Applying to different programs: need different recommendation letters?

[sandmoon]

Asking for my sister: She's applying to MA programs and PhD programs next year. The two are related (Political Science PhD and MPP/MPA), but she's wondering how she should approach her professors for recommendation letters. Is asking them to customize the letter for the programs too much to ask? She's thinking of two versions, one for the PhD, one for the MPP/MPA.

 

I see that people on this forum have applied for PhD programs in different subjects (political science and sociology, for example). How do you ask your professors? (Or do you simply tell them not to include the program name in the letter e.g. ("John Doe is an excellent candidate for your program")?

Edited January 27, 2019 by sandmoon

[DisplayName44]

I've applied to both MPP and PhD programs, so I can speak from experience. I would encourage her to tell her professors that she is applying to both and ask that they make two drafts of the letter. Truly, most professors would be able to make the change to just one or two sentences, and they shouldn't mind. It requires a bit more organization on her part and theirs, but it makes the letters feel less cold when programs receive them. I ended up creating a shared spreadsheet with application deadlines, program type, and the professors from whom I anticipated receiving a letter. This kept everyone on the same page and allowed me to avoid generic letters. 

[Pancho Villa]

8 hours ago, DisplayName44 said:

I've applied to both MPP and PhD programs, so I can speak from experience. I would encourage her to tell her professors that she is applying to both and ask that they make two drafts of the letter. Truly, most professors would be able to make the change to just one or two sentences, and they shouldn't mind. It requires a bit more organization on her part and theirs, but it makes the letters feel less cold when programs receive them. I ended up creating a shared spreadsheet with application deadlines, program type, and the professors from whom I anticipated receiving a letter. This kept everyone on the same page and allowed me to avoid generic letters. 

Agree. I will add that she might get better letters, particularly for the PhD, if she weren't applying to both. Doing so sends mixed signals as to her ultimate motivation. This will inevitably affect the perspective of many faculty. If I were her letter writer, I would probably encourage her to restrict applications to MPP programs if she's unsure about the PhD. These are different tracks, in most cases, unless she's doing a PhD in policy. And if she's applying to PhD programs in policy, then I would strongly discourage her from applying to MPP programs at the same universities as PhD, unless the option is presented as a default, in which case application is only necessary to the PhD program. 

Edited January 28, 2019 by Midwester
elaboration

[sandmoon]

On 1/27/2019 at 2:25 PM, DisplayName44 said:

I've applied to both MPP and PhD programs, so I can speak from experience. I would encourage her to tell her professors that she is applying to both and ask that they make two drafts of the letter. Truly, most professors would be able to make the change to just one or two sentences, and they shouldn't mind. It requires a bit more organization on her part and theirs, but it makes the letters feel less cold when programs receive them. I ended up creating a shared spreadsheet with application deadlines, program type, and the professors from whom I anticipated receiving a letter. This kept everyone on the same page and allowed me to avoid generic letters. 

Thank you so much!

[sandmoon]

On 1/27/2019 at 10:46 PM, Midwester said:

Agree. I will add that she might get better letters, particularly for the PhD, if she weren't applying to both. Doing so sends mixed signals as to her ultimate motivation. This will inevitably affect the perspective of many faculty. If I were her letter writer, I would probably encourage her to restrict applications to MPP programs if she's unsure about the PhD. These are different tracks, in most cases, unless she's doing a PhD in policy. And if she's applying to PhD programs in policy, then I would strongly discourage her from applying to MPP programs at the same universities as PhD, unless the option is presented as a default, in which case application is only necessary to the PhD program. 

Thank you so much! If I get in to a phd program this year I'll definitely talk to her about her commitment to doing a phd as opposed to a mpp.