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I think they should abolish the LOR requirement
Started by spade92
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That would be nice yah.
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I am more concerned about the quality of my letters. I don't want anyone sabotaging me and ruining my life. The professors I know are also incredibly irresponsible at times.
that's what the interviews are for.
that's what the interviews are for.
LORs are necessary for checking what an hour long conversation cant: is this person able to maintain healthy and responsible relationships with coworkers and superiors?
If you put in the necessary time and effort to build strong relationships with the writers of your LOR, you shouldn't have to worry about their quality.
You'll be banking on LORs for the rest of your career... I don't understand what I'm missing here.
I actually feel like LORs are a pretty sizable asset to my application. What I would like to ban are requirements asking for one letter from a bio, chem, AND physics professor. That's asking for a lot...especially for premeds who might have only taken the intro classes for these subjects early on in their education and where there's 100+ students in each class. It looks like I'm going to have to withdraw my app from two schools I really wanted a shot at simply because of LOR requirements.
At least they're more useful than the swimsuit competition.
There is no requirement to get a bio chem and physics letter. Where did you get that idea? For most schools the requirement is either 3 letters from anyone or 3 letters with two from science and one from humanities.
Thomas Jefferson University:
http://www.jefferson.edu/university/jmc/admissions/faq.html
"If individual letters are sent, we prefer one biology, one chemistry and one physics and one humanities."
I doubt they would grant an exemption to someone who recently graduated or was still in undergrad.
Albert Einstein requires letters from science profs of your major but also a letter from a science outside your major. I'm struggling to meet that requirement too since I took chem/phys a lot earlier in my education.
Prefer is not require. Don't sweat it if you do like two bio or something.
You could also ask Ochem prof or a psychology prof, anthropology even. You can be a little looser with "science" than BCPM if you're strapped for letter sources.
"Irresponsible"?
If the professor is not an absolute idiot or vindictive sociopath, s/he will know the difference between a 'lukewarm generic' letter, a very good one, a great one, and a fatal one. I can't imagine any professor at a four year school sending the wrong type by accident.
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How do profs learn the game early on? If its my first year, how am I supposed to know the code words like "strongly rec without reservations" ? Is there an official meeting where you get sworn in to professorship and are told how to write letters?
They have to go ask profs they barely know and get very generic letters.
The "code" is for dean's letters to residency programs, not 'regular' LORs, where 'the code' is understood by all parties if not explicitly laid out.
For a 'regular' LOR, calling someone "good" is relatively weak praise; a very good or excellent letter would use a stronger word, like "outstanding" or "exceptional". Just regular writing and tone --
I think Jefferson should abolish their odd LOR requirement. It's just a deterrent to non-trads: it is almost impossible to be a graduate student and have strong connections with biology, chemistry, physics, AND humanities professors, since you'll only be taking classes with one subject. If you're in the workforce, it's even harder.
Do they really want me to drag out the professor who we collaborate on for microscopy and label him as a "biophysicist" for the "physics LOR"?
Do they really want me to drag out the professor who we collaborate on for microscopy and label him as a "biophysicist" for the "physics LOR"?
In general, you don't make it to being tenure track faculty without having a lot of exposure to LOR, either writing for others or bugging people to write them for you.
I see your point for Jefferson... Einstein seems dead-set on a letter from a science prof outside my science major though. Hopefully one of the profs I emailed will get back to me. The profs I had for Ochem and Phys are somewhat unreliable when it comes to writing LORs.
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While I agree I do find it interesting they still get nearly 10k apps a year. I wonder if you officially call them and explain your situation they are more lenient about this than they lead on or if there are just tons of applicants who don't bother reading or caring about the requirements. It's easy to say it's the latter but there might be more too it than that
While I agree I do find it interesting they still get nearly 10k apps a year. I wonder if you officially call them and explain your situation they are more lenient about this than they lead on or if there are just tons of applicants who don't bother reading or caring about the requirements. It's easy to say it's the latter but there might be more too it than that
Well, that's nice.
I'm going to bet that they provide at least some utility to the admissions committee members who have to review the applications of so many students each year. As big a pain as it is for you to get 3 or so letters written on your behalf, I imagine it is that much greater a pain to have to read hundreds or thousands of them. If they weren't providing some benefit to the adcoms, they wouldn't ask for them. Not to spare you the trouble, but because it it adds a significant burden to their work.
There is nothing wrong with questioning the way things are done. That is the only way that anything ever improves or becomes more efficient. But you give no rationale whatsoever to support your opinion... just a flat statement that you think a major component of the application process should be done away with, just because you say so.
EDITED: To remove the unnecessary snark.
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I think they should abolish the MCAT.
And stop looking at our GPAs.
No more clinical volunteering either.
I'm smart just lemme in!
And stop looking at our GPAs.
No more clinical volunteering either.
I'm smart just lemme in!
You kids have it easy. To go for tenure, Mimelim and I for example, have to ask someone to write for us who personally doesn't know us, but knows OF us.
Wait what? You have to ask a stranger to write a letter that recommends not you, but your reputation?
Yup! This person evaluates our productivity, in terms of teaching, service, and scholarly activities.
that's rather...specific. what if my major is biochem? I have to get my physics prof? Physics is part of my major too though..
You'd have to get a letter from someone OUTSIDE that department. So a bio prof, chem prog, physics prof...just not a biochem prof.
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huh. well that's complex, especially if each prof teaches multiple subjects
good luck to you figuring that out
Lol thanks. I probably won't figure it out. I bid Albert farewell.
One consideration is committee letters. I don't think committee letters are expected to have a physics, bio, and chem letter since committee letters generally supersede individual letters . Also, I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that their physics, chem, bio thing is more of a recommendation than a requirement.
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LORs are one item in the application process that I think shouldn't change! I feel like they provide the most useful information after one has proven themselves academically. It might be frustrating if all of your classes are huge and you never interact with professors for some reason but I hope that this problem is more restricted to underclassmen. Eventually you should get to the upper division classes in your degree where classes are small and professors are way more invested in their work.
