science lor

[hotdawg]

hey guys and gals i have to make this quick cuz im at work---i cant seem to get a science LOR. the two i asked ( idid well in thier classes) havent responded and only one did, another said that since i got a b- in his class he wouldnt be able to write me a good one. so what do i do? ask my job, volunteer, etc? would they look at me like a freak?

also i am having mcat meltdown. i have nightmares. someone have any suggestions?

thanks enjoy the holidays

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[kahoo99]

most schools require one or two science lors so you need to find someone who's willing and that will write you a good one. if they don't remember you very well write something about what you've been doing to help. Schools are going to want to see the science LORs though.

 

[hotdawg]

most schools require one or two science lors so you need to find someone who's willing and that will write you a good one. if they don't remember you very well write something about what you've been doing to help. Schools are going to want to see the science LORs though.[/QUOTE


--yeah ive been doing that even offering to give them pictures of me, ive sent all this stuff about what i am doing now--but what do i do or what can i do if i cant find anyone?

 

[hotdawg]

most schools require one or two science lors so you need to find someone who's willing and that will write you a good one. if they don't remember you very well write something about what you've been doing to help. Schools are going to want to see the science LORs though.[/QUOTE


--yeah ive been doing that even offering to give them pictures of me, ive sent all this stuff about what i am doing now--but what do i do or what can i do if i cant find anyone?[/QUOTE

wiat a minute one of my profs replied. hope i wasnt too pushy i emailed him twice. damn. its like calling after the first date. whats the industry standard for this stuff?

 

[UNE2009LMD]

most schools require one or two science lors so you need to find someone who's willing and that will write you a good one. if they don't remember you very well write something about what you've been doing to help. Schools are going to want to see the science LORs though.[/QUOTE


--yeah ive been doing that even offering to give them pictures of me, ive sent all this stuff about what i am doing now--but what do i do or what can i do if i cant find anyone?[/QUOTE

wiat a minute one of my profs replied. hope i wasnt too pushy i emailed him twice. damn. its like calling after the first date. whats the industry standard for this stuff?

Sometimes you've got to be pushy. I called and paid a visit to my prof. You gotta do what you've gotta do. best of luck!

 

[Quynh2007]

my bf said (he's in md med school tho) that TA are okay if they are undersigned by the prof. that's what i'm going to have to do since i could never go to office hours due to work/class conflicts.

 

[rack]

yeah hmm .. my friend was in the same situation.. he didnt have enough recs so he just postponed applying a year, doing some research and some random classes... absolute backup i guess

 

[Doc2B-Finally]

One option is to get TAs to write LOR. However, these letters don't carry much weight, even when signed by Prof.
If you have a pre-med advising committee, they can make a request and that might help. Try taking one class over summer and do well. This might be the fastest way to obtain LOR. I had 16 LORs. I am engineering major, 3.5 cum GPA. Any time I would do well in my class, and doesn't matter which, (bio, chem, engineering, lit, eco), I would ask for LOR. Don't you have any more science or related class to take?

 

[acl3623]

what year are you? if youre a junior or even senior, take this semester to get to know some teachers really well. ask them for a rec at the end of the semester.

 

[medic170]

The best thing to do is to ask them in person. Visit office hours during the semester, and toward the end of the semester, ask them for the LOR in person

 

[cfdavid]

What I did was to kind of play naive. I wrote the prof an email stating that I have been told that I'd need at least 2 science LOR's. I said that I've never really done anything like this before (true statement) and that I just didn't want to "chum" up with him by always swarming him after every class etc.

You'll find that prof's are used to writing LOR's for students. It should not be a new concept. They also know that you're not going to have to become best buddies for them to write a letter.

Now, my prof is a really cool guy and he responded back saying that he had some suggestions for us to "keep it real". He told me to think of some as well, and we set up a meeting.

I ended up critiquing a cell biology paper, and we met several times so he could steer me in the right direction. Now, I just need to wait to see if he actually will write the letter (just finished the semester, but I'm quite sure he's good for it).

I would try asking an approachable prof, up front, if they have any ideas on how you may be able to "earn" a LOR from them. Hell, use my example as a suggestion. But, they do this stuff all the time, as they probably needed a few themselves to get into their master's or PhD program. Good luck.

 

[Khenon]

The best thing to do is to ask them in person. Visit office hours during the semester, and toward the end of the semester, ask them for the LOR in person

I think this can make a big difference. I'm out of state from my undergrad school, but I still called them directly so I could "talk" to them and ask for a reference. I think it's just more polite and personal. They'll also have a harder time telling you "no" to your face. If they really don't know you well, offer to give them your resume/CV, a summary of your current work, and/or write a letter yourself, and they can revise it as they see fit. Good luck.