Mediocre rec or no rec?

[farf]

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It seems that the pre-med committee letter is the most important, but that it takes quotes from the other letters.

Given that, would it be worth it to get a humanities (non-science) rec. if it might only be mediocre? I know the instructor of the class well, but the other recommendations will be glowing, whereas this one will likely be just "good" and will stand out as the worst recommendation. However, turning in this recommendation will likely give the pre-med committee more material regarding my involvement in humanities and ability to think/write outside of science, and if they can take just a few thoughts/quotes from this mediocre letter, will it be worth it?

I feel that this letter can round out my application a little, but that it will be lower in terms of objective quality.

 

[WaterBird]

Many schools require a humanities or non-science letter. I would read up on the schools to which you are applying before making a decision.

Good luck! And the letter might not be as meh as you think. Make sure when you ask to ask if the prof can write you a *good* letter.

 

[cubssox2000]

Like the above poster said, some schools require a non-science LOR.

I am not sure if the committee letter actually quotes the other letters. I think that will depend on how well your adviser knows you. If you can get to know the adviser, they will probably have a more personal touch to the committee letter. I can not speak for other schools, but at mine the committee chair requires all students to fill out a packet with 15 questions that will give the committee a good look at the applicant both personally and academically. This helps them write the committee letter.

 

[LizzyM]

Undergrad schools vary in how they handle letters of recommendation. Some quote them, some include the complete text of every letter submitted (and say so in their letter to the adcom), some enclose the LORs as attachments to their letter, and some have a short letter as well as a checklist/assessment from each recommender. Your school pre-med committee should tell you how it handles letters submitted to it even if you waive your right to those letters.

A humanities professor will usually tell us about the applicant's critical thinking skills, classroom behavior such as contributions to class discussion and respect for other's opinions, writing skills, interest is material outside of the sciences, and work ethic.

A mediocre letter might say that the student took x class and that x class looks at this and does that. Then it might say that the student earned a grade of __ placing him in the top x% of the class (or in the middle of a very strong class on non-majors -- or whatever). It then goes on to say that the student handed in the assignments on time and attended classes regularly. Then there might be a comment about the work itself and another comment about how the student was not very interested in the material covered in the class but seems very interested in another subject (reading between the lines, this might mean that you found a science angle in every English paper). Then it might say that you are a hard working student and are recommended without reservation for admission to medical school. (Recommended without reservation sounds good but it is code for "average" with "highly recommended", and "most highly recommended" and "has my highest recommendation" and "is among the top 2% of students I've taught in my 42 years at Harvard and previously at Oxford. I would want Joshua as my own physician." being superior.

Now something like that isn't a bad letter and it won't sink you. A bad letter would say that it took time to adjust to the workload (you were a slacker at first) and that you worked hard to achieve a grade of __ writing multiple drafts of the papers although this was not required (you were a grade grubber who worked his tail off after slacking at first). It would then go on to say that you were either very quiet in a class that depends on class discussion or that you were always the first to raise your hand with a question that showed that you were familiar with additional material that had not been presented in class (we know what that does to a teaching schedule). Then it might make a comment about how much pre-meds find the humanities courses to be a challenge and that the poor showing in the class is not indicative of his overall academic achievement which is demonstrated by outstanding performance in the sciences and your role as a science cource TA (the teacher knows this because you've given her your transcript and a list of your activities.) Then it says that the applicant is recommended for admission to medical school.

 

[BlueElmo]

^^ Nice post.

 

[BlueElmo]

So if you have even a slight suspicion that a letter might be on the bad side (not mediocre), then you should not submit it?