Reference Letter from a Faculty Member

[sm12]

Hello there,

 

Another aspiring dentist here. I was wondering: what is the best way to get a quality reference letter (from a faculty member)? Volunteering?

 

I do speak to my professors and visit them in their office hours but I am a bit scared/intimidated to ask for a reference letter, especially since they don't really know me well. I guess the worst thing that could happen is that they say no.

 

So with that, how did you guys get your reference letter from a faculty member? I would greatly appreciate any tips, feedback or personal experience

 

Edit: I am currently attending UBC, if that helps at all! Thanks!

[aravis]

that's right, the worst that can happen is they say no and you move on.

start by e-mailing them asking if you could talk to them about getting a reference letter and then you can have a convo with them about why you want to be a dentist so they can get to know you better and possibly write a good reference letter

[magnesium]

I picked profs that knew me really well, and ones I knew would have experience writing reference letters. As for picking which prof, be sure you did well in their class, and that you were either (a) exceptional in a very large class to the point of the prof knowing who you are, or ( in a class that was small enough that the prof knew you anyway. Profs who have additional positions outside of professor (eg. department head, research chairs, deans/associate deans, etc.) will also carry more weight as academic references.

 

One prof's take on reference letters (the rest of his blog is pretty entertaining too):

http://whyarentyoustudying.blogspot.com/2011/01/letter-of-reference.html