Building Relationships w/ Professors for that LOR

When applying to medical schools (DO or MD) it is important to have strong, positive, letters of recommendation (LOR). The writers are literally speaking to your ability to become a physician! You want to pick people who know you Unless you are a non-traditional student, it is advised that at least one, if not two of the LOR be from professors. This can either be undergrad or graduate professors. Some medical schools specify two letters from science professors and some schools want one science and one non-science. Check the AAMC MSAR (Medical School Admission Requirements) for each school's specification. Nevertheless, I recommend getting a LOR from two of your science professors and one from a non-science professor. The question remains: how do you build a relationship with your professor to receive a quality letter of rec?

First off, make yourself known! Plant the seed. You want to get on their radar. In larger Universities, this is SO important because of the sheer number of students each professor is in charge of. I suggest setting up a meeting within the first week of the semester during office hours and introducing yourself. Ask them about the hardest parts of the class and if they can give you any pointers for the first couple weeks! This shows initiative and dedication=positive first impression. It only takes 20-30 minutes to get off on the right foot!

Second, participate. Grow the blossom. Show this professor that their class is important to you! No, you don’t have to get an A to get a letter of rec from most professors (few are stingy), but YOU DO need to show dedication and work ethic if this is what you want them to put in your LOR. Participation can mean actively asking/answering questions in class, going to office hours, attending review sessions, or offering your services to other students if they are struggling. I am the first person to say that I did not attend every single class. Working two jobs plus all of my extracurricular and school did not give me unlimited energy. However, I made sure to stay on top of the material if I missed a class and was always at office hours or review sessions to make up for it.

Third, make the effort to get to know your professor. Water the flower. Yes sometimes they are slightly evil. However, we all have to remember that they are real people with actual lives outside of class. The secret is to talk to them about anything BUT SCHOOL. Strike up a conversation about their *gasp* hobbies. HINT—> glance around their office and notice any awards/pictures/displays that might speak to their personality. I found out that my organic chemistry professor and I had running in common because I noticed all of the marathon medals in his office. It became a great bonding topic outside of talking o-chem. He remembered me so much that in the middle of a crowd he called me out because he noticed that I wasn't on the roster for his class next semester. Opps.

Fourth, visit them even after the class is done. Fertilize for next year. I know, I know sometimes you really don't want to see them after the hell they put you through. Get a coffee and take a deep breath. This is important because each semester brings new classes with new teachers. You don't want them to forget you by the time applying for medical school rolls around. When I was in between classes at GCU I would head over to the floor where all of my science professors offices were and I just bounced from room to room. Ya know just checking in on everyone, probably being annoying. But ya know what? They always seemed happy to see me and check in on how everything was going. I also enjoyed hearing about the hell they were putting their students through so sue me. Cultivate the relationship!

Lastly, don’t forget to foster relationships with NON SCIENCE professors. Weeds are pretty too? Just joking, I loved my Public Speaking (speech and debate) professor freshman year and ended up asking him for a LOR. I took a majority of my non-science classes online at GCU and honestly I didn't enjoy a majority of the ones I had to take on ground. I really only liked my speech and debate class (my mom just said mhm I wonder why? Opps.Sorry mom.). Anyways, try to take electives that you enjoy to cultivate those relationships!

Overall, you want to build your garden throughout undergrad so that you can come back and make a beautiful bouquet of flowers to present to medical schools. Good luck and go get 'em.