LOR- trouble

[premedrose]

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I asked my professor who I do reseach with for a letter of recommendation. However, I think- not sure- he will put neg. comments on there. And when I asked him for an lor I did not specifically put in in terms of a "positive" lor like some premeds say to do here since I believe if he is going to write neg. comments why would he agree to write the lor since it is to recommend me; he could just say no, he can't, or doesn't have time.
He did ask me where he was suppose to give it and said like 3 times in the same 5 minutes that I was not suppose to see it. Not to mention that he remember every problem that I had in lab and repeats it over and over to me even though I had apologized a number of times.
What should I do? I did research there for a year. However, I also did research at 2 other labs. Should I somehow integrate positive and lor in a sentence when I thank him for agreeing to write it or something like that?

 

[TexasPhysician]

Why did you ask him to write it if he might give you a better LOR?

I've seen people agree to write LOR's and them not be good before.

 

[premedrose]

I did volunteer there for 1 year now. And if I don't have a lor, wouldn't med schools wonder? I didn't leave in a bad note- I was a really nice and did pretty good but he always seems to tell me the problems that I had. It seems that he had more expectations from me for the lab.

 

[premedrose]

bump

 

[BlueElmo]

Well ask him if he can write you a strong letter. Ask him up front. Also, don't bump after 20 minutes.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I did volunteer there for 1 year now. And if I don't have a lor, wouldn't med schools wonder? I didn't leave in a bad note- I was a really nice and did pretty good but he always seems to tell me the problems that I had. It seems that he had more expectations from me for the lab.

I don't think it matters if you get 1 from him or not from a med school perspective. Does it say on the application that you are required to have one? I didn't when I applied.

 

[LizzyM]

Unless you are applying for MD/PhD program, not having a LOR from a PI will not be a big deal.

 

[SiR99]

Unless you are applying for MD/PhD program, not having a LOR from a PI will not be a big deal.

Does this go for most schools?

I asked this to a counselor (our schools counselors meet with Adcoms to discuss things), and they told me that if you have worked with someone for a good amount of time, it is a red flag when you do not have a letter of rec from that person.

You can always wait until they finish writing the letter, and then just ask them in a professional way the concerns you may have. This is not something to take lightly, dont be shy, just wait until after they write it.

 

[BlueElmo]

Does this go for most schools?

I asked this to a counselor (our schools counselors meet with Adcoms to discuss things), and they told me that if you have worked with someone for a good amount of time, it is a red flag when you do not have a letter of rec from that person.

You can always wait until they finish writing the letter, and then just ask them in a professional way the concerns you may have. This is not something to take lightly, dont be shy, just wait until after they write it.

But that doesn't make sense. If I have worked closely with 4 different organizations for many years, does that mean I need LORs from each and every one of them? I don't think so. Medical schools say they want letters from professors who have taught you and can write meaningful/thoughtful letters, so I don't think it's a big deal not getting a letter from the PI.

 

[alibai3ah]

But that doesn't make sense. If I have worked closely with 4 different organizations for many years, does that mean I need LORs from each and every one of them? I don't think so. Medical schools say they want letters from professors who have taught you and can write meaningful/thoughtful letters, so I don't think it's a big deal not getting a letter from the PI.

I think this would depend on the applicant themselves. If this job/ research position is a big part of your application and the reason you would like to enter medicine (if it is talked about in your personal statement), then I could see certain schools taking it the wrong way if you do not have a letter. But for the most part, if it was only for a year/part-time thing just for money, then I would not dwell over it too much.

 

[LizzyM]

No one says that you have to list every research activity. If you thought that the lack of a letter would be worse than the lack of that research listed among your experiences, you could just leave it out.