When to start getting LORs?

[justin984]

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I've just started working on my premed prerequisites so it will be a few years before I'm actually applying to med school. Is is ok to start getting LORs now? I have a few teachers this semester who I think would write me good letters and I'd hate to waste the opportunity. Does it matter how recent your LORs are?

One other question. Does it matter where you get your non-science LORs from? I have a lit professor who would write me a great letter. He used to be premed and he knows me pretty well. What do you think?
Thanks!

 

[justin984]

anyone...?

 

[stoleyerscrubz]

Start ASAP and give them a deadline that ends 1 month before the current semester ends. If no letter by then you should give them a friendly reminder. Don't do the kiss of death "take your time" or "there's no rush". I started in February and now in October I'm still trying to get one of my writers to finish. I took a summer class as backup and thank god because that is a letter I actually got. at the moment I'm looking for a different LOR to cover my butt because of this slacker.

Hopefully you can get a good feel who is writing very nice letters for you and you should send those.

non-science LORs may come from any department if that is what you mean. I don't think it matters unless you say in your PS how fluent you are in Spanish and your Spanish letter writer will attest to that...anything along those lines.

find out if you will get a composite letter from your committee. Maybe you will actually want full letters. There is a deadline for getting a committee letter so keep tabs on that.

 

[blee]

The answer is "it depends." Are you using your school's premed committee? If so, talk to the pre-med dean and ask what he or she thinks about the age of your LORs.

If you're not using a committee, then everything's up in the air. You might try talking to your school's premed dean anyway, or you could call a couple of med school admissions offices and see what they tell you.