Importance of professor-written LORs?

[MrJ]

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I don't get it.

Why is a LOR from a professor considered superior to one from a TA or from anyone else for that matter?

I would think that a the purpose of a LOR is to speak to the character of the applicant, and it seems to me that anyone who knows the applicant well should be able to write a quality LOR.

There is no reason why a science professor would have better insight as to what makes a good doctor than anyone else.

An applicant's grades should be sufficient to judge his ability to handle the rigor of medical school coursework. However, if the purpose of a science LOR is to speak to an applicant's academic abilities, a TA who works closely with a student should be able to assess this student in the same manner as a professor would.

 

[RookTookIt]

A TA can only work for a few years and sees a very limited number of students (and usually in a limited capacity). If a letter says that you are one of the best students that they have ever seen, it helps if it comes from someone who has actually seen a lot of students.

 

[gettheleadout]

1. A professor has had the teaching experience necessary to compare a particular student's performance/potential to a representative sample of the student population, vs a TA that teaches a few years and moves on.

2. The involvement of a professor in the planning and instruction of a course is typically far greater than that of a TA. Because of this, the weight of a professor's opinion on a student's performance over the total coursework is more insightful than that of a TA. See the teaching experience point above.

3. Unfortunately, all schools do not instruct/test students with the same degree of difficulty, so grades are in no way enough to represent an applicant's performance potential in medical school. This is in part why the MCAT exists.

4. You seem to be failing to distinguish whatever significance you attribute to the LOR being from a science professor or a non-science professor. Clarification would help.

 

[MrJ]

I should mention that I attended a large state school where many science classes averaged 300+ students, upper level courses averaging 50-200.

I understand that a professor might be able to speak to the overall difficulty of a course slightly better than a TA, but that's about it.

I've done well in all my classes (mostly As), but there are dozens of other students who have done just as well in a given semester, and likely hundreds over the years a professor has taught a course.

The only way to get a LOR from a professor at my school is to attempt to develop a relationship during office hours. This always struck me as disingenuous, given that this time is meant for students who are actually struggling with the material, not for trying to sell yourself.

Of course, I played the game, and got two recommendations from professors of difficult classes I took, but I'm afraid these recommendations might come off as lukewarm compared to LORs from people who know me better.

 

[V5RED]

The only way to get a LOR from a professor at my school is to attempt to develop a relationship during office hours. This always struck me as disingenuous, given that this time is meant for students who are actually struggling with the material, not for trying to sell yourself.

If you are actually interested in the material, you can see the professor with questions it raises for you. These need not be things that will be on a test. You can see the professor for general discussion of the subject.

Also, professors are often very interesting people, so I actually enjoy letting them tell me about their experience and the subject. I see it as a win-win-win. You learn, get good stories, and you get a LOR.

 

[gettheleadout]

If you are actually interested in the material, you can see the professor with questions it raises for you. These need not be things that will be on a test. You can see the professor for general discussion of the subject.

Also, professors are often very interesting people, so I actually enjoy letting them tell me about their experience and the subject. I see it as a win-win-win. You learn, get good stories, and you get a LOR.

A great explanation, I totally agree. 👍

 

[wingiv]

From the point of view of a former TA, a TA has no status or respectable position. A professor has both.

 

[Schizotypy]

The only way to get a LOR from a professor at my school is to attempt to develop a relationship during office hours. This always struck me as disingenuous, given that this time is meant for students who are actually struggling with the material, not for trying to sell yourself.

Of course, I played the game, and got two recommendations from professors of difficult classes I took, but I'm afraid these recommendations might come off as lukewarm compared to LORs from people who know me better.

I was in the same boat, and I always felt that way about office hours. A lot of people used professors' office hours just to schmooze their way into getting a LOR.

But I also found that a lot of people needing help with material tend to contact a TA or just email the professor. The few times I did take advantage of confusion with the material and go to office hours, I almost never had to wait in line to speak with a prof.

I was surprised to see how nice it is to get to know a prof well, though, as I did get to know some professors quite well in my non-science courses. I think that, like you, my science letters may be a tad on the bland side. But I did my best to get to know them without feeling like I was kissing their asses for a letter, so if you've done that it's all you can really do. It comforts me to know that at most schools I can send supplemental LORs from other profs/volunteer supervisors who have worked with me more closely. This is just one of the downsides to going to a larger university, especially one that's flooded with premeds.