Letters of Rec choices

[snooze]

Hey all,

So very briefly:

I have two letters of rec from art history profs that should be pretty good, but I'm stuck on who I should ask for the third. My options are a) my art history senior seminar professor who has only known me and my work for 2 and a half months but seems to really like me (and has nominated me for a few things) or b ) the Executive Associate Director (second in command) of the art school, who has known me since freshman year and personally gave me a scholarship. He knows me pretty well but doesn't know my art history work much, and I think only knows my artwork. However, I think his rec would be glowing, and I think his title might be eye-catching? And since I plan to present him with my CV and my interests, etc., he should have enough to talk about. I'll also be working on an exhibition with him in the Spring, so he could talk about that as well.

Thoughts...?

Thanks.

Edited November 3, 2010 by snoozetina

[Alyanumbers]

Can the second choice speak to your capacity for research? If yes, then definitely ask him.

Hey all,

So very briefly:

I have two letters of rec from art history profs that should be pretty good, but I'm stuck on who I should ask for the third. My options are a) my art history senior seminar professor who has only known me and my work for 2 and a half months but seems to really like me (and has nominated me for a few things) or b ) the Executive Associate Director (second in command) of the art school, who has known me since freshman year and personally gave me a scholarship. He knows me pretty well but doesn't know my art history work much, and I think only knows my artwork. However, I think his rec would be glowing, and I think his title might be eye-catching? And since I plan to present him with my CV and my interests, etc., he should have enough to talk about. I'll also be working on an exhibition with him in the Spring, so he could talk about that as well.

Thoughts...?

Thanks.

[Bukharan]

I'd go for the second one. Positions of the referees matter. And since he is going to give yo a glowing reference, then definitely use this opportunity.

Can the second choice speak to your capacity for research? If yes, then definitely ask him.

[snooze]

Thanks!

[adaptations]

It appears I'm in the minority on this one, but that has rarely stopped me from sharing my thoughts. Assuming that your senior seminar involves you conducting research in close consultation with your advisor, I would think the seminar professor would provide a more meaningful assessment of your potential and abilities as an academic. I agree that the reputation of the recommender matters, but I do not agree that the reputation is necessarily tied to title. If your advisor is well known in the field, he/she may be more recognizable and pull more weight that an associate director of your school. In all honesty I do not think you will go wrong with either, but I don't think the title alone is justification for going with the associate director.

[georgica2]

Hey all,

So very briefly:

I have two letters of rec from art history profs that should be pretty good, but I'm stuck on who I should ask for the third. My options are a) my art history senior seminar professor who has only known me and my work for 2 and a half months but seems to really like me (and has nominated me for a few things) or b ) the Executive Associate Director (second in command) of the art school, who has known me since freshman year and personally gave me a scholarship. He knows me pretty well but doesn't know my art history work much, and I think only knows my artwork. However, I think his rec would be glowing, and I think his title might be eye-catching? And since I plan to present him with my CV and my interests, etc., he should have enough to talk about. I'll also be working on an exhibition with him in the Spring, so he could talk about that as well.

Thoughts...?

Thanks.

The title isn't going to be all that important -- it's more the name of the professor (and whether or not the committee recognizes it) that matters. Either way, since it seems like you have pretty good relationships with both professors, it might be worth speaking to both of them and asking their opinion about the situation (eg, asking the studio professor if he feels familiar enough with your academic work to write a rec for an art history program or if he thinks you should go with a professor who is strictly an art historian, and vice versa)

[cleisthenes]

It appears I'm in the minority on this one, but that has rarely stopped me from sharing my thoughts. Assuming that your senior seminar involves you conducting research in close consultation with your advisor, I would think the seminar professor would provide a more meaningful assessment of your potential and abilities as an academic. I agree that the reputation of the recommender matters, but I do not agree that the reputation is necessarily tied to title. If your advisor is well known in the field, he/she may be more recognizable and pull more weight that an associate director of your school. In all honesty I do not think you will go wrong with either, but I don't think the title alone is justification for going with the associate director.

Agreed-

In most cases it would be best to go with the Prof with whom you've worked in seminar. If the "Director" happens to be a big-name in your field and can truly attest to your abilities as a scholar...well, that could be different. But I'm guessing this person is an administrator and not an academic in your field.

Generally, a person having taught you directly in seminar is the most important basis for determining the degree to which they are capable of evaluating your potential.

[snooze]

Thanks, guys. I ended up going with the seminar prof. She's really nice and has had more of an opportunity to see my work. Thanks again!