Letters of recomendation...YUCK! Anyone else agree? I hate having to ask people for letters. I'm not one to really "get to know" (brown-nose) my professors. I'm not really talking about letters of rec for just med school, but for a bunch of things, internships, study abroad, etc. Maybe things would be different if I went to a smaller school. I've only had about 3-4 classes with less than 100 people, and those were math/english classes. What do letters of recomendation really tell adcoms anyway? I imagine 99% of recomendations are the same; "Student X was a good student, will be good for this program/school blah blah". It seems it's just a measure of brown-nosing ability. This is the part of the application where the suck-ups dominate. Why do they even have these, just for tradition? Anyone else agree with me?
Letters of Rec :-(
- Thread starter Zeloy
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All of my letter writers actually got to know me before they would write a letter. So, there is not a generic letter that they just change your name in. It's not about really brown nosing, but showing who you are to the right people. It matters to adcomm because they get a professional's point of view on you. They suck, yes but almost everything sucks in this process.
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I'm sure this is sometimes the case, but I think many professors, having seen thousands of students, can see through the suck-ups.
You think asking for recs is tough? Wait 'til you are two weeks past your school's recommendation deadline, and you are begging your teacher daily to get the letter sent out.
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Hell yes, I agree! However, the process of obtaining a LOR can be quite painless. I too attend a very large university and found that if you go to office hours to approach a professor for a LOR their office is usually full of students. The easiest way to ask then is to sent them an e-mail asking to set up an appointment and discuss having a LOR written for you. It is best to provide them with a resume and your personal statement and they may conduct a short interview. If you scored well in the class most professors will agree to provide you with a letter.
My situation was similar to yours. I never attended office hours and never asked questions in class. I too hate brown nosing and wasting my time just so I can get a favor down the road. Due to my terrible eyesight I always sat in the front of the class so at least my professors recognized me when I showed up at their office door introducing myself for the first time in four months.
My situation was similar to yours. I never attended office hours and never asked questions in class. I too hate brown nosing and wasting my time just so I can get a favor down the road. Due to my terrible eyesight I always sat in the front of the class so at least my professors recognized me when I showed up at their office door introducing myself for the first time in four months.
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Wow guys, I am in the exact same boat. I'm in my second year, so the time is quickly approaching when I'm going to have to force myself to get to know some professors! 🙂 It sounds terrible, but I too am not a huge office hour attender. I'm not even a huge lecture attender!! 🙂 I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet like the rest of you and make an effort this year and next to snag some good letters from profs.
So do you guys think a good strategy would be to spend the quarter getting to know a professor somewhat well by frequenting their office hours, then right after the quarter when grades come out meeting with them with a resume and personal statement in hand to discuss getting a LOR?
So do you guys think a good strategy would be to spend the quarter getting to know a professor somewhat well by frequenting their office hours, then right after the quarter when grades come out meeting with them with a resume and personal statement in hand to discuss getting a LOR?
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I have been really lucky, since all of my LOR writers know me well. I did undergrad research for 1.5 years with one of my chem profs, who wrote me an amazing LOR (gave me a copy). Being in grad school has given me the opportunity to know several professors more personally (i.e. first name basis, how's your baby, etc), so I have 4 more letters from profs (including a collaborator from another university) that are probably pretty personal compared to most ungergrad applicants.
I guess this is the one benefit to killing yourself for years in grad school....
😉
Treg
I guess this is the one benefit to killing yourself for years in grad school....
😉
Treg
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yeah, I am in completely the same situation in my second semester of sophomore year. I haven't gotten to know many professors yet (they know my name and my grades, but beyond that, not much). I tried developing a relationship with a professor last semester, but it crashed and burned and I am still trying to resolve its after effects.
it's always a bad sign when you need to come up with a reason to go to office hours, and me being me, I always come up with a ******ed question that the professor can answer very quickly, and then I am left standing there wondering what else to ask or talk about without sounding like I'm sucking up.
Has anybody tried giving professors a list of your activities and what you've done and learned from each? I think this way may be good for them getting to know your experiences and values. Anybody know about this?
it's always a bad sign when you need to come up with a reason to go to office hours, and me being me, I always come up with a ******ed question that the professor can answer very quickly, and then I am left standing there wondering what else to ask or talk about without sounding like I'm sucking up.
Has anybody tried giving professors a list of your activities and what you've done and learned from each? I think this way may be good for them getting to know your experiences and values. Anybody know about this?
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I met with one of my profs a couple of times to shoot the bull before she wrote my rec. I think that helped a lot. Other recommenders have asked for my resume and one even had me draft my own ideal letter. That was tough.
Another approach is to let a professor know that you'd like a rec while you're taking their class. Find out in advance what you need to show to him/her to get a good rec - a good way to meet expectations without having to brown-nose.
Another approach is to let a professor know that you'd like a rec while you're taking their class. Find out in advance what you need to show to him/her to get a good rec - a good way to meet expectations without having to brown-nose.
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I wanted to ensure good letter of recs from those writing for me. I setup times to meet with them off campus for coffee in the morning. I bought a couple of cups of joe and some muffins/bagels. I shot the bull for an hour and made sure they had resume, copies of transcripts, and a biographical sketch. I brought some pictures from my photo albums. I provided them with all the details and gave them info about each school I was applying to as to their interests and preferences for admissions.
If you are in one of those situations where you have to get a letter from Dr. X or Prof Y, call the individual school and ask if you can send in extra letters of rec. If they say yes, find some well written profs on campus or someone you have some rapport with to write you a smokin letter.
I wish you luck with your letters.
If you are in one of those situations where you have to get a letter from Dr. X or Prof Y, call the individual school and ask if you can send in extra letters of rec. If they say yes, find some well written profs on campus or someone you have some rapport with to write you a smokin letter.
I wish you luck with your letters.
G
garfodie
the trick is to take as much interest learning about another person as want for them to learn about you. profs are not just talking heads who write lor when it comes time. chat with them and get their take on things.
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