Nervous about asking for a LOR??

[funshine]

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I always hate this part. I usually send emails to profs, but at the same time, I feel bad...like I should definitely talk to them face to face. Usually, I barely know them anyway (b/c all the classes are big) and so I just send in a resume and hope for the best!!!

But I do kind of know this one prof who taught me last year--she works in the lab next to mine...
She always seems busy though, so I don't want to interrupt her work. Plus, I havent talked to her all year. So...should I just send her a quick email and ask if she wants to sit down and talk w/ me sometime? Or do you guys usually pop into your prof's office just to ask for a rec? somehow, that seems rude...but what do i know? advice please!!

 

[funshine]

oh, and do you usually begin by telling them how amazing their class was and how much you like them? or does that look like you're sucking up?

 

[musiclink213]

i never thought it such a big deal. but then again, most of my classes, especially my science ones are tiny, so i actually have a good relationship with most of them (meaning they find it ok to tease me about my non existent love life, my skating, and they love to drive me crazy, i'm convinced of it, they get a kick out of it). but i would imagine you would be better off asking face to face, that way, you may have jogged their memory as to who you are, you can tell them things about yourself htat could make hte LOR a bit more personal.

or what you can do, if you have time, is actually get to know your professors. sit up front, ask questions, go to office hours, that way, they'll be more willing to write you an LOR. And ask during the semester if you've had them before, or right after the semester is over, that way they'll be even wiser as to who you are.

 

[funshine]

i never thought it such a big deal. but then again, most of my classes, especially my science ones are tiny, so i actually have a good relationship with most of them (meaning they find it ok to tease me about my non existent love life, my skating, and they love to drive me crazy, i'm convinced of it, they get a kick out of it). but i would imagine you would be better off asking face to face, that way, you may have jogged their memory as to who you are, you can tell them things about yourself htat could make hte LOR a bit more personal.

or what you can do, if you have time, is actually get to know your professors. sit up front, ask questions, go to office hours, that way, they'll be more willing to write you an LOR. And ask during the semester if you've had them before, or right after the semester is over, that way they'll be even wiser as to who you are.

ahaha...you are lucky. I dont think very many students get to know their profs well. as for me, there is not much I can do about getting to know profs better, since i'm graduating next semester.

the good thing is, I do know this prof well enough so that i am sure she remembers me. I think I will sendher an email and ask to talk to her.
i will pm you the email i wrote. please tell me what you think!! (sorry--this is what you get for being the first responder to my email )

 

[opinionkitten]

i like to send a breif email saying "i was in your class blah blah can i meet with you regarding a letter of rec?" and then bring the resume and the rest of the junk to the meeting, best to do it in person.

as for the big class business, dont worry. they are scientists, they know LOR's are part of the game. also if they teach big classes they'll be ready to give you a letter even if they dont know your name. one professor explained his LOR method as follows:

"if they were in my class, ill write a letter saying they were in my class, rank and grade.

if i spoke with them ever, if they asked good questions, if i remember them fondly, if they did really well, ill do a full on letter "

dont worry, go ask!

 

[LiNk]

I was in a bit of a situation recently- FSU requires a letter from a non-science professor and the last non-science class I had was in fall 2002. I had spoken with her after class once or twice and seen her in her office maybe once, so I figured she wouldn't remember me. I called her a few months ago, explained who I was and asked if she could meet with me to discuss writing a letter and she said yes. I gave her a folder with my transcript, resume, essay and my info, and after getting to know eachother for 15 minutes (Q&A why med, etc.) she said she'd write me one.

I think the best way is to use the phone- not email. Email is the "easy way out" and the phone is more personal. Of course, I was nervous about calling her because I knew she wouldn't remember me. I don't think she remembered me when we met in person. If the prof doesn't know you that well I'd definitely give them anything they need to help them know you better.

Don't be nervous. Just Do It - nike 😀

 

[LiNk]

oh, and do you usually begin by telling them how amazing their class was and how much you like them? or does that look like you're sucking up?

I'm sure they'll see right through that. What you could do is slip in a comment like "your organic class prepared me well for the MCAT..." or "I really enjoyed the lecture you gave on ___."
Regarding the non-science prof I mentioned above, I brought up the group presentations that were given in class and told her about how much fun my group had making our video.

 

[acidhouse303]

dont be nervous
it is a prof's JOB To write you a letter of recommendation
they EXPECT you to ask. so do it!🙂
just be polite and tell them what class you were in, etc. sometimes they will ask you to bring a copy of your transcript and resume so they can see a little more about you. other times its just a generic form letter and they insert your name (if its not someone you know really well). in a worst case scenario they will tell you if they do not feel comfortable writing you a rec letter (bc maybe they dont know you well enough like you were in one lecture of theirs with 400 people and you never went to office hours etc) in that case, ask someone else! it is best to ask someone who is more in tune with who you are as a person or has seen your personal work. thus, big lecture profs are generally not as good as someone who has seen your work in a small group or lab setting, a research advisor etc... good luck and dont be nervous!

 

[sidewalkman]

Yeah, definately go in person. Email stinks for this sort of thing, and is only good for setting up the appointment. Bring an organized packet of everything you want the prof to know, so they'll have something to go on. Profs really don't like turning down students who have a good record for this sort of thing anyway.

 

[Rzarecta]

What I really have to say is don't be afraid!!! MY science classes were also pretty large, but I still found a few profs that would write for me. But, on the converse I also did get rejected by others. One of the science profs I asked said that he didn't know me well enough, though I TAed his class one summer and had to like talk with him every day for about an hour about the methods used (orgo workshop bull). Also, I would also say calling is good, because the email doesn't feel personal, making it easier to reject you. If you do get one prof that sounds like he/she could do it, and doesn't know you well, hand in a personal statement with your resume about your reasons for applying to medical shcool. Make your resume more than just a CV and you are gonna be fine.

 

[JohnB79]

The key is to TA for professors and do a good job because being a good TA will be great for you and the prof you get a LOR from will be more than happy to write one as long as you get good reviews from students. Now I TA'd my intro bio class and got only 2 bad reviews from 25 students which is awesome and my prof was more than happy to write a LOR for me.

 

[KiKat37]

I'm in a masters program right now, so I also have to get a letter from one of my grad. school professors, and send it to med schools along with my undergrad. letters. Note that I started that program in September, si I have only been taking classes for about 2 months now. And, classes meet only once a week - not every day or every other day like when u r undergrad. So, basically, I have only met each of my prof. like 6 times since the beginning of the semester. And, I have written like one paper for each class... Anyway. So, I didn't know any of my prof. well, and they didn't really have anything to judge my abilities, etc...

Even though it was very awkward, I eventually went to one of the profs a week ago and asked her if she would feel comfortable writing me a rec. She said that she couldn't because I got an A- on my paper... 😱
WTF????!!!!!!!!! She suggested that I re-write the paper (which is 45 pages long) and try to "raise" my grade to a "full" A... Then, she would write me a letter... Insane...

Sorry if it doesn't help the OP... Just wanted to share my frsutration... 👎