letters of recommendation

[stherling]

Hi, I've come to the application process a little late (was planning to apply next year), and I have a question about letters of recommendation. I have 3 letters on file that speak to my research ability and I am confident that they are all strong letters: One from my current PI, one from the PI I did my undergrad honors thesis with, and one from a neurologist that I currently work with. I also have a 4th letter from the team leader of a summer program I was part of (2 months in Ghana) that deals with my character and capacity to function under stress and in cross cultural settings.

However, I have NONE from science professors. My Science GPA is a 3.5, nothing stellar. Every science class I took was a big lecture class and I didn't see the point of getting recommendations from professors who had no clue who I was.

So... I'm just wondering how much that's going to hurt me. Thoughts?

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[tedrik]

So... I'm just wondering how much that's going to hurt me. Thoughts?

Letters from your class professors are normally pretty general and don't give committees much to evaluate you with. For anyone planning to ask their professor for a LOR, I would advise against it unless you know they are going to write a very personal one that speaks to their interactions with you at length. This is opposed to a letter that mearly states that you did well in their class and attended office hours regularly.

So in short, not having a letter from a science professor should be fine.

Good Luck!!!