Letters from Laboratory professors don't count???

[full]

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Hey,

I seem to remember reading some schools' admissions website saying NOT to get Letters of rec from laboratory professors. Is this correct??

I really wanted to ask for a letter of rec for the 153L professor at UCLA but this was a laboratory class.

I felt that it would still be legit since it's not one of those laboratory courses that's under the same course number as the regular course. This course is a course in itself.

At the same time I don't want to jeporidize anything.

Tell me what you think.

Thanks

 

[doc toothache]

I really wanted to ask for a letter of rec for the 153L professor at UCLA but this was a laboratory class.

That must be one highfalutin lab course to have a "professor" teach it.

 

[Ranelar]

edit: His official title is academic coordinator/lecturer. Ask your school if that's allowed.

 

[UCLAzy]

I felt that it would still be legit since it's not one of those laboratory courses that's under the same course number as the regular course.

Are u talking about biochem 153l..cuz it has the same number as 153a

 

[xhamburgersamx]

Dr. Kim would write you the letter but you have to ask him 2-3 months prior to when you need it and have you have to earned an A in his class.

If u didn't go to his office hours or know him personally, his letter will be very generic and might not be that great. He's not going to respond to e-mails on letters so you also have to ask him personally and make a few visits to check up on the progress. According to an adcom I visited, his letter was good but slightly generic even though I went to 5+ office hours and he knew me by name.

 

[Vicviper]

I've had a number of lab classes taught by professors with Phd's, I think it would probably be fine, but you should call a few dental schools you're interested in to confirm. Better safe than sorry.

 

[prydA]

it was perfectly fine in my case.. i had a physio lab instructor/lecturer write mine, he was also the head administrator for the class though

it makes more sense in my opinion, because they have actually seen you at work and have seen your analytical/people skills in action

 

[Vicviper]

Dr. Wetts right? I thought he was a really great professor, and I heard that he writes awesome letters.

 

[Stephie3]

i've never heard that before, that it can't be from a lab professor. Actually, if you just tell the lab professor not to mention that you were only in his lab class, the school probably wouldn't even think twice about it. that requirement is just weird....

like me, i was a disaster in lab classes (or at least...i hated most of them) so it would have been a lot harder for me to get good recs from lab professors than lecture professors (cause i always breezed through lectures but felt tortured by bomb calorimeters and distillation apparatuses ahhhhhhh don't remind meeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!)

for one of the schools i applied to, they had some specific requirment about rec letters, i think i had one from a math prof instead of something else they were looking for, but that school didn't seem to care.

on the other hand, maryland really cares. i think you NEED a letter from a bio professor to get into that school and i think they are really strict about it (i had like one chem, one phys, one math, on dentist)

also, aren't you applying to more than one school? apply to schools that you can meet their requirements otherwise you're wasting your money

 

[doc toothache]

it was perfectly fine in my case.. i had a physio lab instructor/lecturer write mine, he was also the head administrator for the class though

it makes more sense in my opinion, because they have actually seen you at work and have seen your analytical/people skills in action

When you show up with an AA of 26, the lors are a mere formality.

 

[Phobos]

i know usc does not accept LOR from lab professor. they didn't tell me until during the interview day that i'm missing an LOR cause the one from my lab professor didn't count. it was a bit frustrating.