Submitting LORs from CC professors a bad idea?

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rubisco88

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If I get LOR from a relatively well-known physician and clinician I've worked for, will it really hurt my chances to submit a letter from a professor that I took Anatomy and Physiology at a community college. I come from a UC school that does not offer Anatomy. I feel like the community college professor would know me better than most of the professors at my large state school. Has anyone ever submitted LORs from CC professors they've taken science classes with?
 
I don't think it would matter. The content of the letter - not necessarily the credentials of the writer (as long as they're in academia in some shape or form - should be what's more important.

If you're really concerned about it, just get another letter. If I thought the CC professor would give me a better letter, though, I'd just get one from him.
 
rubisco88 said:
If I get LOR from a relatively well-known physician and clinician I've worked for, will it really hurt my chances to submit a letter from a professor that I took Anatomy and Physiology at a community college. I come from a UC school that does not offer Anatomy. I feel like the community college professor would know me better than most of the professors at my large state school. Has anyone ever submitted LORs from CC professors they've taken science classes with?
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The problem with CC professors is that they don't consistently write letters for medical school applicants. Therefore there is no strong basis for comparison.

If they know you well and can attest to work ethic, etc. it still does have some merit.
 
In general, I wouldn't advise getting letters from a community college professor. I am sure he can attest to your work ethic and intelligence, but because community colleges are considered less rigorous than university---and because community college is considered, stereotypically, as a stepping stone to "real college" rather than a legit institution in its own right---letters from a professor there probably hold less weight. This is especially true if the prof. were to compare you to the rest of the class. A model student at community college isn't always a model student at university. The difference in difficulty level between the two institutions is HUGE. So, a letter saying you are awesome at the community college level isn't saying much.

Its true that at university, there are hundreds of students in a single class. That is why it is important to go to a professor's office hours if you'll want a letter of rec from them. This allows them to get to know you on a more personal level.
 
One more thing.

If the professor you speak of has a PhD, it may be okay-ish for you to get a letter of rec from him. If the prof doesn't have a PhD, I would really advise against it. However, a letter of rec from a PhD teaching at university is still the ideal.
 
JustMeditate said:
In general, I wouldn't advise getting letters from a community college professor. I am sure he can attest to your work ethic and intelligence, but because community colleges are considered less rigorous than university---and because community college is considered, stereotypically, as a stepping stone to "real college" rather than a legit institution in its own right---letters from a professor there probably hold less weight. This is especially true if the prof. were to compare you to the rest of the class. A model student at community college isn't always a model student at university. The difference in difficulty level between the two institutions is HUGE. So, a letter saying you are awesome at the community college level isn't saying much.

Its true that at university, there are hundreds of students in a single class. That is why it is important to go to a professor's office hours if you'll want a letter of rec from them. This allows them to get to know you on a more personal level.
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Wrong, where do you guys get the idea that because the prof. is from a cc, they would look down on the letter. That is wrong. My friend applied last cycle and he spent his first two years at a cc and all his science lors were from the cc except one from his reaserch thesis instructor. Bottom line, he got interviews at all tx sckools and eventually got accepted to utsw. Man sdn are full of crappy advisors like the ones at my school
 
Wrong, where do you guys get the idea that because the prof. is from a cc, they would look down on the letter. That is wrong. My friend applied last cycle and he spent his first two years at a cc and all his science lors were from the cc except one from his reaserch thesis instructor. Bottom line, he got interviews at all tx sckools and eventually got accepted to utsw. Man sdn are full of crappy advisors like the ones at my school
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Hmmm...maybe it isn't a problem then. My advice was just based on my own experiences as a pre-med and stuff I've heard said around here (e.g. community colleges are considered less rigorous than universities). However, ozzi22's friend didn't seem to have a major issue, so maybe it won't be a problem for you. Personally, I wouldn't get a letter of rec from a CC prof, but it's up to you, of course! Good luck applying!:luck:
 
ozzi22 said:
Wrong, where do you guys get the idea that because the prof. is from a cc, they would look down on the letter. That is wrong. My friend applied last cycle and he spent his first two years at a cc and all his science lors were from the cc except one from his reaserch thesis instructor. Bottom line, he got interviews at all tx sckools and eventually got accepted to utsw. Man sdn are full of crappy advisors like the ones at my school
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Instate applicants to Texas schools face a relatively less competitive process than others. The schools have fewer applicants (on average) and fill their classes 90%+ with residents. Some other state schools have similarly higher acceptance rates for residents than the overall acceptance averages for all schools, all applicants. Many schools, including most private schools, have MUCH lower acceptance rates than faced by Texans applying to Texas schools

I agree with JustMeditate's original comments. OP, if you're applying to more competitive schools, one cc prof letter is probably fine, but you need to show achievement and connection at the highest level available to you.
 
I got 2 of my letters from JC professors.
Many of my JC professors teach both at JC and 4-yr universities such as ucla. Idk about other schools but the generalization that JCs r less rigorous needs to be reconsidered. At least in California JC courses (except for certain type of courses) are fully recognized by UCs and CSUs.
 
nicolemeooow said:
I got 2 of my letters from JC professors.
Many of my JC professors teach both at JC and 4-yr universities such as ucla. Idk about other schools but the generalization that JCs r less rigorous needs to be reconsidered. At least in California JC courses (except for certain type of courses) are fully recognized by UCs and CSUs.
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It's not the content of the courses; it's the quality of the competition that you face in CC classes. Until someone can credibly argue that it's better to have classes/LOR/whatever from a CC than a 4-year, shouldn't the default answer to the 4-year vs. CC argument be clear?
 
ozzi22 said:
Wrong, where do you guys get the idea that because the prof. is from a cc, they would look down on the letter. That is wrong. My friend applied last cycle and he spent his first two years at a cc and all his science lors were from the cc except one from his reaserch thesis instructor. Bottom line, he got interviews at all tx sckools and eventually got accepted to utsw. Man sdn are full of crappy advisors like the ones at my school
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I would be concerned with the sample size of your study, my friend. The singular of anecdote is...anecdote.
 
ozzi22 said:
Wrong, where do you guys get the idea that because the prof. is from a cc, they would look down on the letter. That is wrong. My friend applied last cycle and he spent his first two years at a cc and all his science lors were from the cc except one from his reaserch thesis instructor. Bottom line, he got interviews at all tx sckools and eventually got accepted to utsw. Man sdn are full of crappy advisors like the ones at my school
Click to expand...

n=1

Many schools do not accept coursework (esp. prereqs) at a CC. What makes you think they're going to be any more accepting of the person who taught those courses?

Further, many CC instructors do not possess the terminal degree in their field (i.e., they only possess a bachelors or masters) -- this means they have little to compare to when it comes to the question, "Does this student have what it takes to succeed at this level of education?"

Finally, they likely have minimal experience writing LORs for graduate and professional programs, meaning your LOR is less likely to be strong.

In other words, while it may not directly harm the OP, it is less likely to help than would getting an LOR from a more respected university faculty member. This could indirectly hurt the OP, however, since others are getting LORs from the most recognized people available to them.

Since we are going w/ anecdotal evidence, however, here is a story that illustrates the importance of connections (it is from one of the top books on admissions in another ridiculously compretitive healthcare field):

The author was applying to a number of top schools as a post-bacc w/ a moderate GPA and test scores. He got an LOR from a jr faculty member with whom he had done research for several years. He was rejected from all of his schools, so, feeling dejected, he spoke w/ the chair of the dept for feedback.

After reviewing the author's application materials and hearing the story, the chair, a well-recognized and influential researcher, responded, "What the heck were you thinking having Dr. X, an Asst. Professor and junior faculty member, write your LOR?! They probably didn't even read it. Here, how would you like to go to [another extremely well-recognized institution]? I have a colleague there I've been working with and I think you'd be a good fit."

So within minutes, the chair writes up a simple emailing stating, "Dear Dr. Andrew Johnson, I have a student here by the name of Adam Smith. He wants to study Y and I believe he would make an excellent fit at your institution. If you have any questions, give me a call. Your Friend, Dr. David Brown."

Within a week, that applicant had an acceptance in hand (not even the standard interview). While this is a bit dramatic, it illustrates just what connections can do. To shun networking is to commit business suicide. Your LORs are, in a very real sense, utilizing others' networking. A CC prof simply does not typically have the network in academia that a seasoned professor possesses.
 
apumic said:
n=1

Many schools do not accept coursework (esp. prereqs) at a CC. What makes you think they're going to be any more accepting of the person who taught those courses?

Further, many CC instructors do not possess the terminal degree in their field (i.e., they only possess a bachelors or masters) -- this means they have little to compare to when it comes to the question, "Does this student have what it takes to succeed at this level of education?"

Finally, they likely have minimal experience writing LORs for graduate and professional programs, meaning your LOR is less likely to be strong.

In other words, while it may not directly harm the OP, it is less likely to help than would getting an LOR from a more respected university faculty member. This could indirectly hurt the OP, however, since others are getting LORs from the most recognized people available to them.

Since we are going w/ anecdotal evidence, however, here is a story that illustrates the importance of connections (it is from one of the top books on admissions in another ridiculously compretitive healthcare field):

The author was applying to a number of top schools as a post-bacc w/ a moderate GPA and test scores. He got an LOR from a jr faculty member with whom he had done research for several years. He was rejected from all of his schools, so, feeling dejected, he spoke w/ the chair of the dept for feedback.

After reviewing the author's application materials and hearing the story, the chair, a well-recognized and influential researcher, responded, "What the heck were you thinking having Dr. X, an Asst. Professor and junior faculty member, write your LOR?! They probably didn't even read it. Here, how would you like to go to [another extremely well-recognized institution]? I have a colleague there I've been working with and I think you'd be a good fit."

So within minutes, the chair writes up a simple emailing stating, "Dear Dr. Andrew Johnson, I have a student here by the name of Adam Smith. He wants to study Y and I believe he would make an excellent fit at your institution. If you have any questions, give me a call. Your Friend, Dr. David Brown."

Within a week, that applicant had an acceptance in hand (not even the standard interview). While this is a bit dramatic, it illustrates just what connections can do. To shun networking is to commit business suicide. Your LORs are, in a very real sense, utilizing others' networking. A CC prof simply does not typically have the network in academia that a seasoned professor possesses.
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list one of them please:meanie:
 
ozzi22 said:
so what is your point?
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I hope that's a joke. Either that, or your research skills are... lacking. Come on, dude. His point is common sense if you have a college degree (or should be).
 
Personally, I wouldn't submit the LOR if the prof who wrote it doesn't have a PhD. In reality I have no idea if their status in academia matters to adcoms.

And also, from Stanford's website:
Applicants must have received an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university by the time of matriculation.
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Says nothing about CC's.
 
Last edited:
ozzi22 said:
Wrong, where do you guys get the idea that because the prof. is from a cc, they would look down on the letter. That is wrong. My friend applied last cycle and he spent his first two years at a cc and all his science lors were from the cc except one from his reaserch thesis instructor. Bottom line, he got interviews at all tx sckools and eventually got accepted to utsw. Man sdn are full of crappy advisors like the ones at my school
Click to expand...

That's what I'm saying and I plan on getting some LOR's form my cc so i can apply to some research programs and even keep them to give to a future pre-med committee when i transfer.
 
nicolemeooow said:
I got 2 of my letters from JC professors.
Many of my JC professors teach both at JC and 4-yr universities such as ucla. Idk about other schools but the generalization that JCs r less rigorous needs to be reconsidered. At least in California JC courses (except for certain type of courses) are fully recognized by UCs and CSUs.
Click to expand...

Agreed. My chem prof at a CC also teaches at SMU a well-known university
 
torshi said:
That's what I'm saying and I plan on getting some LOR's form my cc so i can apply to some research programs and even keep them to give to a future pre-med committee when i transfer.
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hey torshi, don't listen to this crap full on sdn. i have lors from my cc for a research position in medical city for cardiovascular disease. all my friends at UTD with lors from the bio departments did not get in. so its all about whats on the letter and not who wrote it. good luck on yours by the way.
 
ozzi22 said:
hey torshi, don't listen to this crap full on sdn. i have lors from my cc for a research position in medical city for cardiovascular disease. all my friends at UTD with lors from the bio departments did not get in. so its all about whats on the letter and not who wrote it. good luck on yours by the way.
Click to expand...

Exactly, and thanks, good luck to you too. 👍
 
Chops369 said:
Personally, I wouldn't submit the LOR if the prof who wrote it doesn't have a PhD. In reality I have no idea if their status in academia matters to adcoms.

And also, from Stanford's website:

Says nothing about CC's.
Click to expand...
Exactly
 
Chops369 said:
Personally, I wouldn't submit the LOR if the prof who wrote it doesn't have a PhD. In reality I have no idea if their status in academia matters to adcoms.

And also, from Stanford's website:

Says nothing about CC's.
Click to expand...

Really people?

It states degree. Most CC's don't offer bachelors, yet are fully accredited colleges. For medical school you require a BA or BS for admission that is from an accredited college. Med schools require this. When I transfer to UO I won't get a funky CC/UO degree, I will receive a degree from UO. Jeez even stanford takes transfer students...

http://admission.stanford.edu/application/transfer/credit.html

A letter from a CC instructor would be fine.
 
Breaking lurker status b/c I can be helpful here:

So I'm a current applicant and one of my LORs was from a biology prof who I had for an entire year at a CC (she didn't have a PhD). Here are schools that will give you an interview with a science LOR and all of your biology from a CC: Hopkins, Pritzker, NWestern, Dartmouth, Tufts, BU, OHSU, UCSD (oos). At half of these schools that LOR was my only science letter.

I've also gotten my share of rejections, no way of telling whether that LOR had anything to do with it. But basically, yeah it's OK, as long as there are other things in your application that schools like, they'll interview you.
 
Incandenza said:
Breaking lurker status b/c I can be helpful here:

So I'm a current applicant and one of my LORs was from a biology prof who I had for an entire year at a CC (she didn't have a PhD). Here are schools that will give you an interview with a science LOR and all of your biology from a CC: Hopkins, Pritzker, NWestern, Dartmouth, Tufts, BU, OHSU, UCSD (oos). At half of these schools that LOR was my only science letter.

I've also gotten my share of rejections, no way of telling whether that LOR had anything to do with it. But basically, yeah it's OK, as long as there are other things in your application that schools like, they'll interview you.
Click to expand...
That's great to hear. congrats on your success thus far.:luck:
 
Incandenza said:
Breaking lurker status b/c I can be helpful here:

So I'm a current applicant and one of my LORs was from a biology prof who I had for an entire year at a CC (she didn't have a PhD). Here are schools that will give you an interview with a science LOR and all of your biology from a CC: Hopkins, Pritzker, NWestern, Dartmouth, Tufts, BU, OHSU, UCSD (oos). At half of these schools that LOR was my only science letter.

I've also gotten my share of rejections, no way of telling whether that LOR had anything to do with it. But basically, yeah it's OK, as long as there are other things in your application that schools like, they'll interview you.
Click to expand...

Same here, altho the LORs i got from my JC professors are non-science. They obviously didn't kill me and I'm happy w/ this cycle so far.
 
Incandenza said:
Breaking lurker status b/c I can be helpful here:

So I'm a current applicant and one of my LORs was from a biology prof who I had for an entire year at a CC (she didn't have a PhD). Here are schools that will give you an interview with a science LOR and all of your biology from a CC: Hopkins, Pritzker, NWestern, Dartmouth, Tufts, BU, OHSU, UCSD (oos). At half of these schools that LOR was my only science letter.

I've also gotten my share of rejections, no way of telling whether that LOR had anything to do with it. But basically, yeah it's OK, as long as there are other things in your application that schools like, they'll interview you.
Click to expand...
I like the above👍

1 - the idea that CC profs dont write as many LORs for med school is silly. These days, they write a lot....there are a lot more non-traditional students out there than you think. One of my letter writers was writing 10 when she was writing mine. I got to her first and she had written letters for me before so I know mine got a lot more time than others did.

2 - like you would for any other good letter, just make sure the person writing it knows you well and will say good things about you. You can tell when you ask them. If you ask in person, and say "do you feel confident writing me a strong letter of rec for medical school" you will be able to see it in their face and tell if they hesitate. If they hesitate...walk away. If not, then great

3 - also like you would do for any other letter writer.....give them the tools they need to write a great letter. When I went to my letter writers, I had a packet for each of them in my backpack in case they said yes. It contained: My resume, a list of all of my med school prereq grades, a draft of my personal statement, and an outline of the kinds of things that med schools like to see in LORs. They all told me how much they appreciated the tools I gave them.

4 - It is true that the credibility of your letter writer depends on their position. This is true at a university as well. But I think it is also true that a crap letter from the President of the US is most likely worth less than an amazing letter from a TA.

I don't know what role my letter writers (3 CC profs, 2 employers) played in my interviews or acceptances. But I was not hurting for interviews and I'm not hurting for acceptances.


There ARE some schools that specify letter requirements. I think one of the Philly schools requires that you have a letter from your graduate school if you have a graduate degree, etc. But for the most part, at most schools, they will even tell you (if you call and ask) that they just want the best letters you can give them. I called UCSD and asked them 2 years ago because I was super worried about not having university science prof letters. I was explicitly told that they just wanted my 3-5 best letters and that was it, even if they were from employers. I don't think the letters excluded me from anything, and I even had comments that they were great letters. If any school didn't like me, it was more likely the entire non-trad package than the letters themselves.
 
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