Science vs Non-science?!

[seanparsel]

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Ok, so my school does not have a Premedical Committee and a lot of the schools that I will be applying for required either a packet from a committee or 2-3 letters from professors (most of the time one of these must be from a non-science professor). My question is, are these absolute criteria for letters of recommendation or is it just "highly suggested"? The problem I am facing is getting a letter from a non-science professor. Being a Chemical Engineering major I haven't taken a non-science class for almost 3 years and even then, the teachers were TA's and not professors. I will have 2 letters from science professors; however I don't think that it is possible to get a letter from a non-science professor in time for applications. I will be taking a philosophy class this summer to finish a social science elective for my major but I don't know if it will be a professor or a TA teaching it. Anyway, my question is should I stress about getting a non-science teacher to get me a letter or stick with the letters I have?

I can have 2 engineering professors write letters, 1 chemistry professor and I also have 2 letters from attending physicians and 1 letter from my manager who is a nurse practitioner. Should I just send my physician letters and my managers letter in place of a non-science writer?

 

[Bartelby]

Check with the specific schools, I think some schools require science letters but I'm not sure if they require non-science. If you did well in some of those early humanities classes years ago ask to meet with one of the professors, explain your situation, and get a letter from them based on that meeting and the work you did in their class. Professors understand that in certain majors it is unlikely that you will form close relationships with faculty from other departments and are often times willing to write a letter even though they don't know you well.

 

[jla314]

sometimes if a TA for a course knows you better than the professor does, it's more valuable to have the TA write your letter and ask if the professor will cosign it. if the professor won't cosign, i still think the letter from a TA who knows you well would be more valuable.

fwiw i used two non-science letters: one was written by a TA and cosigned by the professor for the course, and the other was written by a TA only.

 

[seanparsel]

Check with the specific schools, I think some schools require science letters but I'm not sure if they require non-science. If you did well in some of those early humanities classes years ago ask to meet with one of the professors, explain your situation, and get a letter from them based on that meeting and the work you did in their class. Professors understand that in certain majors it is unlikely that you will form close relationships with faculty from other departments and are often times willing to write a letter even though they don't know you well.

Well the problem is that I don't have any non-science "professors", all of the instructors I have had in my non-science classes were graduate students. I know Wake Forest requires a non-science letter.