temple and bu letters of rec

[jdub]

hey all,

i just got the secondary for temple and bu (well, we all know that bu really doesn't have a secondary).

i need to know if anybody has called them directly or emailed them concerning their policy on letters of rec for the folks who don't have the luxury of a committee.

temple wants:
2 letter of rec from only biology, physics, or chemistry

bu wants:
3 letters of rec, two which should be from biology, physics, or chemistry

how lenient are they on these requirements? i don't have them, and it definitely is not practical for me to get them. does zoology count as bio?

and of course, can we send more letters?

i have a hard time believing that they would be so stringent on things, but if any folks have some info, that would be cool. i'll probably end up calling them tomorrow anyhow.

tootles . . .

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[BeckyG]

Hi jdub,

Zoology is considered biology. As for the other questions, I am not sure. However, my pre-med advisor said you definitely need at least 2 letters of rec from science professors. A letter from one non-science prof is always good too. My committee packet consisted of 5 letters (biochem prof/thesis advisor; orgo prof; english prof; work supervisor (health care consulting); physician for whom I did research & volunteer work) and the committee cover letter. After I interviewed, I sent a letter from my current physician-supervisor (whom I am doing research for now). So, in total 6 and a committee letter. Personally, I think it was probably overkill for 90% of the schools I applied to - but UCSF wanted a minimum of 3 and a max of 5 with the secondary, so the initial 5 plus committee letter was perfect. Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

-- Becky

 

[jdub]

thanks for the info. the thing is that i live in alaska now and it really isn't practical to get anymore letters of rec, and to be honest, all of my science course were in lecture halls with 200+ people, so it was pretty unlikely to get to know those profs too well. i have other letters from profs that knew me and a couple "johnny did well in this class, so that means . . ." oh, well, another fun part of the process.


also, i just called temple, and the admissions folk said that zoology was not the same as biology, they didn't even ask what the course was, it happened to be a mammalian physiology course, which only covered humans. i guess i am not too worried, schools can be a little uptight up front and then let things slide in the end (ie people getting in without all of the prereqs).

also, bu does consider zoology as a part of biology for any that might want to know.