tagidili

#3 sounds like it is really your best and only option in my view. 1. Never get an LOR from someone who you would describe as having an "awkward relationship" with. There are few things worse than a non-complimentary LOR. 2. If someone is really stuck they can always default to a professor who taught a class they did well in even if there wasn't much interaction. If the other two LORs are stellar, they may even get away with it. This professor is from an online class though, so I wouldn't highlight that as there are many people today who still frown on them. 3. This seems like the obvious choice to me. The professors already all wrote written evaluations of your performance, so not only should their memory of you be a little clearer than someone who can just distill their students to a letter grade, but they also have reference material to fall back on. In addition, the professors should be commenting on your performance outside of the classroom as well, so it shouldn't be redundant. if you are worried about them not remembering anything about you in that span of time, remember that you can supply them with a CV, transcript, statement of purpose, old class assignments, etc. Remember, not having an LOR from your undergraduate institution may raise some red flags. You may get away with it because it has been so many years, but why take the chance? 4. Trust your instincts. If your supervisor has never been in academia, they probably can't speak very well about how you will perform in it. This is just my opinion though. I cannot claim to know all the answers. Hope you find this helpful!

I really don't know what to do, I feel like whatever I do is a 'kiss of death' for applications. On one hand, I have been told by several people that you shouldn't ask for recommendations from those who have not completed (if not succeeded at) the work that they need to recommend you for. On the other hand, I have been told by many that not getting a LOR from a thesis supervisor at my stage is a HUGE red flag. The situation gets even more complicated when I factor in the (nonexistent) reputation of my school. I attended a very small (less than 1000 students) unranked teaching college that mainly emphasizes religious studies. I was drawn to the college because of the strength of that program, and ultimately did my other (non-psychology) major in the religious studies department. However, no one outside of academics in religious studies have heard of my college, and its other departments, while acceptable, could definitely benefit from a raise in standards for the majors and more research opportunities. As my thesis supervisor is not only faculty, but also head of the psychology department, I am worried that a LOR from him will reflect badly on my school and highlight the lack of 'name recognition' that I am trying to downplay. This is frustrating because I do really respect and admire my supervisor and think that his lack of a title doesn't make him unqualified for his position. He left his PhD program when he was diagnosed with cancer (not because of any kind of academic failure), he has two master's at prestigious universities (the second was where he was doing his PhD), and he is one of the best teachers I have ever had, which is the real priority of any decent teaching college. In addition to supervising my thesis work in psychology where I wrote my own protocol and completed a self-driven study using the data from a local non-profit, he was advisor to the campus's psychology club that I was president of, and gave me As in all the courses I took with him. This will also be my only reference from my college, so I want to make sure it leaves a good impression about me and my institution. My other two references are pretty well-known in their fields (I worked in labs outside of my college as well) if that makes a difference. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated