I got an F in bio, retook it and got an A, should I ask that professor for a letter of rec?

[whoDATwhoDAT]

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For my Bio 2 class, I really messed up, I got side tracked and got an F. (You can see my grades in my previous post). I need to get a letter of rec from a bio professor and the only other biology class I took was bio 1 and that professor is known to write horrible letters. I did really well retaking bio 2 and got an A. This professor also knows me because I went to his office hours a lot and asked a decent amount of questions so what I want to know is, does it look bad asking for a letter of rec from a class I retook?

 

[Drswole242]

I don't think so...But you have to take more bio classes in the future... Maybe wait? I wouldn't want to bring more attention to that F

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[cacajuate]

BIO 2 shouldn't be the last bio class you take...

 

[NMC2010]

What are you asking for a letter of rec FOR? Certainly not dental school yet. What year are you in undergrad? You still need to (or should for some of these) take micro, human anatomy, physio, cell biology, molec, histo, and embryo just to name a few.

On a more related note, I personally would NOT ask for a letter from the professor you got an A with. If you were having a lot of difficulty with an intro level bio class, he might not think you'll be too successful with graduate level biology classes. This shouldn't worry you since you have a lot of classes left in undergrad (ex: I really sucked at bio initially as well). Ask one of your future professors for a LoR.

Edit: Did you already take all those classes and Bio 2 was the only one you got an A in...?

 

[whoDATwhoDAT]

I'm in my 4th year. I'm so puzzled about what to do and when to apply.

 

[1lifeleft28]

LORs are best from profs who know you the best, not necessarily the courses in which you got an "A".

 

[Kittenz]

Take the letter from the professor of Bio 2. Not only does learning from your mistakes and putting in your best effort show by retaking the class and improving by so much, but the relationship with the prof. Has certainly grown, and that's the most important aspect of a letter. They're putting their credibility on the line to recommend you. Idk about you, but I would never recommend someone for anything if I did not know them as an actual person. (That's why schools have interviews)