Non-Trad Applicant and Struggles With Finding Academic Referee

[nawrp11]

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Hey guys!

Hope things are good with everyone. I had a question about the whole AMCAS application process, in regards to letters of recommendation from Academic professors.
To give a little information about myself, I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in June 2017, and since then have taken some GPA booster courses online through post-bacc, and have re-written my MCAT while tutoring full time. Now, as a result, it has been over a year since I've been in an actual class with an academic professor that I could ask a reference. For the AMCAS application process, I'm currently in a difficult situation because I don't really know who to reach out to to provide an Academic letter of recommendation; I have a solid Physician letter and a letter from my volunteer supervisor, but I've asked one professor that I thought would be the best shot for providing a letter of reccomendation (Distance Ed course this past April), but she turned me down saying she did not feel equipped enough to write a letter.


Fellow non-trad's: have you ever had this difficulty in the application process, namely the difficulty of obtaining an academic letter of recommendation after being out of school for some time? How did you get over it? Is it just a matter of asking my old professors and crossing my fingers they will agree to write me a letter?

Thanks!

 

[Sunna12]

Hey guys!

Hope things are good with everyone. I had a question about the whole AMCAS application process, in regards to letters of recommendation from Academic professors.
To give a little information about myself, I graduated with a Bachelors of Science in June 2017, and since then have taken some GPA booster courses online through post-bacc, and have re-written my MCAT while tutoring full time. Now, as a result, it has been over a year since I've been in an actual class with an academic professor that I could ask a reference. For the AMCAS application process, I'm currently in a difficult situation because I don't really know who to reach out to to provide an Academic letter of recommendation; I have a solid Physician letter and a letter from my volunteer supervisor, but I've asked one professor that I thought would be the best shot for providing a letter of reccomendation (Distance Ed course this past April), but she turned me down saying she did not feel equipped enough to write a letter.


Fellow non-trad's: have you ever had this difficulty in the application process, namely the difficulty of obtaining an academic letter of recommendation after being out of school for some time? How did you get over it? Is it just a matter of asking my old professors and crossing my fingers they will agree to write me a letter?

Thanks!

Does your undergrad institution have a pre-med committee that could write a joint letter? You're only out of school for a year- you should a) contact your old pre-med committee for a joint letter and send your CV to remind them who you are (offer to take time to meet them in person to answer any questions they may have and provide a good image of you for them to write about) or b) if your school doesn't have a committee, make contact with your old professors and explain the situation- again make sure to include your CV and offer to meet with them during office hours. I wouldn't solicit a letter from a long-distance educator-- they really can't speak about you without having had you in person and if they write in the letter they had you as a student for a long distance class, it makes the letter look pretty worthless.

 

[lumya]

Are you able to take a science course that at the institution you graduated from? I did a DIY post-bac so I asked my professors from then. Even if you did all of your pre-reqs already, if you have any science-related courses you’re interested in that are related to medicine, you could take it then and ask that professor.

Other than that, since you graduated recently, I would think any professor whose class you had stellar performance in, would remember you and be able to write a letter on your behalf.