Getting Letters of Recommendation

There are three predominant "types" of letters of recommendations. The more you are familiar with your home institution, the better. A lot of times schools offer letter packets, or committee letters ETC. These are technically better options than sending in individual letters, because the committee has the ability to read through the letters and sort out the quality before submitting to the AMCAS. A quick list of Do's and Don'ts

Don't

• Take a class and ask for a letter of recommendation because you did really well in the class
• Demand a letter/feel entitled to a letter
• bribe (this should be obvious! If you are trying to be a doctor show a little integrity)
• make an inauthentic relationship (agree with whatever they say, etc. A letter should not be the goal of a faculty relationship but rather a byproduct of effort and work that you have put into their research, programs, or student - faculty mentorship relationship.

Do

• develop a relationship while in the class
• maintain a relationship after the class ends
• be polite and demonstrate quality characteristics
• actually take an interest into what the faculty is doing or what they stand for

How?

• ask to meet them for coffee and schedule an interview on what their job is like, their pathway to where they are now, etc, and see what you can learn. PhD's have worked a long time for that degree!
  • Even if you are not interested in a PhD, they still have substantial professional experience and insight that you can benefit from. Part of intelligence is using what you learn in one circumstance and applying it to a different one
• Ask general professional advice questions and asks if you are able to stay in touch for mentorship purposes. A lot of people like mentoring and helping younger folks.
• See if the professor is taking any student instructors, tutors, etc for his or her class. This is a great way to maintain consistent contact
• Are you interested in the research the professor does? See if you can join his or her lab
• Do you and the faculty member share any non academic commonalities, specifically with identity? For example, is the professor associated with campus groups like Black Students Union, Korean American Society and Association, Hillel, etc? Lots of times professors will attend gatherings related to these organizations because of how they were influenced in their undergrad. These are great places to foster connections
• Sometimes over our journey opportunities don't come our way. At the minimum, ask if a faculty member would be able to meet for coffee to discuss the potential of writing a letter of recommendation and see what they have to say. Writing these letters is a part of their job, so they understand the necessity of it to.