will assume it is from the professor itself. That's not unusual in bigger courses where the only one on one contact of much substance is with the TA in small group meetings, and so the prof defers to them. If that's the case, it's fine. If the LOR is actually going to say it is by the TA and approved or cosigned by the prof, then I would avoid doing that, as it wouldn't be as useful.

 

[themadchemist]

Honestly, it's a myth that you have to know a professor really well to ask for a letter of recommendation. If you did well in that class, you should e-mail the professor and say you did well in Class XYZ and are now applying to medical school and was wondering if the person would be willing to write you a (strong) letter of recommendation. Say that you would like to talk to him/her about your experiences and aspirations, etc. Attach a copy of your resumé and a draft of your personal statement (if you've written it already).

Go in with some things you're interested in and try to start a conversation. Even if you didn't know the professor during class, this is a good opportunity to get to know the individual and more importantly, allow the individual to get to know you. If you can find a topic that you're both interested in and engage in a conversation on it for a few minutes, that will probably help your letter a lot.

I got a letter from my biochemistry professor mainly because I once went into office hours and he brought up politics around many of us and I was one of the few who was interested and articulate enough to actually converse on it. Then, months later, I asked for a letter and I knew he was interested in politics and we had another really fun conversation about it. I think my letter was good not because of science, but because of something totally unrelated.

Keep in mind, just because you didn't build a strong connection in class, it doesn't mean you can't later on. Also remember--writing letters of recommendation is part of professors' job description. They know that and so should you.

 

[QofQuimica]

It's very common to do this, at least at my university. I have written multiple LORs for students who worked in the lab with me, and then my PI just signs off on what I write. (Ostensibly he reads them first, but who knows.... 😉 ) If your TA knows you really well, I think you get a much stronger letter from the TA than you would by having a prof who barely knows you write it. And if the prof will then sign it, you get the best of both worlds: a great letter from someone who knows you well, with a signature that carries more weight.

 

[87138]

It's very common to do this, at least at my university. I have written multiple LORs for students who worked in the lab with me, and then my PI just signs off on what I write. (Ostensibly he reads them first, but who knows.... 😉 ) If your TA knows you really well, I think you get a much stronger letter from the TA than you would by having a prof who barely knows you write it. And if the prof will then sign it, you get the best of both worlds: a great letter from someone who knows you well, with a signature that carries more weight.

Good idea; however, I have to think there's a bit of discrepancy between the quality of a letter a prof would write and the quality of a letter a TA would right, simply based on experience writing them. Does that sound about right? (not trying to undermine the qualifications of TAs, I've been a TA on multiple occasions).

 

[QofQuimica]

Good idea; however, I have to think there's a bit of discrepancy between the quality of a letter a prof would write and the quality of a letter a TA would right, simply based on experience writing them. Does that sound about right? (not trying to undermine the qualifications of TAs, I've been a TA on multiple occasions).

Depends on the TA, I guess. 😉

 

[Jaykms]

Does the letter have to be from the main professor in the course? In my huge pre-req science class I happen to know one of the other professors in the class well, but he only teaches maybe a couple of classes in the semester. I know him because he also teaches my section (instead of a TA like most sections)