I've been told by some that you should be trying to get letters of rec from associate professors at the least because they have been established academically, does this matter with non-science professors? Or do medical schools not really care?
Yet another Letter of Recommendation Question
- Thread starter jooface
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A letter from a big-name professor might help, but if you don't have a good relationship with the prof. or he/she doesn't really know you very well, it's going to show in your letter. I'd highly recommend requesting letters from those who know you best, who you've taken a lot of classes from, or who at the very least you think could write you a strong letter. A letter that emphasizes your personal strengths and how you manifested them in the professor's class will go much farther than a generic letter that says "x would be well-qualified, I support" but does not offer reasons or insight into your personality.
I've heard of some people even getting letters of recommendation from grad student TAs. While I think that if you did this it would be best to get the professor to sign the letter as well, I think that in general you should be most concerned about how well they know you and can support your application.
One suggestion if you have to get a letter of rec. from professors who do not know you as well is to first of all ask them if they'd be comfortable writing you a strong letter of recommendation, and then asking if they would mind if you have a meeting with them to discuss your goals. Bring a long a copy of your CV, relevant experience, etc and let them know why you want to be a doctor. This will be a big help for them when they are writing your letter, and it will also be impressive and make you look well-prepared.
Good luck.
I've heard of some people even getting letters of recommendation from grad student TAs. While I think that if you did this it would be best to get the professor to sign the letter as well, I think that in general you should be most concerned about how well they know you and can support your application.
One suggestion if you have to get a letter of rec. from professors who do not know you as well is to first of all ask them if they'd be comfortable writing you a strong letter of recommendation, and then asking if they would mind if you have a meeting with them to discuss your goals. Bring a long a copy of your CV, relevant experience, etc and let them know why you want to be a doctor. This will be a big help for them when they are writing your letter, and it will also be impressive and make you look well-prepared.
Good luck.
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My first letter is coming from my Organic prof, no problem there. For my second, I wanted to do my Bio Lab instructor. Awesome lady who I had a lot in common with, knows my goals, and who's husband I am trying to currently shadow. However, I don't know if she has any "profesor" titles of any sort by her name. Can I still get her to write a letter? Should I get my Bio lectue professor to sign it too? He doesn't know me as well, but I did make an A in both class and lab. Should he write a little something on it too and they both sign?
