LOR Advice please!

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dopamemer

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At the beginning of this semester my new neuro professor made a statement about LORs specifically about medical school saying that he'd be happy to give anyone a letter as long as they get to know him a little and perform well in the class.

So far I am doing just that as I currently have an A in the class and have been going to his office hours enough that he knows my name at least.

He's teaching a different neuro class next semester and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to take that class (one that seems super interesting) with him in hopes of getting an even stronger LOR or take a different neuro professor and get 2 "mid" LOR. My current prof gives off a vibe like that he doesn't really care about having super strong connections in order to give someone a rec so I'm not sure if taking another class with would really boost the level of the LOR.

Thanks for your time and I'm probably being neurotic but class registration is right now haha. Any advice is much appreciated!

TL;DR: 1 maybe strong science letter (+ interesting course) vs. 2 mid science LORs

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TL;DR: 1 maybe strong science letter (+ interesting course) vs. 2 mid science LORs
You won't get into medical school by settling for mediocrity. With letters, quality >>> quantity. Don't be one of those people who send in several letters of varying strength when they would be better served by sending in their best three.
 
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1 impressive letter with a lot to say > 2 mediocre letters with basic things you can say about anyone
 
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You won't get into medical school by settling for mediocrity. With letters, quality >>> quantity. Don't be one of those people who send in several letters of varying strength when they would be better served by sending in their best three.
This^^^. But, I also think it's a terrible idea to design your curriculum around where you think you are going to get a good LOR. As you go through the process of being a successful premed, you will find that you will organically have many opportunities to get good LORs, so it's kind of pointless to pick classes based on an anticipated LOR.

It sounds like you would enjoy the course anyway, so you should probably take it for that reason alone. JMHO. Good luck!!
 
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You won't get into medical school by settling for mediocrity. With letters, quality >>> quantity. Don't be one of those people who send in several letters of varying strength when they would be better served by sending in their best three.
And so how does one know which letters are best? You get 2 science, maybe a PI, maybe a humanities non-science, and one from clinical volunteering....so, which are the best 3? What you say is easier said than done.
 
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And so how does one know which letters are best? You get 2 science, maybe a PI, maybe a humanities non-science, and one from clinical volunteering....so, which are the best 3? What you say is easier said than done.
You should have a general sense on whether a professor/PI has the potential to write a great letter based on your interactions with them. Have you spent time investing in a relationship? What can they say about you beyond just getting an A in their class? Do they seem interested in your career aspirations and success? How enthusiastic are they when asked to write a LOR? What preparations did they make prior to writing your letter? Do they have experience writing LORs, and (for PIs) where have their former mentees ended up? The answers to these questions should help identify good potential letter writers, and minimize the chances of receiving a half-assed or lukewarm evaluation. Just my thoughts.
 
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You should have a general sense on whether a professor/PI has the potential to write a great letter based on your interactions with them. Have you spent time investing in a relationship? What can they say about you beyond just getting an A in their class? Do they seem interested in your career aspirations and success? How enthusiastic are they when asked to write a LOR? What preparations did they make prior to writing your letter? Do they have experience writing LORs, and (for PIs) where have their former mentees ended up? The answers to these questions should help identify good potential letter writers, and minimize the chances of receiving a half-assed or lukewarm evaluation. Just my thoughts.

Thanks so much for your advice and for being so detailed. It makes sense that a strong letter can make a bigger impact.

Now that you bring up these important questions, I was initially concerned because when he mentioned he can write a letter for med school to anyone who does well in the class and gets to know him a little, and it sounded like he would just write a generic letter about class performance. That's why I wondered how much of an effect doing another semester with him would be on the letter quality.
 
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