Non-Trad and Science Letters of Recommendation

[Tryhj11]

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[Rapsidy]

How long has it been that you reached out and not heard back? Is it possible they are on summer break and not checking email? Did you indicate before you finished the class that you were looking for a LOR? I got a letter from my organic chemistry teacher and my physics teacher, but they both took some time to write them. I did a DIY post bac as well at my CC so they have a lot of students asking for letters, so it may just take some time.

Also, I don’t have an actual answer, but it seems that a graduate research LOR would be sufficient for a science LOR unless the schools you want to apply to say specifically it has to be a science LOR from one of the prerequisite classes.

Also, I think it helped my application at least that I included a LOR from my boss, many students who take the traditional route won’t have something like that which can help make you stand out. I also was upfront with my boss though when I was hired that I had plans to go to medical school so she was incredibly happy to write it for me.

Hopefully someone else can stop by and clarify more about the research LOR!

 

[Tryhj11]

How long has it been that you reached out and not heard back? Is it possible they are on summer break and not checking email? Did you indicate before you finished the class that you were looking for a LOR? I got a letter from my organic chemistry teacher and my physics teacher, but they both took some time to write them. I did a DIY post bac as well at my CC so they have a lot of students asking for letters, so it may just take some time.

Also, I don’t have an actual answer, but it seems that a graduate research LOR would be sufficient for a science LOR unless the schools you want to apply to say specifically it has to be a science LOR from one of the prerequisite classes.

Also, I think it helped my application at least that I included a LOR from my boss, many students who take the traditional route won’t have something like that which can help make you stand out. I also was upfront with my boss though when I was hired that I had plans to go to medical school so she was incredibly happy to write it for me.

Hopefully someone else can stop by and clarify more about the research LOR!

...

 

[Rapsidy]

Yeah that sucks, but I agree a weak letter from the chem teacher wouldn’t help. I feel ya I did the same thing with DIY post Bach and was very very fortunate to have the same teacher for organic one, two, and biochem so he wrote me my letter. I found that the community college professors loved that stuff because they are so excited to have adult students with career orientation take their classes seriously.

I think the bio teacher might be your best bet, even if it was online if you took time to meet her outside of class/get to know her and she’s willing to write the letter it’s a solid one because many people are going to have letters from online courses, Covid affected everyone.

Personally though I would still reach out to the schools that require the science letter individually, when I was applying some of them were receptive to alternative LORs for non traditional students. It was simply impossible for me to get committee letters since I did my DIY at a community college and most were like hey the letter from your boss is absolutely fine.

 

[Campana]

Another thing you can do, which is what I did:

• visit in person - try to find out their office hours, just pop in, presume you might need to go twice to reach them; I took PTO twice from work to get this done
• bring a packet - I brought with me a copy of my transcripts, my application essay (with DRAFT watermark), etc.; stuff to help them remember which class I was in, something to sort of go over and show them when I came in to chat, a physical leave-behind, kind of like leaving marketing material behind on a sales call.

Emails get lost, especially over breaks; one week is *not* a long time but is enough to re-ping them if you like. People who show up in person help jog their memory and allow you to re-establish a connection, likely improving the quality of the letter too.

 

[Chardeemacdennis60]

As the title suggests, I'm a non-trad, and I'm having an issue with obtaining letters of recommendation from science professors. I recently did a DIY post-bacc, and I've reached out to two instructors with whom I thought we had a great relationship, but they have not responded. Is there any way to get around the "Science" LOR requirement at some schools? I'm enrolled in a grad program where I've done research such as clinical research. My research mentors and grad school professors have all agreed to write LORs for me, but I'm worried that I am still lacking "Science" LORs. Has anyone had a similar experience? How did you overcome this hurdle in your application? Any tips, suggestions, or ideas would be appreciated.

Tbh, I think that a weak letter of recommendation can actually hurt your chances so the fact that the undergrad/post bacc professors have not responded may actually be a blessing in disguise. Nonetheless, I'm still concerned that my application is missing the required "Science" letters for some of the schools that I am interested in.

I agree with waiting another week and then trying to go in person and sending follow-up emails. Do not be afraid to advocate for yourself if you are concerned about weak letters. What helped me is that I always supplied my resume/CV when asking for letters and expressed it was important that the letter was positive.