I graduated last summer and i took human anatomy physiology for 2 quarters at cc.
I got As but i was very quiet in class and lab (did all the works thoughr but just did not communicate much with professors unless i have questions)
I made an appointment with her to talk to her about me and my goals etc and she said she wants to know me more before write me a quality LOR.
What should i talk about during the meeting? I am not quite sure what to talk to her. Maybe what i havr done during undergrad and what i do now(community service and tech?) And my passion and goals for pharmacy?
Please help me what i should brung up!
Also getting a LOR frok cc professor doesnt look good? I already graduated from UC last year so i thought it will be better to ask someone i recently took courses with.
A quality LOR is a quality one and not depending much on the fact that it comes from a CC or university professor. You have to make sure that you will get a quality LOR from that professor first.
During the meeting/appointment, you should talk about everything related to your academic perfomance/ethics/integrity and your passion/application for pharmacy schools. Make sure the professor see all of that. At the end, you would ask the professor if she could tell you honestly whether or not she is
comfortable writing you a quality LOR. Gauge the professor's reactions while you are talking and note them for yourself.
If the professor still hesitates after the talk, trust your guts and politely thank her for her time but do not go ahead with asking her to write you the letter. Better safe than sorry. A bad LOR could hurt you more vs no LOR.
From my experience, I only come to ask for LORs from the professors/pharmacists/bosses that show obvious and strong positives toward me as a student. I try to earn the positive favors by getting good grades on exams, attending their classes regularly, and having good question or showing great interests during their lectures and after classes, or doing very good job at assigned jobs/tasks. In another word, I try to build and maintain a good relationship with them
BEFORE asking them to write me a LOR.
That really takes time to build. Usually the ones that ask for a meeting to clarify thing or to "know more" about you are the ones that do not know you very well or at all and more likely to write you a mediocre or bad LOR in my experience. Trust your guts !! GL
🙂
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*Side note/Update: I just saw this article here on SDN and thought it would give us some insights that are applicable to pharmacy applications.
Letters of Recommendation for Medical School
April 16, 2014
By Evan Shih
"The letters of recommendation portion of the medical school application typically raises the most questions and takes the most time. It is the only part of the application that depends on the efforts of multiple busy professors and doctors, not to mention the emailing and letter sending that must take place to get the package finalized. This article aims to make the process a little less complicated by answering some of the most commonly asked questions about LORs.
"
What is the value of a letter of recommendation?
Let’s face it – anybody can write a personal statement. Because what more do people love than to talk about themselves? Just give them the prompt and a word count and they can fill pages. Anybody can spin tales about why they need medicine in their life, and why medicine needs them. This is what makes letters of recommendation so valuable – somebody
else fully believes in your capabilities as a future healthcare provider, so much so that they are willing to write an essay about your qualities and talents in an attempt to convince an entire admission committee.
When applying, you have to keep in mind that most others applying have high GPAs, MCATs, and an extensive resumé of extra-curriculars. Having the support of professors, physicians, research mentors, and community leaders vouching for you may be the factor that separates you from all the other applicants.
When should I start thinking about letters of recommendation?
As early as possible! You should be thinking of every professor and faculty mentor that you work under as a potential letter writer. Especially if you are thinking about applying straight into medical school during your senior year, this means you only have 3 years to get your letter package together. Waiting until a couple months before you apply to get your letters in order is a recipe for disaster.
During your first two years, focus on doing well and standing out in your classes so that you have a handful of options to ask by your third year. However, it’s never too early to secure a letter of recommendation in your first couple years! If you do particularly well in a class or develop a strong relationship with any professor in your lower division courses and believe that the faculty mentor can speak to your academic ability, don’t hesitate to pop the question! Never be afraid to ask a professor if they are willing, the worst that can happen is they say no. Future applicant version of you will be very grateful.
For those of you who want a set timeline, it is best to have an idea of your letter writers by Spring vacation (mid-March) and have asked them all by the beginning of April. This will give them at least 2 months to compose and submit your letters before your AMCAS submission.
How many academic letters should I have?
Most medical schools will require at least 3 letters from professors of undergraduate classes: 2 science & 1 non-science. A “science” letter refers to the BCPM category (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math). A “non-science” letters refers to a class that falls outside of the BCPM category, typically humanities, social science or arts. Ideally, the professor of the class writes and signs the letter. However, in a large science class with limited one-on-one interaction with the professor, it is not uncommon for the professor to request the help of a teaching assistant, so get on first-name terms with the TA’s of the course as well.
The academic letters should come from professors of classes in which you excelled. This means you received an A, or an A- at worst. The non-science letter is often overlooked, but it can serve a distinct purpose. Oftentimes the qualities that a humanities professor praises an applicant for will complement those of the science letters. Imaginative writing, analytical thinking, and public speaking are all talents that have little opportunity to showcase in a typical chemistry or biology course.
What about letters from extracurricular activities?
With the 3 academic letters, the minimum requirement for most schools should be satisfied. However, any extensive extracurricular activity you are involved in should have a letter of recommendation from a faculty member. This includes research mentors, physicians shadowed, and volunteer organization leaders. A good goal to aim for is to get letters from each of the three “most meaningful” activities on your AMCAs. This breaks down to anywhere from 4-6 letters – an example is below:
1. Lower division Molecular Biology professor (with input from a TA)
2. Upper division Physiology professor (with input from a TA)
3. Upper division Applied Linguistics professor
4. Basic science research mentor
5. ER physician shadowed for 2 years
6. Student run homeless clinic advisor
Tip: Go for quality over quantity. There is no magic number for letters of recommendation, but it is always better to have a few strong letters than a bundle of mediocre letters. When asking someone for a letter, be sure to emphasize if they are willing to write a
strong letter of recommendation for you. You can help them by meeting with them frequently and providing information about yourself or a personal statement. A mediocre letter may hurt your chances more than help them.
How do I ask for a letter of recommendation?
There are two ways to approach asking for a letter: in person or via email. I recommend asking in person, because with email there is often a delay in response. Ask near the end of a course or shortly after the course ends, especially if you are confident you will receive a high grade. Something along the lines of “Hi Professor X, I thoroughly enjoyed your class this semester and learned a great deal. I am applying to medical school and a strong letter of reference from you would truly strengthen my application”. Once they agree, arrange for a meeting with them to go over logistics.
At the next meeting, provide each writer with the following items:
• A pre-addressed manila envelope, with a Post-It with an agreed-upon submission deadline
• A signed waiver for the letter service being used (Interfolio, your career center, etc)
• A curriculum vitae (or resume)
• A copy of your transcript
• A personal statement (or a few bullet points on what you want them to mention in their letter)
How long should I give them to write letters?
This will be different with each letter writer. A research mentor who only works with a few undergrads may only need 2 weeks to write a letter for you, whereas a professor of a class of 250 pre-meds may be writing up to 20 letters that quarter and require 3 months to put them all together. It is courtesy to allow the writer at least a month to write and submit the letter, but be sure to agree upon a submission date. Once the submission deadline nears, feel free to pop into their office or send them a reminder email about your letter to be sure everything is in order.
Final personal note: When I was applying I waited until April to ask for my 2nd science letter, only to be shocked that the professor was writing 11 other letters and that she projected a submission date of August. I submitted my application in June, but without a complete letter package, some schools waited until September to read my complete application. Don’t make the same mistake I did, submit your letters early!
Evan Shih is currently a first year medical student at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He received a B.S. from UCLA in Physiological Science. He also contributes at ProspectiveDoctor.com, where he acts as the Community Outreach Director. Contact him at [email protected].
To discuss this or any article on SDN please visit our Article Discussions Forum. Hope to see you there!"
http://www.studentdoctor.net/2014/04/letters-of-recommendation-for-medical-school/
