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3rd yr undergrad, planning to go to med school…question about letters of recommendation?

so im a 3rd year undergrad bio major and im planning to go to med school in the future, if i graduate in 2 years. my question is about the letters of recommendation. ive heard about them and assume you need them as 1 of the things required for admission to a med school. but how/when would you go about asking a teacher for recommendation? if i plan to go to med school in 2 years, i shouldnt ask any teachers now whose science classes i did well in because med school is still a long way away, right? or can i? can a teacher ever deny doing a letter of recommendation for you? do they always write positive things about you? what about if you did well in a science class but the teacher didnt really know you, how can you get a letter from them if they dont know you personally?

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m l

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You can ask for letters of recommendations anytime but many professors will tell you to come to them when it is closer to when you need the letters. Since you have 2 years before you need them you should use this time to build a relationship with your professors. Usually schools need 3 seperate letters from 3 different people. Also, if you haven’t already you should find at least one internship or volunteer work in your field. Your supervisor could then be a potential recommender that knows your work ethic and personality and not just acedemically. Usually 6-3 months before you want the letters you should ask the professors.

I always wrote a letter that included what I was asking, my acedemic background, activities, internships that related to my major field. You should always give the recommenders a pre addressed letter w/stamp. When giving this information to the recommender you should talk to them first. Go to their office and ask if they would feel comfortable in writing a letter of recommendation for you. Tell them that you would understand if they did not feel they could do this for you and that you have prepared a letter that explains what you have done acedemically in your pursuit of your goal of med school.

The majority of schools I applied to had you indicate if you waived your right to see the letters or not. I always did so that I showed the professors I was confident. I have only had 2/4 actually give me a copy of their letters. I would think that if a professor was not planning on writing a positive letter they would not say yes to writing it.

To get to know your professors can be difficult for some. One way that always worked for me was to discuss future courses with my favorite professors and also ask about potential schools. Tell them your goal of med school and your main interests and they can help in guiding you to the best courses for you to take. Ask for their advice. Since they have had you as a student, more than likely they know your strengths and weaknesses. They could give you insight in what place is best for you. You do not even have to agree with everything they say, it is all about letting them know that you are interested in continuing your education and you are serious about it. After getting to know you they will be more than willing to write a recommendation for you.

One other thing, this is important. Make sure to tell the professors that the due date for the letters is at least a month earlier than it really is. Professors tend to get busy and forget a lot and wait to the last minute to write these things. Also know which professors are going to need to be reminded. I had a professor that I had to remind every week for the last month before they were due. He said he would do them and then forget every time. That experience taught me to always be on top of everything and don’t take the first answer as truth. Follow up on everything and give yourself time to fix any problems because of other people’s mistakes.

Hope this helps out.

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Anonymous
Ask any and all science course professors whose classes you did well in for a recommendation. It’s not too soon to gather the letters. A teacher can deny writing a letter of recommendation, although I have never personally been told no. They usually prefer (especially if they hadn’t gotten a chance to know you personally) if you wrote up something about yourself and about your goals and accomplishments so they can write a better recommendation. If a professor does not write something positive about you, do not use that letter. Medical school is very competitivev for slots and you need to present yourself in the best possible light. Hope this helps.
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5 years ago
delfina
This is common practice, to have a former employee write their own recommendation letter. I don’t know what your job was but be honest, make yourself look good and focus on your strong points. Were you there everyday, when you were supposed to be? How is your work ethic? What were your responsibilities? Did you work well with others? Did you work well individually? These are just a few ideas.
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