How to get recommendation letters when I plan on taking a gap year or two?

[MoonFlower1319]

I have about a year left until I graduate. After I graduate, I plan on taking a gap year or two, so I'll be around 22-23 when I apply.

I'm a psychology major. I've basically finished all of my psychology degree requirements. Right after the class had finished, I asked my professor for Research Methods in Psychology if he'd be willing to write me a recommendation letter for medical school -- given that he said I submitted the best paper in the class (out of 200 students). He said he'd be willing to write me a recommendation letter, but he only wants to write it once I'm closer to applying (I mentioned I was planning on taking a gap year or two). I brought up writing the letter now and submitting it through Interfolio, but he said the same thing.

(1) I worry that he won't remember me two-three years down the line and will no longer be willing to write the recommendation.
(2) How do I approach other professors when asking them to write recommendations, given my gap year dilemma?

Research Methods in Psychology was the most recent non-science class I took. After that, I've only been taking classes to fulfill my prerequisites, so science classes are all that I have left.

I'm pretty confident my science professors will also be willing to write me recommendations, but again, I don't know if they'll remember me so far down the line.

Additionally, my school has a Pre-Health Committee, and they require six full-time faculty evaluations and at least three full-time faculty letters of recommendation in order to get the committee letter. Am I supposed to ask my professors to submit their evaluations and recommendation letters to the committee and have the committee hold on to them while I finish up my degree and gap years?

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[ciestar]

I have about a year left until I graduate. After I graduate, I plan on taking a gap year or two, so I'll be around 22-23 when I apply.

I'm a psychology major. I've basically finished all of my psychology degree requirements. Right after the class had finished, I asked my professor for Research Methods in Psychology if he'd be willing to write me a recommendation letter for medical school -- given that he said I submitted the best paper in the class (out of 200 students). He said he'd be willing to write me a recommendation letter, but he only wants to write it once I'm closer to applying (I mentioned I was planning on taking a gap year or two). I brought up writing the letter now and submitting it through Interfolio, but he said the same thing.

(1) I worry that he won't remember me two-three years down the line and will no longer be willing to write the recommendation.
(2) How do I approach other professors when asking them to write recommendations, given my gap year dilemma?

Research Methods in Psychology was the most recent non-science class I took. After that, I've only been taking classes to fulfill my prerequisites, so science classes are all that I have left.

I'm pretty confident my science professors will also be willing to write me recommendations, but again, I don't know if they'll remember me so far down the line.

Additionally, my school has a Pre-Health Committee, and they require six full-time faculty evaluations and at least three full-time faculty letters of recommendation in order to get the committee letter. Am I supposed to ask my professors to submit their evaluations and recommendation letters to the committee and have the committee hold on to them while I finish up my degree and gap years?

This is exactly what I did.

 

[mellie0]

What I did was keep in touch with my professors after the class was over. I’d shoot them an email every now and then letting them know what I was up to in a way that felt natural.

Then when application time came, they were more than willing to write a lor for me. However, I didn’t mention the lor until the very end—I didn’t want them to think that there was an ulterior motive for me reaching out frequently and keeping in touch.

The other thing I’d do is ask your committee if the evaluations can be submitted to their office at any point before application. It’d be awesome if it could so that you can have them sent as you go. My school didn’t have such evaluations so I can’t help much there, but the same advice of keeping in touch with profs applies.