How much is the "in classroom" material in LOR valued?

[student113]

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I ask because even though I did get letters from professors who had me in an actual class, I also did other things like research or thesis-writing with 2 of the 3. Since I can't see the letter, I'm wondering if they might not spend too much time discussing me as a student in class, simply because they have much more to say about me in other contexts. Would this be a problem? Is the "classroom" stuff really very valued?
For one of the classes, it was a small, grad-level class. So it's not the typical classroom experience anyway. So overall, I feel like the discussion of me in a classroom might not be very extensive even though the professors fit the requirement.


Has anyone in this situation ever had this as a problem, or were told this was a problem when they got rejected?

Thanks!~

 

[bobsmith]

don't worry -- you'll be fine.

my experience: i had two letters from professors who i took classes with but knew better through other things (research PI, major advisor). since the classes were pretty large lecture classes, i'm guessing that they didn't write too much about "classroom stuff" other than maybe mentioned how well i did in the class and concentrated instead on the other, more personal things. and i have no complaints about how my application cycle went.

i think often times that the personal stuff in a recommendation is way more important and can turn a good letter into a great one. yes, med schools want to see that you're capable of handling classes, but being able to show that you're able to form connections with people and faculty and take advantage of all the resources around you is pretty important, too.

so you're in good shape! 🙂