LOR Requirements and Criteria

[joshg]

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Hi all,
My school doesn't have a pre-med committee so I have to get three individual ones. At my school, the class sizes are huge, and I only have one faculty member who really knows who I am. My 2nd reference is my research supervisor who happens to be a professor at a different school. Most schools require 2 letters from people who taught you - will my research supervisor suffice? I could probably get another reference from a teacher, but they just don't know me that well and won't be able to write a quality LOR.

Also, what do I tell the writers to write?

Thanks in advance,
Josh

 

[JonathanMD]

Hi all,
My school doesn't have a pre-med committee so I have to get three individual ones. At my school, the class sizes are huge, and I only have one faculty member who really knows who I am. My 2nd reference is my research supervisor who happens to be a professor at a different school. Most schools require 2 letters from people who taught you - will my research supervisor suffice? I could probably get another reference from a teacher, but they just don't know me that well and won't be able to write a quality LOR.

Also, what do I tell the writers to write?

Thanks in advance,
Josh

Hm... that's a good question. I'm not sure about the first part, but don't worry about telling them what to write. They've probably written dozens if not hundreds of letters. Just ask politely for a Letter of Recommendation, tell them what kind of school you're applying to (as opposed to graduate school, vet school, pharm, etc.), and have your AMCAS ID# ready. They'll know what to do with it. If you're applying to a school that doesn't use AMCAS, have the mailing address ready for them instead.

 

[Mattabet]

Hi all, My 2nd reference is my research supervisor who happens to be a professor at a different school. Most schools require 2 letters from people who taught you - will my research supervisor suffice?

I think you kinda answer your own question there. If the school requires that the writer be a professor of a class you've taken for a grade (some do) then that won't work. If they simply require that the writer teach science (some probably do) then you're fine. You'll have to read through the fine print or call schools to see if your letters will work at any given place.

The way around the headache is to just add one more letter from a prof at your school whose class you've taken. Then you can use your research supervisor's letter as a 'fourth letter', and you should be covered virtually everywhere.

 

[joshg]

I think you kinda answer your own question there. If the school requires that the writer be a professor of a class you've taken for a grade (some do) then that won't work. If they simply require that the writer teach science (some probably do) then you're fine. You'll have to read through the fine print or call schools to see if your letters will work at any given place.

The way around the headache is to just add one more letter from a prof at your school whose class you've taken. Then you can use your research supervisor's letter as a 'fourth letter', and you should be covered virtually everywhere.

Thanks for the advice. If I add a fourth who doesn't quite know me as well and isn't quite as convincing, is that okay?