Letters of recomendation without knowing professor

[SRTfour]

Just wanted to make a post for anyone out there who is in the situation I was just in. For me, I go to a large state school so getting to know teachers on a first hand basis is nearly impossible unless you go out of your way to visit office hours or have research with them. The thing is, unless you go to a small school where class sizes are like high school, you're most likely not going to know your professor at all come time for letters of rec.

I'd recommend asking them when their office hours are and giving them some information about you, mainly just saying that you're finishing up the application process for dental school and would like to meet to talk about completing the last step, do this via email. Once you meet them in person (some professors won't be able to meet but most will respond positively if you ask to meet), bring them a copy of your transcript, personal statement, and some basic question/answers (like why you wanna be a dentist, current activities, i.e.) and a copy of your resume. Expect to answer some questions regarding the class, where you wanna go to school and basic stuff like that. Most likely, even if they don't even know you, the professor will write you a letter assuming they don't have 50 other ones to write.

Honestly, I was more worried about this part of the application process than any other because I literally knew none of my professors. Just remember that odds are there are a lot of people in your position and that as long as you take the right steps, you will have no problem getting them.

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[JAWSSS]

Just wanted to make a post for anyone out there who is in the situation I was just in. For me, I go to a large state school so getting to know teachers on a first hand basis is nearly impossible unless you go out of your way to visit office hours or have research with them. The thing is, unless you go to a small school where class sizes are like high school, you're most likely not going to know your professor at all come time for letters of rec.

I'd recommend asking them when their office hours are and giving them some information about you, mainly just saying that you're finishing up the application process for dental school and would like to meet to talk about completing the last step, do this via email. Once you meet them in person (some professors won't be able to meet but most will respond positively if you ask to meet), bring them a copy of your transcript, personal statement, and some basic question/answers (like why you wanna be a dentist, current activities, i.e.) and a copy of your resume. Expect to answer some questions regarding the class, where you wanna go to school and basic stuff like that. Most likely, even if they don't even know you, the professor will write you a letter assuming they don't have 50 other ones to write.

Honestly, I was more worried about this part of the application process than any other because I literally knew none of my professors. Just remember that odds are there are a lot of people in your position and that as long as you take the right steps, you will have no problem getting them.

This is the problem... Most people go to LARGE schools and they will run into this same situation. Those same people will hit the "LOR wall" and be pissed off at the large school they go to rather than realizing that it is their fault for not going out of their way.

Here is what really should happen for LORs: Take a class and realize you like the professor and the class, attend office hours often (and don't be annoying), if another class is offered by that same professor... take it, attend office hours again, Ask for a letter of recommendation.

That process should take about two years. PLAN ahead of time and you are far more likely to get an amazing LOR.

 

[SRTfour]

This is the problem... Most people go to LARGE schools and they will run into this same situation. Those same people will hit the "LOR wall" and be pissed off at the large school they go to rather than realizing that it is their fault for not going out of their way.

Here is what really should happen for LORs: Take a class and realize you like the professor and the class, attend office hours often (and don't be annoying), if another class is offered by that same professor... take it, attend office hours again, Ask for a letter of recommendation.

That process should take about two years. PLAN ahead of time and you are far more likely to get an amazing LOR.

Ideally yes. But you have to remember there's so many factors that go into really getting to know a professor, not everyone has the time to make office hours multiple times per semester just to get a name for a letter. The point of this is to show that you aren't screwed if you can't go down the ideal route and that it isn't worth stressing about.

 

[JAWSSS]

The hard thing about not stressing about the non-optimal route is that there is a difference in the quality of letter that a "emailed once-met with once" professor is going to write for you, compared to the letter that will be written for you by a professor that actually knows you (to some extent).

And, being the pre-dental nervous wrecks that we are, once we realize that the letter we turn in is not going to look as good as Mr. Perfect Predent's letter, we're naturally going to stress about it.

 

[SRTfour]

The hard thing about not stressing about the non-optimal route is that there is a difference in the quality of letter that a "emailed once-met with once" professor is going to write for you, compared to the letter that will be written for you by a professor that actually knows you (to some extent).

And, being the pre-dental nervous wrecks that we are, once we realize that the letter we turn in is not going to look as good as Mr. Perfect Predent's letter, we're naturally going to stress about it.

I'm guessing the letters you do get are good enough though, I highly doubt an application will ever come down to just the letters of recommendation determining acceptance or not, way to many other factors that decide your fate than just this. Either way, no real point to stress about it. Anyways though, it's definitely easier to get to know them personally and try to do research, but in my case I really never bothered so this was my only option and I definitely was stressed for no reason. There is always multiple ways to do everything, there's no set way you have to do things.

 

[Two3]

Ideally yes. But you have to remember there's so many factors that go into really getting to know a professor, not everyone has the time to make office hours multiple times per semester just to get a name for a letter. The point of this is to show that you aren't screwed if you can't go down the ideal route and that it isn't worth stressing about.

I agree. I'm sort of in the same boat as you, I go to a large university and just never really had problems in my classes so I never went to office hours much (outside of ones run by TAs).

I always felt like it would be a bother to a professor or whatever if I just went and talked to them without any real need which was silly and I regret it now. I'm taking a class this coming semester with an awesome bio professor which will be my 3rd class with him, so I'm hoping I can go to office hours and get to know him better this time around.

I'm just worried about my other letter for a non-bio professor, but I suppose I can try your method and hope for the best.

 

[predent12]

Well, I did get a letter of recommendation from a professor I had never met. And I got in. Sooo....

I'm sure it helped that one of my professors knew me pretty well, and the other two were from a former boss who knew me really well and a dentist I shadowed for about 30 hours.

But you're definitely not the only one in this boat.

Also don't be afraid to just go into office hours to just introduce yourself. You don't have to go in only if you have a problem in the class. Most professors are in this profession because they genuinely care about students and want them to succeed. They'd rather look out into a sea of faces they recognize than a bunch of strangers.

 

[ToothbrushBuddy]

Last year I was so freaked out about not knowing any of my professors, that it became one of the central reasons that I didn't apply last year. I go to a large, public university. What I did this year (my senior year) was introduce myself at the beginning of the class and ask the professor if they would be willing to write a letter of recommendation for me when I apply to dental school if I do well in their class. Three of my professors said yes, and I'm glad I asked the fourth one first because he said he only gives LORs to students who have done more than 6 months of research for him in his lab.

 

[two thirty]

I got one from a professor I never met and I got in.

I'm sure every professor has a template letter that they open on word and just change a few sentences around when this situation comes up. My dentist and other professors letter were solid though.

 

[518590]

I know some who got in with lor without really knowing them
but they got good grades in class

 

[dantemac]

My senior thesis advisor was not close to me at all, but she loved my paper and presentation a lot. I thought the good impression alone was enough to ask for a letter.