Science Professor LOR

[JWP07]

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Is it okay to get a LOR from a university science professor in which that person has received a B- from the course? Let's say that person is a transfer student from a CC and has only taken 2 science courses at the university (an A- and a B-, 1 LOR from each professor since many med schools require 2 science LOR's).

 

[Iapyx]

Do you have a professor that gave you a B- and would actually agree to write you a letter. Or are you assuming.

 

[JWP07]

Lets assume the professor will write the LOR and the student was great in the course. He did well on the exams except for the final exam due to family issues near the end of the semester.

 

[Iapyx]

Lets assume the professor will write the LOR and the student was great in the course. He did well on the exams except for the final exam due to family issues near the end of the semester.

Honestly, I would tell this student(I will humor you with the third person references) that unless they had a 4.0 and 32+ MCAT, that they should wait a year to apply. All but two of this persons pre-reqs have been taken at a CC, which is probably less impressive than a student who took these at a university. The only two classes that this person has taken at the university level have resulted in a B- and A-. This does not sound like a solid applicant to me. Spend another year at the university level and make straight As. However, this is only my advice. Perhaps you should wait for a second opinion before making any choices. Good Luck

 

[JWP07]

Thanks for responding (I'll start using 1st person). I actually will be working on my M.S. after graduating next week and will be finished with the M.S. next year (a few of my classes in undergrad count toward the M.S.). My goal is to apply next year to med school.

I think your right about taking university classes and getting straight As in a few sciences, but there is just no time as I will be doing a M.S. This brings me to another question: Can courses in an M.S. count as the science LOR, or is it strictly from the science prereqs at the university? A few of the courses that I will be in for my M.S. are the same as the MS1 students. This is the description of the course provided:

"Core Principles System I: Introduction to basic medical concepts and biological system functions; examination of core principles of science and medical treatment."

It also includes a lab. So, will getting a LOR from the professor teaching this course count as a science LOR?

 

[JWP07]

Bump.

 

[Iapyx]

Thanks for responding (I'll start using 1st person). I actually will be working on my M.S. after graduating next week and will be finished with the M.S. next year (a few of my classes in undergrad count toward the M.S.). My goal is to apply next year to med school.

I think your right about taking university classes and getting straight As in a few sciences, but there is just no time as I will be doing a M.S. This brings me to another question: Can courses in an M.S. count as the science LOR, or is it strictly from the science prereqs at the university? A few of the courses that I will be in for my M.S. are the same as the MS1 students. This is the description of the course provided:

"Core Principles System I: Introduction to basic medical concepts and biological system functions; examination of core principles of science and medical treatment."

It also includes a lab. So, will getting a LOR from the professor teaching this course count as a science LOR?

Seeing as how some people take no science in UG and then come back and take them in a SMP, I would think that a science recommendation is allowed from post UG professors. What is your overall GPA for UG. UG GPA and graduate GPA are listed seperately, so if your GPA is below a 3.5 it might be more adventageuos to just add a year of UG instead of a masters...I find it odd that no one else has responded to your request, but I hope my info can be of some help.

 

[JWP07]

Seeing as how some people take no science in UG and then come back and take them in a SMP, I would think that a science recommendation is allowed from post UG professors. What is your overall GPA for UG. UG GPA and graduate GPA are listed seperately, so if your GPA is below a 3.5 it might be more adventageuos to just add a year of UG instead of a masters...I find it odd that no one else has responded to your request, but I hope my info can be of some help.

Yeah, I'm surprised no one else has helped me, but your info is very helpful! My overall gpa is 3.5 at the UG. All my prereqs were done at a CC and I took Biochem and Molecular Bio at the UG. Should I continue with the M.S. or take another year of UG classes? Thanks again.

BTW, it's a Masters in Global Medicine

 

[Iapyx]

Yeah, I'm surprised no one else has helped me, but your info is very helpful! My overall gpa is 3.5 at the UG. All my prereqs were done at a CC and I took Biochem and Molecular Bio at the UG. Should I continue with the M.S. or take another year of UG classes? Thanks again.

BTW, it's a Masters in Global Medicine

Hmm. I've looked into this program quite a bit for you(I am assuming its the USC one). The program in and of itself looks very interesting. However, it is basically a MPH degree. It only offers two courses that are arguably science based, however these are essentially really basic medical school courses. I do not think that med schools usually look positively on taking medical school courses prior to medical school. This fact could be furthered, becasue I imaine that it is a dumbed down version of the medical schools course(since it is for MS students). It is true that you would be taking courses with med students, however from what I gathered you would not be taking courses with normal medical students(at least in the first year). Instead, dual degree medical students who are also recieving this MPH-ish degree. Thus, most if not all of the courses that you would take would not be applied towards your math/science GPA(although since it is graduate work it wouldn't effect your UG GPA anyways) However, these courses are probably not optimal for recommendations. Search these forums for a list of the various SMP programs. Some of these are much more sciences based and essentially focused on med school prep. I am assuming that you have already taken all of the relevant UG courses that you could possibly take. If you recieved any C's at your CC you could repeat them and do better at the UG university, however, if you have simply received a lot of B's, then I would go with the masters. There are many people who know much more about SMP on this forum and I hope someone can come in and help.