Letters of Recommendation - When should I start getting them?

[OttawaPremed88]

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I have a few professors I know pretty well at school from the courses I took with them, and I know I can hopefully get good letters of recommendations from them, but my applications for med school will be two years away at this point. So, should I ask for them? What should I have on them? Who should it be stated to "to whom it may concern?", etc, etc!

I'm sorry if this question has been asked Ad Nauseum, I just want to know when I should start collecting these LOR and how to do them. I don't want to lose a chance on a good LOR as well because of drifting away from a professor a few years after a took a course with them.

 

[Dulcina]

I'd ask in person, and I'd ask now, while they still remember you well. For me, I knew my professors fairly well, so I just went up to them and said "I'm planning to apply to medical school, and I was wondering if you could write me a letter of recommendation-- I completely understand if you feel like you cant, or don't have enough time"

I put that last qualifier in bc the last thing i wanted was a lukewarm rec.

Gluck!

 

[Ariana85]

I'd say as early as possible, preferably at the end of the semester while you're still enrolled in the class so your professor will still know who you are. I made the mistake of waiting til last minute and had to write a couple awkward emails to make sure my profs remembered me, lol 😳

 

[OttawaPremed88]

How do I ask them to write the LOR? Just a "to whom it may concern" type of thing?