Academic Reference

**StudentNo6** · 03-08-2008, 09:32 AM

I am a biomedical science student, going into my final year and wanting to apply to study medicine. It seems that a major obstacle for me at the moment is deciding who to ask for an academic reference. I study at a very impersonal institution. Consequently, within the two years of undergraduate study that I have completed so far, I have had very little contact with tutors other than to ask occasional questions. I suspect that none of them remember my name let alone be able to write 4000 characters worth of good things to say about me. An alternative would be to ask a tutor from my former 6th form college to write a reference. However, I worry that this would be considered an out-of-date source. Another alternative might be to ask a senior member of staff in the care home where I'm currently employed. However this is a temporary (4 week) job so I doubt they would be considered to know me well enough, plus they will not be able to give any academic information... For example, how will the institutions that I apply to be able to verify my predicted degree class if I am not able to provide a reference that is written by somebody from my university?

What should I do about this? Am I faced with an impossible task or is this something that can be overcome with a bit of sneakiness?

**Debix** · 03-08-2008, 02:15 PM

I'm in a very similar situation to you. I'm currently studying for a degree in a healthcare subject (I don't want to say which subject because someone may be reading this post) but I've decided that medicine offers the scope of practice that I'm really looking for. However, I do not want to approach tutors on my current course because they are committed to preparing students to practice the profession they teach (and in some cases practice themselves) and they would be affronted by a student who wished to do something else. I think it would make the final year a bit awkward to complete if they knew my intention.

**Blue_GS87** · 03-08-2008, 03:23 PM

Hey Guys, i am in the exact same position as you. You do need an academic reference as we don't hold our degrees yet. What i intend to do is have someone in my care home write me a personal reference and have my tutor write me an academic reference. I will combine both references, with their permission of course and then list one name on the ucas form. My tutor in uni has agreed to do this and i just need someone in the care home to give me their permission. Hope this helps.

**chicken66** · 03-08-2008, 03:54 PM

I found that my tutor asked me about what sorts of things she should write, and if there were things she didn't know about me which should be included. I researched the sorts of things that should be included and she wrote it to my specification (pretty much). I have to admit that my tutor was not ESOL and so we sat down after she'd written it and changed the grammar and any inaccuracies before it was submitted.

I dont know about you but my personal tutor was not involved in my academics anywhere else (apart from essays we wrote directly for her), and so it didn't cause problems during the year. There may be someone like this that you could ask for a reference?

**DGS32** · 04-08-2008, 02:04 AM

The medical admissions team will be looking for a predicted degree classification, and so as far as I can see, it will have to be done by a degree tutor.

I mulled over this problem last year, for my 2008 application to medicine. I had little contact with any particular tutor as I tended to get on with the coursework by myself. But, one of my tutors wrote a really good reference, which was mostly academic but he also included bits about my personality traits in the short meetings he had with me. He also wrote 'needs little supervision' which was a good way of expressing 'i haven't spoken to him much'.

If the impersonal relationship bothers you, then you could maybe get your boss or sixth form tutor to write a bit to your uni tutor for inclusion (eg. 'his/her sixth form teacher has told me').

Out of interest, where are you doing biomed?

**aapl** · 04-08-2008, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by Debix

(I don't want to say which subject because someone may be reading this post)

Isn't someone reading your post the whole point of a forum?

Anyway, my academic reference was only 10 lines long and didn't even fill up half of the available space. The content was average and nothing special.

**Debix** · 04-08-2008, 01:34 PM

I meant 'someone' who knows what course I'm on right now.

**Rachel_bluesky** · 12-08-2008, 07:43 PM

If your tutor doesn't know much about you then why not forward them a copy of your CV so they get to know more about yourself? Just a suggestion...

**Bambi** · 12-08-2008, 11:12 PM

You will have to have an academic reference from someone at uni, if you don't it will look VERY ODD. Most people will use their personal tutor or dissertation supervisor. If they don't know you well or don't have much experience in writing refs for med school they will ask for a copy of your CV and/or what sort of things you want them to say.