Recommendation Dilemma - HELP!

[excalibur86]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

I have a recommendation dilemma and i was hoping for some advice

1. Professor 1 - I took 2 lecture classes from him and received an A in both classes. He did not know me until i emailed him asking him to write me a letter of rec for med school. He's been to medical school himself (Harvard) and is a big authority in his field, having written the textbook for the course which is used in our class and at other schools. He emailed me back saying he'd be willing to write a strong letter of recommendation for me based on my academic performance as well as personal statements and other information i send him.

2. Professor 2 - I took a 1 semester lab course with this professor, which met 2 days a week. Since the lab is small (15 students) i would see her every time i went to class, so she knows me. My only issue is that she's not a native English speaker, and her English and grammar are not very fluid, which i know based on the laboratory manual that she wrote. She also would be willing to write me a rec.

Who do you think I should go with? I feel professor 1 has a good idea of what medical schools are looking for in a rec. I'm also applying to top research med schools, if that makes a difference. However, professor 2 does know me but i'm not sure if she would write a strong letter of rec based on her limited command of English.

 

[FlunkTank]

I have a recommendation dilemma and i was hoping for some advice

1. Professor 1 - I took 2 lecture classes from him and received an A in both classes. He did not know me until i emailed him asking him to write me a letter of rec for med school. He's been to medical school himself (Harvard) and is a big authority in his field, having written the textbook for the course which is used in our class and at other schools. He emailed me back saying he'd be willing to write a strong letter of recommendation for me based on my academic performance as well as personal statements and other information i send him.

2. Professor 2 - I took a 1 semester lab course with this professor, which met 2 days a week. Since the lab is small (15 students) i would see her every time i went to class, so she knows me. My only issue is that she's not a native English speaker, and her English and grammar are not very fluid, which i know based on the laboratory manual that she wrote. She also would be willing to write me a rec.

Who do you think I should go with? I feel professor 1 has a good idea of what medical schools are looking for in a rec. I'm also applying to top research med schools, if that makes a difference. However, professor 2 does know me but i'm not sure if she would write a strong letter of rec based on her limited command of English.

Get one from both...

 

[metallica81788]

Get one from both...

This. 👍

Also, make appointments to meet with the first writer so that he can get to know you better. I received a rec letter from a professor of a very large class, but I went to her office fairly often the semester to talk after I finished her class so that she could get to know me better and write me a more personal letter.

 

[excalibur86]

Thanks for your advice guys. Anyone else? I know conventional wisdom is to go with a professor who knows you outside of the fact that you got an A in his class. But are there any disadvantages if I send him a copy of my personal statement and resume, and he agrees to write me a comprehensive letter of rec based on my other qualities.

 

[Myuu]

Thanks for your advice guys. Anyone else? I know conventional wisdom is to go with a professor who knows you outside of the fact that you got an A in his class. But are there any disadvantages if I send him a copy of my personal statement and resume, and he agrees to write me a comprehensive letter of rec based on my other qualities.

That's fairly standard practice, but you may also want to meet with him (briefly) to discuss your motivations, etc so that he can write you a more tailored letter. A letter that says you got X grade in Y class isn't as useful, generally.