Recommendations...What to do?

<p>I'm thinking about transferring and the process is really frustrating because all of these colleges require two faculty recommendations. My classes have all been large lectures and the professors could care less who I am.</p>

<p>Some people have suggested asking a TA, but the contact there is minimal as well. I know that you are supposed to forge these relationships and that they do not come easy, but my school has made it nearly impossible. The professors have their research and that is what they care about. The TA's in the sciences are even worse, most of them being downright mean to kids.</p>

<p>I know this sounds like a lot of complaining but its frustrating to think that one of the things I dislike most about my school is preventing me from leaving.</p>

<p>Does anyone have any suggestions or know how important faculty recommendations are?</p>

<p>if your ta's are being rude, dont even bother to task them for a rec, ask the professor. if he is as busy as you say he is, then he will need notification, months ahead of time(2-4). with intro level classes, it is normal to be in large lecture halls, and the profs usually only know a few names in the class outside of the ta's. it might be a good idea to start seeing that prof during office hours, so they can at least see your involvement in the class. since they hardly know you, consider bringing a resume of sorts that includes your ec's, grades thus far, and a sampling of college work done in that prof's class.</p>

<p>finally, yes faculty recs are very important, but not as much as college gpa. but i really dont see how a prof can write anything mean/detrimental to a student he/she doesnt even know, as long as your grades are good in that class.</p>

<p>I'm applying as a transfer to for the Fall of 2008 and my schools also require two recommendations. The problem is that recommendations are supposed to be personal and what's the point of sending a transcript if the professors are going to repeat exactly what you earned in their class? Recommendations can sometimes set you aside and not being harsh or anything but that is another reason why professors have office hours, for them to know you and form a connection or relationship with. Even if you ask questions that are obvious, at least they know you care about their course. I'm saying this because I had a large lecture class of 150 students and went to their office hours whenever I could. I see that it's too late for you to do that now because transfer deadlines are coming soon!
Anyways, for your situation, do what you can with the recommendations. Asking will not hurt and the professors are usually more than willing to help and like alipes07 said, they probably will not say anything detrimental.
Admission officers want to see what sets you aside besides knowing your GPA. Make sure your essays are great!</p>

<p>If you have done well in the class, ask the prof even though you don't know him/her well, I'd suggest. Bring a resume and perhaps write up a paragraph or two on why you want to transfer/why the school will be a match for you.</p>

<p>You could also consider some of the (perhaps few) schools which don't require recs - but I don't know what field or types of schools you're targetting, so not sure that would work.</p>

<p>I might run into this problem as well. Have you called admissions and explained to them your situation? I might be able to side step this process because I'm applying to lac's, but this probably isn't the case for most other transfers.</p>

<p>I can only imagine what the admission officers will say. I'm just saying that this is the case for many freshman who are at large universities and are applying as a transfer student. Usually freshman general classes have a large auditorium class so I guess that's part of the challenge of getting to know your teacher to get a good recommendation.</p>