Number of recommendation letter and application

[pty1196]

I am planning to apply phd for computer science.

From a professor, how many recommendation letters can you ask him to write? (If you ask too many, he will say no.)

How many different school should I apply? What is the average number of different applications a person submit for phd?

Thanks.

[newms]

I applied to 10 schools, but it seems that most people on here apply to maybe around 6-8 places - some people apply to less, some people apply to more. The key is to find a range of schools that are a good match for your interests - you don't want to apply to too many since you may not have the time to properly prepare each of them.

I see that you're from Thailand, so professors' expectations of how many letters they should write for a student may be a little different than in the States. Usually if the professor believes in you and your ability then they would be willing to write the letters for you - remember that they'll just have to write one and maybe modify it slightly for the other schools. The thing that will take up a lot of time for them is filling out online forms that schools sometimes have. Perhaps when you approach them to ask for the letters you can ask if they'd be willing to write to X schools. Good luck!

[anxious2011]

That's a good question and one I had too when I was applying. I actually applied to 12 schools in all (3 masters programs and 9 phd programs), so was worried about the "too much to ask of professors" issue too. But if they are willing to write you a recommendation, there should not be an issue.

In order to make sure its not an issue you kind of should do your part too. Decide up-front the schools you are applying to and send a comprehensive e-mail to Professors detailing the schools you are applying to, the program at the school, and the deadline for submitting the letters. I would try not to add any more schools once you e-mail your professors the first list. It seemed like they left the letter writing not exactly up to the last minute, but the last couple of weeks before the deadline, so they probably estimated how much time it would take them to finish. You don't want to throw off their plans by any last minute additions unless you absolutely have to.

My two cents