Hey everyone,
I want to know if it is possible to find someone else (besides a professor) who can write letters of recommendations. I happen to know a TA who is close to getting her PhD, give it maybe half a year. I know asking a TA is not ideal, but what if by the time I submit my grad school application, the TA is already a white collar or PhD? I also am an unpaid intern/volunteer at a hospital and was wondering if it’s even worth it to get a letter from a nurse or a technician.
I’m not exactly the best student in my classes, unfortunately, so I don’t see myself getting recommendation letters from my professors.
Thanks guys
If not a committee letter, I think med schools typically require 3 letters from profs who have taught you in class, usually two science profs, one non science. Maybe the TA/PhD would be acceptable depending on school as an additional letter, but probably not as one of the three required letters. In addition, when you ask, ask prof if he/she knows you well enough to write you a strong LoR. If all you can get submitted are rather generic LoRs that meet a school’s req, so be it, but you’re not helping yourself. Good luck.
what does that mean?.. you’re getting average grades or you dont interact with profs? If it’s grades, you have a bigger issue than LoRs.
*whom
You can have letters from nurse’s or technicians as supplements but I would not have them as mandatory letters. I’ve seen letters joint signed by a faculty member and a TA but I wouldn’t do a TA only letter.
@Jugulator20
“I’m not exactly the best student in my classes” means what it means. I’m not as quick-to-learn as my other classmates, and because of my total confusion with the content, I can’t really interact or ask questions with the class.
So yes, I recognize my grades are probably too bad for med school. I’m seriously considering either PA school or nursing instead. I suppose this website is limited to med school, but it was worth a try.
Thanks
TA is not the professor, whether your relationship with TA can be extended to professor all depends on each case and no one here can give you guidance about that.
Please note that PA application requirements are different from Med School, especially in ECs. And its school specific. So be sure to check with target schools about it. Here is an example I normally give when writing.
http://www.pace.edu/college-health-professions/academic-prerequisites
touche on my typo - very hypocritical of me
For 3 - I think I’ve mostly seen it with lab classes where the TA writes about the lab portion and the professor writes about the classroom. I’ve also seen it in a research setting where a post-doc who supervised the student co-writes with the professor. If I eventually get to the point where I am writing LORs based largely on someone else’s observations, I would still sign it as only me and simply refer to the other person within the letter. I think that sounds better than a co-signed letter.