Letters from profs you TA'ed for = science letters or not?

[grindtime1]

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If I TA'ed for a lab but did not take the lab with the instructor I TA'ed for, does it count as a science prof LOR?

 

[sector9]

I think most schools will count it as a science letter. A couple of schools specifically require that the professor needs to have taught you in a lecture-based class or something like that so you'd be scrambling for another letter. Check out the websites of the schools you want to apply to in order to double check their specific requirements.

 

[Catalystik]

A couple of schools specifically require that the professor needs to have taught you in a lecture-based class

Maybe more than just a couple.

 

[grindtime1]

Maybe more than just a couple.

The sites aren't very clear. Most of them say "letters written by professors from whom the candidate has taken courses."

TA'ing is technically a "course" as it counts for a letter grade on my transcript and counts towards the credits I need for graduation.

But do medical schools see it the same way? Or should I just get the letters from profs I took a lecture with? (they won't be as strong).

 

[Catalystik]

IMO, adcomms want faculty letters that can comment on your academic prowess. The type of letter you're proposing would be on par with an employment letter, which can comment on personal qualities that are important to know about (though perhaps considered to be stronger due to the academic designation after the signature), but cannot substitute. Why not get both types of letter?

 

[candav]

The sites aren't very clear. Most of them say "letters written by professors from whom the candidate has taken courses."

TA'ing is technically a "course" as it counts for a letter grade on my transcript and counts towards the credits I need for graduation.

But do medical schools see it the same way? Or should I just get the letters from profs I took a lecture with? (they won't be as strong).

Some of the schools I applied to had this same requirement, and I was able to use letters that: 1) were from psychology/public health faculty (counted as "science", despite the fact that they were not BCPM); and 2) taught me in research credit courses, rather than lecture-based courses.

Flexibility on this issue varies by school, and you should contact each school directly.

ETA: I was in the same position as you, in that I didn't have any great relationships with my professors in lecture (my school has >50,000 students and enormous class sizes). I think as long as you received a grade from the professor, a letter by him/her should not be an issue.

 

[kduck]

I had a situation where I only had 1 science lecture prof who I knew very well to write a letter for me. I subbed in a research letter even at schools that said they wouldn't accept such a substitution, and I assume that, having gotten interviews and even an acceptance from one of these schools, they were able to look past it. So it is definitely a gray area, even if technically it is black and white.
You can call schools and ask, but in my experience what they said over the phone wasn't necessarily how it played out.

 

[ipoo]

Make sure they say they taught you in the class (if you are trying to get it to count for a science class letter).

I had a friend who was a TA (and had taken the class). The letter writer only talked about his TA duties and didn't mention him being in the class. Despite his transcript saying that he took the class from that professor, he still got rejected from a school for failing to meet the LOR reqs.

 

[gettheleadout]

The great thing is when you're TA'ing for a course with a professor who taught you when you took it. 😀