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Letters of reference


kiwi

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Hi, when schools request LORs from faculty members, do they only accept letters from profs who have taught you in a lecture course? Could I get a letter from a research supervisor (eg from summer research job) instead?

 

I've tried checking old posts about this topic but have not come across a clear answer for my question.

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Hi, when schools request LORs from faculty members, do they only accept letters from profs who have taught you in a lecture course? Could I get a letter from a research supervisor (eg from summer research job) instead?

 

I've tried checking old posts about this topic but have not come across a clear answer for my question.

 

Depends on the school...

 

some will accept from research supervisor, but most will require letters from faculty who have actually taught you.

It's pretty stupid when you think about it, but thats the rules

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Depends on the school...

 

some will accept from research supervisor, but most will require letters from faculty who have actually taught you.

It's pretty stupid when you think about it, but thats the rules

 

If you find yourself against the wall, it doesn't hurt to email the admissions for clarification. Sometimes they are willing to be flexible.

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Most schools will ask for a standard-issue package including:

 

2 science profs (who taught you in a course)

1 non-science prof who taught you in a course.

 

Definitely secure the above. Not doing so will limit your choices.

 

In some cases, a Research prof may be suitable, provided they assigned you a grade for a course. ex) Honours Project Superv.

 

Also, try to have glowing LORs, not simply any LOR. They are giving more (subjective) value in the eyes of the US AdComs than they are here in Canada.

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So any tips on how to get great LOR's from profs?

The end of the school year is coming near,

and there is not one professor who knows my face or my name.

The sad thing I KNEW this was going to happen.

Anyway, please let us (me and surely some other guys reading the post) know what are some good ways to get to know the profs on a more personal level.

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Ya, LORs really are tricky to snag because of the rigid requirements.

 

What you have to do is go to office hours for every session-- there's not enough time to build some gradual long term reltationship.

 

Even if you don't have specific q's, go talk about what you know, talk about your future goals, and basically chill with the prof for a bit. Maybe you had questions about mistakes you made on your midterm [i did this for my Arts LOR and I know she wrote the best one I had]. Maybe you're interested in the Profs research. etc.

 

Profs aren't always flooded during office hours anyway, so this will give you the chance to establish some sort of connection. In any case it will allow for a more meaningful LOR than "Jimmy got an A+ in my class out of 400 students. Sincerely, Dr. XYZ".

 

As for knowing your name, that part comes after your face and once you start emailing back and forth.

 

There really isn't any other option. Those prof letters are a must and you have to get them.

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