No Letters of Recommendation - please help!

[Forrest Gump]

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I'll be finishing up my pre-reqs and expect to graduate with a BS in Chemical Science next Fall. My biggest obstacle in applying for pharmacy schools is that I have no letters of recommendation. Though I volunteered last summer in a hospital pharmacy, my contact was mostly with other volunteers and I wasn't able to work enough hours to get to know any of the pharmacists. Most of my classes are huge so getting letters of rec from my professors would be difficult. The way I see it, my only hope is to get a summer job (paid, unpaid, volunteer - whatever I can get!) at a retail pharmacy so I can work one on one with the pharmacist(s).

Who out there has successfully done this? If so, what chain did you work for and what steps did you take to avoid the red tape in getting your foot in the door? I'm really worried that after slaving away in college I will not have the letters I need to even apply for pharmacy school when the time comes!

Any help or suggestions are welcome!

P.S. I live in Florida

 

[cschellh]

Hello,

That's a tough spot that a lot of up and coming graduate students face. My advice to you would be..

Well first, do you have a job, where a manager could give you a LOR? For instance, I have been working for olive garden for 5 years, and my managers are more than willing.

Second, if you do volunteer or shadow a pharmacist (or just general volunteer work), make sure you go out of you way to be extra friendly and inquisitive, and more likely than not, they would give you one. If you volunteer 50+ hours of your time, I don't see why not, as long as they are remotely friendly/approachable. They were in our boat at one time too!

Third, if you did not do very well in a class (from what I read on here, anything less than a B), maybe you could retake it in the spring/summer at a local CC. I took a spring class at my CC, and since it is so quick and intense (6wks), you get to know the instructor pretty well, and my instructor actually wrote me a great LOR, but I did have the highest grade in his class. And generally, at a CC, instructors are pretty willing to write LORs. If you do have a class where you did "bad" in, this would help 2fold, you'll be able to improve your pharmcas gpa, and get a LOR.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Crystal😎

 

[lsexie]

i got from one of my professors even tho it was a huge class, i went to him and talked with him, den gave him my resume then an essay stating why i am intereted in pharmacy and telling him more about myself and what i do.

I currently volunteer at a retail pharmacy, and yes, try to be extra friendly help out with every little thing, i even increased my hours during this vacation period so it shows i am really interested. Then lookfor pharmacy related questions to ask the pharmacist to show ur interest, ask about their pharmacy school days, how hard it was, what motivated them, why they love pharmacy, and all that good stuff🙂

 

[ngynththo]

I'll be finishing up my pre-reqs and expect to graduate with a BS in Chemical Science next Fall. My biggest obstacle in applying for pharmacy schools is that I have no letters of recommendation. Though I volunteered last summer in a hospital pharmacy, my contact was mostly with other volunteers and I wasn't able to work enough hours to get to know any of the pharmacists. Most of my classes are huge so getting letters of rec from my professors would be difficult. The way I see it, my only hope is to get a summer job (paid, unpaid, volunteer - whatever I can get!) at a retail pharmacy so I can work one on one with the pharmacist(s).

Who out there has successfully done this? If so, what chain did you work for and what steps did you take to avoid the red tape in getting your foot in the door? I'm really worried that after slaving away in college I will not have the letters I need to even apply for pharmacy school when the time comes!

Any help or suggestions are welcome!

P.S. I live in Florida

So you have one more year to build relationships with the persons whom you will ask for the LORs. I think most of professors are willing to do this once you have touched them. Remember that almost pharmacy schools request at least one LOR from your professor (science class's is preferable).

 

[fenixtnlfan]

Great advice so far. I just wanted to add you are going to need more than one LOR, two is probably the min but I've seen up to four. Many schools require a LOR from a professor. You need to be pro-active about getting those rec letters in your last semesters. Go into office hours more. Class size isn't an excuse because professors won't get to know you even in smaller classes if you don't put some effort into it.

 

[Artful Dodger]

Well, it looks like people have given you some advice on here. However, you need realize that you're going to have to make it happen by youself. If you're that passionate about Pharmacy, you'd sacrifice or attempt anything to make sure you get in, right?

Have a plan of action in place for these LORs. One good/easy place to start is with your academic advisor/counselor. Schedule an appointment - have questions in hand, explain your situation & where you are in your career pursuit, etc. Everything else should be gravy! - an LOR from a counselor/advisor is a very good thing to have.

Also, keep this in the back of your mind, write a list of reasons for pharmacy (or a personal statement) and an academic resume (highlighting classes you've taken, gpa, jobs, volunteering, etc). Those will come in handy when you're asking someone to write you an LOR.

good luck!

 

[vinny808]

Forest, you have to make the effort to go in and talk to your professors.

Example, after a test, go in and ask for explanations. Go in and talk to your professor before a test to get some help. Use that time to build a relationship with him or her.

If you are interested in that field, and he/she has research oppurtunities, build a relationship with that professor ask that professor if you can do research under him or her. Research looks good in your resume.

If worse comes to worse, then just ask your professor w/o building a relationship, i'm sure he'll write you one, but it won't be as good. The selection comittee will know if you put in the effort to build a relationship based on the LOR. I know some people that did not make it to pharm school based on bad LOR's. So you have to put in that effort.

 

[sakigt]

You have to answer questions in class, ask questions when you are unclear about something and you must follow up in their office. Class size doesnt matter in this respect!

 

[pharmant]

When you are asking a Professor for a LOR you do not need a good relationship with them, although it helps. I would pick a professor that you have had multiple classes with and have improved or maintained a high grade in all of the classes. Professors understand that out of 200-300 students in a lecture not all are going to get their voice heard. I had one professor for three separate classes, Microbiology, Genetics, and Microbial Physiology/Genetics. My grade improved with each class. I never went out of my way to introduce myself to this professor, but did ask question, very infrequently though. I emailed the professor my grades, resume, and my personal statement and explained my situation. He wrote me a wonderful LOR. It is not necessary to know someone for them to give you a LOR, what matters is how you present yourself when asking.

Forest Gump you said that you have volunteered, but did not get acquainted with a Pharmacist. The majority of pharmacist I have meet when volunteering were very helpful and have been in a similar position that all of us are in now. So make it a point to talk to a pharmacist and explain that you have volunteered but were unable to build a rapport with a pharmacist for you to feel comfortable to ask for a LOR. In my experience they will be more than willing to help you out. If the LOR is your biggest obstacle when applying to Pharm. school you have nothing to worry about.👍

 

[bacillus1]

I was in your situation for an internship that I applied for a month ago. It required 3 LORs, and the pharmacists I work for flat out refused to give me LORs because in their opinion, I haven't worked enough at the pharmacy for them to get to know me well enough (avg. of 6-10 hours a week since September, half the time spent with one pharmacist and the other half with the other parmacist). So I got one from a professor whom I've had 3 classes with and who is my minor advisor. Then I got one from a professor of a big class but who also had a 16-person recitation as a part of the class. I got the third one from my academic advisor.

So my advise is get to know your academic advisor, he/she will probably be glad to write LORs for you

 

[RoA1098]

I'll be finishing up my pre-reqs and expect to graduate with a BS in Chemical Science next Fall. My biggest obstacle in applying for pharmacy schools is that I have no letters of recommendation. Though I volunteered last summer in a hospital pharmacy, my contact was mostly with other volunteers and I wasn't able to work enough hours to get to know any of the pharmacists. Most of my classes are huge so getting letters of rec from my professors would be difficult. The way I see it, my only hope is to get a summer job (paid, unpaid, volunteer - whatever I can get!) at a retail pharmacy so I can work one on one with the pharmacist(s).

Who out there has successfully done this? If so, what chain did you work for and what steps did you take to avoid the red tape in getting your foot in the door? I'm really worried that after slaving away in college I will not have the letters I need to even apply for pharmacy school when the time comes!

Any help or suggestions are welcome!

P.S. I live in Florida

It's pretty difficult to get a job in a retail pharmacy around here, so your best bet would be to try at the end of this semester since a lot of people leave for summer break or might be graduating.
However, since you already have some pharmacy experience I would highly recommend doing a DIS instead. It's a great way for a professor to get to know you well enough to write a strong LOR. Look through the faculty web pages (http://www.chem.fsu.edu/people.php?group=2) and see if any of their research topics interest you, then send the professor an e-mail asking if they have any openings in their lab. You could also check out the bio dept. or psych/neuroscience(which is where I did my DIS), if those areas of research interest you more.
As far as getting a LOR from a professor that teaches a huge class, it can be done. I know people who have gotten letters from bio I and organic professors here, just from getting to know them through office hours. Actually, I know one person who only went to office hours once or twice and still got a letter. It might not be the best letter in the world, but it's better than nothing! Good luck!

 

[KyeumWeung]

I can understand your situation. I was in your situation about 4 months ago. I volunteered at a hospital pharmacy for one year, but was rejected because the pharmacist says she did not know me enough. I was heartbroken because I volunteered there for an entire year and I did not sit around, I did a lot of work for the Pharm Techs. I asked the pharm techs to tell the pharmacist what I did for them, but they took forever and kept on delaying things.

I thought my hard work would speak for me, but it didn't. My parents helped me get a job at a local pharmacy. The pharmacist is extremely pleasant to work with and she signed my recommendation after four months.

To be honest, it does depend on the person you're asking. I've had a few friends who were in my position as well, but they have pulled through and applied.

Best of luck to you!

 

[Hels2007]

I can't figure out how one can get to a Bachelor's degree in a chemistry-related field (what exactly is chemistry studies, BTW?) and not build a good rapport with at least one chemistry professor... haven't you taken any upper-level chemistry courses?

 

[ILikeDrugs]

If you still have a while till you graduate you could seek out some research assistant positions with professors that you have had or will have. I'm not sure how easy that would be as a bio/chem major but as a psych major there were loads of research studies being done by full time faculty. They were always more than willing to have someone help them collect or sort out data.

Maybe you could go over to the psych department and see if the biopsychology professors are doing some research that interests you. Most psych students stray from biopsyc, which means there were always spots open for those of us who concentrated in that area. 😀

 

[ILikeDrugs]

I can't figure out how one can get to a Bachelor's degree in a chemistry-related field (what exactly is chemistry studies, BTW?) and not build a good rapport with at least one chemistry professor... haven't you taken any upper-level chemistry courses?

Yup, that's what I was thinking. Labs are a great place to talk and ask questions. Not only can you show your extra interest in the field of science but you also get to show them what you're made of. 😎

lol.