LOR question

So I have a quick question for everyone…I just had an epiphany that I’m struggling to get up to the min unit and UD unit limits to graduate because I’m majoring in economics now instead of managerial econ which requires a lot less classes since it’s a B.A. instead of a B.S. I just realized that, by default, if I’m going to be under the unit cap to graduate unless I take 11 units of UD electives, then I’m not anywhere close to the max unit limit of 225 units if I take the pre-med reqs at UCD where I currently am. In fact, I could even take genetics and biochemistry and still be 10 units shy of the max limit.


I was planning to just take the pre-med reqs at a CC afterwards whenever I decided to apply if I do since I’m still not sure whether I will apply due to the fact I want to try out being a paramedic first and do that for awhile. I won’t ask the CC vs. uni pre-req question since it’s been discussed at length and I’m aware of the info in those discussions. However, I’m curious what you guys think would be the best course of action specifically from a LOR standpoint. If I take the classes now at Davis, I would have to basically solicit LORs and hope that they remember me in 3-5 years (even if you keep in touch with someone by E-mail, there’s little chance the prof would remember you enough to write a decent LOR). If I take the classes later at a CC, I’m not even sure whether I would get LORs from the teachers there or get them from work from other paramedics and my supervisor. What do you guys think?


Another thing which probably shouldn’t factor in too much is that my girlfriend has already told me she will take bio, ochem, and physics (well and anatomy & physiology) with me at a CC if I take them there; she just doesn’t want to pay the enormous amount of money to take it at a university and we both feel the education at CCs is superior to universities anyway. So if I did take the classes at a CC, I would have an excellent lab partner since she’s a rocket scientist (she’s taking EMT and considering a career change to health care because she’s sick of all the BS in engineering, hence why she’s interested in taking science classes) so she obviously will have no trouble learning the material and likes doing things right the first time, but anyway that’s just a side note since I am basically curious about the LOR situation.


We’ve basically both decided that I should indeed apply to med school if I really want to, however, we both think it’d be best for me to work as a medic for several years and see if I love that first since I don’t really have any interest in being a career student unless it’s for an itch that can’t be scratched any other way. Your input on the LOR thing will be greatly appreciated! well, and on anything else of course.

which pathway is more likely to get you high grades and good LORs and good prep for medicine?

  • ttraub Said:
which pathway is more likely to get you high grades and good LORs and good prep for medicine?



Well, CC without a doubt for high grades and good prep since teachers at CCs actually care about teaching and are not just there for research, and I'll be able to take them with my gf so I'll have an excellent study buddy and lab partner. She's already obviously taken loads of physics too so she can help me learn that a lot better than I could on my own.

LORs I have no idea since I'm sure med schools probably look down on LORs from CCs. I could probably get to know the teacher a lot better though since teachers do the lab/discussion sections as well at CCs and are generally a lot more interested in students.

Use interfolio and getting a praising, in depth recommendation letter will always surpass a generic, cursory recommendation letter.

Maybe go the CC route which does sound right for you, but also make sure to spend some quality time with docs at a hospital or research institute where you can score a couple of strong letters of rec. A good letter from the paramedic school too, maybe. You have an interesting enough background that it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to get where you want to go.

  • ttraub Said:
Maybe go the CC route which does sound right for you, but also make sure to spend some quality time with docs at a hospital or research institute where you can score a couple of strong letters of rec. A good letter from the paramedic school too, maybe. You have an interesting enough background that it shouldn't be too difficult for you to get where you want to go.



Hmm, ok. I'll probably meet the medical director of the EMS provider I work for at some point so I could try to get to know him. I know I could get a good letter of rec from an academic standpoint from my lead paramedic instructor...I doubt anyone at my P-school will ever forget me.

What about past supervisors who were also friends? My best friend who I've known for ten years obviously knows me better than anyone else; he is actually my boss at the ambulance company I work for since he's a paramedic supervisor. I've also worked a lot of shifts with him since I was his EMT on a 24-hour shift for about half a year. However, I don't know how that would look since he's also a very good friend so I'm not sure if there's enough of a professional relationship there for the LOR to do more good than harm. What do you guys think?

I am running into this very same situation as 2 very good friends of mine are both doctors and while I am doing alot of mentoring/volunteer type work with them 1 is also a long-time family friend of my boyfriends. I’m not sure how well the LOR will hold up seeing as the personal relationship is there.

Most medical schools prefer that most (if not all) of your LORs be academic letters. It’s okay to have one or two (at most) letters from co-workers or supervisors, but med schools want letters about your academic ability.


Even if you think it may be a couple of years before you apply, I would ask for letters while in courses now and have them uploaded to interfolio or whatever and hold on to them.


Although CC LORs are probably given less weight than LORs from a 4 year, they still carry more weight than letters from supervisors or coworkers.

  • Emergency! Said:
Most medical schools prefer that most (if not all) of your LORs be academic letters. It's okay to have one or two (at most) letters from co-workers or supervisors, but med schools want letters about your academic ability.

Even if you think it may be a couple of years before you apply, I would ask for letters while in courses now and have them uploaded to interfolio or whatever and hold on to them.

Although CC LORs are probably given less weight than LORs from a 4 year, they still carry more weight than letters from supervisors or coworkers.



Well....at this point it may be 5-6 years before I apply. plus even if I get a LOR on file from them right before I graduate, it'll still be half a decade old by the time I apply. Getting LORs from teachers at CCs isn't a big deal though since I plan to take the pre-reqs later.