LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
BSC2010 or BSC2011
If my only experience with you as a student is through BSC, I am sorry but I will not write a letter of recommendation for you. I
have very limited knowledge of you as a person, and your abilities to
succeed in various capacities. I teach 900+ students each fall
over a 6-week period. Even if you come to my office hours, it is
rare that I have much knowledge of you beyond the score you obtain on
the single exam I write. In addition, since this is an
introductory course, students often ask me for letters of
recommendation several years after completing this course, and even if
you came to office hours regularly I am unlikely to even recall your
face at this point having had thousands of students go through my class
since then.
Clearly I cannot write a
meaningful letter for students in this position. Even if you come
to talk to me one or two times before the letter is due, I have little
ability to assess your abilities or to speak to anything more than how
you appear in a short interview (the forms usually require me to
indicate your abilities in a number of areas, and I have to write
"unknown" for many of them). This will NOT help you get into a good professional program.
Your application will be better served by getting a letter from a
faculty who has greater knowledge of you, such as a faculty from a
smaller, upper level course (e.g., physiology, microbiology, etc.)
where they can better assess your abilities and likelihood of
succeeding. I highly recommend you take time in one of these courses to interact with a faculty multiple times.
This will ensure that the faculty gets to know you, and can write
a great letter that will be an asset to your application.
PCB 4674 (Evolution)
I am generally happy to write letters for students that take my
Evolution course, particularly if you obtained a B or above. I
like to meet with students that are requesting a letter, so I can find
out more about the programs you are applying for, your goals, and more
about you personally. Please email me to set up a time to do
this. If you will be asking for a letter, please contact me during
either the fall or spring semester, NOT during the summer. Like
most faculty I am not paid over the summer, and consequently I am not
always on campus or able to meet with you.
When you come to meet me, please bring a cv or resume. If you
have a statement (even a draft) for the program you are applying for,
it can be helpful to bring a copy of that along as well. In
addition, I will need all of the information about when the letter is
due, where it needs to be sent, whether I need to fill out a form (you
may need to bring this along, as they often require your signature to
be valid), and any other information that you feel is necessary.
For letters to OHLPA, I do not need a stamped envelope as I can
send this intra-campus mail.