Letters of Reference...

[HighlyFanatic]

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a lot of them request a prehealth advisory committee (whatever that is??).

where did most of you get your letters of reference from? and how do you get them? its the one thing im the most worried about.

since i dont know if i have to kiss up to a prof to get a letter of reference 🙄 it seems deceitful, but ?

 

[FutureOD]

Hey there, some schools dont have prehealth advisory board and in that case they will usually ask for letters from professors instead. You should try and ask science professors esp if you did well in a particular class. Also if you plan to ask a professor for a letter, try to get to know him or her through the term of the course so that they'll know you and can write a good letter. If that is not possible you can give a resume or a list of activities that you have been involved in. Another place you can get letters is from work or where you've volunteered. A letter from an Optometrist is good. My School did not have a Pre-Health advisory so I got a letter from the doctor I worked for, two letters from faculty in the sciences at my school, and one from another professor because I knew her very well. Hope this helps and dont hesitate to ask me anything if you have more questions! 🙂

Oh yeah the way you go about doing this is just to ask the professor or person you want if they would be willing to write a letter of rec for you....most likely they will be cool and write it. If they dont want to or have certain conditions, they will let you know. Make sure you do this well in advance so that they have time to write a letter for you. Dont ask like a week before you need it because they might not be able to do it for you since they may have to write letters for other students too. Good Luck!

 

[r_salis]

Most faculty -- especially those who teach the larger, more general classes -- have done a zillion recommendation letters, so it's not weird to ask for them. Like FutureOD said, it does help if they know you a little, though.

When you approach someone for a letter of rec, it's helpful to have a copy of your OD school application essay and an unofficial transcript to give them -- it helps fill in who you are if they don't know you very well personally.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[OD2BMike]

I agree with what was said above. For optometry school the best letters of recommendation will probably come from a practicing OD, especially an alumni of the particular school. If you don't already, try to get to know your local optometrist; this will be valuable in many ways! Letters from professors are also important from an academic standpoint. It's a good idea to get to know the professor. Sometimes that can be hard in a large school, so give the prof your detailed resume so they at least get to know you on paper before they write your letter.