LOR from non-teachers?

[Squidaronimous J]

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I have a question about letters of recommendation. I am a non-traditional student going back for some post-bacc classes to fill out my science pre-med requirements.

Most of the classes I available to me are rather large (in the hundreds), not a lot of opportunity to network, etc.

However, I also work full-time at a scientific research firm (approx 6,000 PhDs on staff). I've got a very strong rapport with a number of PhDs in my division (stats/genetics). I also work on a number of national and international research projects (we contract with almost every government agency and many state govts).

Being that I am an older, non-trad student do you think that my work experience would count as 'research experience' and that LOR from individuals that I work with (and maybe one from a doc I follow) would suffice as opposed to LORs from professors?

Any thoughts,
Squid J

 

[Wahoo07]

Also, what exactly qualifies as a "non-science" LOR? Is that exclusively humanities profs, or could that be people from work, volunteering, etc.?

 

[oldman]

I had 2 letters from non-teachers

1 volunteering
1 boss

I think it's fine to have some of them mixed in. The reason they want teachers is to have someone speak out about your ability to handle classes.

 

[lola]

I think med schools will want to see a letter from an employer if you have been out of school for a while and might think something is wrong if you don't get one. Whether or not you can use it instead of a letter from a prof is a different story. Most (if not all) specifically ask for some from profs, and even some schools that ask for non-science recommendations mean profs from non-science classes (though not all -- for many an employer rec will suffice). To be on the safe side, I'd make sure to get a few letters from profs as well as the letter from the employer. Even if the profs don't know you too well, hopefully they will be able to say what a great student you are.

Everyone on this board is always saying you should get a letter from a prof you know personally, but I seriously doubt everyone here gets letters from profs they know well. If you go to a school with large class sizes, sometimes I think it is not necessarily a good thing if the prof knows you. Half the time I think people make pests of themselves just to be known to profs and to get a letter. If I were a prof I'd probably write a better letter for someone who was quiet and did well in my class without pestering me all the time.

 

[Trek]

Yes, but get one from a superior- cos Bob in the next cubicle probably won't have much pull in the LOR department 🙂 --Trek

 

[Droopy]

definitely have your boss submit a LOR. my LORs from my two previous supervisors' carried more weight than the one I received from my post bacc instructors. good luck to you.
Droopy