Letters of Recommendation?

[iamtravis]

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I have seen places require one letter from a non-science professor. The thing is, i've had only three non-science classes since my time in school. The one lady who i've asked me to write a letter, i just found out was a grad student (i didn't know this at the time). My question is: can this be a legitimate letter to meet the requirement for a non-science letter from a professor?

thx

 

[spumoni620]

what about the profs in your other two classes?

 

[iamtravis]

one prof was from freshman year criminology and i haven't spoken to her ever. the other professor was anthropology and i only showed up to class half the time, but i also never talked to her once.

 

[iamtravis]

no one knows?

 

[SMW]

generally speaking, lor's from T.A.'s don't cut it, but if this is the only reasonable option for you, you should call up the schools in question and ask. It's also possible they'd let you substitute another prof's letter. How in the world did you get this far with only 3 non-science classes?

 

[Cydney Foote]

Originally posted by SMW
generally speaking, lor's from T.A.'s don't cut it...

I disagree. A well-written letter that speaks specifically about your skills and talents, even if from a TA, is much better than a generic letter from a prof that doesn't know you at all. The way most universities are structured these days means that direct contact with professors, especially in non-major or survey courses, is rare. TAs are the most accessible resources for students, both during the class and when they're looking for LORs later, and med schools know this. I wrote tons of LORs when I was a TA, and my students were pretty successful!

Originally posted by iamtravis
one prof was from freshman year criminology and i haven't spoken to her ever. the other professor was anthropology and i only showed up to class half the time, but i also never talked to her once.

You don't say what your grades were in these classes, but of these two, I'd go for the criminology prof just because you showed up more (if attendance was noted). If you do approach one of these profs, be prepared. Take a folder with all your information -- resume, personal statement, descriptions of your extracurricular activities, papers you wrote in their class, etc. -- so they'll know something about you when they begin writing your LOR.

But if you're worried about the legitimacy of the TA's letter, I think a better bet would be to talk to the TA and see if she can write the LOR and have it co-signed by the course prof. This is quite common.

Good luck!

 

[Anka]

Usually grad students are in some way supervised by a professor even when they have their own courses. You might ask if the graduate student would be willing to write the letter and the professor oversign it (i.e., both signatures). Even if the graduate student wasn't officially supervised, the department chair might oversign it. Just explain your situation to the graduate student, and s/he might have some ideas.

Best,
Anka

 

[Amy B]

I have to agree with SMW. School's usually always want letters from professors and not TA's. Now that said, they may not mind if this is for your non-science LOR. Especially if you don't know any of your other non-science courses.

I would call the school that wants this and ask them Although we at SDN like to think we know everythingthe schools know more than us.