*~*~*~*Official Letters of Recommendation Questions Thread 2013-2014*~*~*~*

[celica0015]

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so I'm shadowing a doctor who completed his residency in internal medicine but has now immediately started a new residency in radiology. when i shadow, he is moonlighting in the emergency department. from what i understand, its not a good idea to get a letter from a resident, but under these circumstances would this be ok?

 

[casshew]

I'm graduating soon so I'm stressing out about getting good LORs, and I was thinking about asking my Geography professor for my non-science LOR. My friend told me I shouldn't because he is a part-time professor. Is asking a part-time professor bad?

 

[jandm]

Quick question. My application was marked verified and released. However, I hadn't assigned my letters to the schools. S0 I did just that (yesterday), but now I'm worried I'm in danger of missing the 12/15 deadline for a few schools (which have my rec letter missing as of 12/13).

So, my question is: When will AMCAS release the letters? Is it instant? I'm worried that the schools won't accept app (despite my completion of the secondaries) because the letter wasn't there on 12/13, and AMCAS needs someone to send them on Monday.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[acslater99]

As of right now I go to a CC and I was wondering if I should get some of my LOR's from the CC or should I just get them whenever I transfer to my University? Thanks.

 

[turayza]

I have a pretty bizarre question, but hopefully someone has some advice for me.

I am actually going to be a 2014-2015 applicant, and I shadowed a very experienced and well-known doctor this summer who I think will have many valuable things to say about me. The issue is, he is really up there in years and while I hate to have to think this way, I do want to make sure he writes my letter sooner rather than later for that reason (I'd rather not have to spell it out any more clearly than that). Anyway, as I understand it, letters actually can't be submitted for my application cycle until May of 2014! Is there any way he can file the letter earlier or perhaps schedule it to be sent out?

Have you heard of interfolio? Ask the doctor you shadowed to write the letter (probably send him a draft personal statement and resume with it, or see if he has time to chat with you) and send send it to your interfolio account. It's a letter service that allows you to collect LORs so all your letter writers send to interfolio, and then you use interfolio to send to AMCAS when you can.
I'm also applying 2014-2015 cycle and I have a letter saved in Interfolio 🙂 Even better, you don't have to worry about your letter writers' writing pace delaying your application!

 

[turayza]

Hello everyone,

At the moment, I have two letters available on Interfolio, but they were written and submitted before I decided to apply through AMCAS. I see that I will have to add these referees on AMCAS for letter IDs to be assigned. My question however is whether or not these referees will need to rewrite the letters adding in the letter IDs or whether I can simply add the letter IDs on Interfolio before I sent the letters to AMCAS.

You can add the AMCAS IDs! Both your ID and the letter-specific ID.

 

[yankees26]

I have recently received a LOR from a professor who I TA'ed a course with. I was wondering when would be the most optimal time to send the LOR to AMCAS from my interfolio account. Do I hold off until after decisions, if there is a waitlist scenario? Or do I submit it pre-decision?
Thanks a lot!

 

[sakyh]

Hi all,

I want to know if anyones in the same boat as me. I don't have the strongest relationships with any of my professors and while im certain theyll give me mediocre, generic LORs, Id like to take a chance and ask my professors this upcoming spring semester before applying.

My question is, when would be a good time (if at all) to ask my professors? From what I understand, asking them after the semester finishes in mid-May might be too late to ask and then expect them to have it written and done for me by June 15th when these letters are given to our committee at our school. However, asking before the semester finishes (I was thinking around April) might be awkward since not all my grades will be set.

Thanks in advance!

 

[turayza]

Hi all,

I want to know if anyones in the same boat as me. I don't have the strongest relationships with any of my professors and while im certain theyll give me mediocre, generic LORs, Id like to take a chance and ask my professors this upcoming spring semester before applying.

My question is, when would be a good time (if at all) to ask my professors? From what I understand, asking them after the semester finishes in mid-May might be too late to ask and then expect them to have it written and done for me by June 15th when these letters are given to our committee at our school. However, asking before the semester finishes (I was thinking around April) might be awkward since not all my grades will be set.

Thanks in advance!

It would probably be safer to ask earlier...are there any professors from this past semester you could ask? If not, make sure you are going to office hours for this semester and try to establish some sort of relationship at least where your potential LOR writers will know your name when they see you. I don't think it will matter if grades are out or not. Your professor LORs should be commenting on your curiosity/engagement, ability to work with classmates, problem-solving...not your score (that's in your transcript.)

 

[Oso]

Hi all,

I want to know if anyones in the same boat as me. I don't have the strongest relationships with any of my professors and while im certain theyll give me mediocre, generic LORs, Id like to take a chance and ask my professors this upcoming spring semester before applying.

My question is, when would be a good time (if at all) to ask my professors? From what I understand, asking them after the semester finishes in mid-May might be too late to ask and then expect them to have it written and done for me by June 15th when these letters are given to our committee at our school. However, asking before the semester finishes (I was thinking around April) might be awkward since not all my grades will be set.

Thanks in advance!

I think if you're going to office hours and getting to know them on a more personal level, and if you're doing well in the class, then you can probably ask them mid-semester. By then, you'll probably have a pretty decent idea of what your final grade will be. But really make sure to get to know them first. If they like you, they will be much more willing to agree early and to write you a strong letter. They may not actually write the letter until the semester ends, but at least they'll have it on their mind.

 

[DielsAlder]

I noticed on most med school admission websites that for the LOR requirement, they recommend a committee letter or specify the nature of the individual LORs. Since my school offers a committee letter with our individual LORs, do I get more freedom on who I am asking for a letter?

Also, most of my LORs that I am asking for are from people I worked with (3 letters from research PI's/physician shadowing/etc) and 2 more from science professors. I feel like most people at my school tend to rely on professors more for LORs, but I believe my supervisors from these work experiences would write me much stronger letters since I knew them for a longer period of time than a one semester class. Are letters from work experiences regarded the same as professor letters and should I be doing anything different than my current selection of letter-writers? Sorry in advance for the two part question.

 

[ArsenalFC626]

Pardon me for reviving an old thread, but I don't know where else to ask this question.

I'm planning on taking a graduate level biology course in the fall, and I was wondering if I were to ask the professor teaching this course for a letter of recommendation, would that letter fulfill the science professor requirement asked by most schools? The class is called virology (it's a 500 level biology class), and I don't know if it qualifies as a BCPM course in the AMCAS classification guide.

If anybody has any idea, please feel free to pm me as well.

 

[dudeliness]

Pardon me for reviving an old thread, but I don't know where else to ask this question.

I'm planning on taking a graduate level biology course in the fall, and I was wondering if I were to ask the professor teaching this course for a letter of recommendation, would that letter fulfill the science professor requirement asked by most schools? The class is called virology (it's a 500 level biology class), and I don't know if it qualifies as a BCPM course in the AMCAS classification guide.

If anybody has any idea, please feel free to pm me as well.

Biology generally qualifies as a science so I would think that would work just fine.
When in doubt, the best people to ask are individual school's admissions offices.

 

[jonhamm]

I think these questions have been asked, but not as explicitly as I want to put them, so here goes:

Commonly it is said that you need two science professor LORs, and one non-science professor LOR, at a minimum.

1. Do these professors have to have taught courses that you took?


2. Is "science" here specific to biology, chemistry, and physics, or is it broad? Would earth science or computer science professor's letter (I'm aware they both have science in the name) count as a science or a nonscience LOR?

3. Looking at the excel spreadsheet, the vast majority of schools do not explicitly require a non-science professor LOR. They seem to mostly require 1-2 science professors and leave the third one open. So why is it stressed so highly to get a non-science LOR?

 

[jonhamm]

bumping.

 

[dudeliness]

I think these questions have been asked, but not as explicitly as I want to put them, so here goes:

Commonly it is said that you need two science professor LORs, and one non-science professor LOR, at a minimum.

1. Do these professors have to have taught courses that you took?


2. Is "science" here specific to biology, chemistry, and physics, or is it broad? Would earth science or computer science professor's letter (I'm aware they both have science in the name) count as a science or a nonscience LOR?

3. Looking at the excel spreadsheet, the vast majority of schools do not explicitly require a non-science professor LOR. They seem to mostly require 1-2 science professors and leave the third one open. So why is it stressed so highly to get a non-science LOR?

Yes, the professor needs to have taught you in a lecture. Lab settings do not count.

"Science" means whatever each individual school will accept. If you think a math or computer science class should qualify, it just might. You would need to contact individual schools and ask them. They are only an email away!

I don't know that anybody has specifically stressed always getting a non-science LOR. What I would stress is making sure you meet the minimum requirements that each school asks, and if you choose to include a non-science letter for the schools that require it, make sure it's a great letter. I'm pretty sure that "make sure it's a great letter" thing really goes for all your letters.

Good luck

 

[jonhamm]

Yes, the professor needs to have taught you in a lecture. Lab settings do not count.

"Science" means whatever each individual school will accept. If you think a math or computer science class should qualify, it just might. You would need to contact individual schools and ask them. They are only an email away!

I don't know that anybody has specifically stressed always getting a non-science LOR. What I would stress is making sure you meet the minimum requirements that each school asks, and if you choose to include a non-science letter for the schools that require it, make sure it's a great letter. I'm pretty sure that "make sure it's a great letter" thing really goes for all your letters.

Good luck

The non-science LOR thing is pretty highly stressed in the OP of this thread.

Unfortunately, getting great letters for me is just not going to be possible. I had not even the faintest clue I wanted to go to medical school until over a year after I graduated college. The only non-science professor that might have written me one (not even necessarily a great one) died a few months ago. As far as science profs go, I really only had great interactions with those I ended up doing research with.

Kind of in a bind at this point, and not really sure what to do. I will have two great letters from my current PIs in a lab I've been working in for a couple of years, but the rest of my letters will probably be mediocre.

 

[bman992]

I will currently have 6 LORs to choose from:
1 BME professor/advisor
1 Research PI
1 English Prof
2 Doctors
1 Volunteering
and a Committee Letter

Is the general consensus that most med schools count research letters for science requirement? Or would you suggest I ask one of my old science professors, even though the letter probably wont be as strong?
I've seen some posts say that even committee letters can replace science recs, is this true?

Thanks!

 

[blubearzangel]

.

 

[Darkbloom]

I will currently have 6 LORs to choose from:
1 BME professor/advisor
1 Research PI
1 English Prof
2 Doctors
1 Volunteering
and a Committee Letter

Is the general consensus that most med schools count research letters for science requirement? Or would you suggest I ask one of my old science professors, even though the letter probably wont be as strong?
I've seen some posts say that even committee letters can replace science recs, is this true?

Thanks!

I would also like to know this...I have letters from 1 BME professor and 2 PIs among other non-science ones. I don't really have a second "science" letter per se, but one of my PIs taught a science class I took. And generally you do science under the direction of a PI. Is this sufficient, or should I look into finding another science professor?

 

[chiralC]

I'm sorry if this has been asked before, but is it ok if a professor digitally signs a LOR or does it need to be written? I've searched both amcas and the forums but have come up with conflicting answers

 

[Mavs88]

Apologies if this has been asked before....but in terms of the 2 science professor letters....I have one from a professor whose class I took, but the other one...can it be from a professor I worked closely with (not lab setting, but SI) but didn't take a class with them?

Thanks

 

[Jhakaasmaan]

In order to get a letter of recommendation from a professor, do you need to take their for a letter grade or is pass/fail fine? Anyone have experience with this?

 

[seeddormancy]

Not sure if this thread is still active, but could anyone direct me to the company that will read your Interfolio letters, rank them on quality, and let you know if you should use them or not (without providing confidential details)? Thanks!

 

[senzen]

As soon as a letter is written, how long does it take to upload/verify? Is it another few weeks like it is with your primary application? How is it that LORs are required for the secondary application when school's will not even consider a person complete without a committee letter?

 

[Jhakaasmaan]

If I go ahead and submit AMCAS without assigning any letters, when is the latest I should assign them? Right before I submit the school's secondary?