part 2
1. Always try to shoot for 3 professor-written letters. Yes you can fudge this but always always always try to have 3 professor-written "core" letters.
2. At Cal, you need to strategize early. I started thinking about potential letter writers early, like freshman yr/sophomore yr early. It doesn't need to be a finalized list. But, remember how crowded classes are and how many undergrads there are? How our classes are really run by GSI's and not the professors themselves? Yeah. So start thinking about how you are going to go about this.
3. Upper divs are good places to find strong letters. Smaller classes, more opportunities for facetime with professors during office hours, etc. I would not recommend something like chem1a, etc.
4. This is where research opportunities can come in helpful. A PI is someone you can actually work with who can attest to your abilities. A big classroom is going to suck.
5. GSI letters are not nearly as strong as that of a full-fledged professor. Some people say that you can get away with it. If I were you, I'd just get a letter from a professor directly. What some people do is have the prof write the main part of the letter and include comments from the TA in the letter. That way it adds more insight and substance to how you did.
6. Non-science letters should come from professors with whom you've taken a class. Your PI letter is usually counted as one of the extra letters you can submit.
7. Have a packet ready to go when you actually get someone to request a letter. It should have: cover letter, cv, personal statement, unofficial transcript and mcat scores
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BerkeleyPreMed/permalink/492955710799307/
for discussion
2. At Cal, you need to strategize early. I started thinking about potential letter writers early, like freshman yr/sophomore yr early. It doesn't need to be a finalized list. But, remember how crowded classes are and how many undergrads there are? How our classes are really run by GSI's and not the professors themselves? Yeah. So start thinking about how you are going to go about this.
3. Upper divs are good places to find strong letters. Smaller classes, more opportunities for facetime with professors during office hours, etc. I would not recommend something like chem1a, etc.
4. This is where research opportunities can come in helpful. A PI is someone you can actually work with who can attest to your abilities. A big classroom is going to suck.
5. GSI letters are not nearly as strong as that of a full-fledged professor. Some people say that you can get away with it. If I were you, I'd just get a letter from a professor directly. What some people do is have the prof write the main part of the letter and include comments from the TA in the letter. That way it adds more insight and substance to how you did.
6. Non-science letters should come from professors with whom you've taken a class. Your PI letter is usually counted as one of the extra letters you can submit.
7. Have a packet ready to go when you actually get someone to request a letter. It should have: cover letter, cv, personal statement, unofficial transcript and mcat scores
https://www.facebook.com/groups/BerkeleyPreMed/permalink/492955710799307/
for discussion