when to ask professors for recommendation letters

[luv2sd]

When should I ask professors to write recommendation letters for me? I really want to get a recommendation letter from the professor I had last year and his memories are fading and disappearing at an exponential rate. If I ask him for a recommendation letter next year or the year after, I'm pretty sure he will forget a lot of things about me. Of course I'm planning on including my resume and personal statement to aid the professor's memory retrieval. Do medical schools accept recommendation letters that are one or two or even three years old?

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[inside_edition]

When should I ask professors to write recommendation letters for me? I really want to get a recommendation letter from the professor I had last year and his memories are fading and disappearing at an exponential rate. If I ask him for a recommendation letter next year or the year after, I'm pretty sure he will forget a lot of things about me. Of course I'm planning on including my resume and personal statement to aid the professor's memory retrieval. Do medical schools accept recommendation letters that are one or two or even three years old?

It is best to get them at the end of the semester or maybe right after final exams b/c everything will be fresh in his/her memory. When I was seeking my LORs, everybody in my family told me that it's a bad idea to get them so early. dammit, i'm still pissed off about their bad advice! Plus, if you maybe get a LOR every year, then medschools will be able to see an improvement in your character or a consistency in your good characters through time and different professors.

 

[NoktorNoL]

Do it as early as possible and have him send it to VirtualEvals or Interfolio. (www.interfolio.com, check it out)

 

[luv2sd]

ok so medical schools don't care when you get the LOR's right? well that's good! thanks for the advice guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[Stolenspatulas]

When should I ask professors to write recommendation letters for me? I really want to get a recommendation letter from the professor I had last year and his memories are fading and disappearing at an exponential rate. If I ask him for a recommendation letter next year or the year after, I'm pretty sure he will forget a lot of things about me. Of course I'm planning on including my resume and personal statement to aid the professor's memory retrieval. Do medical schools accept recommendation letters that are one or two or even three years old?

i got mine late and it wasnt a problem (some of these prof's i had more than a year ago).

i had a meeting with them to sorta relive my experience in class and describe myself and my ambitions in more detail. most prof's that are willing to write you a rec will have a good picture in mind of what they think of you.

i dont think its a problem getting them late, andi dont think it would make that much of a difference (if any) if you get them right after the class finishes.

 

[Darkshooter326]

Get the letter as soon as possible, and hold onto it with Interfolio. Whatever it takes to get a high quality letter 😀

 

[TPROrgoTutor]

Get the letters as soon as humanly possible. A) You want the memory of your abilities as a students and whatever qualities to make you shine fresh in prof's head. B) They are slow, slow, slow people when it comes to letters of rec. Three months it took me for one of my profs. Three months of emailing, begging, yelling, screaming, and crying.

 

[juiceman311]

I asked all my professors after my spring break last year, which was the end of March/beginning of April. That gave me an idea of who would be writing my letters. In June, I provided all of them with a packet of materials to help them write about me.

Also, make sure you're asking for a STRONG letter, not just a letter. If they're not willing to write a strong one, then it won't be worth his/her time nor yours. Be firm also, tell them you would like the letters done, if possible, by a certain date. I originally told them all July 15 or so, and they all ended up getting it in around August 15, which was fine--I anticipated that happening and that's why I made the first deadline so soon.