Need serious advice from the seniors here (Reference Letters)

[magicalmania]

Hi guys,

 

I'm technically new to the forums here, but I've read through many of its threads before

 

So I've been seriously thinking about med school for about a year now, and have JUST seriously started pondering and researching the Reference Letters deal. This seems like a huge hurdle to me, even more than the GPA, cuz I've always been a quiet student/person in general. I'm much more of a listener than a talker, and for that reason my teachers don't get to know me much (or anyone else I associate with) like the other out going peeps cracking jokes and sharing anecdotes with the profs.

 

Now, how am I gonna get a reference letter from someone who barely knows me? Even after I've worked with them for a while? :|

 

So I would love to have some advice from the premed/med folks on obtaining good reference letters as well as doing EC's (esp lab/clinical experience) when you're a quiet and shy loser . Thanks

[.ninja.]

Being quiet and shy does NOT make you a loser! CONFIDENCE! You are who you are, and there is no shame in being the quiet type!

 

though i don't really know how to help you with your situation. I had a similar problem where I didn't know any of my profs at all when I applied (it was more of a large class size and I never bothered to go in for extra help/lab volunteering etc. though), so my "academic" reference ended up being one of my high school teachers that actually knew me really well. I didn't have a single professor as a reference. It worked, I'm off the queens next year, but I'm also pretty sure it was part of the reason I didn't get a U of T interview (but my essay also could have been significantly better, and I didn't have any research experience when I applied, so I can't say it was just the references).

[medhopeful64]

Have you volunteered anywhere? Could you ask a supervisor there? It doesn't have to be someone of "high authority" just anyone who was in a position of authority relative to you and knows you well enough to comment on certain characteristics such as leadership, ability to work in a team, hard work, etc etc.

 

Good luck.

[Comeon]

I am like you. I was extremely scared to ask for references. It was one of the worst parts of the application cycle for me. But, you have to do it no matter what...so what I would do if I were you is send an e-mail to a bunch of professors and ask them if they would be willing to write a letter firstly and if they could interview you to get to know you a bit better secondly. Just do it and get it over with before it becomes too late. It is mid-summer now so I think several profs. should have time before classes get started again in September.

[hking03]

I believe most profs recognize that this is a part of their job... in that almost any graduate program requires some sort of reference letter or work in a lab so if you just ask them they will either say yes or no.

 

I would suggest focusing on the classes with your highest marks. You can send them emails (not a generic mass email) saying that you were a student in this class and you are interested in medicine. Ask them if they would consider writing a reference letter. You would be more than happy to provide them with a cv/transcript/resume/brief autobiographical sketch and meet with them if they wanted to get to know you a bit more. Or you could ask if they need any volunteers in their lab if they'd like to get to know you on a different level.

 

They'll either say yes or no and you move on from there.

 

Good luck!

[idiopathic]

Fortunately, and this is a generalization, you usually only need one academic for med school apps! Other references can be from supervisors from volunteer positions, jobs, musical endeavours, sports teams, anything you''ll be putting down your application anyways.

 

For the academic reference, pick a class or two that you're willing to go that "extra" step for...a class you're interested in and think you'll do well in. Go out of your way and ask a couple questions once in a while during class. If you're afraid of asking stupid questions, don't be...there are tons of stupid questions that get asked anyways =P

 

Go up to the prof after class and ask for verification about something they just talked about. Or ask them more insightful questions that wouldn't have been appropriate to ask in class, but you'd like more information about.

 

You can go to their office hours, and as others have said, volunteer in their lab. Do well in their class and stay on top of the material. Profs get asked for letters ALL the time and if you show your face they'll remember you.

 

Good luck!

[Futur_doc]

Hi guys,

 

I'm technically new to the forums here, but I've read through many of its threads before

 

So I've been seriously thinking about med school for about a year now, and have JUST seriously started pondering and researching the Reference Letters deal. This seems like a huge hurdle to me, even more than the GPA, cuz I've always been a quiet student/person in general. I'm much more of a listener than a talker, and for that reason my teachers don't get to know me much (or anyone else I associate with) like the other out going peeps cracking jokes and sharing anecdotes with the profs.

 

Now, how am I gonna get a reference letter from someone who barely knows me? Even after I've worked with them for a while? :|

 

So I would love to have some advice from the premed/med folks on obtaining good reference letters as well as doing EC's (esp lab/clinical experience) when you're a quiet and shy loser. Thanks

 

One thing you could do is to approach a prof of a class in which you did very well and see if they could use/need an undergrad (or maybe you're a graduate student?) teaching assistant. That's how I got to know my prof and it also led me to do a summer research project with the same prof. Otherwise, you could use a high school teacher that knew you very well as a reference. That's what I did and it turned out great .

[bj89]

Hi guys,

 

I'm technically new to the forums here, but I've read through many of its threads before

 

So I've been seriously thinking about med school for about a year now, and have JUST seriously started pondering and researching the Reference Letters deal. This seems like a huge hurdle to me, even more than the GPA, cuz I've always been a quiet student/person in general. I'm much more of a listener than a talker, and for that reason my teachers don't get to know me much (or anyone else I associate with) like the other out going peeps cracking jokes and sharing anecdotes with the profs.

 

Now, how am I gonna get a reference letter from someone who barely knows me? Even after I've worked with them for a while? :|

 

So I would love to have some advice from the premed/med folks on obtaining good reference letters as well as doing EC's (esp lab/clinical experience) when you're a quiet and shy loser . Thanks

 

It's best to pick referees who know you on a more deeper of a level than just answering questions and talking to the prof during/after lecture. If you work with someone (i.e. a research supervisor), you're going to build a relationship with them... it's inevitable. I don't see how you can work for a prof and still not get to know someone, even if you're very shy. With that being said, if you work with someone for a long period, they should be able to write you a reference letter.

 

I think you just need to work on your confidence and self-esteem. You can start by not calling yourself a loser!

[magicalmania]

Thank you for the advice and wise words everyone. Really appreciate it! And I feel much more confident about what I'm going to do as far as the rest of my university years go in terms of obtaining strong reference letters !

 

I'll be starting my 2nd year in the Fall semester, futur_doc.

 

And yes bj89 I kind of realize that.. but believe me it's easier said than done

 

Any other advise anyone has to offer to a 2nd year premed student in terms of preparation for med school applications would also be greatly appreciated.