LOE "professor"

[Contach]

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If I know a former Assistant Professor by working for him in a Research Lab, but he never taught me, nor did he ever teach at my Institution. Can he still pass in the place of a "Science Professor"? He teaches (or shall I say taught) an upper year Statistics/Math course.
In other Pre-Allopathic threads they are saying that this person must have taught you... Which mine didnt.. But I worked for him for many hours?!? Ohh the unfairness.

Anyone have any experience with this?

I'm applying to these schools:
BU, Columbia, Harvard, NYU, Nova, Temple, Buffalo, UCLA, Detroit Mercy, Penn, Pittsburgh, UoP,

Thanks.

 

[TeamGuo]

you can double check but I think most schools want a professor that you have taken a course with to write the letter. Also, if he taught statistics and math, I'm not sure if that would be counted as "science." I think they want bio, chm, or physics prof.

It would be best to get a letter from your pre-req profs or upper level science professors.

Good luck man

 

[Bruinlove]

Can he still pass in the place of a "Science Professor"?

.

At many schools, the answer is NO.

 

[AggieDDS]

At many schools, the answer is NO.

You can't use professors you've researched with as sources of LOEs?

 

[Lopyswine]

You can't use professors you've researched with as sources of LOEs?

it varies by school. Many schools require a letter from the Professor of a Chemistry class, biology class, and a general ed class. Some schools dont specifiy general ed, they just say another professor, I guess the letter can be from a research prof. I would save the 4th letter for a dentist you've shadowed.

Really, doing research for a professor is very different from taking a class with that prof. Ideally you do research under a prof that has taught one of your classes so that he/she can mention the research in the LOR.

 

[A8]

You can't use professors you've researched with as sources of LOEs?

You can write your research professor's name as the fourth reference. It can be helpful for schools who care about research such as UCSF. But make sure your first three references are biology or chemistry professors in adition to the dentist you have shadowed. I have had research experience, but I actually asked my biology and chemistry professors to write letters for me since most of the schools want LOE's from science professors.

 

[vlct0ria]

You can write your research professor's name as the fourth reference. It can be helpful for schools who care about research such as UCSF. But make sure your first three references are biology or chemistry professors in adition to the dentist you have shadowed. I have had research experience, but I actually asked my biology and chemistry professors to write letters for me since most of the schools want LOE's from science professors.

I apologize to the OP for going a bit off-topic, but I have a general question about LOEs. I go to a big university and literally have not had any chem (including gen chem/orgo) or biology (including gen bio/upper level bio) classes with fewer than 150 people. Where do you get the recommendations from in that situation? Do most people just ask any old professor and just hand them a resume to write an evaluation from?

 

[Contach]

Thanks for all the advice above. I guess I'll keep searching for options, or beg the teacher who refused to write any LOEs this year to make an exception for me.

I apologize to the OP for going a bit off-topic, but I have a general question about LOEs. I go to a big university and literally have not had any chem (including gen chem/orgo) or biology (including gen bio/upper level bio) classes with fewer than 150 people. Where do you get the recommendations from in that situation? Do most people just ask any old professor and just hand them a resume to write an evaluation from?

Anything for a lady 😉. No worries.

We all go to big universities - haha. If you are in first or second year, this makes sense. But I find it hard to believe that upper year bio and chem or biochem/microbio etc courses are really 150 people too. You will find that upper year professors enjoy meeting students much more than 1st year professors do.
Also, definately do not throw your resume at a professor you don't know - dangerous and you'll probably get a rejection. You need to go to office hours, sit in the front of class, get to know the professor when the other 600 students aren't around. It's hard to do - I know.. this is why I'm struggling too. But trust, we are all going through the same thing. I asked a professor I did research for and taught me a 3rd year course (~200 students) and a first year biology professor who I kept in touch with by meeting with him once in a while because he is involved in the faculty doings and such. I may brave up to my 3rd year biochem prof (must be 400 students in this class) soon, but building a bit more rapport before i pop the question ... I've seen him with fake questions in his office hours, he knows I aced both the first mid terms, and I'm staritng to sit near the front of his 930 classes - yeah I'm dieing.

Hope that story of my struggles help you identify with the pains that we all have to go through and add legitimacy to your query. Goodl uck!

 

[AggieDDS]

You can write your research professor's name as the fourth reference. It can be helpful for schools who care about research such as UCSF. But make sure your first three references are biology or chemistry professors in adition to the dentist you have shadowed. I have had research experience, but I actually asked my biology and chemistry professors to write letters for me since most of the schools want LOE's from science professors.

Isn't the fourth reference the dentist letter?

 

[vlct0ria]

Thanks for all the advice above. I guess I'll keep searching for options, or beg the teacher who refused to write any LOEs this year to make an exception for me.



Anything for a lady 😉. No worries.

We all go to big universities - haha. If you are in first or second year, this makes sense. But I find it hard to believe that upper year bio and chem or biochem/microbio etc courses are really 150 people too. You will find that upper year professors enjoy meeting students much more than 1st year professors do.
Also, definately do not throw your resume at a professor you don't know - dangerous and you'll probably get a rejection. You need to go to office hours, sit in the front of class, get to know the professor when the other 600 students aren't around. It's hard to do - I know.. this is why I'm struggling too. But trust, we are all going through the same thing. I asked a professor I did research for and taught me a 3rd year course (~200 students) and a first year biology professor who I kept in touch with by meeting with him once in a while because he is involved in the faculty doings and such. I may brave up to my 3rd year biochem prof (must be 400 students in this class) soon, but building a bit more rapport before i pop the question ... I've seen him with fake questions in his office hours, he knows I aced both the first mid terms, and I'm staritng to sit near the front of his 930 classes - yeah I'm dieing.

Hope that story of my struggles help you identify with the pains that we all have to go through and add legitimacy to your query. Goodl uck!

Thanks. I am in my third year and applying next summer, so my upper level bio classes mostly just started last semester. This semester I have molecular bio with about 130+ people...next semester is a lot of upper level bio, all with at least 100 people. But actually now that I think about it I have to take an experimental biology lab too, and I think that's only 20 people...I was just worried about whether or not I'd have any classes where I got to know my professors BEFORE having to ask for LOEs for dental school apps. Anyway, thanks again!

 

[artanis]

dude tell me about it. My bio class had 1250, my chem classes 750. Each of them had 3-4 profs per class. How the F*ck am I sposed to get letters from them. Some schools I applied to I called and they said they wouldn't mind me getting letters from my Faculty (engineering). I didn't call all schools, just the ones I cared about lol. So I have my letters, just 1 is sTILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL pending. AHHHHHHHHHH. Oh ya, some profs will say they will write a letter of rec, but it will be.

So and so was in my claass. He got an A. Based on this grade, he is a good student.

Signed,

 

[Contach]

So and so was in my claass. He got an A. Based on this grade, he is a good student.

Signed,

That would be one hell of a jackass move.

 

[phremius]

Long answer short, yes it will be accepted, despite the painstaking detail and worry that go into personal statements and LoRs they are rather skimmed over quickly, if read at all.

I had 2 interviews (different schools) where I had to bring one of my LORs with me due to an AADSAS error, and both times the responses when I asked if this affected the "completeness" of my application has been:

"Oh yeah, no worries, I'll put this in your file".

Additionally at one interview, my interviewer did not read my personal statement until we actually started as he skimmed along and then picked out random things I had written in it to ask me about.... go figure.

 

[rawknee]

Another way you can get LOEs is to talk to your lab TA! Sometimes they can get the professor in charge of the lecture of the lab to co-sign it. This is what I did for my neuro lab and it worked out great for me, I think.

I had 4 LOE's: 1 research professor, 1 bio professor, 1 TA with a professor co-signed(bio), and 1 dentist

I guess the TA covered my other science LOE, but I believe a friend of mine got in with 1 bio professor, 1 research, and 1 dentist

 

[dl9006]

could someone please give me some advice?

i was originally going to apply with a reference letter from one of my research prof assuming that this would be the equivalent to a letter from a "course" professor.
This professor gave me a publication and I knew she would write me a good reference.

I saw this thread and so I was a bit worried and asked the admission lady about the reference letter.

the admission secretary told me they strongly recommend a letter from a "course" professor. 🙁


now I have to ask random professors that I took courses with from way back for a reference letter.....


any advice on how to approach a professor for a reference??

i don't know what to say to them



i had this one professor in mind. I took two courses with him.
One was a pre-req 1st year chem course(A+) and the other a quantum chemistry course which I did mediocre in(grade: B)

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to ask him because I did poorly in that quantum course but I did rock the other one.

what do you guys think?


im worried that the letter from a random professor would actually hurt me more vs getting a reference from a volunteer position(but then i wouldn't have a reference from a course prof)

 

[artanis]

During my interviews with the profs and dentist that were writing my ref letters, they asked me this. "What should I write about you". Well, I gave them specific examples in class as well as in the clinic that I thought were appropriate and that were unique to their class in particular. It was not a question to do the work for them, but to see what I would write if i was in their position. The reason schools want letters from profs you had a class from is because they want someone who can vouge for your academic ability and possibly more beyond what your transcript says. Research TA's and Profs can only say stuff about your work ethic for research, not necessarily coursework. Even if you only got a B in a course, they still really can write some goods about you. Just be prepared to give specific examples, otherwise you are gonna get a crap letter. Obviously you cannot provide them with fictitious events and expect the profs to go against their integrity and lie about you, because after all their signature is going down. Also, in my opinion, after it was soo hard to find a letter, i realized for some schools that they dont even care. Some won't even read it because of the massive amount of applications and its just there to fulfill requirements.

could someone please give me some advice?

i was originally going to apply with a reference letter from one of my research prof assuming that this would be the equivalent to a letter from a "course" professor.
This professor gave me a publication and I knew she would write me a good reference.

I saw this thread and so I was a bit worried and asked the admission lady about the reference letter.

the admission secretary told me they strongly recommend a letter from a "course" professor. 🙁


now I have to ask random professors that I took courses with from way back for a reference letter.....


any advice on how to approach a professor for a reference??

i don't know what to say to them



i had this one professor in mind. I took two courses with him.
One was a pre-req 1st year chem course(A+) and the other a quantum chemistry course which I did mediocre in(grade: B)

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to ask him because I did poorly in that quantum course but I did rock the other one.

what do you guys think?


im worried that the letter from a random professor would actually hurt me more vs getting a reference from a volunteer position(but then i wouldn't have a reference from a course prof)