How/when to ask for letters of recomendation?

[Linkin]

So.... I have never had to ask for LORs for anything and I have no idea how this works. I think I have about a year and a half of pre-reqs left before applying for Vet school, but should I be asking for LORs now? Do I need to wait until the time I fill out my application to ask? How are LORs even submitted with my application -- do I submit them or do they get an email asking them to submit the LOR?

I'm also kind of worried about how I will go about asking a professor for a LOR. I'm a good student academically, I sit in the front of the class (mainly because I'm blind lol ) and I participate in discussions when I know the answers but I don't spend extra time outside of the class hours getting to know the professor because I also have a full time job, plus homework, house chores, sleep.... Is it rude to just email at the end of the semester and ask for an LOR?

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[migc]

When I asked for my eLORs I asked my professors in person. I think it’s just more professional to do it that way and it’s harder for them to turn you down. It’s okay to ask for a letter from someone who you just simply did well in their class but it’s better to ask for one from someone who really knows you. Doing research with a professor is a great way for them to get to know you plus vet schools look favorably at research experience. If you don’t have time for research, try to make time to talk with your professors outside of class! It makes a huge difference in how they think of you as a student.
I wouldn’t ask for the letter until closer to application time. VMCAS opens in May so I asked all of my letter writers a week or so before the app opened. As far as how to ask, you can be super formal about it but personally my experience went something like this “would you be willing to write a letter of reference for me for vet school?”. Everyone (all 5) I asked agreed and were excited to do it. As far as how the letters are submitted, when you start your app VMCAS will have a section dedicated to the letters. You will simply feel out some info about the writer and give their email address. The letter writer will get an email from VMCAS prompting them to make an account where they will submit their letter electronically. All you need to do is provide their email address. And it’s a good idea to let the writer know how the process works so they don’t ignore the email by accident! Hope this helps!

 

[SkiOtter]

LORs are submitted on VMCAS when you apply and cannot be submitted earlier. i'd definitely wait to ask because you wouldnt be applying this cycle (correct?)
and for LORs from a professor, if they don't know you well (and personally) it wouldnt be a good LOR and could actually potentially hurt you more than help you since it'd be generic. I'd say try to get to know some of your professors a bit more outside of class if possible because if they don't know you, they wont be able to write a strong letter.

 

[Linkin]

Thank you for the responses! No, I won't be applying this cycle, or even the next cycle I believe, but I didn't want to ask my question at the last minute. lol

I will work on getting free time to talk to my professors and I'm hoping in the near future I won't have every minute of my schedule booked.

What exactly is research experience? Is it a type of class you sign up for and earn credits? Or is it something that you do outside of your schedule that you initiate on your own? I hear people talk about it all the time, but I don't know much about it.

 

[migc]

Thank you for the responses! No, I won't be applying this cycle, or even the next cycle I believe, but I didn't want to ask my question at the last minute. lol

I will work on getting free time to talk to my professors and I'm hoping in the near future I won't have every minute of my schedule booked.

What exactly is research experience? Is it a type of class you sign up for and earn credits? Or is it something that you do outside of your schedule that you initiate on your own? I hear people talk about it all the time, but I don't know much about it.

Every college is different regarding what research opportunities they offer. I’ll tell you how I did my research though. I go to a small undergrad nowhere near a vet school (I mention this because research with a veterinarian is even better than just plain ol research). At my school, we have faculty that will allow students to assist with research projects or even lead the project. You can do the research for academic credit so I enrolled in 2 credit hours of research the semester I did my project. I found a professor who I knew did research with fish (sustainable aquaculture) at my school and asked if he had anything I could help him with. He told me about an idea he had for a study and allowed me to basically lead the project which consisted of setting up the test environment along with daily care of the fish and daily data collection. This lasted the length of the semester and at the end I wrote a paper and presented my research at my school’s undergrad research symposium. Honestly, I hate research. It’s not my cup of tea but I’m glad I did it because I really do think it contributed to my acceptance to vet school.

But, like I said at the beginning of my post every school is different. I would recommend talking to your academic advisor as they will likely know who to refer you to to get started. If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask!

 

[Lupin21]

Every college is different regarding what research opportunities they offer. I’ll tell you how I did my research though. I go to a small undergrad nowhere near a vet school (I mention this because research with a veterinarian is even better than just plain ol research). At my school, we have faculty that will allow students to assist with research projects or even lead the project. You can do the research for academic credit so I enrolled in 2 credit hours of research the semester I did my project. I found a professor who I knew did research with fish (sustainable aquaculture) at my school and asked if he had anything I could help him with. He told me about an idea he had for a study and allowed me to basically lead the project which consisted of setting up the test environment along with daily care of the fish and daily data collection. This lasted the length of the semester and at the end I wrote a paper and presented my research at my school’s undergrad research symposium. Honestly, I hate research. It’s not my cup of tea but I’m glad I did it because I really do think it contributed to my acceptance to vet school.

But, like I said at the beginning of my post every school is different. I would recommend talking to your academic advisor as they will likely know who to refer you to to get started. If you have any more specific questions feel free to ask!

Gonna disagree with you here. Yes, if you are looking to try and get vet experience variety, that helps, but basic science research, especially in human med, is usually much higher quality just due to funding opportunities. Research is not about veterinary skills, it is about learning how statistics and experimental design works, and hopefully gaining an understanding in how to actually evaluate science thanks to that experience.

 

[migc]

Gonna disagree with you here. Yes, if you are looking to try and get vet experience variety, that helps, but basic science research, especially in human med, is usually much higher quality just due to funding opportunities. Research is not about veterinary skills, it is about learning how statistics and experimental design works, and hopefully an understanding in how to actually evaluate science thanks to that experience.

You’re right, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I said that because for my personal experience, I would have rather completed research with a veterinarian. But yes, any research is good research. And you’re right about the funding! I didn’t consider that.

 

[CoffeeQuestionMark]

It depends on who you are asking. If it is someone I know really well I am comfortable asking in person or via email (email only if I know them *really* well and/or they were already anticipating the request, such as my employers)

For the others, I ask via email to meet them for an appointment.

 

[WhtsThFrequency]

Gonna disagree with you here. Yes, if you are looking to try and get vet experience variety, that helps, but basic science research, especially in human med, is usually much higher quality just due to funding opportunities. Research is not about veterinary skills, it is about learning how statistics and experimental design works, and hopefully gaining an understanding in how to actually evaluate science thanks to that experience.

This, this this.