letters of rec

[capncake]

---

Members do not see this ad.

hello, all.

I graduated seven months ago and am having trouble getting professor recs to get into post bac programs. The few professors who could write me recs are out of the country or haven't responded. I graduated with a non-science degree; my current employer doesn't know that I am looking for a career change (only been at this job two months).

Would it be advisable to maybe take a science class and try to get to know the professor in the short time before applications are due? Or I'm starting volunteering at a hospital next week, so should I ask them for a recommendation? It's hard to think of someone who could attest to my academic capacity besides a professor.

Any advice, comments welcome!

 

[shkmiami]

hello, all.

I graduated seven months ago and am having trouble getting professor recs to get into post bac programs. The few professors who could write me recs are out of the country or haven't responded. I graduated with a non-science degree; my current employer doesn't know that I am looking for a career change (only been at this job two months).

Would it be advisable to maybe take a science class and try to get to know the professor in the short time before applications are due? Or I'm starting volunteering at a hospital next week, so should I ask them for a recommendation? It's hard to think of someone who could attest to my academic capacity besides a professor.

Any advice, comments welcome!

I hope you know not every single post bacc programs require LORs. For the HCP program at HES, I know they didn't require LORs.

 

[capncake]

i am looking into formal postbacs in California, and almost of all them require professor recs. i am kicking myself...i wasn't thinking

 

[nikibean]

Call and ask to speak to the directors of the programs. They can tell you what you need to know.

Also, when you look at Post-bac programs, I cannot begin to emphasize the need for good advisors. You should really scrutinize the kind of advising they have for students in our situation, because no matter how good the school is, if you dont get good advising, you're going to have a hell of a time applying.

I mean, walk into the career centers, talk to people, ask what kind of individual advising for medical schools occurs, who knows what about various schools and the AMCAS process, and how they deal with helping your application when it comes to reviewing Personal Statements, etc. If they have a pre-medical advisor who knows a lot about the process, that's great- but how effectively and how often does he/she communicate this knowledge with students, and how comfortable does this person make you feel? (ie is s/he very conservative but you're kind of punky so there's a tension... which I've seen occur, not with me...)

And when you look at statistics, ask what percentage got in, what percentage got interviewed, and ask WHY NOT for the others - I know excellent students who didn't get in their first round, and the post-bac program treated them like pariahs because the non-accepted kill their numbers.

 

[HunterGatherer]

I took a summer course in case one of my science LORs did not come through and lucky for me since that is exactly what happened. Be sure to tell the professor very early that you will need a LOR and what you need to get a good one.

 

[jebus]

Would coworker or personal references be adequate? My work has been in medicine, but I don't want to exhaust my physician references at this point...

Thanks
E

Every SMP program I've contacted will accept LORs written in support of a medical school application - I'm sure that includes physician's LORs.
When in doubt email or call these programs - they want to see you succeed. I have rarely seen a program that does not want me to achieve my goals.