<p>Hi, so I'm new to CC but would really like some advice. I really want to apply to this summer medical program, and it requires a letter of recommendation. I was going to ask my bio teacher, but he was shipped to Afghanistan at the beginning of the semester. He knew me really well and I was a great student in his class. Now that I can't ask him, I don't know who to ask now.</p>
<p>I've only known the new bio teacher for 1 week, so I can't really ask her. I'm kind of a shy student, so I don't have very strong relationships with my other teachers, plus it's only been one semester. The only teacher that I think would write a letter of rec for me is my APUSH teacher. She knows me pretty well and knows that I work hard in her class. The thing is history doesn't really relate to the medical field, so would a letter of rec from a history teacher be pointless?</p>
<p>Also, I'm kind of scared to ask because I've never asked for a letter of rec and she is extremely busy. </p>
<p>Any advice would be greatly appreciated :)</p>
<p>That’s unfortunate that you couldn’t ask your teacher, now that he is in Afghanistan. The same thing happened to me–my teacher passed away and I couldn’t ask him (well duh).</p>
<p>If you are trying to approach teachers that you are not that close with, write a cover letter to him or her. In this letter you can write why you need him/her to write a letter for you, and then you can proceed to how you did in his/her class, what grade you got, some accomplishments you had in the class. In addition you would write about extra-curricular activities and such. In this case you are asking for a science rec letter, then perhaps you can write about what makes you interested in the med field and why you are so passionate about it. You should also write about your goals for the future in the med field or something–something that just proves that you are passionate for this program and you are serious about a good recommendation letter. Basically, your cover letter should convince them that this is why they should write a good recommendation letter for you.</p>
<p>Although this is not the only option to ask them to write a recommendation letter, it is a good reference for the teachers to refer to when they are writing you your letter. In addition it makes you look a lot more professional, which is a plus. I have done this for all of my teachers who I asked to write me a recommendation letter, even to those that I was already pretty close with. I gave a cover letter to a writing teacher that wrote my rec, who barely knew me as a student other than the fact that I got an A in her class, haha.</p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>
<p>I work in Afghanistan and when I am back home in the states (as I am at present), I stay in touch with my associates (civilian and military) by email and skype. If you had this good of a relationship with your teacher, I am certain he would be willing to write it for you. You only need his contact information and to make the request. When I’m in Afghanistan, I am still in touch with my doctoral students and regularly take care of university-related business such as writing letters of recommendation, etc. We educators understand how important it is to support our students. Good luck!</p>
<p>If reaching your former teacher in Afghanistan is completely out of the question, then you should ask your APUSH teacher. It is helpful if you provide information about yourself that can help her write it.</p>