Look for a different LoR?

[deleted1040417]

Should I look for an LoR from a different professor? I TA for a professor, but we never really talked much and over half my e-mails have been ignored. They are a VERY busy person too though so I try to understand. What do you guys think about this? I love my research PI, but they have never been my professor before so that wouldn't really work for a science LoR.

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[aSagacious]

Yeah I'd look elsewhere. If (s)he doesn't know you very well then the letter is going to be very cookie cutter. Even more likely if busy.

 

[deleted1040417]

Yeah I'd look elsewhere. If (s)he doesn't know you very well then the letter is going to be very cookie cutter. Even more likely if busy.

Ok thank you. There was another professor I TA'ed for in the past and they were very optimistic and a happy person that absolutely loves their students, however I feel that most people request them for a LoR since they're easy to approach. They recommended me for an honor/reward in the past, but I never truly hit it off in person with them. I did not go for the honor/reward either because I honestly did not believe I'd achieve it at the time. Only spoke a couple of times and took a couple of courses with them.

 

[KnightDoc]

Ok thank you. There was another professor I TA'ed for in the past and they were very optimistic and a happy person that absolutely loves their students, however I feel that most people request them for a LoR since they're easy to approach. They recommended me for an honor/reward in the past, but I never truly hit it off in person with them. I did not go for the honor/reward either because I honestly did not believe I'd achieve it at the time. Only spoke a couple of times and took a couple of courses with them.

I'm just a premed like you, so please take that into account when deciding how much weight to give this post.

My impression is that it's easy to overthink this, and that LORs are so univerally good that it's difficult and rare to stand out from the crowd. That's the bad news. The good news is that I don't really think they move the needle for me people unless they suck. So, that's a pretty low bar -- get a letter that doesn't suck.

That said, only you know, from among all your candidates, who is most likely to write the most personal, well written letter about you. That's always who you should choose, without regard to who else likes them, what class it was, whether you were a TA, even whether you hit it off, etc. The only thing that matters is the quality of the letter they are likely to write. Some of those factors might be relevant, others not so much. For example, even if you didn't hit it off, a prof who is known for being supportive and writing great letters might produce the best letter you can get.

 

[deleted1040417]

I'm just a premed like you, so please take that into account when deciding how much weight to give this post.

My impression is that it's easy to overthink this, and that LORs are so univerally good, so it's difficult and rare to stand out from the crowd. That's the bad news. The good news is that I don't really think they move the needle for me people unless they suck. So, that's a pretty low bar -- get a letter that doesn't suck.

That said, only you know, from among all your candidates, who is most likely to write the most personal, well written letter about you. That's always who you should choose, without regard to who else likes them, what class it was, whether you were a TA, even whether you hit it off, etc. The only thing that matters is the quality of the letter they are likely to write. Some of those factors might be relevant, others not so much. For example, even if you didn't hit it off, a prof who is known for being supportive and writing great letters might produce the best letter you can get.

Yes, I'll take this into account, well written post! I'll specifically ask "Would you be able to write a strong letter of recommendation without negative remarks?" if that sounds good. I don't think there'd be negative points but idk tbh.

 

[KnightDoc]

Yes, I'll take this into account, well written post! I'll specifically ask "Would you be able to write a strong letter of recommendation without negative remarks?" if that sounds good. I don't think there'd be negative points but idk tbh.

Don't even go near "negative remarks"! That is implied in strong LOR. Just mention you are applying to med school, did well in and really enjoyed their class, blah, blah, blah, and would be deeply appreciative and honored if they would be able to write you a strong LOR. If they are flattered and agree, great! If they hesitate in any way, thank them and move on. JMHO, but that's exactly what I did, and it worked out well for me.

Honestly, most profs who aren't dicks (and you know who they are) love helping us out and consider it part of their job. The reason these letters don't matter is that literally hundreds of thousands are written each year, by the same people year in and year out. At the end of the day we are all mostly decent, hard working, high achieving human beings, so these letters all just look the same and consequently receive no weight from adcoms. They are mostly to check the box, and are used to screen out the rare applicants with issues who just can't find a few people to write a decent enough letter to pass the screen.

Again, JMHO, but just from hanging around SDN, this theory seems to pan out. Great ones really don't help, because great ones generally go to outstanding candidates who are expected to do well anyway (and they do!). It's the terrible ones that kill you, but most people with terrible ones have other issues with their apps that would hold them back anyway. That leaves the rest of us in the middle, who have decent apps with decent letters. Whatever happens with us isn't determined by the letters.