LoR from a professor in a different field?

[2711383]

So I'm applying to masters programs and I'm running into the issue most people have here. I graduated over 3 years ago and I'm almost certain none of my professors remember me. I'm trying to pivot from IR into economics or government programs with a strong economics component. I've asked around and most programs I'm interested in want at least 1 academic reference.

I was thinking of asking a professor that taught me international finance my senior year. She was really nice and always talked about being open to help students with this sort of thing. However, I just realized I got a B+ in her class, not an A- like I thought. And that might be problematic for adcoms..

Now I'm thinking of asking my Causes of War professor. I got an A- in that class and I think that might've been the class where I did the most serious, academic research in my undergraduate career. I remember him also mentioning that he was good letter writer, and he did get a few classmates pretty great international/national security-related jobs after graduation so I guess that was true. However, nothing in the class relates to the programs I'm applying to now. Would it be a mistake to ask for his recommendation? 

[GradSchoolGrad]

2 hours ago, 2711383 said:

So I'm applying to masters programs and I'm running into the issue most people have here. I graduated over 3 years ago and I'm almost certain none of my professors remember me. I'm trying to pivot from IR into economics or government programs with a strong economics component. I've asked around and most programs I'm interested in want at least 1 academic reference.

I was thinking of asking a professor that taught me international finance my senior year. She was really nice and always talked about being open to help students with this sort of thing. However, I just realized I got a B+ in her class, not an A- like I thought. And that might be problematic for adcoms..

Now I'm thinking of asking my Causes of War professor. I got an A- in that class and I think that might've been the class where I did the most serious, academic research in my undergraduate career. I remember him also mentioning that he was good letter writer, and he did get a few classmates pretty great international/national security-related jobs after graduation so I guess that was true. However, nothing in the class relates to the programs I'm applying to now. Would it be a mistake to ask for his recommendation? 

1. I'm assuming you went to a US school.

2. I think you can pull this off as long as you have someone who can vouch for your economic/math/analytical skills on the professional side of the house. You can have the Causes of War professor comment on your ability to learn/interact with others and etc.

3. I know of some professors who won't write letters of rec if you didn't get a A- or above... but that is dependent on each professor of course.

[prokem]

Agree with the above on #2. I think you should be fine to do that. In terms of how to decide which to go with, I think that you should prioritize 1) how close you were with the professor, and relatedly, how well they can speak to your abilities, and 2) how relevant the content of their letter can be to the curriculums of the programs you're applying to. I would choose based on those two factors rather than the grade you got (imo). I think that it's also important for you to zoom out a bit and assess the strengths and weaknesses of your application (for example, quant experience/GREs, relevant work/research experience, etc) and how one of these recommenders may help balance out a weak point, if at all possible, though that bit of advice might not be relevant based on what you said. Hope that helps a little! 

[2711383]

13 hours ago, prokem said:

Agree with the above on #2. I think you should be fine to do that. In terms of how to decide which to go with, I think that you should prioritize 1) how close you were with the professor, and relatedly, how well they can speak to your abilities, and 2) how relevant the content of their letter can be to the curriculums of the programs you're applying to. I would choose based on those two factors rather than the grade you got (imo). I think that it's also important for you to zoom out a bit and assess the strengths and weaknesses of your application (for example, quant experience/GREs, relevant work/research experience, etc) and how one of these recommenders may help balance out a weak point, if at all possible, though that bit of advice might not be relevant based on what you said. Hope that helps a little! 

 

14 hours ago, GradSchoolGrad said:

1. I'm assuming you went to a US school.

2. I think you can pull this off as long as you have someone who can vouch for your economic/math/analytical skills on the professional side of the house. You can have the Causes of War professor comment on your ability to learn/interact with others and etc.

3. I know of some professors who won't write letters of rec if you didn't get a A- or above... but that is dependent on each professor of course.

Hmm.. So I think the better letter would come from the Causes of War prof. But if we're talking about weaknesses in my application, my quant experience and GREs are very solid. The one weakness (which is a kinda big one considering the programs I'm applying to) is not enough economics coursework. I pretty much only meet the minimum economics requirements for all the programs. That's why I initially considered the International Finance prof (but then again that class was pretty straightforward and I didn't do any research in it).

On the professional side I can definitely get someone to talk about my economic/analytical skills. Maybe Causes of War is the way to go..