Professor's Response to Asking for LOR?

[peppathepig]

Hi all! I asked my anatomy professor, who I took both A&P I and II with, for a recommendation later, to which they responded with: "It may not be as "strong" of a recommendation as you are seeking since it will be based on your Final Grade for each course." I ended with an A- in both courses, while the class final average was around a B. What do you all think? I'm kind of confused by their response because I worked really hard in these classes, especially A&P II. Should I ask someone else for a recommendation letter?

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[deleted1119806]

That is a strange response, avoid that LOR if you can get other science faculty to write one

 

[Goro]

That is a strange response, avoid that LOR if you can get other science faculty to write one

Ditto.

You want a letter of evaluation, not one that merely duplicates your transcript.

Always ask each potential letter writer: "Professor X, do you know me well enough to write a good LOR for my med school app?"

 

[LizzyM]

Skip that faculty member. You want someone who can relate stories from their experience with you: that you attended office hours and asked good questions, that you participated in class activities, that you helped others or otherwise demonstrated teamwork/leadership (for example in lab sessions), that you worked hard to understand the material and/or to make up for a poor mid-term, that sort of thing. Anyone who is going to give you a middling LOR just because you earned A- in the class is not someone who is going to write what we are interested in knowing about you.