Professor LOR

[smarts1]

Is it normal for a professor to ask you to come meet with them for a med school letter BEFORE making the decision to write the letter or not?

I asked one of my bio professors to write me a letter for some early program I'm applying to, and he told me he would make that decision after having a discussion with me about medicine...

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[Isoprop]

it's not unheard of.

 

[Carbon009]

I believe its normal.

 

[music2doc]

Is it normal for a professor to ask you to come meet with them for a med school letter BEFORE making the decision to write the letter or not?

I asked one of my bio professors to write me a letter for some early program I'm applying to, and he told me he would make that decision after having a discussion with me about medicine...

Not particularly uncommon.... Many experienced advisors do this to gauge interest and potential before committing to write an LOR.

 

[smarts1]

It's just odd because one of my friends asked him for a LOR about 2 years ago and he said yes on the spot and just asked for was my friend's personal statement and resume, so I'm kind of nervous as to why he wants to meet with me in person and talk about it.

 

[Isoprop]

maybe he had a better relationship with your friend. maybe he wants to write a more personal LOR because now he's a more seasoned/experienced letter writer. maybe he just hates you.

you're overthinking this.

 

[Druggernaut]

maybe he had a better relationship with your friend. maybe he wants to write a more personal LOR because now he's a more seasoned/experienced letter writer.

These are my guesses. My biology professor, who I'd never had a conversation with while I was in his course, wrote me a letter, but he wanted to meet with me first. The others, who I had more contact with, just asked for my CV. As long as your professor is a decent human being, and you're not an interpersonal train wreck, I think this is in your favor.

 

[music2doc]

It's just odd because one of my friends asked him for a LOR about 2 years ago and he said yes on the spot and just asked for was my friend's personal statement and resume, so I'm kind of nervous as to why he wants to meet with me in person and talk about it.

Probably because he's unsure of your potential and/or interest. I had faculty members say "YES!!!!" to me on the spot as well but ask other students to show them evidence of their interest and potential. I suspect the difference had to do with how well-known my interest, commitment, experience, etc. were (i.e., the status of my relationships with the faculty who wrote my LORs). In my case, I was well-known because I achieved a lot for the program -- I rebuilt our entire pre-medical program and have connected many health professionals to the University to assist with mentoring and networking -- and faculty I work with were already aware I had worked in various areas of healthcare and generally scored at the top of the class. The result was there were never really any questions about my interest or potential. On the other hand, there are others at my school that have been even more successful than I have in med school admissions this cycle despite being given more hoops to jump through for an LOR (at least on the back end), so being asked to meet with the professor prior to having an LOR written is not necessarily an indication that they think you'll be a poor candidate. You could be an awesome candidate but simply not the "apple" of your undergrad's eye -- in other words, you may have flown under the radar. This is simply an opportunity for you to shine. (In the future, though, work to build relationships with faculty, supervisors, etc. as these relationships will serve you well for the future.)

 

[smarts1]

It might be possible that he just wants to reaffirm things. I actually do have a good relationship with him--the class I took only have 35 students in it, and the professor was keen on trying to learn everyone's names and get to know us. He actually do know me better than some of the other students in the class as I regularly participated in class.

Hopefully it's isn't because he has some doubts about me. Well we'll see on Wednesday when I have my meeting with him.

 

[music2doc]

It might be possible that he just wants to reaffirm things. I actually do have a good relationship with him--the class I took only have 35 students in it, and the professor was keen on trying to learn everyone's names and get to know us. He actually do know me better than some of the other students in the class as I regularly participated in class.

Hopefully it's isn't because he has some doubts about me. Well we'll see on Wednesday when I have my meeting with him.

As a general rule, relationships are built outside of class, not in-class. A class of 35 students is still pretty good size (moderate sized). In a discussion-oriented class of <10 students, perhaps, the professor might truly get a good feel for what most students are like, but even then, the scope of his/her knowledge of the student is limited. Professors really get to know you outside of class -- most commonly through office hours (although usually more deeply through TA- and RA-ships). Simply engaging in-class is the expectation, not the exception.

 

[PantherPride]

It might be possible that he just wants to reaffirm things. I actually do have a good relationship with him--the class I took only have 35 students in it, and the professor was keen on trying to learn everyone's names and get to know us. He actually do know me better than some of the other students in the class as I regularly participated in class.

Hopefully it's isn't because he has some doubts about me. Well we'll see on Wednesday when I have my meeting with him.

To me, it sounds like he just wants to know you better. That way he can make the LOR sound much more personal

 

[futuredoc1004]

Don't overthink it. Think of it as an opportunity for a pre-interview interview. He should have your transcript, CV and a motivational letter to him giving him insight to your motivation, passion and background leading to med. It will be fine. I gave these items to profs who sent LORs on my behalf.

 

[smarts1]

^ Yeah, I wouldn't care if he had already said yes and wanted a meeting, but he's deciding whether he'll write one for me after our meeting.

 

[futuredoc1004]

Just be positive. We need to market ourselves in virtually all we do.