Science professor- what qualifies?

[stevvo111]

So I'm trying to see who I need letters from.

I have a non-science professor who taught me a class through an "independent study" type course. He knows me well and I believe he could speak highly of me, over other non-science profs who I haven't had much contact with.

Also I took a non science class from a doctor (MD), would she count as a non science prof since the class was technically related to nothing science or medicine (it was a humanities seminar)? She also knows me very well. What do you guys think?

I'm a bit confused by the jargon of what qualifies as a science/non science professor and whether the class has to be real or if it simply means, any class where credit was received.

I'm a pretty good people person and if you gave me a couple weeks I could definitely rekindle some old fires, but I hate looking desperate and really would hate to get just a generic/run of the mills rec letter.

Any help?

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[Ismet]

Non-science means pretty much any professor that taught you in any subject that is not a science. So the MD who taught the humanities seminar would write a non-science letter. The independent study prof would also be a non-science.

 

[lalax]

So I'm trying to see who I need letters from.

I have a non-science professor who taught me a class through an "independent study" type course. He knows me well and I believe he could speak highly of me, over other non-science profs who I haven't had much contact with.

Also I took a non science class from a doctor (MD), would she count as a non science prof since the class was technically related to nothing science or medicine (it was a humanities seminar)? She also knows me very well. What do you guys think?

I'm a bit confused by the jargon of what qualifies as a science/non science professor and whether the class has to be real or if it simply means, any class where credit was received.

I'm a pretty good people person and if you gave me a couple weeks I could definitely rekindle some old fires, but I hate looking desperate and really would hate to get just a generic/run of the mills rec letter.

Any help?

It's fine if it was an independent study type course - if credit was awarded, you can definitely use that for a non-science LOR. Any professor teaching a science course would count as a science professor, so that doctor would not be able to write you a science LOR since the class was a humanities class.

 

[stevvo111]

sweet, thanks guys.

Also, I'm asking a prof for a science class i took last semester. Apparently my PI being a science teacher techinically doesn't count.

What are med schools even looking for in "science prof" letters. "he's smart" is pretty much what everyone is going to say. What else can a science prof say without pulling random facts about my desires outside of the classroom (which is something they shouldn't mention, since, well, the person in charge of my desires outside of the class room could speak about...)

haha, just a curious thought

 

[lalax]

sweet, thanks guys.

Also, I'm asking a prof for a science class i took last semester. Apparently my PI being a science teacher techinically doesn't count.

What are med schools even looking for in "science prof" letters. "he's smart" is pretty much what everyone is going to say. What else can a science prof say without pulling random facts about my desires outside of the classroom (which is something they shouldn't mention, since, well, the person in charge of my desires outside of the class room could speak about...)

haha, just a curious thought

I used my PI as one of my science faculty letter writers, so I'm unsure as to why your PI would not technically count. I guess the content of the letter varies, but it can talk about your research (if it's your PI), your intellectual ability, responsibility, hard work, ability to work with other people in the lab/class room, curiosity, etc.

 

[ShowandTell]

Would a math professor classify as a non-science letter of recommendation?

 

[rain4venus]

What are the actual requirements for most schools? I've asked this a couple times with conflicting answers. I hear "two science, one nonscience" but then some people go on to say that all three of those should be professors you took classes with, some say that they should be professors, but it doesn't matter if you actually had a class with them (like using your PI who is a science professor as one of your science letters), and some say that what it actually means is 2 professors you had science with, and one other person (like your PI- even if he's a science prof- because he's writing as your research advisor and not as a teacher of a class, or an MD that you shadowed, or a boss, etc...)

Note these answers have mostly come from pre-meds, so it makes some sense that they don't know the exact requirements. And of course I'm just asking more premeds.

self-directed