Recommendation Advice

[anbuitachi]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Hi I'm applying this year and I need 3 recs for the school committee. Problem is, i only got 2. I narrowed down all my options and things aren't looking too good right now. I just asked a professor and he said no. I'm left with these choices..

Chinese teacher - She's a Teacher Associate at my school. I don't know how good her english writing is and I am native chinese so I don't know how med school committee will view that.

Primary doctor - I don't know if asking primary doctor is a good idea.. I shadowed/volunteered him for a like 30 hours and he's been my doctor for years. Again he's chinese so his English writing skills might not be good.. what do you guys think?

Post doc at lab - problem is I'm already asking my supervisor to write me one. I don't know how med school views recommendations from 2 people in the same lab. If i don't ask her to write a rec, I was thinking of asking her and supervisor to write a combined rec.

So I'm basically stuck. I didn't realize the recommendations are due so soon for the school committee (March). But too late to regret the past now. What do you guys think? Who should I ask?

 

[mangomadness]

i would say no to the chinese teacher. most committees/schools want letters from professeors, not TA's.

and if its for a school committee, again they'd want one of their faculty to write the letter, so the primary care doc wouldn't exactly work either (unless your school has dif guidelines).

about the post-doc--this would be the person id say you COULD ask, but like you said, you've already asked the supervisor. id have rather asked the post-doc than the supervisor in the first place (unless the supervisor is a phD also)

you sure you dont have any other teachers? at all?? you had to have taken more than 3 classes... lol

 

[anbuitachi]

yea the supervisor has phd and holds a higher position than her in the lab.
My school prefers teacher recommendations but they said outside ones are acceptable.

and yes unfortunately thats all.. im a bio major and all of my science classes had at least 200 students (up to 1000+) in one lecture. Most of my other classes had fairly large lectures as well 100+, so it was pretty hard to get to know professors.. Office hours are usually packed. This semester just started 2 weeks ago and I went to one of my professors office hours at 2 pm which is when it starts and I had to wait 50 minutes just to get to talk to him (His office hour ends at 3).

I can ask professors but since they don't know me they'll just write a generic letter like this kid got a A in my class blah blah.. which is definitely not good

 

[mangomadness]

welllllllll since you'd have 2 letters from professors whom you know well, having one letter from a professor that you don't know too well isnt gonna be that bad. especially since the committee (if like mine) is going to take all the letters and write one big letter. so my recommendation would be to ask another professor who's class you made an A in, an upper level bio class if possible. 🙂

 

[anbuitachi]

Hm I just talked to my premed advisor today and she went against the asking professor only cause i got a A type of recommendation. She said a poor or generic recommendation can weaken the recommendation instead of strengthening it.