reference letters from science profs?

[JessMD]

hi,

does anyone know if UofM requires reference letters from science profs?

[premed]

No you definately don't HAVE TO get a reference from a prof. In fact, in most cases, I would stay away from that since most students don't really get to know their profs on a personal level. They may know you by name and feel comfortable saying hi, but what would they write about you in a reference letter?? My advice... get one letter from someone in a health-related field, be it a lab supervisor (if you worked at a lab), a physician (if you worked or volunteered for one), or, IF you know one well, a professor of yours. Get another letter from a supervisor you know well for your volunteer work, and a third letter from a close family friend who is in a respectable profession (ie. a lawyer, banker etc) Keep in mind that, although the references are important, they don't carry too much weight in the admission process... Good luck!

[premedgirl]

I dont know about the third one you said. when i once spoke to beth jennings she didnt really sound like it was a good idea to do the personal family friend, she was more like a prof, or people you worked or volunteered for who will be less biased than someone who knows you as a friend

[premed]

By close family friend, i meant someone who knows you on a personal level, not just "sunday golf"... lol, this advice was given to me... so i used it, but if you don't feel comfortable getting a reference from a friend of the family... then don't. Do what works for you and makes you feel confident about your application. But this worked for me, as I'm starting med this year.

[MBMed]

I agree with premed. I am also starting med this year and when I was gathering my references, I included a good friend of the family. It's people that are close to you that will have the best things to say since they know of all your volunteer work, your academic life and they also know you socially, basically, what kind of a person are you. But like premed said, do what works for you. Good luck.

[Jag]

personally from what i recall in my interview a few years ago... they asked me tons of questions from what my references said about me in their reference letters and NOTHING from my essay. Just something to keep in mind, choose your references wisely.