is this a requirement?

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uclakid

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Is it a requirement to have the person you did research with write you a letter? I took a research class and wrote a paper...i hated the class, so I didn't do much in it...so of course, the prof will probably deny the letter anyway...

i was wondering because i want to tell schools that I wrote a paper (wait, should I declare this?)
 
uclakid said:
Is it a requirement to have the person you did research with write you a letter? I took a research class and wrote a paper...i hated the class, so I didn't do much in it...so of course, the prof will probably deny the letter anyway...

i was wondering because i want to tell schools that I wrote a paper (wait, should I declare this?)

You don't NEED a letter from anyone. If you did a ****ty job in the class, don't ask for the letter! As a side note, I don't think doing research for a research class counts a "research."
 
well, should i declare that i had a paper published? it's a howard hughes med institute research paper...which will be later compiled into some huge HHMI compliation...it's better than nothing...but this "research" didn't impact me.
 
That's your call. I really think it depends on what else you have to list on your application. If it didn't impact you in any way and you have better stuff to put then leave it off. However, if you don't have that many super important things to put down, might as well add it, right?

I don't understand how you got a paper out of a class you slacked off in. Luck? Karma? I need a piece of that action. 🙂
 
Also, whether you put the paper down also should probably depend on what kind of schools you're applying to. For research heavy schools I'd def add the paper.
 
harvard requires you to send a LOR from every prof whose lab you worked in. but, whatever.
 
I think you'd be insane not to mention it on your AMCAS post-secondary section. Howard Hughes stuff is a big deal and including it demonstrates an outstanding research experience. Who cares if you didn't discover some new protein function or something crazy like that? You did research, and it was an experience; call it a research experience on your AMCAS.
 
Harvard requires you to give a letter from every lab you've done research in, but I didn't and still got in.

So, no you don't need to get a letter from the prof. Yes, write down that you got a paper. Repeat after me "Papers, even if insigificant, are important."

Anka
 
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