Letter of Recommendation Freshman Year?

[vadeem]

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to have a professor from my freshman year write me a recommendation letter (I'm currently a freshman). I have a good relationship with him, personally and academically. I'm just not sure if this letter would have much weight in comparison to a letter I could get during sophomore or junior year.

Any opinions or personal experiences with getting letters from freshman professors?

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[EBTrailRunner]

I don't know how much weight that letter will carry. Will you be able to take additional classes taught by him in the future? If so, you could mention to him now that you ultimately plan to apply to medical school and formally request a letter from him later. Or, if this is the only class taught by him that you'll have taken, you can let him know you'd like him to write you a letter in the future, maintain a strong personal relationship with him over the next few years, and remind him to write the letter when your application cycle nears. This is only my opinion, but I think this latter option is preferable to simply asking him to write one now. I'd like to think you're going to grow over these next few years and having a letter that attests to your early academic excellence (assuming you aced his class) as well as your observed maturity over time is going to be stronger.

 

[vadeem]

Thanks for the good advice. Unfortunately I don't think I can take him again for any future classes as he only teaches Chem 1 and 2. I have him for chemistry 2 and so far I have a strong A and it's nearing the end of the semester. I definitely agree with you on the maturation aspect though. I'm just not sure how to maintain a relationship with him after the class is over. Could you tell me during what time of undergrad you obtained your letters? Thanks.

 

[EBTrailRunner]

Thanks for the good advice. Unfortunately I don't think I can take him again for any future classes as he only teaches Chem 1 and 2. I have him for chemistry 2 and so far I have a strong A and it's nearing the end of the semester. I definitely agree with you on the maturation aspect though. I'm just not sure how to maintain a relationship with him after the class is over. Could you tell me during what time of undergrad you obtained your letters? Thanks.

All my letters were written during either my junior or senior year.

 

[Gigantron]

I was actually in the same exact situation as you. I'm currently taken Gen Chem 2 with an awesome professor (had him for Gen Chem I as well) and won't have the chance to have him again until senior year. I too had the same reservations about asking this professor for a LOR freshman year. However, I recently asked him if he was willing to write me LOR's for both medical school and SURPs and he agreed to write outstanding LOR's. His exact words were among the lines of "this will be one of the best LOR's I've written for a student." So, I guess it really depends on what your professor says when (or if) you actually ask him. Usually any hesitation to write a letter from the professor's end may not be a good sign.

This is just my opinion though.

 

[EBTrailRunner]

I was actually in the same exact situation as you. I'm currently taken Gen Chem 2 with an awesome professor (had him for Gen Chem I as well) and won't have the chance to have him again until senior year. I too had the same reservations about asking this professor for a LOR freshman year. However, I recently asked him if he was willing to write me LOR's for both medical school and SURPs and he agreed to write outstanding LOR's. His exact words were among the lines of "this will be one of the best LOR's I've written for a student." So, I guess it really depends on what your professor says when (or if) you actually ask him. Usually any hesitation to write a letter from the professor's end may not be a good sign.

This is just my opinion though.

I don't think OP's question is whether his professor is willing and able to write a strong letter. Rather, it's whether a 2-3 year old letter will carry much weight. I think it's best to ask your junior or senior year for a letter, if possible.