No LOR's from professors a problem?

[GavinThePremed]

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So, I don't know if we're allowed to have 4 or 5 LOR's but tentatively I'm planning:

LOR #1: Internist I shadow
LOR #2: Urologist I shadow
LOR #3: Professor I TA for *took the class, but not with her
LOR #4: Hospital ER Coordinator where I volunteer at


As bad as this sounds, I just don't know many of the professors I took classes with. And I'm afraid if I ask for one it'll either be lackluster or might even be negative?

 

[ridethecliche]

So, I don't know if we're allowed to have 4 or 5 LOR's but tentatively I'm planning:

LOR #1: Internist I shadow
LOR #2: Urologist I shadow
LOR #3: Professor I TA for *took the class, but not with her
LOR #4: Hospital ER Coordinator where I volunteer at


As bad as this sounds, I just don't know many of the professors I took classes with. And I'm afraid if I ask for one it'll either be lackluster or might even be negative?

Getting LOR's from MD's you've shadowed is relatively useless.

#3 and #4 sound decent as they're for 'ex curricular' ish things, but I'd really recommend getting atleast 2 LOR's from professors.

 

[LizzyM]

In many schools, it is difficult to get to know the faculty members who teach the large classes typically taken by pre-meds. Many faculty will write a letter describing their course, and discussing how you did relative to the class as a whole. You may have had an average showing in the mid-term but out-performed 99% of the class in the final resulting in an A-. That puts the A- in perspective.

Choose faculty in whose classes you did very well. It can also help if they've seen you at office hours although I've also seen letters that stated, "I never saw him at office hours but he had a good command of the material and may have believed that he didn't need to discuss it further; he received an A in both semesters."

 

[ridethecliche]

College advisors in your department are also great.

Honestly, this is one thing where LAC's rule. I had an advisor on my first day of class for a major and I kept in touch with her through all of college. I ended up majoring in biochemistry, which she co-taught, and she wrote one of my LOR's. I got a B- in Biochem, but she knew my life pretty well. I also started doing research in her lab, but quit to do something else. I've been in touch with her through my post-grad years as well and visit if I'm ever around my undergrad.

While she probably referred to me as 'idiot boy' in my LOR, which was her nickname for me, I don't think anyone else has her vantage point of having seen me grow up since I started in school (struggles, character, etc.).

I think mentors for clubs/activities are also good LOR writers, but I think atleast one person should be a science professor that you developed some sort of connection with. It's harder for non-science majors I suppose since I saw my professors around all the time, had beers with them, etc.

What I'm saying is that it honestly depends on your relationship with the person. I was totally fine getting a LOR from her even though I didn't do well in her class because she knew what my college years had looked like and could talk about how I had grown through college and after. I'm willing to bet that her letter was the strongest LOR that I had written for me. I wish I could read it after the cycle was done. I'm like 95% sure that it would make me cry.

I also had 2 LOR's from physicians, but I worked for both of them in a full time job and they came to know me pretty well. I had another from a non-science professor, and then a panel letter.

I had my professors write letters when I was an undergrad as my school keeps them on file for 5 years (paid service). When I was ready to apply, I asked my professors if they could update the letters. I also went back to campus to meet my letter writers. I took one of them out to lunch to catch up (basically provide context for the update) and visited the one I was in touch with to see how she was doing.

Granted, this isn't feasible for everyone, but if you want a good LOR, you have to make the effort to make meaningful relationships. I genuinely like and respect my LOR writers and always enjoyed popping in to talk to them and see what they were up to. I guess this is stuff that frosh/sophomore should be told.

 

[iforget2]

In many schools, it is difficult to get to know the faculty members who teach the large classes typically taken by pre-meds. Many faculty will write a letter describing their course, and discussing how you did relative to the class as a whole. You may have had an average showing in the mid-term but out-performed 99% of the class in the final resulting in an A-. That puts the A- in perspective.

Choose faculty in whose classes you did very well. It can also help if they've seen you at office hours although I've also seen letters that stated, "I never saw him at office hours but he had a good command of the material and may have believed that he didn't need to discuss it further; he received an A in both semesters."

So would that letter be considered bad for his application?

 

[LizzyM]

So would that letter be considered bad for his application?

Neither of those letters would be "bad"; they are fairly typical . They wouldn't be as good as a letter from someone who knows the student well such as you would get from someone with whom you've been in a lab for 1.5 yrs. (e.g. research with a PI who also taught a class)

 

[justadream]

Neither of those letters would be "bad"; they are fairly typical . They wouldn't be as good as a letter from someone who knows the student well such as you would get from someone with whom you've been in a lab for 1.5 yrs. (e.g. research with a PI who also taught a class)

Is it viewed with suspicion if you don't get a letter from someone in your major? I'm majoring in something that is not bio/chem/physics but I plan to get my letters from people who taught those courses.

 

[LizzyM]

I've never compared one's major to one's letters. Others may but they've never made mention of it positively or negatively in my hearing or made note of it in their written reviews. YMMV.

 

[Person0715]

So, I don't know if we're allowed to have 4 or 5 LOR's but tentatively I'm planning:

LOR #1: Internist I shadow
LOR #2: Urologist I shadow
LOR #3: Professor I TA for *took the class, but not with her
LOR #4: Hospital ER Coordinator where I volunteer at


As bad as this sounds, I just don't know many of the professors I took classes with. And I'm afraid if I ask for one it'll either be lackluster or might even be negative?

How long did you shadow each doc for? In any case, I doubt LOR 1 and 2 will really add anything to your app. They will be neutral at best. Are there other professors you have interacted with throughout your college career?