LOR dilemma

[UCLAstudent]

My former chem lab professor offered to write me a LOR (totally out of the blue... I didn't even ask him). He is probably the professor who knows me best, so he could include info. that most other professors don't know. However, does not speak English very well. I know that his letter would have poor grammar in it. Is this something to consider? I'm kind of worried that the schools that I will be applying to wouldn't take his letter seriously (if I decide to have him write me a letter).

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[STi555]

How bad is his grammar? I would say go for it. I mean he offered and he is going to write good stuff so I doubt that medical schools will count it against you. The letter may not help as much as it could if it was written really well, but I think it will still be helpful.

 

[UCLAstudent]

It's pretty bad grammar. He makes things plural when they shouldn't be, etc. (English isn't his first language.)

 

[STi555]

Man that's a pretty hard call. Have you seen his writing? Maybe if he uses a program like MS Word that has grammar check it could help some. I would probably go for it espically if he has name that sounds like english wasn't his first language.

 

[UCLAMAN]

Which ucla prof is this? and which chem series?

 

[UCLAstudent]

The only writing of his that I've seen is from the lab handouts. There would be several grammatical errors on each one. He'd use "distillations," "reactions," etc. when they weren't supposed to be plural (kind of hard to explain without giving you an exact quote from his handouts).

 

[UCLAstudent]

Pang... I had him for 14BL and 14CL.

 

[UCLAMAN]

i had pang for 14bl and cl as well. i don't think he would write letters with glaring grammatical errors. i would get a letter from him anyways and just make sure to remind him of the letter's importance and that he spell check and stuff before he turns it in to the career center. i never thought his grammar was that bad though(i remember going to his office hours and it was fine).

anyhow...good luck...u would be getting a letter from one of the most hated lab profs at ucla(at least everyone i knew didn't like him).

 

[PrincessCKNY]

My G. Chem prof wrote me a letter of rec and he had pretty poor writing skills (but not in the language barrier way). He pretty much asked me to write a letter for him and that he would take out the parts he liked. Maybe you could offer your professor the same? It'll kill 2 birds w/ one stone: 1) overcome some grammar mistakes and 2) make his letter writing job easier. Just a thought.

 

[STi555]

Originally posted by PrincessCKNY
My G. Chem prof wrote me a letter of rec and he had pretty poor writing skills (but not in the language barrier way). He pretty much asked me to write a letter for him and that he would take out the parts he liked. Maybe you could offer your professor the same? It'll kill 2 birds w/ one stone: 1) overcome some grammar mistakes and 2) make his letter writing job easier. Just a thought.

I don't know about that. It was fine for you because the professor asked you to, but I think the student suggesting it to the professor would be rude. I also think it would be hard to write a LOR for myself. I would want to say good things, but I wouldn't want to sound stuck up.

 

[blackbird03]

It is possible for me to apply to most med schools without a humanities letter? Do you guys know any particular school that specifically ask for one?

thanx very much

 

[PrincessCKNY]

Originally posted by STi555
I don't know about that. It was fine for you because the professor asked you to, but I think the student suggesting it to the professor would be rude. I also think it would be hard to write a LOR for myself. I would want to say good things, but I wouldn't want to sound stuck up.

True, but I think if you approach it tactfully, it can be pulled off. Just say, "I have had other professors ask for a letter of recommendation that I composed. They feel that this will give them a better idea of what admissions committees are looking for. Would you like for me to offer the same service to you?" If he says no, then you're back at square one. But, if he says yes, you'll be saving yourself a lot of worry.

It is true that writing a letter for yourself is difficult, but DON'T BE AFRAID OF SAYING GOOD THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF. Don't say you're the next Mother Theresa, but definitely talk yourself "up." The more good stuff you say about yourself, the better your letter will be. There's a whole thread about it. If your professor is realistic, you both know that the letters are half B.S. anyways. So, it shouldn't be any trouble for him/her to write you a good letter, where they are stretching it a bit for your good qualities...if they like you and know you well enough, that is.

Let the letter writer discern what is appropriate and what is not. Your job is to provide enough good info as you can.