LOR from a TA

[Sleight]

I have all of my Science Prof. LOR's taken care of, its the non-science one that I am having issues with. I have never really been challenged in any of my non-science courses enough to have to/want to go to office hours. However, I have taken a lot of Spanish classes where it is a lot more obvious for the instructors to notice you and I excelled in those classes. However, these classes are taught by grad students. Is this acceptable? My other option is trying to get close to my current psyc professor in hopes of getting a letter from her...that makes me a bit nervous because I won't know about whether she will write me one for awhile and then if she says no I'm in trouble...is the grad student ok? He knows me well and knows some about my study abroad experiences etc...

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[fizzle]

I have all of my Science Prof. LOR's taken care of, its the non-science one that I am having issues with. I have never really been challenged in any of my non-science courses enough to have to/want to go to office hours. However, I have taken a lot of Spanish classes where it is a lot more obvious for the instructors to notice you and I excelled in those classes. However, these classes are taught by grad students. Is this acceptable? My other option is trying to get close to my current psyc professor in hopes of getting a letter from her...that makes me a bit nervous because I won't know about whether she will write me one for awhile and then if she says no I'm in trouble...is the grad student ok? He knows me well and knows some about my study abroad experiences etc...

Some schools will allow humanities letters from grad students (e.g. UCSD), and others won't (e.g. UPitt, NYMC). It all depends on the school.

 

[Med Addict]

Ask a professor to cosign on it. Have the TA write it.

Just go to your TA and tell him the situation; ask him if it would be okay if his department professor coordinator is okay with him writing the letter and having both of them sign off on it (if the professor class coordinator is okay with it).

 

[BlueElmo]

Some schools will allow humanities letters from grad students (e.g. UCSD), and others won't (e.g. UPitt, NYMC). It all depends on the school.

Really? NYMC told me grad letter is okay. Where did you get your information?

 

[ESzczesniak]

Absolutely not. As a former TA, I hate to knock us down, but admissions committee could care less what any TA has to say. Few, if any of them, know what it takes to make it in med school. And rarely do they have enough "real world" experience to comment from that perspective.

 

[fizzle]

Really? NYMC told me grad letter is okay. Where did you get your information?

I was under the impression that NYMC has very strict requirements for its letters. I guess all three LORs being from professors wasn't one of them? Eh...I don't know.

 

[bjb305]

i actually had a science letter come from an ochem lab TA and he pretty much wrote stuffa bout me and gave it to the head prof who either signed on it or rewrote it, not sure.. didn't have any problems doing that, premed committee and med schools accepted it

 

[Dirt]

It is my understanding that a TA letter is worthless unless a professor signs it.

 

[dontworrybhappy]

I was actually in this exact situation, and I asked and received a letter from a grad student in a humanities course. I remember things that she wrote in the letter being specifically mentioned in at least one interview at a school where I was accepted.

I think that it's the quality of the letter which matters most. If you think that the TA will write you a good, well-written letter and the school to which you're applying doesn't have a policy against them, go for it. I'm sure it doesn't hurt to have the professor co-sign, though. Good luck.