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Does this mean it can be from any 2 science professors, whether or not you took their class?
When it says 2 science faculty letters required..what does this mean?
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preferrably, yes. if they gave you a grade, then its definitely yes.
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Typically it means a letter from someone who taught you in a science class. Science professors who did not teach you in a class (ie: a PI) can still write you letters, but they would usually be considered supplemental.
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I don't think this is actually true, nor is there any way for them to be able to tell. Your instructors aren't listed on your AMCAS, and I don't think it particularly matters. If you know a professor well enough that you fell comfortable asking them for a letter, then I don't think it matters much that you took their class.
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no, minimoo is right for the most part. I know from personal experience. While some schools will accept a letter from a PI as a science letter, other schools specifically state they want a letter from a science professor who you took a class from and got a grade in.
they also want to hear what you are like as a student and i don't think your LOR writer will lie for you.
Here is an example taken exactly from UVM website
they also want to hear what you are like as a student and i don't think your LOR writer will lie for you.
Here is an example taken exactly from UVM website
- Two letters must be from professors in the sciences with whom you have taken classes.
- One additional letter must be from a non-science professor with whom you have taken a class.
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Hmm, guess I didn't pay attention to that for the most part. All of my letters except for one supplemental were science faculty anyhow, two from undergrad and two from grad school, though I had only actually taken classes from two of them, only one if you don't count grad school.
If you want to be technical about it, in my undergrad and grad, I took research for credit, so my advisors are people "I've taken classes with" so long as you consider anything you get credit for to be a class.
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They would be able to tell simply based on the contents of the letter. 🙂 The reason schools want letters from professors who have taught you is so they can get a better feel for your academic abilities in the sciences (which is what the majority of med school classes consists of). Some schools will take a PI letter, but it's always best to make sure. I know some schools are particularly picky. VCU, for instance, wants your letter writer to specifically state what class they taught you in.
And in your case, it sounds like you would have the required 2 letters. Grad school certainly counts (at least it did for me).
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It would be awfully difficult for a professor that never interacted with you in the classroom to write you a good letter. As mentioned above, I don't think they will know whether or not s/he actually taught you, but the content of the letter would give it away (if they agreed to write it in the first place)
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But as the website for the above example says, this is if you do not have a committee or advisor evaluation.
However, most committees require you have the same set up. At least mine requires two science letters (one from your major) and one non-science (though for them this can be a professor, employer, etc). I think its a good guideline to go by, since those are the LOR requirements for most schools anyway.
If schools want me to specifically have a non-science professor, I missed that boat. I'm out of undergrad, and the one non-science professor I felt I knew on a decent level and would write a good letter never got back to me.
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I believe it means that two of your LORs must be from professors in the science fields.
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What if you did research for credit? (but didnt take a class per se with the PI). Can this count as a "science letter"?
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If the person writing your LOR is a faculty member in a science department, he/she will meet the requirement. Ideally you would want at least one professor whose class you took to evaluate your ability as a student. If you have done research then you should probably get a letter from your PI as well. Some schools (e.g., Harvard) have the requirement that you MUST include a letter from PIs you have done research with.
In short, if you think a faculty member in the sciences will write you a good letter, get one from him/her. This really is a fairly straightforward task.
In short, if you think a faculty member in the sciences will write you a good letter, get one from him/her. This really is a fairly straightforward task.
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"What if you did research for credit? (but didnt take a class per se with the PI). Can this count as a "science letter"? "
i don't think so. they want to hear about your qualities as a student. they want to know that you're not afraid to raise your hand and that you didn't just went Good Will Hunting and only showed up to class for tests.
however, yes, you still want a letter with the PI you did research under. this serves a different but no less important purpose which is to demonstrate your analytical and cognitive abilities.
i don't think so. they want to hear about your qualities as a student. they want to know that you're not afraid to raise your hand and that you didn't just went Good Will Hunting and only showed up to class for tests.
however, yes, you still want a letter with the PI you did research under. this serves a different but no less important purpose which is to demonstrate your analytical and cognitive abilities.
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****, that sounds exactly like me, 😱😱 especially for my science classes. I usually go to humanities classes like history/music because attendence is required.
well, what if I only submit one science letter now, and submit one like during the fall semester if i try to get to know a prof. well between now and then? Do you think its possible to get away with this??..I'm starting to freak out about this now
EDIT: actually I will have a committee letter as well (written by my premed advisor) I can get him to say that the two science profs were 1. the PI that advised me and I got research credit from; and 2. the prof that i took BIO.666(class) from
some schools do accept a committee letter instead of separate letters from the science and humanities profs. So would it be ok to just send that, and if any school actually requests a letter from a prof you took a class from, then send it in to them if they request you to send one (later in the cycle)?
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The Committee Letter supersedes the requirements of separate letters and as a matter of fact, med schools prefer the Committee Letters because they are the equivalent of your undergraduate institution as a whole supporting your application, rather than individual professors. Most Premed Departments that write these letters have specific requirements that you need to meet in order to get one ( but you will definitely need at least, a science and non science req from a professor )
